A live show by Boston-based band Couch at the 2023 Times Square Live (TSQ Live) Friday Concert Series was supported by a variety of RF Venue components implemented by front of house engineer/production manager Chris DiCorpo to help ensure reliable wireless system performance in a challenging environment.
“People regard Times Square as one of the hardest RF environments in the world to work in,” states DiCorpo, who deployed 11 channels of wireless microphones and IEMs for the performance. “Their products really just work, and that’s why I love using them.”
Specifically, DiCorpo deployed the RF Venue components to optimize Sennheiser EW-D wireless microphone systems and Sennheiser EW IEM G4 in-ear monitor systems being used for the show. “Was I a little nervous about using wireless in Times Square? Yes. But I’d been using RF Venue products since being introduced to their wireless solutions several years ago while working with some of the regional production companies here in the northeast,” he says. “I’d never seen an RF Venue DFIN before. I’d never seen a CP Beam antenna before. Once I learned what they are and how they work, there was no going back.”
Via his company, CJD Productions, he purchased the components from Berlin, CT-based TMP-Pro Distribution. For the Times Square Live performance, he utilized a DISTRO4 antenna distribution system, an RF Venue Diversity Fin antenna, and RF Venue band-pass filters, which DiCorpo describes as the “gravy on top.”
He explains, “If you really want to make sure it’s going to work well and work well for a long time, the band-pass filters help block RF from outside of the frequency range where your wireless mics are operating, giving you a little bit more comfort in your setup. With everything going on in Times Square, there’s a lot of other stuff in surrounding frequency bands, so it’s nice to isolate exactly what you’re using for your microphones. What’s great about RF Venue products is that they help the wireless microphones be seen through all that noise.”
For in-ear monitoring, he implemented a complementary configuration utilizing a COMBINE8 transmitter combiner and compact circularly-polarized CP Beam antenna to provide a constant focused signal regardless of the IEM receiver position. “Couch is a high-energy band. A lot of fun. But if they can’t hear each other, they’re not performing at their best. It’s nice to be in a high-pressure environment like that and not have to worry about the microphones or in-ears dropping out. RF Venue gave me that peace of mind,” he says.
“In a sense, the Times Square show had one of the biggest audiences the band has ever played for, not knowing who was in the onsite crowd or who was watching from beyond,” he concludes. “Once we got everything up and I did the frequency coordination and we had a smooth sound check, I was confident that it was going to work. You can’t beat that. I don’t want to have to worry about dropouts or interference. I want to concentrate on mixing the sound and making the band sound their best.”
