DiGiCo Quantum on Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres World Tour

A natural progression to Quantum

Dan has been working with DiGiCo since 2011 and says the move to Quantum was a long time coming. The platform’s extensive I/O, its powerful matrix and precise routing have always made it an exceptionally adaptable tool.

The opportunity to switch to the DiGiCo Quantum 852 came when the tour reached Australia in November 2024 — and the team took the step without hesitation. The Q852 immediately opened up far more room, both in terms of layers and overall workflow. In many ways, it brings the familiar strengths of the Quantum 7 into a significantly expanded and refined form.

One of the most transformative changes has been the integrated processing. With the extended Spice Rack, a substantial portion of external hardware could be retired altogether, streamlining the setup and making it far more compact. The processing itself carries a distinctly musical, almost analogue character — one of the reasons the engineers embraced the upgrade so quickly.

Coldplay’s touring setup traditionally runs across three stages, which places enormous demands on input capacity. On this tour the system handles around 200 inputs, plus a further 32 microphone channels. The Quantum 852 is one of the very few consoles capable of maintaining absolute stability under such a load.

Tony highlights the flexibility of the submix workflow. For broadcast needs, the team builds 48 stems, allowing broadcast engineers to push the faders to zero and start from a coherent and balanced foundation. The results speak for themselves — Coldplay’s Glastonbury performance earned outstanding feedback, including praise from the BBC.

A conscious reduction in touring hardware

The band’s technical philosophy has also evolved. Coldplay continue to focus on reducing the tour’s carbon footprint, and slimming down the audio infrastructure has been a meaningful part of that effort. A few years ago, the racks carried a significant amount of external analogue equipment; today the majority of that has been replaced by Quantum 8, one compact rack, the Fourier transform.engine, and onboard processing. The difference in logistics and power consumption is substantial.

Fourier transform.engine as a creative catalyst

The engineering team began testing Fourier more than two years before its release. The ability to run VST3 plug-ins brings full studio-grade processing directly into the touring environment.

Dan notes that he can now adjust the processing chain every night — experiment, reorder, try new ideas — in a way that simply isn’t possible with fixed hardware. Despite this flexibility, the transform.engine has proven exceptionally stable and integrates seamlessly with the DiGiCo ecosystem.

Handling extreme heat on outdoor shows

Tony draws particular attention to the Quantum 852’s behaviour in challenging temperature conditions. On several dates, the FOH position reached 43°C, a genuine test for any digital console. DiGiCo’s re-engineered airflow and thermal management ensure that the console runs noticeably cooler, even with its increased processing power. For a system engineer, knowing the desk will remain stable in such extremes is invaluable.

Why the monitor world stays on Quantum 7

In the monitor position, Chris “Woodsy” Wood continues to rely on the trusted DiGiCo Quantum 7. Although the FOH team has moved to Quantum 8, there has been no reason to change a console that performs flawlessly. Apart from a single Bricasti M7, the entire monitor setup — from Nodal to the full Spice Rack — runs internally on the Q7, eliminating the need for external hardware.

DiGiCo support: always present, always engaged

Both Dan and Tony highlight the exceptional support they receive from DiGiCo. The team responds quickly, helps with any unusual request, and remains in close contact regardless of where the tour is in the world. For a crew operating under tight schedules and constant travel, that reliability is nothing short of essential.


A Fourier Audio video on the tour can be found at: https://youtu.be/OjCOY_eoz84

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