The show was also broadcast live to more than 40m people in 15 countries around Europe. In audio terms, the production is every bit complex as its big brother and saw no less than four Innovason digital mixing systems deployed to handle FOH and monitor mixing as well as audio distribution to the OB trucks. Broadcast mixing was handled by a Lawo MC66 console.
Event organisers decided early on that they would remain with their proven audio suppliers: that is, long-time Lawo users, Swedish broadcast specialists HD Resources for the broadcast element; and Swedish live sound professionals, Electrosound, for the arena sound system and Innovason network.
Electrosound's Brollan Soderstrom who designed the system and also mixed the show at FoH explained that for an event of this size, he took no chances. "The entire system is fully redundant - we literally had two of everything, except for the performers themselves." That meant: two Innovason DioCore systems (EtherSound-enabled stageboxes) for the PA network and for audio distribution to the OB trucks via two Innovason DioESMadi converters; two Eclipse consoles for FoH mixing; two Sy80s for monitor mixing; and of two OB trucks.
Both systems were running in parallel, with the snapshots from each console synchronised via MIDI. "After all the rehearsals and sound-checks, we copied the showfiles from the main system to the back-up so that both systems would sound exactly the same," said Soderstrom. "A MIDI command from the main consoles changed the pages on the back-up consoles in real time, so that in the event we had to go to back-up, all we had to do was open the master mute on the back-up and the show was right there, exactly as it would have been on the main desk."
Soderstrom also ensured that there were several signal cross paths between the main and the back-up system in order to be able switch parts of the system over to the back-up system if necessary without disturbing the rest of the network. "We set things up so that each transition would be totally seamless and transparent, and just a single click away," he noted. "We were prepared for absolutely anything. However, as usual, the system performed so well - we didn't experience even the slightest glitch or hiccup."
(Jim Evans)
