Britannia Row Implements Audio Overview For Steven Wilson

“It’s great working with Steven, he's very hands on with everything,” begins Steven Wilson’s Tour Manager, Dave Salt, who has chosen Britannia Row Productions to provide sound reinforcement for the prog rock musician’s ‘The Overview Tour’.

The crew toured the UK, Ireland, and Europe and are currently in North America before they close out the year in Australia.

“Touring only happens when Steven feels its right to do it,” continues Dave. “It’s never rushed. Steven had not toured as a solo artist for over six years, and we had to up the game for this tour and make sure we had the best available people and PA system to deliver the results to his audience.”

Dave’s primary focus, to look after Steven on the road, is coupled with surrounding the artist with a professional and dedicated crew. “Firstly, I need the right people from a rental company, and we had that in our system tech and stage tech from Britannia Row. The team we had were great, they were hard working and very professional. Having gear that works every day, and the company backup and advancing - so that everything is right when you show up at rehearsals - is a big thing. I don't think I would use another rental company right now… Britannia Row just gets the job done!”

Critics have described Steven’s highly anticipated comeback tour as a ‘multi-sensory experience’ and an ‘interstellar sound voyage’, leaving no room for the tour’s technical delivery to stall.

FOH Engineer Alessandro Melchior describes the project as something “designed to be truly immersive, engaging multiple senses to create a deeper connection with the audience.”

Alongside a well-executed visual design, fans were immersed via surround sound, which played a key role in surprising fans. Alessandro continues: “Enveloping the audience in a 360-degree sonic environment not only enhanced the sense of space and depth of the performance but contributed to making the audience feel as if they were ‘inside’ the music.”

The visual storytelling coupled with intentional sound immersion was crafted to elevate the tour beyond the traditional concert experience, notes Alessandro, with the product offering fans a journey that would “deepen their emotional engagement with Steven's music.”

His FOH setup was somewhat straightforward: “I mixed on a DiGiCo Quantum338, which suits my workflow perfectly. With a sizable channel count and varied setlist, having many faders was essential for control, including the surround sound. The stage quality was exceptional, with high-level musicianship, so most issues were addressed during pre-production. External FX were processed through UAD Apollo x16D interfaces, replicating specific effects from Steven's albums such as pitch-shifting, distortion, saturation and bus processing.”

Outboard gear included Rupert Neve 5045 units on vocals for increased gain before feedback, maintaining clarity even in hectic sections, and an analogue Empirical Labs FATSO 2-channel compressor for added warmth and character.

For vocals, the Shure Nexadyne 8/C emerged as the favourite microphone choice. Alessandro furthers: “It delivered the most natural tone without heavy processing, and its polar pattern kept on‑stage bleed well controlled. Capturing the cleanest possible sources from the stage was essential to me - it's the foundation of any great-sounding show.”

To manage audio equipment inventory on the road, Alessandro  explains why Britannia Row has been a reliable rental partner: “Britannia Row has well-maintained kit, tidy packaging and road-cases, and send touring crews that are professional and responsive. Their tech support and on-site engineers make our whole production run so smoothly.”

In the UK and Europe, the crew carried an L-Acoustics PA system. “From the outset, I specified the L2 system because my priority was a clean, controlled stage, and I needed an engineer who could deploy and tune it to meet that goal. When I spoke with Dan [Fathers, Systems Engineer], we agreed that uniformity of sound would be the deciding factor.

“Steven's fans are extremely discerning about audio quality, so the L2 was an obvious choice; its wide 140° horizontal dispersion delivers pristine, even coverage from the front row to the back, minimising tonal and level differences across the audience. That same stability also benefitted the band; this was the first tour where everyone used in-ear monitoring, so precision in what our monitor engineer provided was critical. Close collaboration allowed us to achieve exact time-alignment, EQ, and tuning of the PA, with a strong focus on stage control. The cardioid configuration reduced on-stage bleed and low-frequency build-up.”

Dan joins the conversation: “The brief from Alessandro during the prep phase was clear: keep as much noise off the stage as possible. With Steven’s music being so dynamic and detailed, clarity and control were key - not just out front, but on stage as well. We achieved this largely thanks to the cardioid pattern of the L2 cabinets, which provided excellent rear rejection without sacrificing power or coverage in the audience areas. The system was designed to be modular and scalable, as the tour visited a mix of small arenas and theatres. So, flexibility in the design was essential to maintain consistent quality and coverage regardless of the room. In the design phase, my focus is always on getting consistent, even coverage across the venue, low-frequency control, especially on stage, and the speed and repeatability of deployment, making the system adaptable to a wide range of venue sizes and rigging solutions.”

The primary design comprised L2 and L2D loudspeakers for the main hangs, KS28’s for sub bass - typically in cardioid or spaced configurations – A10’s and A15’s for fills and out-fills.

Dan continues: “We have Syva deployed for the surround/immersive reinforcement, run by RF or over AVBOne. A standout benefit was the L2’s cardioid capability, which helped us massively reduce stage wash and maintain a very clean onstage environment, just as Alessandro wanted. Some rooms had limited rigging options or tight trim heights, so we adapted the system design on the fly using Soundvision.”

The L2 and L2D arrays are driven by L-Acoustics LA7.16 amplifiers. The KS28 subs, Syva surrounds, and A Series fills are driven by a combination of LA12X and LA4X amplifiers, depending on deployment and channel count.

He adds: “At the heart of the signal chain is 2 x L-Acoustics P1 processor, handling time alignment, EQ, and routing, as well as providing a stable interface for system measurement and control. I use Soundvision for system design, modelling, and venue adaptation, LA Network Manager for amp control, monitoring, and tuning, and Smaart for real-time analysis, alignment, and fine-tuning across the system.”

For Dan, collaborating with Britannia Row has been an exceptional experience from start to finish. “The new HQ gave us the space and time for proper system prep, from testing racks and patching through to running full checks on control and network infrastructure before we hit the road. On tour, their technical support is outstanding. They are quick to respond and are always knowledgeable. They also understand touring at a deep level, from the equipment packaging, to logistics, and crew support. They design things to make our lives easier day-to-day.

“With Steven’s music being so nuanced, it’s also been so rewarding to work on a system that can deliver with precision night after night. This tour has been a great example of how strong collaboration between artist, engineer, and supplier can lead to a consistent, high-quality experience for both the audience and the crew.”

For Monitor Engineer Luca Romani, he was charged with maintaining Steven’s comfort using IEMs on tour for the first time.

“The main thing was getting him comfortable with having just ears,” begins Luca. “Which is quite a change from having wedges, so the focus at first was the guitar tone then everything else in his mix. He almost has a FOH mix, with his instruments and vocals slightly higher. I think trust is very important for a good delivery and that’s built over time, with good communication. In a such a sensory-impacting setting, being the extra ears is extra vital. It’s a great show to be involved in because it’s challenging, fun, complex and a pleasure to mix every night.”

Luca’s set up has been mirrored from FOH: a DiGiCo Quantum338 Pulse, with UAD x16D for additional FX (mostly reverbs), and an analogue 5045 on selected sources.

“We have one shared SD Rack with 32Bit cards on an optical loop, PSM1000 with P10R+ packs, one Apollo 16XD and a mif4, mostly so that we keep the system simple and easy to spec around the world. In Europe we had 2 x Quantum338 sharing an SD Rack and a SD Nano Rack for some additional inputs. Using the Apollo units was a first for me as I don’t usually use plug-ins live, but in this case, it was a great addition.”

The Overview tour will conclude on November 17 in Brisbane, Australia, with local support from Clair Global group partner, JPJ Audio.

Photo Credit: Hajo Muller