The 2017 iHeartCountry Festival drew more than 15,000 country music fans to the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, TX to hear country music stars including Jason Aldean, Little Big Town, Dierks Bentley, Rascal Flatts and Darius Rucker.
Redhook, New York/Las Vegas-based Firehouse Productions managed production during the day-long event with the help of Radio Active Designs wireless intercom systems.
Firehouse Productions provided sound reinforcement, wireless hardware, frequency coordination and communication for the production. The festival features a rotating stage, which translates into non-stop music for the fans and non-stop activity for the production crew.
Vinny Siniscal, wireless communications coordinator, utilized four Radio Active Designs UV-1G base stations distributing the 24 RAD packs to stage managers, lighting technicians, and others involved in the production process.
“The idea was to leave as much open bandwidth as possible to accommodate the performers needs,” he explains. “That means the less bandwidth we use for ourselves, the better off we are. Being able to use the UV-1G intercoms, which operate primarily in VHF, was key to our plan. I’m honestly not sure how we would have managed without it.”
In total, there were 400 channels of wireless used for the event. There were 200+ in play for the bands, which carry up to 20 channels of wireless including mics, in-ears, IFBs and comms. Approximately 190 channels were used for production. Considering the constant rotation of bands, channels were in flux throughout the event.
In addition to the UV-1G freeing up valuable UHF bandwidth, the units also are loud enough to use in a live sound, arena environment. A recent firmware upgrade ensures that everyone using the system can hear other members of the team without fail.
“It is really impressive how loud the comms are,” adds Siniscal. “Even at an arena show like this, we could hear each other. The new amp circuit makes it so that you can hear the intercom, even when performers insist upon 110dB. I know I can hear guys on the other end of the system.”
The UV-1G units provided one zone of coverage for the arena. Siniscal deployed two antennae – one for backstage and the other for the exterior – to extend intercom coverage to those areas.
Siniscal concludes, “Personally, I’m not waiting for 600 MHz to go away, I’m starting now and assuming it is already gone. Getting comms out of UHF is going to be imperative for large events. RAD provides the solution.”
