AUSTRALIA: DiGiCo Quantum mixing platform is underpinning the global touring workflow for Grammy-winning Icelandic singer-songwriter Laufey, with both front-of-house and monitor engineers relying on Quantum consoles to deliver consistent performance throughout the worldwide A Matter of Time tour.

Supporting the album of the same name, the tour began in 2025 and concludes in August 2026, with Sound Image, a Clair Global brand, supplying the audio control package. At front of house, engineer Matt Grabe is mixing on a DiGiCo Quantum 338, while monitor engineer Sebastian Mut began the tour on a Quantum 338 before expanding to a Quantum 5 for later dates.

For Grabe, who has worked with Laufey since 2024, the decision to standardise on DiGiCo was driven by reliability and worldwide availability, alongside features that support his workflow.

“Having a reliable desk that can be sourced anywhere in the world is non-negotiable,” he explained. “I started specifying Quantum consoles due to the clarity of the screens. I have minimal vision in one eye and a transplant in the other. From day one, my top-tier Sound Image, a Clair Global Brand, representative Kim Sawaya, made sure that one was always available. I didn’t start using Quantum features until recently, but now MSE and Spice Rack are in use on every file.”

Mut, who also joined the production in 2024 after beginning his career in Houses of Worship, has relied on DiGiCo consoles throughout his touring career and cites their processing capabilities, global availability and manufacturer support among the reasons for their continued use.

“We swapped to the Q5 for Laufey’s Coachella performance,” he recalled. “The Q338 and Q5 are fantastic monitor consoles, the layout of both surfaces makes getting anything done very quick and efficient! The most useful features for me have absolutely been the powerful Snapshot and automation functionality, as well as the Spice Rack, specifically Naga 6. With all the international travel on this tour, being able to keep everything in a slim package that can be replicated in a new region quickly has been important for us.”

The touring production features an extensive audio system supporting a string quartet, a jazz trio performing on a secondary stage, more than 50 channels of RF, four SD-Racks, a MiniRack and even a moving Steinway grand piano. Despite the scale and complexity of the production, the engineers note that DiGiCo’s platform enables them to recreate their workflow quickly, whether travelling with their own control package or integrating locally supplied systems.

“We travel with the control package, desks, I/O, mics and instrument DIs,” said Grabe. “On occasion, we fly into a duplicate of that system. It’s daunting to recreate as we are near fully loaded on four SD-Racks, a MiniRack, and over 50 channels of RF. The set has a string quartet, a jazz trio on the B-Stage and even a moving Steinway grand piano. Our brilliant technicians make that all possible. For solo dates, it’s very simple to convert the show file to whatever SD or Quantum desk is provided locally.”

At the monitor position, Mut also incorporates the Fourier transform.engine plugin platform into his workflow, highlighting its reliability and seamless integration with the DiGiCo ecosystem.

“The Fourier has been a great piece of hardware, it’s very consistent and has been without any major issues,” he noted. “It’s a relief to know that if anything were to happen with a plugin mid show, it wouldn’t stop everything running on the server. The console integration is a big feature for me. Having Snapshot recall between the transform.engine and the console without any extra hardware or programming is really useful. I’ve also been very impressed with how much processing power I have available to me with just one server.”

Reflecting on the demands of a global touring production, both engineers emphasised the flexibility and consistency offered by the DiGiCo Quantum platform.

“We’ve chosen DiGiCo due to logistics, and the power of the desk,” said Mut. “Being able to replicate this package anywhere in the world, quickly, and without much fuss is a huge selling point for us. And with the powerful Snapshot and automation functionality we can nimbly do anything we’re asked to deliver the best product for our artist.”

“There are scenarios where you jump on a red-eye flight to mix a new band with nothing but a festival changeover,” concluded Grabe. “Equipped with SD Convert and a punt file, any DiGiCo will do. That doesn’t just make my life easier, it makes the task possible.”