We’ve just wrapped an incredible UK and Ireland tour with the one and only Louis Dunford, finishing with a sold-out 10,000-cap show at the legendary (and acoustically challenging) Alexandra Palace.

Cracking the Ally Pally Challenge

Mixing at Ally Pally is never straightforward. Between the vast glass-domed roof and endless metalwork, it’s an acoustic disaster waiting to happen. Add to that a strict 102 dBA noise limit, and you’ve got a real puzzle on your hands.

Rather than blasting all the sound from the front, we designed a system to cover the room more thoughtfully:

  • Main PA (Per Side): 12 x D&B KSL8 + 4 x KSL12

  • Subs: 16 x D&B SL-GSub

  • Delay PA (Per Side): 8 x D&B XSL8

  • VIP Outfill (Per Side): 6 x D&B XSL8

  • Lipfill: 8 x D&B Y10P

  • Infill (Per Side): 3 x D&B AL60

We placed delays further into the room and used side arrays to bring the sound to the audience, rather than letting it bounce around the dome.

Having used D&B’s V and J series for over a decade, we already had a strong frame of reference, but hearing KSL and GSL systems live at Coldplay and Snow Patrol shows absolutely blew us away. So when Brit Row kindly provided us with a full KSL rig, we couldn’t wait to put it to work.

Wizardry in Action

Dan Fathers, system tech from Brit Row, absolutely knocked it out of the park. Mike Taylor said ‘After a quick chat about how I like to mix and how we wanted the subs set up, we fired up a test track — and the results were jaw-dropping’.

The combination of D&B’s ArrayProcessing and Dan’s expert tuning created a freakishly even coverage across the whole venue. ‘It genuinely felt like the audio was coming from just a couple of feet in front of you, no matter where you stood. More than once during the show, I had to double-check that my nearfields weren’t accidentally still on!’

Throughout the night, people kept coming over to FOH saying it was the best sound they’d ever heard at Ally Pally. Friends of the band, label teams, venue staff — so many compliments. It felt like we really nailed the secret recipe for the room.

Behind the Scenes

Alongside the PA setup, we pulled together an amazing full production package:

  • Mixing Consoles: Allen & Heath dLive C3500 consoles with UltraFX processing at both Front of House and Monitors

  • Mics: Amongst our usual Sennheiser, Shure and Neumann we specced a DPA 4055 for kick and a DPA 2028 capsule for vocals, plus a Coles commentator mic for FX moments

  • IEMs: Sennheiser G4

  • Playback: Full redundant PlayAudio Ableton rig with AbleSet control

  • Stage Set: A full pub-themed build — all fitting into a 900mm wide flight case

  • Lighting: Stunning floor package by Midnight Lights, in keeping with the pub vibe

  • Crew: Tour manager, Merch person, FOH and MON/PB engineers, Backline/stage tech, and full logistics support — thanks to Phoenix Bussing with a trailer

Massive thanks to Louis, the band, the crew, Brit Row, Phoenix, Midnight Lights, and everyone who made this run so special.

Can’t wait to see what’s next!

Production Manager/Front of House: Mike Taylor
Monitor Engineer/Playback: Pete Fealey
Stage/Backline Tech: Charlie Hedger
Lighting Director: Dan Young
Tour Manager: Terry Harman
Merchandise: Indie