Critics have described Steven Wilson’s The Overview Tour as a ‘multi-sensory experience’ and an ‘interstellar sound voyage’. With expectations high, Tour Manager Dave Salt chose Britannia Row Productions to provide sound reinforcement for the prog extravaganza.
‘Touring only happens when Steven feels its right to do it,’ Salt says. ‘Steven had not toured as a solo artist for over six years, and we had to up the game for this tour and make sure we had the best available people and PA system to deliver the results to his audience.’
Salt’s primary focus – to look after Wilson on the road – is coupled with surrounding the artist with a professional and dedicated crew. ‘First, I need the right people from a rental company – and we had that in our system tech and stage tech from Britannia Row. The team we had were great; they were hard working and very professional. Having gear that works every day, and the company backup and advancing – so that everything is right when you show up at rehearsals – is a big thing. I don’t think I would use another rental company right now.’
The tour to date has seen the band perform in the UK, Ireland and Europe, and currently in North America before closing out the year in India and then Australia. The Overview’s visual storytelling, coupled with the concerts’ sound immersion, aims to elevate fans beyond the traditional live experience. FOH engineer Alessandro Melchior says they offer a journey to ‘deepen their emotional engagement with Wilson’s music’.
Melchior describes the project as ‘designed to be truly immersive, engaging multiple senses to create a deeper connection with the audience’. ‘Enveloping the audience in a 360° sonic environment not only enhanced the sense of space and depth of the performance but contributed to making the audience feel as if they are “inside” the music,’ he says.
The FOH set-up is somewhat straightforward: ‘I mixed on a DiGiCo Quantum338, which suits my workflow perfectly,’ he says. ‘With a sizable channel count and varied set list, having many faders was essential for control, including the surround sound. The stage quality was exceptional, with high-level musicianship, so most issues were addressed during pre-production. External FX were processed through UAD Apollo x16D interfaces, replicating specific effects from Steven’s albums such as pitch-shifting, distortion, saturation and bus processing.’
Outboard gear includes Rupert Neve 5045 Primary Source Enhancer units on vocals for increased gain before feedback, maintaining clarity even in hectic sections, and an analogue Empirical Labs Fatso compressor for warmth and character.
For vocals, the Shure Nexadyne 8/C was the preferred microphone choice: ‘It delivered the most natural tone without heavy processing, and its polar pattern kept on‑stage bleed well controlled,’ Melchior says. ‘ Capturing the cleanest possible sources from the stage was essential to me – it’s the foundation of any great-sounding show.’
In the UK and Europe, the crew carried an L-Acoustics PA system. ‘From the outset, I specified the L2 system because my priority was a clean, controlled stage, and I needed an engineer who could deploy and tune it to meet that goal. When I spoke with Dan [Fathers, Systems Engineer], we agreed that uniformity of sound would be the deciding factor.
‘Steven’s fans are extremely discerning about audio quality, so the L2 was an obvious choice; its wide 140° horizontal dispersion delivers even coverage from the front row to the back, minimising tonal and level differences across the audience. That same stability also benefitted the band; this was the first tour where everyone used in-ear monitoring, so precision in what our monitor engineer provided was critical. Close collaboration allowed us to achieve exact time-alignment, EQ, and tuning of the PA, with a strong focus on stage control. The cardioid configuration reduced on-stage bleed and low-frequency build-up.’
‘The brief from Alessandro during the prep phase was clear – keep as much noise off the stage as possible,’ Fathers says. ‘With Steven’s music being so dynamic and detailed, clarity and control were key – not just out front, but on stage as well. We achieved this largely thanks to the cardioid pattern of the L2 cabinets, which provided excellent rear rejection without sacrificing power or coverage in the audience areas. The system was designed to be modular and scalable, as the tour visited a mix of small arenas and theatres. So, flexibility in the design was essential to maintain consistent quality and coverage regardless of the room. In the design phase, my focus is always on getting consistent, even coverage across the venue, low-frequency control, especially on stage, and the speed and repeatability of deployment, making the system adaptable to a wide range of venue sizes and rigging solutions.’
The primary design comprised L2 and L2D loudspeakers for the main hangs, KS28s for sub bass – typically in cardioid or spaced configurations – A10s and A15s for fill and out fill.
‘We have Syva deployed for the surround/immersive reinforcement, run by RF or over AVBOne,’ Fathers continues. ‘A standout benefit was the L2’s cardioid capability, which helped us massively reduce stage wash and maintain a very clean onstage environment, just as Alessandro wanted. Some rooms had limited rigging options or tight trim heights, so we adapted the system design on the fly using Soundvision.’
The L2 and L2D arrays were driven by L-Acoustics LA7.16 amplifiers. The KS28 subs, Syva surrounds, and A Series fills by a combination of LA12X and LA4X amplifiers, depending on deployment and channel count.
‘At the heart of the signal chain is two L-Acoustics P1 processor, handling time alignment, EQ and routing, as well as providing a stable interface for system measurement and control,’ he adds. ‘I use Soundvision for system design, modelling, and venue adaptation, LA Network Manager for amp control, monitoring, and tuning, and Smaart for real-time analysis, alignment, and fine-tuning across the system.’
For Fathers, collaborating with Britannia Row has been an exceptional experience from start to finish. ‘The new HQ gave us the space and time for proper system prep, from testing racks and patching through to running full checks on control and network infrastructure before we hit the road. On tour, the technical support is outstanding. They understand touring at a deep level, from the equipment packaging, to logistics, and crew support. They design things to make our lives easier day-to-day.
‘With Steven’s music being so nuanced, it’s also been so rewarding to work on a system that can deliver with precision night after night. This tour has been a great example of how strong collaboration between artist, engineer, and supplier can lead to a consistent, high-quality experience for both the audience and the crew.’
Monitor Engineer Luca Romani was charged with maintaining Steven’s comfort using IEMs on tour for the first time. ‘The main thing was getting him comfortable with having just ears,’ begins Luca. ‘Which is quite a change from having wedges, so the focus at first was the guitar tone then everything else in his mix. He almost has a FOH mix, with his instruments and vocals slightly higher. I think trust is very important for a good delivery and that’s built over time, with good communication. In a such a sensory-impacting setting, being the extra ears is extra vital. It’s a great show to be involved in because it’s challenging, fun, complex and a pleasure to mix every night.’
Romani’s set-up has been mirrored from FOH: a DiGiCo Quantum 338 Pulse, with UAD x16D for additional FX (mostly reverbs), and an analogue 5045 on selected sources. ‘We have one shared SD Rack with 32Bit cards on an optical loop, PSM1000 with P10R+ packs, one Apollo 16XD and a mif4, mostly so that we keep the system simple and easy to spec around the world. In Europe we had two Quantum338 sharing an SD Rack and a SD Nano Rack for some additional inputs. Using the Apollo units was a first for me as I don’t usually use plug-ins live, but in this case, it was a great addition.’
‘It’s great working with Steven,’ Salt says, ‘he’s very hands on with everything,’
The Overview tour will conclude in Brisbane, with local support from Clair Global group partner, JPJ Audio.
More: www.britanniarow.com