Islington Assembly Hall Installs Allen & Heath dLive Digital Mixing System

Islington Assembly Hall (IAH), one of north London's best-known live music venues, has upgraded its audio infrastructure with the installation of a complete Allen & Heath dLive digital mixing system.

The historic venue, which dates back to 1930 and reopened in 2010, hosts a wide range of performances each month spanning genres including folk, blues, electronic, pop, soul, rock, metal, and R’n’B, and has welcomed artists such as Foo Fighters, Coldplay, Fred Again, Skepta, Ed Sheeran, Jessie Ware, Doechii, and Laura Mvula.

The new system comprises an Allen & Heath dLive S5000 surface at front of house and an S3000 surface at monitors, with each console paired with a 48 input / 24 output dLive DM48 MixRack equipped with a Dante 64x64 audio networking card. The dLive system, along with analogue splits and flight cases, was supplied by Patchwork London.

According to Patchwork London Sales Director Louis Jemmott, the project followed an initial site visit in late 2024. "Our Senior Project Manager Chris Parker visited IAH during a run of shows in December 2024 and began discussions with the venue’s Technical Manager, Tom Watt about upgrading their existing mixers," he said. "While various options were discussed, we quickly felt that dLive was the best option for the venue’s requirements. We began with demos of a compact dLive C1500 and CDM32 MixRack and ultimately settled on the S-Class surfaces as being the ideal solution."

Watt cited usability and design as key factors in the decision-making process. "The dLive stands out as the most thoughtfully designed platform,” he said. “It’s intuitive, flexible and powerful, but it also doesn't let you over-engineer a show to the point of slowing yourself down. That balance is important for us.

"A compact footprint is also a big consideration for in-house desks these days and I’m really happy with how many channels and control features the surfaces manage to pack in without taking up unnecessary space. A large proportion of the desks that visiting engineers bring in are Allen & Heath ­– often dLive – so having the S5000 in particular gives them the option of working on a larger surface if they prefer."

Jemmott added that the system's widespread adoption among touring engineers was another advantage. "dLive is a very rider-friendly system at this point, which is important for a venue of this type. It’s easy for in-house and touring engineers – and even local apprentices and trainees – to use, while offering real flexibility and great sonic performance. It's proving to be perfect for IAH and the wide range of events and gigs they host."

Reflecting on the upgrade, Watt concluded: "I'm a sound engineer by background and having spent time behind the desk recently I genuinely love it. It sounds fantastic and feels like the natural evolution of the previous generations. Everything is exactly where you want it to be, and it’s incredibly quick to troubleshoot. I'm really happy with our choice, and all of our house engineers agree it’s the best fit for our venue."

www.allen-heath.com