L-Acoustics K Series loudspeakers, alongside the company’s Source Intelligence vocal processing technology, are powering Australian pop rock band 5 Seconds of Summer’s world tour, staged on a 75ft ring rather than a rectangular set-up. The main hangs comprise up to 14 K1 and four K2 per side, with K2 Panflex fins set to minimise spill onto the stage’s thrust, supported by up to eight K1-SB per side flown directly behind, with box count and low-frequency steering reset for each venue. Side hangs of up to 16 K2 per side carry coverage to the 180-degree line, while a hang of four Kara II per side serves as in-fill for a VIP pit positioned inside the ring.
The system also includes 18 KS28 subwoofers on custom touring dollies deployed around the outer edges of the circle, two A15 out-fills and two X12 utility boxes, plus 10 X8 loudspeakers front-filling the VIP pit and a further eight X8 lining the thrust’s outer perimeter for nearfield imaging. For larger venues, delays comprise four hangs of six K2 with a flown LARAK II. The system is driven by 32 LA12X amplified controllers, alongside five P1 processors and the L-ISA Processor II running Source Intelligence.
The tour became an early adopter of Source Intelligence ahead of its public launch in May 2026. The technology applies a machine learning source separation algorithm to a vocal channel in real time, reducing crowd noise, instrument bleed and PA spill by up to 40dB, running four simultaneous instances to manage the show’s four roaming lead vocalists against an acoustic drum kit.
Billy Bryson, audio systems engineer at UK Certified Provider Adlib, who designed the system, said: “A K Series system was the clear choice for Seb and I, providing the precise control needed to work with the show’s design. The comprehensive tools in Soundvision allow the system to be scaled to fit venues of different sizes and tuned in detail for each room.”
Sebastien Teti, front of house engineer for the tour, added: “Being one of the early adopters testing L-Acoustics Source Intelligence was also critical, as it helped manage the bleed from four lead vocalists moving along the thrust, alongside an extremely loud acoustic drum kit on the mainstage. Between L-Acoustics and Adlib, facilitating that tool has been a genuine game-changer compared to workflows I’ve used in the past.”
The tour opened at the SSE Arena Belfast on March 26 and runs through December, crossing UK, European, North American, South American, Australian, New Zealand and Asian venues with capacities ranging from 8,000 to 20,000.
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