GLOBAL: When a live production combines a full touring band, a rotating cast of guest performers, extensive playback requirements and complex monitoring demands, audio infrastructure quickly becomes mission-critical. That challenge is playing out on a grand scale during Gorillaz’ current world tour, where a pair of DiGiCo Quantum 852 consoles supplied by Entec Sound and Light are helping the production team navigate one of the most technically demanding live audio environments on the road today.

Supporting the BRIT and Grammy-winning virtual band’s global tour in support of the chart-topping album The Mountain, Entec Sound and Light is providing the complete audio package and additional crew. At the heart of the system are two DiGiCo Quantum 852 consoles, one at front of house operated by Matt Butcher and another at monitors overseen by Dave Guerin.

With guest performers joining Damon Albarn and the Gorillaz live band at virtually every show, channel counts have reached extraordinary levels. At front of house, the production currently handles a minimum of 165 input channels, while Guerin manages 290 input channels and 130 outputs at monitors. The scale of the production leaves little room for compromise, making workflow efficiency and system stability essential.

“There are lots of reasons to use a DiGiCo, but we use the Quantum 852 for Gorillaz because no other manufacturer makes a console that can do what a DiGiCo does,” explains 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. Usually, it’s just a left/right feed because even just sharing the Groups requires 64 XLR tails.”

The touring audio system also incorporates a DiGiCo Quantum 326 dedicated to playback duties, while Butcher has integrated a Fourier transform.engine into his front of house workflow. Aside from a trusted SPX 900 and a handful of additional vocal effects units, the Fourier platform has significantly reduced the amount of outboard processing required on the tour.

“The Fourier works well. I do most things on the console, but there are some big reverb effects coming from the Fourier and it’s all nice and stable,” he continues. “We have a lot going on with multiple Optocore loops and huge channel counts, and it’s solid throughout.”

At the monitor position, Guerin has taken a highly customised approach to managing the production’s complexity. To streamline communications and monitor control, he has developed a suite of bespoke applications that allow musicians and technicians to manage aspects of their own mixes via iPads.

“I’ve created multiple apps now: Faders, Doris, Changes, and SetList,” he expands. “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. It’s very useful for the tour, not just for the DiGiCo consoles, but also for our RF Tech who can route any of my mixes to any of our 4 backup Spectera at a touch of a button on his iPad. I have 290 input channels and 130 outputs on this tour, so it’s important to stay on top of things! I’m thinking of creating another app that just tells you what happened in the last OSC command you fired, to help you keep track!”

The scale of the touring production is amplified by the number of musicians involved, including guest artists and a choir, resulting in a constantly evolving channel layout. For both engineers, the Quantum 852’s workflow, flexibility and surface architecture have proven instrumental in managing the demands of the show.

For Butcher, reliability remains one of the platform’s defining strengths. “We have used other consoles that sounded great and were readily available, but then they would have really strange errors before the show,” he continues. “The DiGiCo ecosystem is rock solid and works very conveniently for rack sharing and multiple inputs and the audio network setup is pretty easy. We’ve been using DiGiCo consoles for a long time now, and the high input count works well. It serves our purposes and sounds great.”

Guerin echoes those sentiments but points equally to the support network behind the technology as a major factor in the tour’s continued success. “There’s great backup from DiGiCo and Entec, with Dan Scantlebury, Tom Olorenshaw, and Matt Smith back at base, plus Colin Woodward, Kev Gill, Alex Chapman, and Alex Goodby on the road with us. On the rare occasions I need help, there’s always someone to call,” Guerin concludes. “I had an issue on a Sunday morning at the O2 in London, I rang the DiGiCo help line and John Stadius, DiGiCo’s Technical Manager called me back. Even though the company has grown, they still provide worldwide support along with the attention to detail that engineers rely on.”

Widely recognised for its blend of live musicianship, visual artistry and genre-defying creativity, the Gorillaz live experience continues to attract acclaim from audiences and critics alike. Following a successful 13-date run across the UK and Ireland earlier this year, the band is set to perform its first-ever stadium show in London before embarking on a festival run across Europe, followed by dates in North and South America.

The tour will also mark Gorillaz’ first visit to India, with performances scheduled in Mumbai on 27 January and Bengaluru on 31 January 2027. As the production continues its global journey, DiGiCo’s Quantum platform remains firmly at the centre of an audio system designed to deliver consistency, flexibility and control, regardless of what each night’s performance may bring.