The engineers joined Olly Murs a little over a year ago, but as Rob Sadler explains, their relationship with DiGiCo consoles began much earlier.
I first used a DiGiCo in 2011, and I've used them on almost every tour I've done since 2015, he recalls. It is definitely the console I feel most comfortable behind, and most things are now second nature. I've been on tour with Olly for about 16 months, and it's been a lot of fun. It's what I'd class as a proper pop music concert. There are pyrotechnics, confetti and automated staging, there's even snow!
The show is a huge audio and visual spectacle, and fans get super excited as the anticipation for Olly's entrance builds. Delivering the intelligibility required to push through the noise floor is something that Sadler works hard on, as he continues.
The show typically starts with a lot of excitement as the intro-video rolls, then thousands of screaming fans join in as Olly appears on stage! he says. I don't tend to make many adjustments to the mix during the show, just the odd fader ride for guitar solos, horn solos and key BV lines. I'm also using Snapshots on each song for muting and sending MIDI signals to the outboard reverb units. My main focus throughout is vocal impact and intelligibility. Olly wants the crowd to have a great night, so he also tells a lot of stories between songs. I use Macros to change the Naga 6 between my singing' and talking' presets to make sure every word is understood. It's something that I couldn't do the gig without now.
When a show is fast-paced and unpredictable, the last thing engineers want to waste time doing is scrolling through layers or trying to find features. The DiGiCo Quantum 5 surface benefits from three 15-inch full colour TFT-touchscreens, with 37 physical faders across three banks, ensuring everything is exactly where you want it.
I chose the Quantum 5 because I like the layout of the console, Sadler continues. My entire show is laid out over the first two layers, so it's all just one button-press away. This is my first time touring a Quantum console and I feel like I haven't gone as deep as I could have with the Mustard channels, but it's something I'll definitely try out in the future, along with the v20 updates. I'm looking forward to trying the MSE [Mustard Source Expander] and seeing how it compares to similar analogue units.
At the monitor position, John Lumsdon is also using a Quantum 5. He has used DiGiCo consoles since 2017 because of the flexibility of routing and familiarity of the console layout. It has been a huge help on this tour; every show starts with a bang and doesn't let up, so having a console that responds quickly is a massive bonus.
It's a big impact start, and it's been really good fun working alongside great musicians and a really strong crew. The show itself is a jam-packed, exciting, all-action, with a feel-good vibe, he says. With 10 band members and Olly, I need to keep an eye over the whole stage, so looking down at the console isn't an option. The Snapshot and Matrix features make everything so smooth and easy. We have lots of different parts to the show where new instruments come in and others go off-stage, so we can make transitions seamless without disrupting the workflow.
Lumsdon is responsible for the monitor mixes, all delivered via in-ear monitoring, not just for Olly and the band, but also for tech and stage management, a total of 16 wireless IEMs and a further four hardwired units. There are also sub-bass loudspeakers onstage to give a tactile response for the drum, bass and keyboard players. With so much going on, an intuitive workflow is key to a trouble-free show, but staying in the digital domain has also given Lumsdon the edge when delivering great mixes.
It's always important from a monitor point of view to get the vocals to have the correct impact in the ears. Using a digital radio mic AES output directly into the SD Rack and running at 96K helps to cut latency down to a minimum. That, combined with the 32-bit outputs, really starts the mix off right, he explains. When new instruments come in and others go off-stage, we can make transitions without disrupting the workflow.
Looking forward to dates over the summer, the pair will continue to rely on their trusted Quantum 5s. When the results are this good, why change?
This is my first time getting stuck into the Spice Rack processing, using the Chilli 6 and Naga 6, Sadler concludes. In my opinion, these features are a huge upgrade for the console.
I've always loved the feel and layout of the SD5, so with the added processing, I'll be sticking with the Quantum 5 Lumsdon ends. It's a great improvement. It's subtle, but small changes make a big difference.
High-resolution photographs available here.
Maria Fiorellino at DiGiCo
Tel: +44 1372 845600
Email: maria@digiconsoles.com
Web: www.digico.biz
Zoe Milton at Gasoline Media
Tel: +44 333 038 4964
Email: zoem@gasolinemedia.com
Most recent headlines
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
29/08/2025
Australian Red Cross and SBS launch training to help workplaces in the fight aga...
29/08/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
29/08/2025
L3Harris Technologies has concentrated decades of expertise across the entire enterprise to develop affordable and reliable best-of-breed solutions to rapidly c...
29/08/2025
BURBANK, Calif. The CW Network and the Pac-12 Conference have announced a new media rights deal that will extend their broadcast partnership beginning with the ...
29/08/2025
NEW YORK Gracenote has released a new analysis of its global video dataset showing that the number of FAST channels grew nearly 14% from Q1 2025 and 76% since 2...
29/08/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. Harmonic has announced a series of improvements to its live sports streaming solution that the company said will improve fan engagement, protec...
29/08/2025
NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES Fox Corp. and YouTube TV last night announced a renewal of the full portfolio of Fox networks, including Fox News Channel, Fox Business...
29/08/2025
Budapest, Hungary, August 2025 - The integration of Microsoft Teams Rooms (MTR) with Lightware's Taurus universal matrix switchers delivers a new level of f...
29/08/2025
Frequency, the engine behind many of the world's best-known streaming television channels, today announced it will launch Studio Live, a next-generation uni...
29/08/2025
In an era when AI and cyber resilience are essential, Scality will mark the 10th anniversary of Scality Day on October 16, 2025 in Paris. This flagship global e...
29/08/2025
Disguise's In-House Creative and Technical Teams Pre-Visualised, Programmed and Delivered Content for the Experience, All Powered by EX 3+
Technology solu...
29/08/2025
Disguise will be demonstrating the latest workflows for TV, film and live events on a number of partner booths at the show
Disguise, the industry-leading tech...
29/08/2025
STOCKHOLM, Sweden Accedo will showcase Accedo Compose, its AI agent-powered modular orchestration layer that assists streaming providers in transitioning client...
29/08/2025
LOS ANGELES Cineverse has announced that it is working with Xperi to bring four of its streaming channels to automobiles for the first time as part of the DTS A...
29/08/2025
DALLAS & ATLANTA Gray Media has announced an agreement with the sports streaming service Victory+ to simulcast 17 Dallas Stars NHL games in 15 television market...
29/08/2025
NEW YORK AND CULVER CITY Comcast NBCUniversal and Amazon have announced new and extended distribution agreements that will expand the content available on their...
29/08/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. RED Digital Cinema will feature its Cine-Broadcast Module supporting live broadcast workflows during IBC2025, Sept. 12-15, at the RAI Ams...
29/08/2025
29 Aug 2025
Kyivstar Rings Opening Bell at Nasdaq Marking Landmark Listing and ...
29/08/2025
More than half of all NFL games live on Sky for the first timeFriday 29 August 2025
Sky Sports has announced a new three-year deal with the NFL, extending its ...
29/08/2025
Back to All News
RIV4LRIES: The Trailer of the New Series With Samuele Carrino ...
29/08/2025
Get ready for an inspiring and emotional insight into the world of competitive Irish dancing with My Story: Tomi Champion of the World airing on RT 2 this monda...
29/08/2025
RT has today announced that David McCullagh is to be the new presenter of RT Radio 1's flagship Today programme, which airs every weekday at 10am, replaci...
28/08/2025
By Kristin Feeley, Director, Documentary Film & Artist Programs
If you want to tell untold stories, if you want to give voice to the voiceless, you've got ...
28/08/2025
Directed by Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert, Sundance Institute-supported Amer...
28/08/2025
Corridos have been a cornerstone of M sica Mexicana for generations, telling stories rooted in everyday life. Now, a new chapter is taking shape: motivational c...
28/08/2025
Los corridos han sido un pilar de la M sica Mexicana durante generaciones, contando historias enraizadas en la vida cotidiana. Ahora, un nuevo cap tulo est tom...
28/08/2025
Earlier this month, we promised our Verano Forever party would bring the heat, a...
28/08/2025
L3Harris will provide the Polish F-16V fleet with the Viper Shield electronic warfare system as part of an upgrade program....
28/08/2025
Bilbao, August 26, 2025 - AgileTV, an international television and video technol...
28/08/2025
Ken Wilkinson is an Emmy Awards nominated New York audio engineer who specialises in production sound mixing for film, commercial, episodic and documentary work...
28/08/2025
NEW YORK FuboTV today announced that it will launch Fubo Sports, a skinny bundle that focuses on sports with a subscription price of $56 monthly....
28/08/2025
NEVADA City, Calif. At IBC2025, Sept. 12-15 at the RAI Amsterdam, Telestream will debut its new Global Ingest strategy, introducing a next-generation ingest arc...
28/08/2025
Dr. Rhoda Bernard Releases Groundbreaking Debut Book on Accessible Arts Educatio...
28/08/2025
TAG Video Systems, the leader in software-based IP end-to-end workflow monitoring, deep probing, and real-time visualization, has named Oliver Gappa as Sales Di...
28/08/2025
AI-based voice enhancement will be among a series of innovations making their IBC 2025 debut on the DHD stand B46 in Hall 8 at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Cent...
28/08/2025
Telef nica Servicios Audiovisuales (TSA), the leading system integrator and service provider in the media sector in Spain, with the support of Appear, the globa...
28/08/2025
To fully immerse sailing fans in the world's biggest offshore yacht race, production company, Optical Media turned to LiveU's On-site Production solutio...
28/08/2025
Working with Calrec on its most recent overhaul, radio and television broadcaster, WNED has migrated to a fully IP infrastructure with multiple Type R consoles,...
28/08/2025
Cleeng, the Subscriber Retention Management (SRM ) inventor, has unveiled Cleeng Pro, the first-ever direct-to-consumer (D2C) subscription management platform t...
28/08/2025
Zixi, the industry leader in live broadcast-quality video over IP, today announced that French media distribution platform OKAST has selected Zixi to enable rel...
28/08/2025
Solution offers a streamlined, speaker-free architecture to optimize integration with premium external loudspeakers and advanced loudness metering
Nixer Pro Au...
28/08/2025
Cinegy, the premier provider of software-defined television technology, has announced a strategic partnership with Vision One Touch Film Production Services L.L...
28/08/2025
Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, will debut its new Global Ingest strategy at IBC2025, introducing a next-generation ingest architect...
28/08/2025
Tier 1 operator selects Broadpeak to power high-performance, unified CDN solution across Norway, Sweden and Finland
Broadpeak, a leader in streaming and moneti...
28/08/2025
Leading video software provider, Synamedia, today announced that 24 Frames Digital, one of India's leading live event streaming service providers, has chose...
28/08/2025
Meet VisualOn at IBC2025: See What's Next in AI-Powered Video Streaming Join VisualOn at IBC2025 and discover how our AI-driven Optimizer and advanced media...
28/08/2025
IBC stand 5.F81
Wowza to Reveal Next-Gen Video Streaming Innovations at IBC 2025
Amsterdam, August 28, 2025 Wowza, a leader in video streaming infrastructur...
The engineers joined Olly Murs a little over a year ago, but as Rob Sadler explains, their relationship with DiGiCo consoles began much earlier.
