Visiting venues and festivals around the US and Europe, Bryan Ferry’s present tour set-up is relying on an Allen & Heath dLive S Class mixing system to manage monitors.  

Supplied by Britannia Row Productions in Europe and Clair Bros in the US, the dLive system – comprising a S5000 Surface with DM64 MixRack, DX32 Expander Rack, and two IP8 controllers for remote access – was selected by monitor engineer Tom Howat, who has previously used it with Paolo Nutini and Morrissey.

‘The dLive delivers clarity and precision,’ Howat reports. ‘Mixing in-ear monitors for a ten-piece band comprising some very well-known and experienced musicians requires a monitor desk that will deliver a detailed, full sound. dLive’s built-in compression and FX make a huge contribution towards achieving this, along with plenty of scenes – 50-plus and counting.’

dLive’s recent firmware updates have introduced features that have enabled Howat to focus on Ferry’s mix during the shows. He is using the new Dyn8 units, FX units, tube preamp modelling features on all four saxophones, and the extended choice of compression – 16T on most instruments and Peak Limiter 76 on all vocals.

‘I’m loving the new features, particularly the Dimension Chorus on acoustic guitars,’ he says. ‘The enhanced level of recall filtering in v1.5 is a major step forward in the flexibility of the scene automation. Bryan’s monitor mix requires constant, active mixing throughout each song at a very detailed level. Bryan has an outstanding ear for the songs’ musical arrangements, and dLive is really helping me deliver this.’

‘I have again used the excellent IP8 controllers,’ Howat adds. ‘One is hooked up to the monitor desk which enables me to make known and calibrated changes to other musicians’ mixes while staying on Bryan’s mix on the main surface. The second IP8 is deployed as a back-up for the FOH system, featuring most of the input channels mapped over the six fader banks contributing to a pre-fade stereo mix.’

Ferry is also using Audio-Technica AE6100 hypercardioid dynamic microphones to deliver his distinctive vocals. Other Audio-Technica models are in service for his ten-piece backing band.

‘The AE6100 made a great impression on Bryan as soon as we started using it in rehearsals,’ Howat says. ‘He loved the sound of it – which is almost condenser-like in its openness. But because of the hypercardioid pickup pattern it minimises on-stage spill. We’re using two AE6100s, one for his main vocal and one at his keyboard position and it’s really an excellent choice.

‘We’re also using the new Audio-Technica ATM350a cardioid condenser mics for toms and saxophones – we have soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxes – and they sound very full but natural on everything. We love those mics and the drum mounts in particular are fantastic.’

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