I'd spent a few years touring with various acts and had pretty much stayed with one particular manufacturer, Cooper recalls. But then I started working with Bastille. The band had a constantly changing line-up and I'd find myself being told today we have singing brass players and a string section, two guest vocalists and a percussionist'. This meant they quickly outgrew that console's channel count, even when it was expanded to its max. I needed the flexibility to be able to add to my already complex show files without the desk itself giving me any limitations. It was time to look for a new solution.
Cooper tried out a couple of consoles by other well-known brands, sticking with one until a big issue arose during a sell-out show at New York's Radio City Music Hall.
A lacklustre approach to support from the console manufacturer and starting a 72 channel show again from scratch with 12 minutes left of a changeover, had me thinking about changing again. After chatting to other engineers and friends at different companies, I decided a DiGiCo SD7 was what I needed. And I was right. It didn't baulk at anything we threw at it and has such amazing routing options that it was very easy to switch over. Also, thanks to the SD-Racks, I found myself ditching the plugins I'd been using. I just didn't need any fake analogue warmth and, without the blatant over-compensation and saturation' that some desk manufacturers build in, I quickly found that what goes in to the SD7, is what comes out.
Since then, Cooper has stuck with DiGiCo for every act he works with. For promo rigs, he has opted for the smaller S31 and an iPad which he says, thanks to DiGiCo's amazing support, was a breeze. For American singer/songwriter B rns, he switched to an SD12. It was ideal for him and now, thanks to a recent software upgrade, could even be the desk I'm going to use for smaller region Bastille shows, which have fewer last-minute guests, he says.
For Bastille's 2018 and 2019's festival seasons, Cooper opted for an SD10. It is often been case that we arrive at a festival after the first acts are on stage. I need to have high channel count, but we also need to be quick and the SD10's smaller footprint means it offers a touch more portability breaking the backs of fewer crew is always a nice thing. For our upcoming US run in the autumn, I'm back to the SD7.
We use a lot of digital instruments and with this we have a lot of chances of things going awry. With DiGiCo's macros, I can have a spare line already programmed to line up with spares and if something should happen, I just need to click a button and the audience doesn't notice a thing. It's also useful for reducing repetitive things that have to be done during a show (changing of FX sends, compression ratios, etc.,) down to a single button press, without ruining the flow of the mix.
Cooper also notes that DiGiCo's MADI options are a wonderful tool and has purchased a pair of DiGiGrid MGB interfaces (there is both an A and B rig for Bastille) which allows him to virtual sound check with ease.
They're a real gig-saver for shows with little or no setup time, he explains. With our re-orchestrated' shows at the start of 2018 we were running at 48k and I was able to record up to 128 channels from the SD10. This is the one time I've definitely appreciated the VGA out for an overview screen.
Cooper says that he has needed to make use of DiGiCo support on occasion and from various different territories and has nothing but praise for the company's 24-hour service.
When I've had something urgent, I've either been helped there and then or been called back in a couple of minutes. For none urgent things, some of DiGiCo's top people are on various social media channels and chat boards and are always happy to help. There are a lot of manufacturers that send you to the same support line that deals with their non pro audio items, so you might not get to the right person until the next day. That's not ideal if the issue arises during a changeover or the afternoon of a show, but DiGiCo has never failed to be there for me and that's invaluable.
Press Contacts:
Maria Fiorellino at DiGiCo
Tel: +44 1372 845600
Email: maria@digiconsoles.com
Web: www.digico.biz
Sarah James at Gasoline Media
Tel: +44 1483 223333
Email: sarahj@gasolinemedia.com
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
07/05/2026
January 8, 2024
Colorfront (colorfront.com), a leader in high-performance, on-s...
07/05/2026
February 9, 2024
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning pioneer i...
07/05/2026
March 20, 2024
NAB 2024, Las Vegas - Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-awa...
07/05/2026
April 1, 2025
CINEMACON, APRIL 1, 2025 - Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming syste...
07/05/2026
June 15, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), an Academy and Emmy Award-winning de...
07/05/2026
June 15, 2025
Colorfront participated in the ICTA Barcelona Cinema Technology Summit on Sunday, June 15, 2025. Held at The Phenomena Experience, the event feat...
07/05/2026
July 1, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming systems for motion pictures, OTT,...
07/05/2026
July 1, 2025
Passion and dedication will take you places. Come with us on a short trip to the heart of India, where Annapurna Studios is living-up to the inspi...
07/05/2026
July 3, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming systems for motion pictures, OTT,...
07/05/2026
September 1, 2025
IBC 2025, Amsterdam - Colorfront (colorfront.com) - the Acade...
07/05/2026
April 17, 2026
LOS ANGELES - April 17, 2026 - Colorfront today announced Colorf...
07/05/2026
April 23, 2026
NAB 2026, Las Vegas - the Academy and Emmy Award-winning develop...
07/05/2026
Well known Irish faces pushed to the edge in new series of
Uncharted with Ray G...
07/05/2026
RT will premiere A Traveller Family, a compelling new documentary exploring the...
06/05/2026
New pricing tiers for vocal/dialogue restoration tool
NoiseWorks Audio's AI-powered vocal and dialogue processing plug-in is now available in three diff...
06/05/2026
Popular mixing & routing software overhauled
Following a recent public beta test, RME have launched the final release version of the powerful mixing and rou...
06/05/2026
New SOS Video Feature
Focusrites ISA C8X is a milestone product that brings together the companys analogue heritage and their expertise in digital audio. Yo...
06/05/2026
06 May 2026
VEON's Kyivstar Authorized to Resell Starlink for Businesses & ...
06/05/2026
UKTV has secured the exclusive rights to the early back catalogue of iconic Australian drama series Neighbours, following a landmark content deal with Fremantle...
06/05/2026
Wednesday 6 May 2026
Sky commissions feature documentary to mark 10th anniversa...
06/05/2026
Wednesday 6 May 2026
Sky and Formula 1 agree long-term partnership across UK, Ireland and Italy
Sky in the UK & Ireland to remain the home of Formula 1 until ...
06/05/2026
Sky Zero Footprint Fund-backed TV campaign launches nationwide, supported by new...
06/05/2026
Wuppertal May 6, 2026
Riedel Expands Leadership Structure, Appoints Marc Engro...
06/05/2026
SAN JOSE, Calif. - May 6, 2026 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced its latest broadband innovations for ANGA COM 2026, highlighting its vision for a new e...
06/05/2026
Statement from Rupert Murdoch, Chairman Emeritus, Fox Corporation on Ted Turner&...
06/05/2026
Friday 8 May on RT One and RT Player
Meet the NSPCA team caring for and protecting animals in need in this six-part series
Fly on the wall, six-part series...
05/05/2026
Experts from the world of academia, tech, business, politics and media convened for a Thomson Talks at the Cambridge Disinformation Summit in April. It's th...
05/05/2026
Another year, and more proof that Asia continues to shape some of the world's most exciting new sounds. This year's RADAR artists draw from deep local r...
05/05/2026
The Austin City Limits Music Fest 2026 lineup just dropped, and this year, Spoti...
05/05/2026
New drum machine book campaign incoming
Bjooks have announced that during Superbooth 2026, they will be launching a Kickstarter campaign to fund the product...
05/05/2026
Flagship all-in-one production bundle updated
The latest version of Native Instruments' flagship virtual instrument and plug-in bundle has just been ann...
05/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz to host RF Testing Innovations Forum 2026, helping design engine...
05/05/2026
The company grew by 7.6% in net revenue and 16.3% in EBITDA, achieving a 33% inc...
05/05/2026
FOX Sports, FOX One and Indeed Launch Nationwide Search for FOX One Chief World...
04/05/2026
just:play pro 2026 and just:live pro 2026 are available to download!
More Details:At NAB 2026, ToolsOnAir showcased just:play pro 2026 and just:live pro 2026, ...
04/05/2026
just:in mac pro 2026 - The Next Level of Professional Recording on macOS
More Details:The headline innovation in just:in mac pro 2026 is the new Auto format si...
04/05/2026
Last week, guests gathered in New York City for On Air, In Style: An Evening with Spotify-a night of conversation, culture, and connection celebrating the inter...
04/05/2026
New music & post-production features added
Avid's latest DAW update delivers an array of helpful features aimed at both music and post-production users,...
03/05/2026
Polysynth now features Mutable Instruments' macro oscillators
Melbourne Instruments have just released a free firmware update that brings the engine beh...
02/05/2026
Versatile re-amping tool announced
Warm Audio are best known for their recreations of sought-after vintage studio gear, but their latest release brings a ne...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
Florals for spring? Groundbreaking. But a playlist that tells you which The Devi...
01/05/2026
One of the world's biggest popstars is headed to El Cl sico. Later this mont...
01/05/2026
Limited-edition model celebrates 15th anniversary
Heritage Audio's range of monitor controllers has just gained a new member, the Baby RAM Black Edition...
01/05/2026
Dumble recreation now available as UAD plug-in
Along with their renowned processing plug-ins, Universal Audio have been steadily introducing emulations of c...
I'd spent a few years touring with various acts and had pretty much stayed with one particular manufacturer, Cooper recalls. But then I started working with Bastille. The band had a constantly changing line-up and I'd find myself being told today we have singing brass players and a string section, two guest vocalists and a percussionist'. This meant they quickly outgrew that console's channel count, even when it was expanded to its max. I needed the flexibility to be able to add to my already complex show files without the desk itself giving me any limitations. It was time to look for a new solution. 
