Allen & Heath SQ Consoles Power Starsailor Anniversary Tour

Starsailor Anniversary Tour Highlights Digital Console Adoption

Starsailor’s Love Is Here 25th Anniversary Tour showcased how compact digital console technology can support complex live productions in historic venues. The six date UK run, titled Starsailor With Strings : Love Is Here 25th Anniversary Tour, featured the band performing with a dedicated string ensemble in theatres including London Palladium, Usher Hall in Edinburgh and Birmingham Town Hall.

To meet the demands of the expanded line up and room acoustics, front of house engineer Rik Elliss specified Allen & Heath SQ series digital consoles for both front of house and monitor positions, pairing them with stageboxes and advanced RackUltra FX processing.

Front Of House Console Choice And Input Structure

Elliss, who has been working with Starsailor for three years and is a long term Allen & Heath user, mixed the tour on the new Allen & Heath SQ6+ console at front of house. The production carried around 40 inputs for each show, combining the core band and additional orchestral elements.

The main band inputs covered electric and acoustic guitar, bass, drums, keys and vocals. These were augmented by a nine piece string section comprising violins, violas, cellos and harp. Managing this blend across a short run of dates required a system that was powerful but easy to travel with.

Elliss notes that the SQ series consoles were selected because they offered sufficient processing capacity in a relatively small footprint, which was particularly important given the touring schedule and variety of venues on the itinerary.

Group Structure And Dynamics Processing At Front Of House

At front of house, Elliss configured the SQ6+ with three stereo groups. One group was dedicated to kick drum and toms, one to guitars and a third to the string section, giving him focused control over key elements of the mix.

For drum dynamics, kick and toms were routed through the Allen & Heath Mighty VCA compressor, while the 16T compressor was deployed across individual drum channels. This combination allowed precise shaping of the drum sound to sit alongside both rock instrumentation and orchestral textures.

The grouping approach also helped maintain clarity and impact in venues designed originally for acoustic performance rather than amplified rock shows, supporting consistent mixes across the tour.

RackUltra FX And Effect Selection For Vocals And Instruments

A central part of the front of house setup was the use of RackUltra FX on the SQ6+. Elliss highlighted the additional processing power these effects bring to the SQ platform and integrated them into his standard Allen & Heath effects workflow.

Plate reverbs from the RackUltra FX library were used on vocals throughout the tour, chosen for their suitability with the material performed on the anniversary shows. Further ambience and character were added via Spaces reverb, while Saturator was applied frequently on guitars and bass.

On one song, Saturator was also used on the snare drum to create what Elliss described as a particularly fat, almost vinyl recording type sound. DynEQ4 dynamic EQ was another core tool in his setup, applied as a problem solver where precise frequency dependent control was required.

Alongside the new RackUltra FX options, Elliss retained a range of standard SQ effects, including conventional reverbs, tap delay and de esser, forming a familiar backbone to his processing chain.

Monitor Console Configuration And String Player Mixes

Monitor duties on the tour were handled by a separate Allen & Heath SQ6 console, supported by two GX4816 I/O expanders on stage. While the SQ6 was heavily utilised, Elliss reported that the desk remained stable throughout the run.

The monitor setup provided individual stereo mixes for performers, along with a wedge feed for the main vocal. In addition, seven mono feeds were allocated specifically for the string players.

Each member of the string section received a full band mix combined with individual control of their own instrument feed, a configuration that was noted as being particularly valued by the players. The approach helped the ensemble to integrate tightly with the band while maintaining the precision required for orchestral performance.

Across the six dates of the Love Is Here 25th Anniversary Tour, the combination of SQ6+ at front of house, SQ6 at monitors and GX4816 expanders delivered a compact but feature rich solution. For touring productions working in character venues with expanded line ups, the deployment illustrated how modern mid format digital consoles can support demanding input counts and detailed monitor requirements without compromising portability.