Following the release of his much lauded second album We’re All Alone In This Together in 2021, London grime icon Dave embarked on a major UK arena tour including two nights at London’s O2, where the show’s sound was delivered by d&b audiotechnik’s SL Series.
“I’ve been involved with Dave since his Game Over EP tour in 2018,” said Charles Bidwell, FOH engineer. “This is our ninth tour together and it’s been a really significant step up to an arena show - but as always, my goal remains the same. I need to accurately represent his studio recordings in a weighty live environment; the audience are there to hear every detail with impact, so clarity and headroom from the PA is paramount. I want everyone to leave having understood every bar – Dave’s lyrical content, wordplay and delivery is world class, so both audience and artist deserve that.”
Bidwell is a long-time d&b audiotechnik user, opting this time for 16 of the pro audio giant’s GSL12 three-way line array loudspeakers for the main hangs, with 14 KSL12 loudspeakers for sides, while front fill was handled by six Y10P point source loudspeakers. Twenty SL-SUBs were employed for the deep lows, with another eight KSL loudspeakers utilised in each of three delay hangs to provide ample coverage. The d&b inventory for the tour was supplied by d&b partner SSE Audio, part of Solotech.
The KSL and GSL systems are part of d&b’s SL-Series, which is described by the company as the only modern line array system able to achieve horizontal directivity control over the entire audio spectrum. Through its cardioid dispersion pattern, it is designed to deliver quieter stages for performers, maximum clarity and power for the audience, and minimal noise for those beyond.
“There’s an awful lot happening on-stage during this show,” explained Bidwell. “Dave raps, sings, plays piano and now guitar, there’s a live band that consists of drums, bass, guitar, keyboards and six backing vocalists. All supported by 16 channels of playback and enormous video wall interludes.
“I need to glue all of these musical elements together into a show that flows perfectly from track-to-track and then make sure that Dave’s vocal is placed front-and-centre. With the SL-Series, there’s a real sonic transparency out of the box and the workflow is fantastic, so it makes a tour of this scale as straightforward as possible. The ArrayCalc simulation and R1 remote control software are extremely powerful and flexible tools. The PA flyers were using the ArrayCalc Viewer app on iPhone to quickly reference the ArrayCalc design specifications on the fly. It works brilliantly, so once everything is designed correctly in ArrayCalc, when you unmute the SL-Series you’re immediately presented with the clarity and raging power that d&b are known for.”