Drake FOH engineer on what really matters in live sound engineering

Demetrius Moore, who’s been Drake’s FOH engineer since 2010, has lifted the lid on what his role is really like, noting how vocals are most important element to get right when mixing a show live.

Moore has most recently accompanied Drake on his $ome $pecial $hows 4 U Tour with PartyNextDoor in Europe. Within his role, he’s been in charge of some pretty mighty gear including a massive Adamson Systems Engineering PA system, provided by Eighth Day Sound. Drake performed in the round for these shows, so getting the sound right was paramount to completing the immersive environment.

Speaking to MixOnline in a detailed interview about his role, Moore says the shows were very dynamic, with him needing to cater his mix to a range of musical styles including intimate R&B, Drake’s more bass-heavy rap, and even his Ibiza-style dance music.

“I always start with the vocal,” says Moore. “To quote Prince, ‘If the first words out of an artist’s mouth when they hit the stage aren’t heard, you’re a horrible engineer.’ They came to hear the artist, and what are you going to do – wait ’til the third song to get it together?”

Speaking on the colossal PA that carried the sound at Drake’s arena shows – which was broken up into four corners of hangs – Moore says the system was intended for even coverage: “They feel the impact, that’s for sure, but a lot of people look at the PA and say, ‘Oh my God, this is gonna rip our faces off!’ No, it won’t. We did it this way for even coverage, even dispersion and to have power without killing people.”

MixOnline further reveals how the tour also carried a pair of DiGiCo Quantum852 consoles for Moore and monitor engineer Chris Lee, with both desks on an Optocore network that also supported three SD-Racks and one SD-MiNi Rack.

Moore says he uses his desk “as an instrument”: “It’s definitely an effect-heavy show. The first song is Marvin’s Room, and if you listen to the album, there’s a reverse gate reverb delay that is the whole vocal sound of that song – which we have to recreate live! It’s three effects: The vocal goes into the reverse gate, which goes into the reverb and that goes into the delay.

“I sat there for I don’t know how long, tweaking it until it was as close to the record as possible. It was a little bit of a challenge trying to get it exact, but we’re damn close. Not every song has crazy effects like that, but there are a lot throughout the show,” he says.

Drake’s most recent album, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U is available to stream or buy now.

Rachel is a DIY musician who began learning guitar and keyboard from her bedroom at 14. She has written news and features for MusicTech since 2022, and also has bylines across Kerrang!, Guitar.com, and The Forty-Five. Though a lover of heavy music, her guilty pleasure is 2000s pop.