ST.LOUIS (November 6, 2025) – When it comes to live production, few acts demand the balance of clarity, control, and spectacle that GHOST does. The band’s latest arena run required precision at the highest level, with Gateway Studios & Production Services (GSPS) providing a full d&b audiotechnik system and crew to match the challenge.
FOH Engineer Nate Northway described the task bluntly, “Arenas are challenging, reverberant spaces to begin with. GHOST are a nine-piece hard rock band and every element of the music is important,” he said. “Carving out space for two guitars dripping in gain, two synth players, an eleven-piece drum kit, bass, three vocalists, and percussion can be very difficult in these cavernous rooms. The band can swing from delicate and dynamic to bold and bludgeoning in just a few bars, so I have to be equally focused on intelligibility and musicality throughout the set.”
To deliver consistency across every seat, GSPS supplied and deployed a powerful d&b audiotechnik SL-Series system, including 20 GSL mains per side, 16 KSL side hangs per side, 12 KSL rear hangs per side, eight flown SL-SUBs per side, six ground SL-SUBs per side, and d&b Y10 front fills.
Under System Engineer Nils Knecht, along with PA techs Alex Dickinson, Nick Hime, and Samuel Schmitt, the Gateway team tailored every deployment to each arena’s unique acoustic signature. “The PA was deployed with every seat in mind, every day without exception,” Northway said. “Nils, Sam, Nick, and Alex really spent a lot of time making sure the entire 270 rig was even and balanced, even in the most challenging venues.”
Monitor Engineer Paddi Krause highlighted the precision and discipline required to keep the onstage environment quiet and controlled; “I’m responsible for the entire monitoring side of the show, 103 inputs, 20 IEM mixes, and a stage loaded with open condenser microphones,” he explained. “Every single dB not wasted or spilled back matters. Thanks to GSPS’s meticulous execution and d&b’s world-class system design, I’m operating in one of the quietest on-stage environments I’ve encountered. The result? Less noise. More art.”
For Northway, the AVID Venue system remains the centerpiece of his mix workflow. “It just sounds incredible,” he said. “Add the ability to automate any parameter using just about anything you can think of as an event trigger, and you have the perfect platform for an artist with a range as wide and nuanced as GHOST.”
That adaptability proved essential when the production team introduced new stage elements mid-rehearsal, including a kabuki that temporarily obscured the main PA.
“Since the mains were the only part of the PA behind the kabuki, we measured the frequency response and created filters using the DirectOut Prodigy to match the sides and 270s,” Northway recalled. “Then, at the moment the kabuki drops, we triggered a bypass to mimic the drop across the entire system. It actually ended up giving the start of the show even more impact.”
Across departments, the collaboration extended beyond audio. “Lighting, video, SFX, everything is designed to work in concert,” said Northway. “There’s a dramatic moment at the end of the second act where everything changes. Our contribution was to use the subs to devastating effect. It’s always fun to have an excuse to see what a PA is really capable of, if only for a few seconds.”
For Gateway Studios & Production Services, the project reflects the company’s growing footprint in world-class touring support. Powered by d&b’s flagship technology, GSPS continues to demonstrate how technical precision and road-tested expertise come together to deliver consistent, high-impact audio in the most demanding live environments.
Photo Credit: Ryan Chang
