Jam in the Van hits the road with QSC TouchMix and K Series

3 October 2017

YouTube sensation Jam in the Van has recently been relying on audio gear from QSC.

The self-described “backyard fun project” has evolved into one of the most engaging music discovery and A&R vehicles around, with a growing audience of over 150,000 subscribers to its YouTube channel and millions of views of its productions.

The psychedelic-painted RV houses a fully solar-powered recording studio, and includes a QSC TouchMix-30 Pro digital compact mixer as well as K10 and K12 powered loudspeakers and a KSub subwoofer.

“We’ve set up our audio system in some pretty rustic places — parks, beaches, the side of the road and the middle of the desert. Because of this our speakers need to be able to take a lot of outdoor exposure,” said creative director Jack Higgins. “I remember one time in particular filming in Cleveland, Ohio, when a huge thunderstorm came out of nowhere. Even though our speakers were covered, the wind was so strong it was blasting the rain right into them. But the show must go on, and the K Series kept on going without compromise! We’re very impressed with the K Series’ ruggedness and sound quality even under harsh conditions.”

Higgins also detailed how the TouchMix-30 Pro, which combines 32 channels of live digital mixing and signal processing with USB DAW interfacing — and can also record directly to a connected hard drive without the need for a computer — has been just as much of a lifesaver.

“While a typical day’s shoot for us is 6 to 8 bands, we’ve had times where we have recorded as many as 16 acts in one day,” Higgins added. “After each session we play back the audio on the K Series loudspeakers outside the van for the artists to hear. The TouchMix-30 Pro makes it easy to recall each song and session quickly so that the artists can give us notes before the final mix.

“On our YouTube channel, we release a new session of three songs every Monday through Friday, so in a year we might record around 250 bands of all styles and of every level – from a band that just got together, to some of the bigger rock artists out there. Inside the van for sessions, we use K10 speakers as floor monitors, and then we use a pair of K12s outside with a KSub subwoofer and TV screens so people can watch and listen to the live feed.”

You can find out exactly how Jam in the Van has been using QSC gear in the video below: