Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Solotech UK ramps up its Optocore inventory

05/12/2023

events



Youre reading:

Solotech UK ramps up its Optocore inventory

Growing touring deployments of Festival Box, report dealers fac365

As Optocore dealers fac365 end the year, they can reflect with satisfaction at having further helped to establish the company's portfolio, notably Festival Box-not merely during the festival season-but for major international tours with bands like The Killers and Coldplay with four Festival Boxes making up Coldplay's control package and network infrastructure.

One major source for this success has been fast-expanding rental house, Solotech UK-which has a historic relationship with Optocore-supporting production with gear supplied from four warehouses spread across the UK.

We have sold a large number of items to Solotech over the past two years, confirm fac365 operations manager, Richard Newall, most recently an M8 [MADI] package for a touring playback rig and X6Rs for their Control/Drive racks.

In the north of England, prior to becoming part of the Solotech Group, Wigwam had become the first rental house adopter of Festival Box, while down south Optocore has long formed the backbone of the extensive delay network on the two-week BST Hyde Park event in London.

The device itself comes in two versions-the Grand (with 12 SFP ports) and Petite (with six SFPs)-Solotech now holding six Grandes and eight Petites across the group.

So what exactly is Festival Box and why has it proven so popular on tours ranging from Coldplay, to Billie Eilish and the Spice Girls? Essentially, it's a point-to-point converter, which enables all signals and protocols to tunnel over the same fiber-ideal for productions requiring a substantial number of connections between stage and FOH or where a succession of artist engineers are rocking up with different consoles, operating on a variety of protocols. Deployed as a data tunnel, comms, video, the support band console and remote aerials can all be put through it, thereby substantially reducing the number of cables at front of house. So the advantages are self-evident.

Robin Conway, Solotech UK's Senior Account Manager, is in no doubt why Optocore devices have played such a major role in the company's rental inventory. Optocore continues to form large parts of Solotech returns systems in the UK-generally when specified by the client-and we are more than happy to roll it out in these instances.

He reports that that the Petites have been used at festivals this summer to run various house desks (such as Avid S6L's) and communication networks. They have also been deployed with The Killers as the core connection between FOH and monitors-carrying MADI, SSL Blacklight and Network between each of these positions.

Solotech then hired an M8 MADI device from fac365 for use at this year's Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo to meet the audio design requirement.

A lot of the Optocore equipment is specified, although given the shortage of DD2/DD4 units, the M8/M12 is now the go-to solution when production needs to bring external MADI sources onto a DiGiCo/Optocore network, confirms Conway.

In summary, the Solotech man sees Optocore as a robust solution, providing a solid working platform for both audio and data. It is used and spec'd by many techs and PM's at Solotech in the UK, he concludes, and it will continue to be used when required and when specified for both loudspeaker returns systems and as a way of bringing additional I/O to DiGiCo networks.

We will continue to lean on fac365 for support when needed.

Previous post Next post

Optocore GmbH

Alte Allee 28

81245 M nchen

tel: +49 89 899 964 0

OPTOCORE is a German-based manufacturer of World's most popular, successful and ground-breaking Fibre Network Infrastructure and Point-to-Point systems for the install, broadcast and live industries.

QUICK LINKS:

Products

News

Downloads

Where to buy

Follow

Follow

Follow

ContacT us. We want to hear from you! If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please don't hesitate to get in touch. You can reach us by phone, email or by filling out the contact form on our website. Our team is always here to help and we look forward to hearing from you!

Name

Email Address

What are you interested in? What are you interested in?InstallTouringBrodcastOther

Message

Submit
LINK: https://optocore.com/2023/solotech-uk-ramps-up-its-optocore-inventory/...
See more stories from optocore

Europe Stories

18/12/2025

PGA TOUR Studios Teams up with SES for Hybrid Content Distribution

Long-term agreement includes the SES SCORE platform and hybrid distribution worldwide to deliver more than 5,000 hours of golf tournaments annually featuring th...

18/12/2025

Celebrating 100 Years of Public Broadcasting in Ireland in 2026

At 7.45pm on 1st January 1926, the precursor to RT , then 2RN, delivered the fledgling new Irish state's first public radio transmission. From those first c...

18/12/2025

The Movie Experience SLO Becomes First U.S. Exhibitor to Adopt Dolby Vision+Atmos Theatrical Solution

December 18 2025, 05:30 (PST) The Movie Experience SLO Becomes First U.S. Exhib...

17/12/2025

The EU Investigative Journalism Award 2025: bold reporting, regional impact, and rise in public-interest journalism

Investigative journalists across the Western Balkans and T rkiye continue to con...

17/12/2025

Ring In the New Year With New Playlists Mixed by Artists, and More Spotify Hacks

The right playlist is essential on New Year's Eve, building the energy as you get ready and keeping it high as you count down to midnight. This year, Spotif...

17/12/2025

Clear-Com's Arcadia Central Station Links Toledo Walleye and Mud Hens Venues with...

eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...

17/12/2025

Dolby and LG Unveil a New Era of Home Audio With the World's First Soundbar Audio System Powered by Dolby Atmos FlexC...

December 17 2025, 17:00 (PST) Dolby and LG Unveil a New Era of Home Audio With ...

17/12/2025

Heated Rivalry will be coming to Sky and streaming service NOW on 10 January

Wednesday 17 December 2025 Heated Rivalry will be coming to Sky and streaming service NOW on 10 JanuaryTurn on cookies to view this content. Go to Privacy opti...

17/12/2025

RT announces appointment of Kathy Fox to role of Commissioning Editor, Documentaries and Features

RT has announced that Kathy Fox has been appointed Commissioning Editor with re...

17/12/2025

The Glitterball awaits: Dancing with the Stars unveils dance pairings for 2026

With the new season of Dancing with the Stars shimmering in the not-too-distant future this New Year, the celebrity and dancer pairings of the twelve couples ha...

16/12/2025

Stranger Things' Playlist Takeover Challenges Fans to Decode Clues and Unlock Exclusive Volume 2' Content

Hawkins has landed on Spotify, just in time for Stranger Things Season 5, Volume...

16/12/2025

Spotify and NAVER Bring Music Integrations and Premium Benefits to Korea

Wherever you are, your favorite music and audio content should go seamlessly with you. That's why Spotify has partnered with NAVER Corp, Korea's leading...

16/12/2025

Around the World With Spotify Wrapped: 2025 Fan Destinations You Had to See

2025 Wrapped arrived bigger and bolder than ever. This year's experience is designed to be ultra personal and shareable, with new features like Wrapped Part...

16/12/2025

VEON Announces Release Date for Full Year and Fourth Quarter 2025 Results of Both VEON and Kyivstar

16 Dec 2025 VEON Announces Release Date for Full Year and Fourth Quarter 2025 R...

16/12/2025

VEON's Kyivstar Invests in Renewable Energy in Ukraine with Acquisition of Solar Power Company

16 Dec 2025 VEON's Kyivstar Invests in Renewable Energy in Ukraine with Acq...

16/12/2025

Czech TV Elevates Video Streaming with Harmonic

Harmonic's XOS Advanced Media Processor Improves Streaming Video Quality and Boosts Viewer Engagement SAN JOSE, Calif. - Dec. 16, 2025 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: ...

16/12/2025

RT Sport Manager of the Year Nominees 2025 Revealed

RT Sport Awards 2025 live on RT One and RT Player at 8:05pm on Saturday 20 December. On Saturday 20 December live on RT One and RT Player at the earlier t...

16/12/2025

Music legend Brian Kennedy revealed as the twelfth and final contestant for Dancing with the Stars 2026

Singer -songwriter Brian Kennedy has been announced as the final celebrity dance...

15/12/2025

SES and WPDI Win Changing Lives Award, Connecting Youth to Digital Education in South Sudan and Uganda

Cape Town, November 13, 2025 - SES and International artist and humanitarian, Fo...

15/12/2025

SES, Abra Group Launch Multi-Orbit Inflight Connectivity

Luxembourg, December 15, 2025 - SES, a leading space solutions company, and Abra Group launched fast and reliable multi-orbit inflight connectivity service on t...

15/12/2025

VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan Delivers First Starlink Direct to Cell Call in Central Asia

15 Dec 2025 VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan Delivers First Starlink Direct to Cel...

15/12/2025

U&GOLD Reveals Top 10 Topical Christmas Cracker Jokes for 2025!

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor finds himself the topic of year's cracker jokes Oasis, David Harbour, Celebrity Traitors and Angela Rayner all feature in this y...

15/12/2025

Comscore Expands Cross-Platform Campaign Measurement to Include Audio and Social

Comscore Expands Cross-Platform Campaign Measurement to Include Audio and Social New capabilities strengthen cross-platform campaign reporting suite; CCR rebran...

15/12/2025

RT.ie Achieves Major Milestone: One Billion Page Views in 2025

RT .ie has reached one billion page views this year and is on track to finish 2025 2% ahead of last year. Average time spent on the site is up 3% on 2024, with ...

12/12/2025

Spotify and ATP Tour Launch First Episode of New Video Series

Last month, Spotify announced a new collaboration with the ATP Tour, the global governing body of men's professional tennis, aimed at bringing the next gene...

12/12/2025

President of Ireland Catherine Connolly visit to RT Raidi na Gaeltachta in Casla, Connemara

Uachtar n na h ireann, Catherine Connolly visited RT Raidi na Gaeltachta's...

12/12/2025

TV Host and social media sensation Eric Roberts revealed as sixth contestant for Dancing with the Stars 2026

Ireland AM host Eric Roberts has been revealed as the sixth contestant taking to...

11/12/2025

AI for Sustainability: Lessons from Sarajevo

Thomson and the Center for News, Technology and Innovation (CNTI) convened a two-day workshop in Sarajevo bringing together more than 35 journalists, editors, p...

11/12/2025

Spotify and The Game Awards Debut Gaming-Inspired Spotify Singles From Labrinth, Evanescence x GUNSHIP, and Bilmuri

Having the right song soundtrack your moves can make all the difference when gam...

11/12/2025

Celebrate Taylor Swift's Record-Breaking Year and New Docuseries with Exclusive Playlist Cover Art Stickers

It's been a big year for Taylor Swift. Her highly anticipated album The Life...

11/12/2025

VEON's Banglalink Receives Regulatory Approval to Launch Digital Payment Services to Advance Financial Inclusion in Bangladesh

11 Dec 2025 VEON's Banglalink Receives Regulatory Approval to Launch Digita...

11/12/2025

Sky Arts paints a picture of Britains beauty as Landscape Artist of the Year returns on 14 January

Thursday 11 December 2025 Sky Arts paints a picture of Britain's beauty as ...

11/12/2025

Website launch for pianist Georgina

It's not every day we're asked to create a website for a classical musician! So, we were delighted to help pianist Georgina Duncan as she embarks on he...

11/12/2025

Shane Lowry, Oti Mabuse and Brendan Fraser among the guests on this week's Late Late Show Christmas Special!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Irish golfing hero Shane Lowry...

11/12/2025

The RT Sport Sportsperson of the Year Nominees 2025 Revealed

RT Sport Awards 2025 live on RT One and RT Player at 8:05pm on Saturday 20 December On Saturday 20 December live on RT One and RT Player at the earlier ti...

11/12/2025

Fair City star Stephanie Kelly revealed as fifth contestant for Dancing with the Stars 2026

Sash is ready to samba as Fair City star Stephanie Kelly is revealed as the late...

10/12/2025

You're in Control: Spotify Lets You Steer the Algorithm

For the first time, Spotify is giving users the power to steer the algorithm. Gustav S derstr m, Spotify's Co-President, CPO, and CTO, shares the vision beh...

10/12/2025

VEON's Rising Capital Markets Profile Strengthened by Inclusion in Key Global Indices

10 Dec 2025 VEON's Rising Capital Markets Profile Strengthened by Inclusion...

10/12/2025

VEON Recognized for JazzCash, Kyivstar and Jazz at the World Communication Awards 2025

10 Dec 2025 VEON Recognized for JazzCash, Kyivstar and Jazz at the World Commun...

10/12/2025

Sky extends partnership with the Ladies European Tour for a landmark 30th year

Wednesday 10 December 2025 Sky extends partnership with the Ladies European Tour for a landmark 30th year Sky and the Ladies European Tour (LET) have announce...

10/12/2025

Walk-on if you love the darts: James Maddison, Luke Littler and Big John star as Club 180 opens before 2026 PDC World Darts Championship

Wednesday 10 December 2025 Walk-on if you love the darts: James Maddison, Luke ...

10/12/2025

Rohde & Schwarz presents world's first RF power sensor with 0.80 mm RF connector for gapless DC to 150 GHz coverage

Rohde & Schwarz presents world's first RF power sensor with 0.80 mm RF conne...

10/12/2025

From stand-up to Foxtrot: Comedian Michael Fry revealed as fourth contestant for Dancing with the Stars 2026

It's out of the frying pan and into the sequins for comedian and actor Micha...

10/12/2025

Documentary film on the extraordinary life of Patrick Lydon, pioneer of social inclusion and disability, to premiere on RT

Born That Way airs Thursday 18 December on RT One and RT Player Born That ...

09/12/2025

Spotify Expands Music Videos in Beta to Premium Users in the US and Canada

For decades, music videos have done more than just accompany a song; they've shaped style, started conversations, and helped us fall in love with our favori...

09/12/2025

Judy Murray calls for PE to be a priority for all schools in Scotland to support girls develop leadership skills and engage in sports

Tuesday 9 December 2025 Judy Murray calls for PE to be a priority for all schoo...

09/12/2025

Kyocera and Rohde & Schwarz demonstrate OTA characterization of mmWave PAAM at CES 2026

Kyocera and Rohde & Schwarz demonstrate OTA characterization of mmWave PAAM at C...