Allen & Heath’s dLive digital mixing system has been employed by front-of-house engineer Steve Pattison on Wet Wet Wet’s UK headline tour, which recently included a date at London’s O2 arena.

Supplied by SSE Hire for the tour, the flagship dLive S7000 control surface is partnered with Allen & Heath’s DM64 MixRack to handle an on-stage setup that comprises the Scottish four-piece’s traditional backline, multiple vocals and a horn section. As a longstanding fan of Allen & Heath’s iLive system, Pattison’s decision to rely on dLive for the tour was an easy one to make, according to A&H.

“It really feels like dLive is a step on from the iLive system that I’ve enjoyed using with various artists over the years,” said Pattison (whose CV includes a five year stint with Amy Winehouse, Ellie Goulding, Texas, Glasvegas and Royksopp). “It’s very fast to use, despite the amount of control and features it has – and it sounds amazing.

“There’s a very ‘widescreen’ feel to the sound – small changes to the EQ or pan positions have a very obvious effect for example and really help things sit in a mix easily. The big touchscreens, which you can pinch and swipe like a smartphone, make it very easy to use in the heat of a show.”

Project manager Pete Russell from SSE Hire – part of UK distributor Audio-Technica’s specialist dLive reseller network – looked after the tour, and commented: “We see dLive as a real game changer product for Allen & Heath. It has some great features for a console at this price point and is something we were happy to add to our hire inventory as a result.”

SSE Sales has also taken on dLive, and is one of a select number of dealers for the new range of consoles. Alex Penn, SSE Audio Group sales director, also stated: “dLive is both cost-effective yet high-end spec – two things you don’t normally see in the same sentence, so it keeps both engineers and the money people happy. We feel this makes dLive quite an accessible product and we see great potential for it in a variety of applications.”

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