I wanted to devote this second part to these men and women, whose technical skills make them essential for making a show run smoothly. They are not part of any team, but are attentive to the challenges that they face.
In the meantime… (Photo: Philipe Leblond)
Let’s meet these data controllers, these communication experts and timing managers in order to understand their world: that of the intercom system, signal topography, network administration and show control.
Let’s delve into the invisible world that reveals itself only if there is a technical problem.
Ground Control to Major Tom…
[private]
The men in the shadows: stage managers, stagehands… (Photo: Claude Cellier)
Doum preparing for a second Watergate. (Photo: Emmanuelle Husson)
There is no specific name for this profession (“Commie”? Maybe not…), but oh, how important it is, as explained by Philipe Leblond, better known in the business as Doum.
This former TV sound engineer – accustomed to stadiums, opening ceremonies, sporting events such as the Dakar, concerts and conventions – has become an authority in communications.
Who’s talking to whom? Who hears what? These are the two questions he faces daily and he must be able to answer… instantly.
“First of all, we have to define the specifications. How many routes will we have to deploy, how many people will we have to equip with a wired or wireless connection and for which coverage area? Sound, lighting, video, stage, stage management, choreography, so many primary routes under which sub-networks are dissimulated, and private networks because a 2 hour and 45 minute show without a little banter can be long. Don’t ask. What is said on the comms stays on the comms!
Welcome to the matrix: 200 in/out… (Photo: Philipe Leblond) Clear-Com EHX MEDIAN matrix, 2 MVX-A16 cards, 1 E-Dante 64 card, 1 E-IPA 64 HX card, 1 IVC-32 card.
All essential information is routed via the Clear-Com Eclipse matrix, on which the Freespeak wireless system is interfaced via the IPA card and completed by the Helixnet network, all of which can be controlled remotely via the EHX software.
The system consists of 26 stations connected in IP or in analog with multiple keys, from 12 to 32 depending on the size of the traffic, scattered throughout the arena to equip each mixing position. In addition to this, there are 60 wireless beltpacks, 70 walkie talkies and about ten wired stations distributed from right to left.
For the 5,500 costumed extras, the dressing-rooms were scattered throughout the town. These eight remote sites, gymnasiums, and schools, were all interconnected by La Romande Energie using optical fibre.
This network layout allowed me to install an IP station in each location to ensure real-time communication with the logistics of the Arena. And in case the connection were ever to be interrupted for any reason, I set up a Ubiquiti router on the matrix. Thanks to a public IP address, this allows me to create virtual panels (IC agent) on tablets or smartphones, to control the matrix remotely and, most importantly, to connect to a SIP server.
I can provide a compatible phone number that can be used to communicate directly with the relevant station or beltpack. ” I can confirm that Doum possesses the gift of ubiquity: during the rehearsals he was absent for a few days. He was in Cannes for the Amfar Gala; in short, not with us at all. Being a professional, he had brought in Margaux to replace him. The director asked for a modification to a key and then, miraculously, Doum replied, made his modification, three little tricks and then disappeared, leaving us – Margaux and me – in awe.
Rehearsals, a long and peaceful river
Due to impending rain, the rehearsals were postponed. The artistic director’s table. (Photo: Philipe Leblond)
After six intense days of setup, Doum thought he would be able to sit comfortably in his chair to supervise the smooth operation of his network.
Well, yes… but no! That was all without counting on the magic of creativity!
“Usually during a show,” he explains to me, “the show caller is the one who is responsible for conducting the show.
It is up to him to give the cues at the right time and in the right way to all the technicians and artists.
Daniele in the heat of staging work. (Photo: Philipe Leblond)
Faced with the sheer magnitude of the task at hand – extras, singers, technicians, stage managers etc., all equipped with radio receivers, in-ear monitors or intercoms – Daniele, the stage director, personally handled the cues regarding the staging of the show.
He delegated the cues concerning the dancers to Bryn Walters, the lead choreographer, while Maria Bonzanigo, the principal composer, did the same for the various musical ensembles.
This unique configuration allowed me to push the Clear-Com system to its limits. With the help of the embedded control software EHX and Dynam, I was able to modify the key assignments on demand and almost in real time, according to the rehearsal schedules, or leave the possibility to do so, for example, to the stage managers.”
When asked why the UHF band wasn’t used, Philippe’s answer is indisputable: No way. All the available bandwidth between 470 and 698 MHz is in use by the RF links of the microphones and in-ear monitors. The only solution was to move out of this overcrowded portion of the spectrum, by using the DECT standard which operates between 1.880 and 1.920 GHz. This technology is based on the allocation and dynamic distribution of channels and bandwidth according to the number of connections. To put it simply, the operating principle is similar to that of our mobile phones.
The calm before the storm, but where is Priscille, Doum’s assistant? (Photo: Philippe Leblond)
Each beltpack is constantly searching for an available antenna, preferably the nearest one, while taking into account the user’s movement. This is what is referred to as “roaming”. The limitation of the system is that it is impossible to exceed ten simultaneous communications per antenna, which means that the 11th will automatically interconnect or not with another one, hence the importance of distributing them properly. Their placement will therefore depend on the distribution of Freespeak units. Of the 60 being used, 40 of them are dedicated to stage managers and stagehands.
These are located both at the rear of the four stages located on level 1 (5.5 m in height), and at level 0 where the two hydraulically operated stairways that can be fully opened are located, but also on the Field of Play through the four vomitories. The coverage area therefore includes the entire Arena, the backstage areas and the ambulatory hidden under the grandstands.
Ten Freespeak IP antennas were installed 30 meters away on the towers at the back of each stage, as well as at the North and South main gates. This latest generation of TCVR-IP antenna is connected to the base station via the AES67 network using configurable and, above all, compatible switches. So let’s meet a little guy who is rather tall, discreet but very efficient.
Sharing and interoperability: Where are we in 2019?
A new profession means a new opportunity for young people and Baptiste Huguet has everything it takes! With his degree as a network administrator in his pocket, he could have applied for a job in a bank. Instead, he wanted to do shows and be alive! He therefore enrolled in a two-year work-study program at the CFA in Paris, the well known CFPTS.
He was torn between sound, lighting and video, but he chose lighting. Now he is looking for an employer. This will be the Dushow group, which has understood very well its need to integrate this type of profile into its staff, in order to be able to look forward to the next twenty years with peace of mind.
At the Dushow facilities, the trial assembly of the four Gigacore 16 XTs and twelve Gigacore 14 Rs. All connected by optic fiber. (Photo: Baptiste Huguet)
Upon completing his degree, he was hired on a permanent contract. He will not only remain confined to the warehouse: his work is in the field. His job is to oversee the deployment of the lighting network and its proper operation.
Was it possible to combine the audio, lighting, video and intercom networks on this event, with a high technological added value? No one dared to take up the challenge. It was too soon. Maybe next time?
The audio – over – IP is distributed over two separate Dante networks, in a double star configuration. The first one is dedicated to live sources, outputs to the different amplification systems and to the intercom matrix. The second is dedicated to virtual soundcheck, daily recordings and the Ovation playback in AES67.
A debut of interoperability: one small step for Audinate, one giant leap for AES67. As you may have understood, there is no room for intercom channels and AES67 and even less for ArtNet, despite the use of 34 Cisco SG 350 managed switches with 24 ports – four of which are equipped with fiber – and eight SG 350 48-port switches. There will be sharing between lighting and intercom.
For our nearsighted readers, a closer look, red into red and blue into blue. (Photo: Baptiste Huguet)
722 fixtures, two grandMA2 Full Size, one grandMA2 Light and one Ultralight consoles, two Command Wings, eight NPUs, four Robe RoboSpot remotely controlled followspots and 12 Luminex Node8 MKIIs for data distribution will coexist on the network that was designed by Baptiste:
Two rings for ArtNet, MA-Net, RTSP for the RoboSpot cameras and IVC 32 of the Clear-Com matrix for wired intercoms, plus a third ring dedicated to AES67 for Clear-Com’s IP antennas and the new panels.
“I chose the Luminex Gigacore switches because I had 170 watts of manageable Power-over-Ethernet per port to power them,” says Baptiste. “On this LAN inside the arena, I also interconnected physical star sub-networks composed of PoE switches (Netgear GS110 TP) to supply power and data to the comms panels.
Faced with Doum’s need to connect all the remote sites, I created an external network with a star topology that I linked to the rings of the arena via Netgear GS724T switches using dark fibers provided by the local vendor.
To monitor the proper operation of the Gigacores, I used the manufacturer’s Araneo software, as well as The Dude server client software with a Mikrotik router implemented as a server in the network to check the status of all the switches, but also of the inverters and the bandwidth of the Trunks.
The monitoring software: when it’s green, everything is fine; if it’s red, it’s the beginning of the end, and what does the Dante Controller say? A screen shot during the test phase conducted in Nice in January by Ludovic Morin. (Photo: Ludovic Morin)
To run Clear-Com’s Agent IC application and the telephone number call system from mobile phones to the matrix, I requested a public IP address, which I administered using Ubiquiti’s Edge router.
The multi-core fibers were spliced to the required lengths on site by Hugo. (Photo: Hugo)
Thanks to this system, in the event of a station failure, for example, Doum could be reached via his matrix from anywhere in France.
Many thanks to Baptiste, because of you, we feel a little less helpless when faced with this nebula.
Time flexibility: Show Control
Now let’s look at what’s happening in terms of synchronization. It would have been inappropriate to conceal my very close relationship with Ovation, a tool that, in my opinion, has become an essential part of this kind of show. At some point in my working life, I made the choice to leave the business to become a product manager at SCV Audio (old French high tech distributor, now Freevox). One of the brands I was responsible for was Merging Technologies.
Studio and broadcast technicians are familiar with the Pyramix recording, editing and mixing software, which has made its mark in the elitist world of classical orchestra recording, thanks to its cards with analog preamps and very high-end converters.
Ovation, surrounded by its friends, the Mif4s from Rosendhal, and the Merging+ANUBIS – the latest addition from Merging Technologies – atop the Mackie console on the right. This is a network interface that ensures, among other things, that AES67 passes through the meanderings of the DANTE network (Photo: Florian Baume)
In 2011 I discovered Ovation. It meets the demand for cross-functionality between different players in sound, lighting and video, which is essential for a smooth-running show.
This tool is used on many shows, including all those at Puy du Fou and Le Roi Lion et les Rythmes de la Terre, the latest addition to the Disneyland Paris park.
The sound effects, lighting, video playback or character entries can be the triggers.
It is possible to coordinate all the sectors via the different command protocols proposed by Ovation (IP, Midi, TC, OSC), thus fulfilling the director’s requests. For the Fête des Vignerons, each scene uses a 25-frame LTC time code, calibrated at various times.
Then, this is distributed via the DANTE network to all of the audio and lighting consoles, as well as to the SMODE, which manages the distribution of all the media used in the FoP and the blades, the screens positioned at the bottom of the four stages to establish the boundaries of their space. The sequencing of the console memories, all sectors included, is dependent on the proper operation of time code.
The show callers, from left to right: Sébastien Fevre, Daniele and Pietro Paolucci on the day of the event. (Photo: Sebastien Fevre)
The key elements – usually visual staging placements – are coordinated by Sébastien Fevre and Pietro Paolucci, the two showcallers (topeur in French), as it is a live show.
The possibility to work with several time lines, one per cue list, allowed the simultaneous reproduction up to four different scenes, a very useful feature on rainy days.
Underneath each stage, we were able to improvise independent rehearsal rooms. In addition to ensuring that all the various and diverse events are synchronized, Ovation also provides a multitrack cue playback using Pyramix as a framework. At any time, it is possible to edit, combine or merge the sounds to be played. This is very useful in light of the many changes that were made!
The orchestra playback was progressively supplemented with the stereo stems of the various choirs, in order to enhance their intelligibility. The matrix function was very helpful for sending cue tracks, clicks and various counts in the different wireless channels, with independent level management, depending on the intended purposes.
An extra doesn’t need to hear the click, whereas it is essential for the various musicians. The same is true for orchestra playback in the wireless channel of choir members. So, the show must go on!
The cycle of life.
From the invisible we plunge into the world of creativity: the world of Alexis Bowles’ lights, the poetry of Roberto Vitalini’s images, which have sublimated this story, the story of the cycle of life.
I would like to thank all the video technicians from the company Alabama, whom I unfortunately cannot name for fear of forgetting one, as well as those from the lighting department. There is one who braved all the storms: special thanks to Jean-François Leclercq, the logistics liaison for the Dushow group.
I leave you with pictures, great pictures…
