Breakthrough Icelandic Star Adopts KLANG:vokal for Extensive Tour

Engineer specs revolutionary monitor technology for improved in-ear monitoring and easier workflow for Daði Freyr 

Icelandic singing sensation, Daði Freyr, has completed three tours using KLANG:vokal immersive technology. Used as a standalone unit, KLANG:vokal integrates into the monitor system to offer the artists an improved in-ear experience, allowing monitor engineer Sigri Hovde, to optimise her workflow and deliver superior results for the whole band.

Representing Iceland in the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest catapulted Daði Freyr to international fame, subsequently garnering over 200 million streams and global tours. As well as recording and self-producing his debut album, the simply titled ‘I Made an Album’, Freyr is now looking forward to a Summer of worldwide dates, having just completed a North American tour.

Hovde, has worked with many globally renowned artists over her career and is about to embark on a massive international tour with Norwegian star, Sigrid. Hovde is also one of the owners of Bergen Ento, Bergen-based Norwegian hire company.

“We started the company in 2020. With the live industry on hold, plenty of time to build our workshop and do the research for what equipment we wanted to own,” Hovde explains. “Having read about KLANG systems, we decided to invest in a KLANG:vokal processor. After testing we decided to buy another one straight away, we simply loved the results. It’s great to own the equipment, so we can really get to know it. I’ve now completed three tours with Daði Freyer using KLANG and it’s been great.” 

The 2023 European tour was divided into two parts, covering a wider geographical area compared to the  previous year. The tour included debut performance in Spain, Lithuania, Latvia, Finland, Austria and Slovenia, along with visits to nine locations in the UK and various other European cities, including Berlin, Amsterdam, Dublin and Paris. 

With such a variety of locations Hovde decided to specify the KLANG:vokal processor as part of the touring monitor system to achieve consistent and sonically superior results for the musicians, and to keep her system set up as robust as possible.

KLANG:vokal is a standalone immersive processor with ultimate flexibility. Built on KLANG’s powerful, next generation, ultra-low latency FPGA core, KLANG:vokal offers 12 mixes of 24 mono or stereo inputs at 48kHz and 96kHz, including the revolutionary Root-Intensity EQs. 

“I love the results,” says Hovde. “It feels like the next logical step for in-ear-monitoring and puts back the air you lose when traditional wedges are not in use. In-ear systems can make musicians feel closed in and isolated, and it can be tiring to listen to, but KLANG gives you back the feeling of space, reducing fatigue. The immersive technology means you can immediately reduce volume, but actually hear better. There’s definitely improved audio perception.” 

Hovde introduced the KLANG:vokal during the band’s pre-production sessions, which gave her the opportunity to design her system workflow and gave the band a chance to get used to the new technology. She also took full advantage of the support that KLANG offers, to ensure that she was utilising of all the KLANG:vokal features.

“I like to keep it tactile by using the MIDI commands on my Allen and Heath dLive console to control everything on the faders, so the musicians don’t have to think about their mix at all. The change to spatialised sound feels subtle, which is an advantage because you don’t want the musicians’ listening experience to be a conscious shift,” she explains. “The band could not perceive the difference until I switched back to stereo. That was definitely a ‘wow’ moment! KLANG’s immersive approach feels much more natural, so natural that they didn’t notice what it was doing until I took it away!” 

“There are so many possibilities with KLANG:vokal and so much to discover. KLANG’s team is always ready to answer questions, offer advice or listen to my feedback. As a monitor engineer, I’m always trying to optimise workflow and it’s great to have such a good support team available. KLANG:vokal is proving to be really flexible and Daði Freyer loves it, so that makes everything simpler!”