DiGiCo takes Gorillaz up the mountain
DiGiCo takes Gorillaz up the mountain
As Gorillaz prepares to take its Mountain World Tour through Türkiye, Central Asia and India, the production team is relying on a pair of DiGiCo Quantum852 consoles to manage one of the most complex live audio workflows currently on the road. The tour includes two shows in Istanbul in July, a performance in Almaty, Kazakhstan in August, and the band's first-ever performances in India, with dates scheduled in Bengaluru and Mumbai in January 2027.
Supplied by rental specialist Entec Sound and Light, the audio system centres on DiGiCo Quantum852 consoles at both front of house and monitor positions, supporting a production that combines the Gorillaz live band with a rotating roster of guest performers at each show.
Front of house engineer Matt Butcher and monitor engineer Dave Guerin are managing significant channel counts throughout the tour, with a minimum of 165 inputs at front of house and up to 290 inputs and 130 outputs at monitors.
“There are lots of reasons to use a DiGiCo, but we use the Quantum852 for Gorillaz because no other manufacturer makes a console that can do what a DiGiCo does,” said Butcher. “We can edit really quickly on the Q852, it has the redundancy we need and we can cater for any type of record or broadcast feed request.”
The audio system also includes a Quantum326 for playback, while Butcher is using a Fourier transform.engine alongside a small selection of external effects processors. “The Fourier works well,” he noted. “We have a lot going on with multiple Optocore loops and huge channel counts, and it's solid throughout.”
At monitors, Guerin has developed a suite of custom applications designed to streamline control of the production. The apps allow musicians and technicians to manage their own mixes via iPads while providing flexible routing options across the audio system.
“I've created multiple apps now: Faders, Doris, Changes and SetList,” explained Guerin. “Each one has a different purpose, so because DiGiCo consoles only connect to a single external app, I designed Router which enables all the apps to connect to the console via a single application.”
With a large live band, guest artists and choir performances featured throughout the tour, both engineers cited workflow efficiency and reliability among the key reasons for selecting the Quantum platform.
“The DiGiCo ecosystem is rock solid and works very conveniently for rack sharing and multiple inputs,” explained Butcher. “The high input count works well. It serves our purposes and sounds great.”
Guerin also highlighted the support provided by both DiGiCo and Entec Sound and Light as an important factor in the tour's continued operation, noting the availability of technical assistance both on the road and from the manufacturers' support teams.
