How AbleSet 3 Powers Olivia Dean’s Live Playback Rig

Grant Kershaw breaks down the dual-machine playback setup used on Olivia Dean’s arena tour, showing how AbleSet 3 handles setlist management, failover monitoring, and custom canvas controls.

When you are running playback for an arena artist, there is no margin for error. Grant Kershaw, playback operator for Olivia Dean, walks us through the rig built by Jake at SA Customs and explains exactly how AbleSet 3 by Leolabs keeps every show running without a hitch — filmed at Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany.

What AbleSet 3 Does in a Professional Live Rig

AbleSet 3 sits at the heart of this setup as the primary setlist management tool. Grant uses it across two laptops running in parallel — an A machine and a B machine — with an iPad displaying a custom canvas that mirrors everything happening in Ableton Live. The result is a single, unified view of the show from one screen.

The custom canvas is built entirely inside AbleSet 3 and gives Grant tailored controls without needing to touch Ableton directly during the show. Buttons handle MIDI loop toggles, play and stop functions, tone on/off for failover testing, and MIDI routing switches so only one machine sends MIDI at any given time. A colour scheme matching Olivia Dean’s signature pink runs throughout, with a red end-of-show marker acting as a visual safety net.

LTC timecode is monitored directly inside AbleSet 3, meaning Grant can confirm the split is feeding video and lighting departments without needing a separate display. The visual metronome across both laptops and the iPad makes it immediately clear if either machine drifts out of sync, and a single tap on Sync Now brings everything back in line instantly.

How the Rig Is Set Up

• Dual-machine playback: A and B laptops run simultaneously via a network switch, with the iPad connected over Ethernet using a USB-C adapter that also charges the device during the show.
• Custom AbleSet canvas: Designed inside AbleSet 3 with buttons mapped for tone control, MIDI routing, loop toggles, and a cue track unmute that counts the band out of a loop section at the right moment.
• Failover monitoring: The DirectOut Xbox MD display is embedded in the canvas so Grant can see at a glance whether the rig is running on the A or B machine, and switch manually if needed.
• MIDI management: Individual MIDI on/off buttons for each laptop prevent double MIDI from both machines firing simultaneously during a failover event.
• LTC display: Timecode is read and displayed inside AbleSet 3, giving Grant independent confirmation that the split is sending correctly to the rest of the production team.
• Visual metronome: Running on both laptops and the iPad simultaneously, it provides an immediate sync check across the entire rig at any point during the show.
• Soundcheck and show prep: An as-live function, MIDI test track, LTC track, playback ident, MIDI patch sequence, and an all-tracks test loop are all organised within the setlist for a structured show build.

Why It Matters

This walkthrough is a clear demonstration of what AbleSet 3 can do beyond basic setlist scrolling. In a high-stakes arena environment, the ability to design a purpose-built control surface, monitor redundant systems, manage MIDI routing between machines, and confirm timecode integrity — all from within a single piece of software — is what separates a solid rig from a fragile one. Grant has been using AbleSet for years across professional touring work, and the way this rig is configured shows exactly why it has become a trusted tool at the top end of live production.