Tag: dLive

Categories
Allen & Heath

Allen & Heath Announces Plans for Expanded Winter NAMM 2020 Presence

Allen & Heath is diving into 2020 with a showing of its growing product line-up in booth #18219 that includes SQ, dLive, and the new Avantis. The company’s extensive array of I/O hardware will also be featured, including dedicated solutions for Dante integration.

A number of AES Academy live sound classes will be offered by the manufacturer at this year’s show as well, with veteran FOH and monitor engineer Michael Bangs (Aerosmith, Eric Clapton, Katy Perry, et al.) hosting hands-on Masterclass training offering insight into mixing techniques for festival, house of worship, broadcast, and other live applications. A special ‘Modern Front of House Mixing’ Masterclass will be presented by Parnelli Front of House Engineer of the Year Nominee Drew Thornton, FOH engineer for six-time Grammy Award nominated pop phenom Billie Eilish. Daily dLive certification courses round out Allen & Heath’s extensive AES Academy training offerings, with those enrolled earning CTS International Renewal Unit (RU) credits.

Allen & Heath dLive, SQ and Avantis

For those anxious to hear an Allen & Heath system in action, a compact dLive Wings rig comprised of a C1500 control surface and DM48 MixRack has been selected as the console of choice for the NAMM Loudspeaker System Showcase, mixing loudspeakers from 14 different companies in the Anaheim Convention Center Arena. Participating companies will be featured in multiple demos per day, during show days on Thursday, January 16 through Saturday, January 18.

Allen & Heath begins 2020 following a successful year of awards and new product introductions last year. Custom Control—a cross-platform control app for dLive mixing systems—added to the company’s laurels with a New Product Award at WFX in September, while Avantis took home its first award win October at AES with a Best of Show nod. Parnell Awards voting opened in November with dLive named as an Indispensable Audio Technology nominee. The SQ Series received news in December of its selection as Product of the Year for the second year running among MMR’s 27th annual Dealers’ Choice Awards. TEC Award nominations for 2020 were announced last month as well, with the SQ getting a repeat nod in the Small Format Console category, and dLive named as a competitor in the Large Format Console group. Not to be left out, the new DT168 Dante Expander also received a Music & Sound Awards nomination for Console Hardware of the Year before 2019 ended.

Looking back on all the company has accomplished in the last 12 months, Allen & Heath USA Marketing Manager Jeff Hawley is ready to call it a wrap and prepare to ring in 2020 with appropriate aplomb. “We’ve had a great time celebrating our 50th anniversary throughout 2019,” Hawley remarked recently. “It’s been a notable year for us on many fronts. Here’s to everyone in our industry for a sensational run going forward. We’re looking forward to seeing you all in Anaheim!”

Categories
Allen & Heath

Coti Tours Spain with dLive Wings

Grammy award-winning Argentinian performer, Coti, recently completed a 20-date tour of Spain, culminating in a performance at the Gexto Sound Festival, with a compact dLive Wings system handling monitor duties.

Coti Sorokin is one of the best-known artists, songwriters and producers in the Spanish speaking world, with numerous Platinum discs to his name. For Coti’s latest Spanish tour, monitor engineer, Alejandro Blanco opted for his very own highly portable mixing system, comprising a dLive C1500 19” Surface fitted with a WavesV3 card for multitrack recording and a DM32 MixRack, fitted with a Dante card, a superMADI card, for digital splits and AES10 card, for running wedge monitors and side fills.

“dLive is the best sounding console on the market right now and in my opinion, there’s no other mixer that offers the capabilities of dLive, without the need of third-party plugins or servers – the power and quality of the DEEP plug-ins is impressive,” explains Blanco. “Apart from the quality, weight and size is very important and it now only takes 15 minutes or less to set everything up, which is perfect for festivals with quick changeovers.”

The show required in-ear mixes for Coti and his violinist, keyboard player and backing vocalist, plus four wedge monitors and side fills. As such, a portable DX168 expander provided additional I/O onstage. Blanco comments, “I run dLive Director and load my iPad with the MixPad app to facilitate soundchecks. As we don’t carry a full production, every show has a different monitor mix, so having the ability to roam the stage is fundamental – particularly when you work with an artist who doesn’t perform soundchecks. It’s essential that I’m able to hear what Coti hears, in order to create the perfect mix for him.”

Introduced in dLive’s V1.8 firmware update, Blanco utilises MCAs in conjunction with DCA spills, enabling full and simple control over his IEM’s. Blanco adds, “As a small ‘trick’ on my C1500, I have all my individual channels grouped into different DCA’s. This means that I can immediately access the member channels I need via DCA Spills and access each mix through the Softkeys. MCA’s are also perfect for mixing the artists IEM’s.”

Blanco also made extensive use of dLive’s Dyn8 processor for dynamic EQ and multiband compression, adding, “Dyn8 is a total live saver for vocals, it’s always clear and on point, no matter if the singer sings softly, shouts or cups the mic. The combination of Dyn8 and the Opto compressor, which I place on each of my outputs, is great and provides this sweet and balanced sound. The musicians have even said how happy they are with their mixes now.”

Categories
Allen & Heath

dLive Supports Lewis Capaldi on Sold-Out Run

Continuing his run of sold-out arena shows, Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi takes on the world one show at a time, along with an Allen & Heath dLive mixing system covering FOH and Monitor duties.

Capaldi made history by becoming the first-ever artist to both announce and sell out an arena tour before the release of his album, which went on to become the UK’s best-selling record in the past five years and gained him global mainstream success throughout 2019.

“In early 2019 we were looking for an audio package that was powerful, flexible and compact enough for us to use on every show, be it a Lewis headline as part of a tour, or a run of overseas festivals where space, weight and set-up time were at a premium” explains FOH engineer, Andrew Bush.

DLIVE SUPPORTS LEWIS CAPALDI ON SOLD-OUT RUN

Supplied by Glasgow-based audio hire company, FE-Live, Capaldi’s full arena set-up includes two dLive S5000’s on both FOH and Monitors, paired with a DM64 MixRack (monitors) and DM0 MixRack (FOH). Additionally, Bush utilises two DX32 expanders for further I/O.

Prior to upscaling the surface, Bush originally opted for a smaller dLive Wings rig, which is now used for fly-in dates and comprises a multi-surface set-up with two C1500’s and a DM48 MixRack. “The combination of two C1500s and a shared DM48 easily satisfied the initial criteria and we have since moved our show files to two S5000s for our current US/EU/UK touring schedule,” explains Bush. “The transition between surfaces was easy: the dLive software is identical regardless of the stage box or surface, so moving from C1500 to S5000 was simply a case of reorganising the fader layouts.” Furthermore, Bush uses a Dante card (fitted to the surface) for virtual sound-check and recording each show.

Both Bush and Lawrie make full use of dLive’s built-in FX and onboard DEEP processing features, particularly when it comes to Lewis’ vocals – “Lewis has an incredible voice, but the first time you mix it, it’s terrifying! Lewis can go from head-voice to chest-voice in a matter of seconds and so I use the Dyn8’s multiband compression and dynamic EQ, which is a complete godsend and allows me to quickly even the mix out where needed. I also love the routing options with dLive and being able to double bus, it just means I can just refine my mix more and get a really even sound at the end,” comments Lawrie.

Bush adds, “I also use the Dyn8’s multiband compression a lot on vocals, bass and guitars. However, I also really like the Opto and 16VU – they’re just very transparent and being able to put them on multiple channels without any limitations is excellent.”

Despite almost finishing the US and European leg of the tour, 2020 will see Capaldi perform to over a quarter of a million people during his UK and European headline shows. Bush adds, “In terms of the shows, they’ve added so much since the start of the year and they’ve increased in scale and capacity as we’ve had to try and keep up with Lewis’s trajectory. It’s really shown us that dLive can definitely handle the demanding needs of this tour while providing class-leading tools and studio-quality sound.”

Watch the video interview with Bush and Lawrie here.

Categories
Allen & Heath

Luck of the Irish Thrives with Allen & Heath

MILWAUKEE, WI — It may be widely known for its Germanic roots and mass celebration of beer, bowling, and bratwurst, but this town is also the site of Irish Fest—the world’s largest celebration of Irish music and culture—which this year utilised dLive and SQ Series consoles from Allen & Heath.

Held downtown at Henry Maier Festival Park along the shore of Lake Michigan, Irish Fest 2019 featured 100 musical acts and 300 different performances spread across 16 stages. With Clearwing Productions handling the bulk of the event’s sound reinforcement needs, the Ingleside, Illinois-based independent rep firm Audio Biz deployed five dLive and six SQ Series consoles across seven of the stages plus a preshow/demo suite. Among the dLive systems were S5000 and C3500 control surfaces supported by DM48, DM64, and CDM48 MixRacks. Utilised at smaller stages where space was at a premium, SQ-5 and SQ-6 mixing systems were used to run both the house sound and monitors simultaneously from a single control surface. For I/O needs, Allen & Heath’s DX168 and GX4816 were chosen.

“Bands and engineers came in for the event from all over the country and Ireland,” Audio Biz’s Shawn McLoughlin relates. “And while most of the engineers had heard of the dLive and SQ Series consoles, not quite everyone had worked with them yet. That’s why we created the preshow/demo suite, which was outfitted with a dLive S5000/DM64 and an SQ-6. The idea was to provide a space for everyone to familiarise themselves with the desks and prep for their shows before they actually went out to face the crowds.”

As the event transpired, McLoughlin and Brian Christ, his Audio Biz colleague who was also on-site for the duration of the festival, found that their gambit paid off. Comfort levels with the desks materialised quickly. Many of the engineers even downloaded dLive Director, a multi-platform editor including control software that allowed them to configure their systems before the festival and arrive for their showtimes ready to go.

“Everyone who took advantage of the preshow/demo suite walked away with a clear plan of action,” Christ adds. “Many set up show files, then simply dropped them into place and were up-and-running. The desks integrated themselves into the event quite easily and could even be set-up to mimic whatever configuration someone was used to, even from another manufacturer’s board. It was almost as if no experience was required to obtain excellent results and reap the workflow and sonic benefits the SQ and dLive have to offer.”

Categories
Allen & Heath

Allen & Heath Nominated for NAMM TEC Awards for Outstanding Technical Achievement

Allen & Heath is once again among the pro audio and sound production nominees spread across the 23 technical achievement categories comprising the 35th Annual TEC Awards. With its dLive Mixing System joining five others in the Large Format Console category, Allen & Heath’s SQ Digital Mixer Series has found a spot among the six contenders within the Small Format Console category.

“This year the TEC Awards have attracted quite a number of truly innovative submissions,” Allen & Heath USA marketing manager Jeff Hawley said recently. “As one of our industry’s most notable showcases, the entries have grown in both number and the degree of technical evolution. We’re seeing future trends playing out across this stage that are unique, and sometimes just plain amazing.”

Presented annually by The NAMM Foundation in conjunction with The NAMM Show, the TEC Awards recognize the individuals, companies, and technical innovations behind the audio heard in recordings, live performances, films, television, video games, and multimedia. Final voting for this instalment of the enduring awards show begins this November. Winners will be announced in Anaheim, California on Saturday, January 18, 2020.

The SQ Series won in the 34th TEC Awards Small Format Console category, along with seven other award wins last awards season, including the MMR Dealers’ Choice Awards ‘Product of the Year’.

“Both of the major Allen & Heath product updates nominated for TEC Awards were largely focused on live monitor mixing workflows and features,” notes Hawley. “The SQ Series V1.3 brought software additions like a Listen bus and External Input to PAFL, which paired with new I/O hardware and network cards to expand FOH / Monitor split options. Monitor engineers also loved the new MCA (Mix Control Association) and Talkback Group functionality in dLive V1.8. Our teams pushed the tech envelope this past year and it is an honour to be in such good company once again.”

The 35th Annual NAMM TEC Awards will be held in conjunction with the 2020 NAMM Show in Anaheim, California.

Categories
Allen & Heath

The Green Rocks Red Rocks Amphitheater with dLive

A mainstay at pop and reggae festivals around the world, The Green recently performed at Colorado’s famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre, supported by a duo of Allen & Heath dLive S Class consoles. The Green, a Roots reggae and indigenous Hawaiian band, has frequently topped the Billboard Reggae Charts and earned a number of ‘Best Reggae Album’ awards since their formation in 2009.

Denver-based IPG Tech provided two dLive S5000 Control Surfaces and two DM48 MixRacks outfitted with fibreACE and Dante audio networking cards to cover FOH and monitor mixing and multitrack recording duties at the large outdoor venue with seating for over 9,000 fans.

THE GREEN ROCKS RED ROCKS AMPHITHEATRE WITH DLIVE

FOH engineer Matt Lawrence specified dLive, noting its reliability and internal dynamics and effects processing power. “I’ve mixed on dLive all around the world and never had issues,” says Lawrence. While internal dLive effects like snare plates, a transient controller, an automatic double tracker, stereo chorus and stereo tap delay were all used for the performance, Lawrence says the OptTronik compressor was a standout. “With the new DEEP OptTronik [‘2A-style compression] through a huge PA with five-part harmonies on vocals—you can’t beat the sound and feel. The DEEP 16T was also a go-to compressor and found its way onto a number of channels in a reggae setting like this.” Speaking to what it’s like mixing at such an iconic venue, Lawrence adds, “The reverberation off of the rocks and the crazy night sky and the vibe of the show certainly took things to another level for sure.”

“The desk is super intuitive and it was exactly how you’d want a show to go,” notes System Audio Technician Lee Putnam. “Being able to use dLive Director software before the show to get the design and layout of the desks set in advance is such a time saver. I also love the peace of mind of having redundant links and power supplies with dLive S Class, especially in a complex outdoor environment like Red Rocks.”

THE GREEN ROCKS RED ROCKS AMPHITHEATRE WITH DLIVE

Monitor engineer Ross Chergosky adds, “I dug in on drums and vocals with quite a number of effects. It was so nice not having to worry about running out of processing and spaces for in-ear mixes all with compression and gates across the board. From the monitor mixing perspective, things can get wacky really quickly with layers of processing in other consoles and systems.” Chergosky concludes, “dLive is nice with a fixed latency and not having to worry about the computer load and not having to do math.”

Categories
Allen & Heath

Beartooth Fly High with dLive Wings

Ohio-based hardcore act Beartooth, are currently travelling around the world, taking on festival season, with two dLive Wings set-ups.

dLive Wings is becoming the go-to mixing system for many touring engineers due to its flexibility and compact format. Danny Harvey (FOH engineer) explains, “The size of the C1500 is ideal for travelling, being able to fly with it is amazing and having that much power in two fly cases is perfect for international acts, making their sound consistent all over the world.”

“I love the way dLive sounds and how easy it is to customise everything. At the bigger festivals I always manage to get positioned front middle on the FOH tent due to the C1500’s small footprint.”

Supplied by V2 Productions for their US dates and Captured Live for shows in Europe, the band’s set up consists of two dLive C1500 surfaces, paired with two DM48 MixRacks, covering both FOH and monitors. Additionally, the FOH console is equipped with a Waves card, used for multi-track recording and virtual soundcheck.

Harvey also makes full use of the consoles internal features, including the onboard DEEP plug-ins, commenting “I use the 16T on my drums and groups, 16VU compressor on my vocals and the Dyn8’s multiband compressor on various groups and my main LR – they sound great and help keep the size of our set up down to a minimum as there’s less need for outboard rack FX. I can put all these processors on every channel without needed any extra gear.”

The band themselves have also noticed a consistency in sound across each show and the difference dLive has made, Harvey explains, “When we changed to dLive the band noticed such a change in their IEMs, everything was a lot clearer and having the DEEP plugins and the multi-bands on their LR mixes was game changing.”

“All in all, dLive is small, powerful, consistent, user friendly and it sounds great!”

Categories
Allen & Heath

Allen & Heath Compact Consoles Cover Coachella

April 30, 2018 – Allen & Heath dLive Digital Mixing Systems were in use on multiple Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival stages in support of a diverse lineup of musical acts and production needs.

Launched in 1999, Coachella has grown into a premier music and arts festival, grossing over $114 million and drawing over 250,000 attendees annually. Coachella 2018 saw a large number of dLive artists on the lineup, including BØRNS, Hayley Kiyoko, Nile Rodgers & Chic, Nothing But Thieves, PVRIS and The Neighbourhood.

AllenHeathC1500atFOHsupportingTheNeighbourhoodatCoachella2018

An Allen & Heath C1500 at FOH supporting The Neighbourhood at Coachella 2018

Praised for its intuitive workflow and tiny footprint, the dLive C1500 Control Surface was a popular choice across Coachella festival stages. The C1500 is the first rack-mountable surface for the dLive system. Packed in a diminutive frame are 12 faders over 6 layers, built-in audio I/O, an audio networking port and a 12″ capacitive touchscreen. All dLive Control Surfaces pair with a MixRack to deliver 128 input processing channels, 16 stereo  FX returns and a configurable 64 bus architecture, all at 96kHz, while providing class-leading latency of 0.7ms.

Michael Bangs, Allen & Heath USA Live Sound Touring Manager commented, “Sometimes coming into a festival environment as a visiting artist is a real pain — getting a large mix surface into the FOH position is frequently just impossible. We saw many acts bypass this limitation with the (Allen & Heath dLive) C1500, carrying in a flyable 19” wide desk with the horsepower and capability of desks literally 4-5 times the size.”

In addition to traditional FOH/monitor console support with dLive, compact Allen & Heath Qu Series mixing consoles were deployed to cover a wide range of production duties. A number of Qu production desks were used to play house music while FOH consoles were swapped from act to act, support event announcement playback and carry ‘shout box’ communications for production staff across stage positions and from monitor world to FOH.

“While engineers love to drool over high-end desks like dLive, it is easy to forget some of the unsung production gear heroes of these types of shows,” notes Allen & Heath USA Marketing Manager Jeff Hawley. He added, “Many times the flexible and rock solid operation of consoles like Qu are the key to keeping festivals running smoothly.”

Coachella_Hayley_Kiyoko_poweredbyAllenHeath_dLiveC1500andQuSeries

Pop star Hayley Kiyoko’s Coachella set, powered by an Allen & Heath C1500 (right) while an Allen & Heath Qu Series mixer provides stage production support (left)