Allen & Heath at SXSW

Allen & Heath reports that its consoles were the foundation of the entire sound reinforcement and sound streaming systems from the British Music Embassy venue at Latitude 30, the home of British music at SXSW.

At the front position were dual GLD Series consoles, a GLD-112 equipped with Dante and AR2412 and AR84 racks, while a GLD-80 with Dante and AR2412 and the new AB-168 resided at monitors.

Vice president of sales for Allen & Heath USA, Michael Palmer, says, "The ease of use, flexibility, and processing capabilities are put to the test during festivals like this, with 15-minute band changes, plus many of the headliner acts are showing up with their scenes already programmed, which makes for a seamless, smooth transition."

Allen & Heath tour sound manager Leon Phillips provided front-of-house mixing services and also assisted visiting engineers on the consoles. With acts ranging from the acoustic-only Paper Aeroplanes to Nuvo rap artist Kate Tempest plus all-out rockers Catfish and the Bottle Men, the GLD handled a week filled with varied genres. "It's super-easy to program and change scenes for the various setups," Palmer says. "Additionally, the on-board effects eliminate the need for any outboard gear, which is always a concern for floor space in these venues."

In addition to the live band performances throughout the week there were also BBC UK radio days. The GLD systems provided a 48 channel digital Dante split to the BBC, which was then captured using Waves Tracks Live.

Rounding out the system was a Tannoy VQ-Live rig powered by Lab.gruppen amplifiers.

"This is the sixth year in a row that Allen & Heath has provided the front of house and monitor consoles and it just keeps getting better each year," said Simon Buckley, from Cato Music, the official management for the British Music Embassy.