Allen & Heath has announced a significant firmware update to the flagship dLive mixing system, drawing on feedback from engineers across the live sound, recording, streaming and installation markets.
New features to be found in dLive dLive v1.9 include powerful RTA and sonogram tools, new Deep expander and compressor models, a 12-band PEQ option for mixes, and Sennheiser wireless integration.
An overhaul of dLive’s RTA engine presents engineers with an array of new options for audio analysis. Two RTAs are now available, with dual-surface applications able to benefit from independent RTAs. Visualisation is no longer limited to a 31-band bar display – a new line display and sonogram view is provided, with the latter capable of displaying the difference between RTAs for system tuning. Critically, the bar and line visualisations can be displayed underneath the PEQ curve, enabling engineers to make swift EQ decisions. To give engineers the full picture, the new RTA tools can always be visible, whether that’s on a dedicated screen, on the PEQ screen and widget, in a dedicated RTA widget, or on an external monitor.
dLive’s library of zero-latency Deep Processing tools is enhanced with multiple new additions. Two expanders offer increased gain-before-feedback and improved audio separation in live applications. Source Expander allows quick and easy control of threshold and depth for set-and-forget operation, while Dual Threshold Expander is provided for challenging environments where expert control is required.
Bus, a new compressor, is modelled on a hardware unit renowned for its ability to glue together mixes, and the OptTronikcompressor has expanded to include a new model for an alternative flavour of classic ‘2A’ compression. Engineers working with IEM mixes will welcome the addition of NEQ12, a 12-band parametric EQ with selectable hi/lo pass filters that can replace the GEQ on any of the dLive’s 64 mix outputs.
Wireless integration has been opened up to include Sennheiser 300/500, 2000 and 2050 wireless microphones, which can be monitored from the dLive Surface or Director software. Key wireless information, including mutes, signal level and battery bars, is visible from the bank screen, with detailed information and control accessible via the Preamp tab.
‘We are excited to see our hugely popular evolution wireless 300 and 500 plus 2000 series microphones integrated with dLive,’ says Sennheiser Head of Professional Portfolio, Tom Vollmers. ‘This will make life for sound engineers easier – and this is exactly what you are looking for in a stressful live situation.’
‘With more than 45 user-requested features and numerous improvements, dLive v1.9 is by some distance our biggest release to date,’ adds dLive Product Specialist, Jack Kenyon. ‘We have customers using dLive in every application imaginable, and the unprecedented scale of this update delivers something for all of them. With a host of new sonic tools and an accelerated workflow, dLive once again raises the bar for other console manufacturers.’
The feature list for v1.9 also includes preamp sharing with automatic Gain Tracking across multiple dLive systems, LCR+ Main mode with divergence control, screen bookmarks and new screen widgets.
