Allen & Heath, dLive V2.0 A Year On – What do the Engineers Say?
The release of Allen & Heath’s dLive V2.0 firmware has transformed workflow and audio FX capability with the new RackUltra FX card.
The RackUltra FX suite, powered by the new RackUltra FX card, brings together a collection of 10 new algorithms, encompassing pitch correction and shifting, intelligent vocal harmonisers, studio-grade reverbs and saturation
“It allows me to rely less on external DSP, and use the console more,” says Jared Daly (Bring Me The Horizon, Ayra Starr). “It’s sped up my automation process whilst programming new files with clients that have limited time frames. When building the show for Ayra Starr we had only a couple of days to go from a completely fresh file, to sold out stadiums supporting Coldplay. The ability to know that the console has everything I need FX wise onboard was a great time saver and allowed me to prep automation prior to arriving to the rehearsals.”
Stian Sagholen (The Cardigans, Alan Walker) echoes these thoughts. “RackUltra FX moves the dLive system ahead of the competition, especially in terms of being able to handle modern pop production without external third-party plugins,” he adds. Sagholen singles out new effects like Vocal Tuner, Saturator, and Spaces Reverb for simplifying tasks previously handled by external systems: “I use a lot of pitch correction, both for traditional correction and for creative use, and the Vocal Tuner holds up against industry standards without needing external plugin servers.”
Perttu Korteniemi shares similar praise. “I’ve been using Vocal Tuner and have eliminated the need for an external, plug-in-based Auto-Tune,” he notes. “It’s fast, accurate, and integrates perfectly into my setup, saving time and effort at FOH. No more stressing if my plug-in server wakes up every day!”
John Cornfield (Ben Howard) adds: “I am using the Vocal Shifter in a similar role that I used to use the AMS 1580s as the 0.99, 1.01 effect on some vocals. Sounds very similar to the old AMS FX.” Jared Daly says: “With Ayra Starr, I have been using the Shifter and Harmoniser locked to the key of the song to add a layer to her vocal subtly and to send to the UFX reverbs to layer out her vocal.”
The two ultra-realistic new reverbs, Plate and Spaces, have also become indispensable for Sagholen: “Spaces now gives us the opportunity to do long, lush reverb tails, at a level previously only matched by expensive outboard gear.”
Ian Barfoot (Rick Wakeman), one of the industry’s “go-to” orchestral engineers, praised the role of the new reverbs in shaping his mixes. “The Large Dark Spaces reverbs are great for that natural concert hall feel, and the Dark Vocal Plate adds a touch of mystery, perfect for smoky jazz club vibes,” he noted. Barfoot also recognized the significant leap forward in realism, remarking that the new algorithms rival those of high-end studio gear. “For me, the new RackUltra FX reverbs make the overall sound more realistic, and I’m convinced these new engines are up there with the industry gold standard,” he added.
Jon Burton (The Prodigy, Biffy Clyro) also expressed his excitement over the new reverbs. “With the new RackUltra FX Collection, I found reverbs that stood up well enough against my existing favourites to commit to doing everything using only the desk and its software for the show,” he says. “This for me is a major step forward. I have been mixing on digital consoles for over 25 years, and this is the first time I have been comfortable relying just on the console for all my audio needs. V2 allows me to get through a show easily, happily, and with some degree of success, without the need for anything outside of the dLive infrastructure.”
“Due to the much higher resolution of the Reverbs I’d say that my Reverb returns and use of UFX reverbs has changed where they sit in the mix,” adds Oscar Söderlund. “The ability to adjust and balance the pre-delay, decay, size, and position of your reverb together with the different types of diffusion, reflections models gives you so much more control over the reverbs and how they sit in the mix. Something I corrected more with the fader return prior.”
For Sagholen, Saturator and Amp+Cab have also become powerful creative tools: “Saturator is a beast!” he says. “I use it from subtle bus colouring to creative use on percussion. My favourite Saturator setting is Mode A on the drum and bass group, and with Amp+Cab I like the bass combo setting on transient material like toms.”
Matt Dierkes (Megadeth) is another convert to the new distortion tools. “Predominantly I’ve found myself really leaning into Saturator,” he says. “I use it on mostly every drum shell, and it’s given me so much more control and energy way earlier in my processing that would have taken so much longer to achieve with external tools. I feel like my drums have more power with less processing and feel more real now. The Saturator with the added levels of EQ and Comp pre and post effect really lets me sculpt the tone of my drums before they get to channel processing since I use it on Insert A so when I get to the standard channel processing I don’t have to go as crazy “fixing” sounds and can focus more on enhancing the great sound I have way sooner in the chain.”
Chris Rakestraw (Bad Omens) has also made good use of Amp+Cab on bass channels. “I never expect much from amp sims on any digital console, but this one seemed very useful from the get-go,” he says. “I set the SVT emulation in your face when it’s on the Bass DI, but it’s also useful on the Bass Amp with a more subtle treatment, which was surprising.”
“The SVT thing sounds great on DI bass and gives you that low overall ‘oomph’ I used to use the DYN8 for, but this gives you nicer saturation overtones,” adds Söderlund. “I have been asking for Allen & Heath digital mixer distortion since 2011, so I’m of course very proud and happy that the team really smashed it. To be able to grit things up is great! And to be able to do that without dodgy phasing effects is amazing.”
Across the board, engineers have found that the dLive V2 firmware’s new Cue List and workflow improvements have streamlined their processes. Sagholen, who manages over 100 scenes in his productions, mentioned how V2 has made his job easier: “It’s way easier to manage large and messy cue lists, and the surface MIDI feature is a life saver.”
“My favourite V2 feature is the New Cue List Management,” adds Korteniemi. “Renumbering and inserting cues is great. Also, I love the way that indents make it easier to break songs into sections. I’m using about 100 scenes per artist, that’s roughly 20 songs with intro, verse, chorus, c-part, solo cues for each.”
Perttu Korteniemi, photographed by Ville Huuri
Söderlund adds: “Normally my shows are around 14-24 songs, and with the new Scene List it’s very easy to get creative with indents of features in songs or intermissions. Keeps it very tidy and gives you a very good overview.”
The powerful new Actions feature, designed to make complex automations easy, has also become a popular option for engineers working over the summer. “Actions have helped me consolidate so many mix moves and SoftKeys I used to have to do/activate all at once for multiple different console moves throughout the set,” notes Dierkes. “Now I’m able to make multiple steps all sum into one spot which has made my life so much easier and allows me to create more mix moves with freeing up other softkeys/etc.” He continues: “My new go-to and most used action is probably a “breakdown” action I made which essentially turns on compressors/EQs on my Drum All and Instrument All groups – effectively pushing them all into my master harder and making the mix bigger and heavier. The action turns on drum group comp that squeezes down on the group a bit and enhances the transients and also boosts the make-up gain to make the volume louder overall + also has an EQ that turns on with a snare fundamental frequency boost and more high-end shell attack energy. We do heavy/metalcore type music so I get most of my energy in drums from those areas on aggressive parts.”
The dLive V2 firmware and RackUltra FX collection have redefined what’s possible for engineers, proving to be invaluable tools throughout the summer’s busiest festival season. With their creative and technical potential, Allen & Heath continues to empower engineers to innovate and excel with every show.