The PRO6 controlled all the audio, both live and broadcast, at the multi-artist arena show in the filled-to-capacity 50,000-seat Sheikh Zayed Stadium, held in the presence of UAE President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Emirates rulers and Crown Prince.
"We had an unlimited budget and we could have taken any console in the world, but the PRO6 was the only choice for the job," says Britannia Row engineer Josh Lloyd. "This show was an incredibly high profile, complex, one-off event, and broadcast live on TV. Equipment failure was not an option."
The PRO6's digital flexibility and networking capability also proved invaluable on-site assets, enabling I/O to be easily distributed across the stadium's huge distances and ensuring audio clarity in a hostile RF environment.
The show itself comprised two halves; the first, a military parade with marching band; the second, celebrating the birth and development of the nation, involving hundreds of musicians, singers, dancers and other performers across eight different scenes.
Lloyd set up using one Midas DL351 and two DL451 modular I/O units, while a DL451 in the video control room took the commentary mics and the VT feeds for the show, plus the time codes for lighting, pyro and lasers. The other DL451 interfaced with the playback system and the main system outputs to the PA and monitors. The DL351 took all the mic and radio mic inputs, providing stems and splits for broadcast, as well as additional time codes.
The marching band was fully miked up to allow for a mix in the stadium as well as splits and sub-mixing for broadcast, while during the parade itself, playback from a triple redundant playback rig was connected via AES, again for both stadium and broadcast. The PRO6 also handled all the TV commentary for the event.
Automation and show file features came into their own in the second half, with music and vocals pre-mixed and mastered on the console during the five-week rehearsal period. In rehearsals the automation was for virtual soundchecks, and in the show itself to automate EQ fader and mutes between sections of the show.
Meanwhile, Sound On Stage Events used their newly-upgraded Midas PRO9 for a two night run of concerts at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) in Abu Dhabi, featuring leading musicians Abdulla Al Rowaishid and Murex d'Or award winner Hussein Al Jassmy, part of a series of musical performances staged in celebration of UAE National Day.
(Jim Evans)
