Swedish singer and songwriter Thåström recently undertook a 14-date arena tour, which ended at the Avicii Arena in Stockholm. Known for his emotionally raw sound and poetic lyricism, the singer drew fans in with an audio set-up based around Allen & Heath’s dLive series and RackUltra FX card.
FOH engineer Oscar Soederlund has worked with Thåström – who was previously part of punk bands Ebba Grönand and Imperiet, who dominated the Swedish alternative rock scene in the 1980s – since 2021, electing to use an Allen & Heath dLive S7000 control surface with the space-efficient DM0 MixRack for this outing, with a similar set-up for the monitor mix handled by Production Manager Henrik ‘Hambo’ Henriksson. Audio rental company Parashoot supplied the dLive control packages for the tour, while APM and Soundforce handled the PA.
For FOH, a DX32 modular expander was equipped with Prime inputs and outputs to deliver audio to the mix engine at the highest possible resolution and full-range linearity. ‘Anything that’s critical in the mix, I want on a Prime,’ Soederlund says. ‘It’s the difference between good and great.’
The audio rig made the most of Allen & Heath’s audio networking options for dLive, using a fibreAce card for the digital split between FOH and monitors to enable a low-latency interface between the two systems. Moreover, the expansive range of I/O enabled an efficient and flexible setup. A DX32 modular I/O rack fitted with Prime I/O cards handled inputs and outputs for the drums and bass, and another DX32 with PRIME handled lead vocals, wedge and IEM mixes. A DX Link card added four additional DX ports to the dLive system, supporting two additional DX168s, one for each keyboard rig on stage.
‘You can really sculpt things into the FX path,’ Soederlund explains. ‘Get rid of background noise, tailor every detail. It’s pinpoint precision – and it’s powerful.’
From shaping reverbs to dialling in saturation on percussion, Soederlund used the RackUltra FX to bring Thåström’s recorded sound to life on stage – but with added edge. ‘We’re trying to stay true to the album, but live needs to be a little grittier, more raw,’ he says. ‘It has to reach the heart of the audience. The RackUltra FX collection lets me expand the production in ways that feel bold, but honest.’
He also used the FX to fine-tune his mix: ‘For the saxophone intro on one of the songs I wanted an endless reverb as a sonic effect, so we used a reverb with a decay time cranked up. Saturator brought the harmonics of the snare into the mix and added character and definition to the hi-hats. The SVT emulation also added just the right amount of mojo to the low end, creating a mix that was both wide and deeply textured.’
Soederlund’s approach to reverb layering played a big part in how the vocals – a central element of Thåström’s performance – cut through. ‘He’s a rock poet so the lyrics need to have impact, but the vocals can also get very high,’ Soederlund says. ‘I use both the plate and spaces reverbs – plate as the base, then spaces to build the intensity of the chorus. It’s a creative toolkit so it doesn’t have to be just one or the other. You can play with texture and intelligibility, and I find Spaces can really bring out the consonants and vowels.’
The engineer also spoke of his belief in the aim of making even the largest scale concerts feel audibly intimate: ‘With a vision and experience, it’s possible to turn an arena concert into something as intimate as a small venue. An engineer shouldn’t settle for less – and the RackUltra FX card has added another dimension for that.’
Soederlund credits the tour’s success not just to the gear, but to the crew behind it: ‘The team is everything,’ he says. ‘I’ve worked with the same sound tech, Andreas ‘Ajje’ Vikström, for six years now. He never gives up and has mastered the art of getting an insanely loud wedge mix without any artefacts that compromise the vocals and instrumental audio quality for the FOH mix – a good system tech is key. And our monitor engineer Hambo was incredibly open-minded. Everyone on the team helped create a sonic canvas that let Thåström’s music shine.’
As the same team prepare for a ten-date summer run, the energy from the recent arena shows continues to resonate: ‘There’s a renewed love for the work – that intimate team feeling, the connection with the audience,’ Soederlund says. ‘You can feel it. It’s like bringing the audience into the heart of the show.’
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