Belgium: Every year, for the past six years, the famous Belgian band Clouseau
has surprised its fans with a combination of
stunning stage layout, visual wizardry and guest artists to boot
.
After their concert featuring a huge sound system flying over the circular
stage in the middle of the 15,000-seater Sportpaleis venue, and the use of the
Rolling Stones' 'Babylon Bridge', this year, for their 13 sold-out concerts,
the band opted for a 'long version', using the full 70m length of the arena's
stage.
Over 220,000 people came to see the shows in December. The concert was also
captured on high definition DVD (released last month) by Belgian OB company
Alfacam, with sound recorded by MotorMusic and mastering at Galaxy Studios by
new appointee Darcy Proper.
For the first time in Belgium
, sound and light company
EML Productions decided to set up a huge wireless communication network between
the FOH and monitor desks and the three stages aligned lengthwise in the
Sportpaleis
. The main middle catwalk-stage also hosted five mobile risers for singers Kris
and Koen Wauters, their 6-piece band plus a 6-piece horn section.
The big challenge for EML's operations manager Walter D'Haese was to combine
the 'normal' wireless communication technology for in-ear and belt packs with
the remaining sources (drums, percussion, horns, keyboard and so on) so that
each and every sound source was free to move over the stage, with the UHF
antenna's covering the whole 2,100m2 [squared] centre stage area of the venue.
"We used about 55 UHF frequencies serving the 14 musicians and monitor
engineer Marcel Kortleven and the first problem we had to tackle was the
limited availability of frequencies in Belgium," says D'Haese.
"Therefore we used a combination of Sennheiser 3000 SK 50 and Shure UL4D
receivers to have enough channels. We filed applications and negotiated with
the Belgian communications department (BIPT) and found that only a few
projects, mostly in the theatre business, use so many frequencies, on stages of
less than 200sqm." For the transmission of the sound sources, EML opted
for the CobraNet digital network, converting the processed signals into the
AES/EBU protocol and the DiGiCo mixing desks. Singer Koen Wauters' microphone
was routed through a brand new Massenburg microphone pre-amp.
"We invested in
Whirlwind E Snake 2 systems
," continues D'Haese, "allowing two-direction operation of 64 audio
channels, exactly what we needed for this job. We opted for Whirlwind because
the system is very straightforward, modular and quite easy to combine with the
other gear we have; we also found the manufacturer very flexible and helpful.
The combination of Whirlwind and DiGiCo allows us to remain in the digital
domain: the show is very complicated and each song represents a different stage
situation - it would not have been easy with 60 analogue inputs. Now, CobraNet
allows wireless signal transport in CD quality at a 24-bit, 48kHz sample
rate."
Despite the limited set-up time available for the system, the configuration
went smoothly, with D'Haese having only to adapt some of the in-ear
frequencies. "We also paid much attention to the antennas we used - two
omni-directional antennas for the microphones and one covering all in-ear
monitoring."
The wireless system was engineered by Multicap, a wireless applications
specialist, and although CobraNet is more frequently used in fixed
installations, the new set-up worked perfectly during all of the 13 live
concerts.
"It was product engineer Glenn de Haes who did some research with
Multicap, presented demo configurations and remained on standby for assistance.
We have been testing the system, consisting of three Aeras Networks links
operating side-by-side for one year now and have become acquainted with the
5.8GHz band technology. Safety is a primal issue here, and HF communication is
subject to numerous laws and rules" The fact that we work in the digital domain
requires 100% accuracy - but we ran a log file to monitor the system and it
showed a zero default rate," comments D'Haese. "The stage set up is
really unique in the world," agrees Glenn de Haes, "and for us it was
a challenge to offer wireless audio emerging from 360° rotating risers - line
of sight is a major issue for signal transmission and the place of the antennas
was a critical element. The 13 shows have illustrated that the 5.8 GHz band is
not limited to outdoor use, and the whole has been a major promotion for
wireless music. We are now informing other CobraNet users of the
configuration."
To enhance the 'long version' visual effect of the stage layout, EML's sound
engineer Patrick Demoustier designed a special rig flying over the stages
comprising six clusters of 10 Adamson Y18, four clusters of eight Adamson Y10
and eight EML 3 x 18-inch subs. "This configuration never gives the
musicians the idea of playing 'in front of the sound system' - there were no
feedback problems either. The 64 Lab Gruppen amplifiers, all dimmer packs and
servers for the 3-D projectors were stacked on an 80m2 (squared) platform,
flying 22m above the stage centre," says D'Haese, adding that EML is now
preparing the system for rental purposes as a universal wireless application
offering 3 x 32 digital channels.
www.eml-productions.com
www.multicap.be
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