All Pros, No Cons

An IM8-40 from DeHerrera Event Services powers the monitors at an Eddie Money show.

The folks at DeHerrera Event Services in Pueblo, Colorado, bill themselves as providers of “full event production, with no attitudes.” The company delivers a full range of services, including lighting, sound, backline and production, along with professional sales and services.

Located in southern Colorado, they are involved with many large events, including the Colorado State Fair, shows at colleges, universities and several other venues in the region. They support a wide range of musical acts, including War, Lonestar, Nelly, Los Lobos, Starship and Doug Kershaw, the Ragin’ Cajun.

“We’re a mid-size company and we get to do some big names, maybe not groups that are on the charts anymore, but acts that still bring in big crowds,” said owner Wayne DeHerrera.

DeHerrera was in the market for a solid 40-channel board to use as a back-up at front of house and as a monitor console when he saw an advertisement in Front of House magazine for Yamaha-s IM8 series and bought an IM8-40.

“It’s a good board for the money,” he said. “You don’t find a lot of analog anymore. I use digital boards on the bigger shows and I can run an M7CL, but I’m old school. I’m an analog guy, really, and I’ll retire before they make us go all digital.”

DeHerrera’s IM8 is used mainly for monitors. Generally, the larger bands he works with have their own FOH house sound requirements and contract out the monitor system. Though the IM8 may not be specifically mentioned in the rider, 99.9 percent of the time, the console fits the bill.

So far, he’s used the IM8-40 for Foghat, Eddie Money, Colin Raye and Blue Oyster Cult, along with other performers.

“It’s a perfect board for regional sound companies who can’t afford to spend $20,000 to $30,000 on a digital console but who still want the benefits of a Yamaha,” he said. “I love the compression on each channel.”

He also lauded the console’s large headroom and intuitive interface. “Another reason why I got it is that any sound guy, pro or beginner, can walk up to it and quickly master it, you don’t need a crash course to be able to run it,” he said. “That’s important if you’ve got a festival with eight or 10 bands and you have to change settings a lot.”

He recently saw a review of the IM8-40 in Front of House magazine and said he agrees with every conclusion. “The price is awesome for what you get,” said DeHerrera. “In the review there were no ’cons,’ and I can’t find any either. I’m looking to buy another one.”