Here, Scott Willsallen, audio director and sound designer at Emmy Award-winning audio visual design consultancy, Auditoria, talks about his use of 4REA4 as an essential element of the audio system for an extensive technical upgrade at the world's tenth biggest stadium, the illustrious Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Australia.
Auditoria has worked on projects of considerable proportions, including installations at the Bankwest Stadium in Western Sydney, Sydney Opera House and ANZ Stadium, as well as the audio broadcast for four Olympic Games, two Commonwealth Games and two rugby world cup tournaments. Willsallen's initially understated recollection belies the fact that the MCG had released an open tender document, the bidding process for which was rigorous, and the scale of the project was enormous. In fact, this was by far the biggest job the company had done.
There was the 100,000 seater bowl, plus all the back of house areas including restaurants, bars and function areas, says Willsallen. It was massive on every level, from the quantity of the spaces, to the area of each them and the level of performance the MCG was after. In most stadium installations, the bowl would be 50 or 60% of the job, but in this case it came down to just 30 to 40%.
To add to the complexity of the project, the stadium was built in two halves, the North half having been finished in 2006 and South in 1992. Their architectural styles are dramatically different, providing some interesting challenges for the Auditoria team in the design of the system.
For the bowl there's a front of house, events style system and an automated system to deal with gates, ticketing announcements and bars, says Willsallen. We used one solution for the automated system and incorporated 4REA4 into the front of house system.
For the front of house system, there are two modes; a game day mode and a minor event mode. The game day mode uses a DiGiCo SD9 mixing console with a Waves package. There is also a small deployable Stage Rack that can be placed anywhere in the stadium for a pre-game band, for example. This all operates in the typical front of house mixer environment. A second system acts as a backup for the console.
For minor events, we needed something that would do two things: a corporate activation, maybe event in one part of the stadium, with the presenter then walking out into the bowl and then a video starting, Willsallen explains. This would generally require a technician to come in each time, which becomes quite expensive. The MGC wanted a solution where one video operator could simply push up a fader without having to touch the console. That's where 4REA4 comes in.
a dual redundant pair of 4REA4s sits on the same network as the console, racks, etc, and comprises two frames and two Acontrol8s. These are multi-layer programmable remote control panels that can be configured as a single-zone or multi-zone remote control, or compact mixing interfaces.
One Acontrol8 sits next to the console as a backup, the other is integrated into the video system. This means that for a small event, the video operator has a fader or two that can be used for audio replay and video. It also acts as a backup for the main console and a fader panel for really simple events.
The programming of the 4REA4, from band new in a box to it passing audio, was done in a just few hours, Willsallen concludes. The user interface feels more like you're mixing sound than programming a computer, and its integration within the DiGiCo ecosystem means it's familiar to anyone who knows DiGiCo consoles. There aren't that many tactile control surfaces available and the Acontrol6 and 8, especially the 8, really does feel like a console.
To be able to do what we regularly do on installations, stadium or not - Houses of Worship are another prime example you may not have skilled operators for the console available all the time, but there are probably events of varying scales going on at other times. A 48 channel console is daunting to an unskilled person, but the simple interface of 4REA4 is accessible for everyone. There's no other product that I know of that allows that level of scalability.
About 4REA4:
4REA4 is a powerful low latency FPGA based audio engine designed for the installation market. It features allocative processing, customisable I/O and a range of programmable hardware controllers, and delivers high quality audio that lives up to the DiGiCo name.
4REA4 is designed to run as either a stand-alone install system, as an enhancement to an existing installed system, or to add install functionality to a multi-console setup. Its plug-and-play style setup and user-friendly interface make it perfect for making changes on the go and easily adding peripheral devices without disrupting any other part of the system.
The ability to integrate 4REA4 into a DiGiCo console system makes it ideal for situations with large performance spaces such as theatres, or even music festivals. It is also suitable for venues with multiple performance spaces such as cruise ships or large houses of worship. In addition to providing access to a range of specially designed I/O boxes and controllers, 4REA4 adds flexible format conversion using DiGiCo DMI card options including support for Dante, MADI, Waves SoundGrid and Calrec Hydra2.
Hi res images are available for download from https://gasolinemedia.jalbum.net/DiGiCo_4REA4_MCG/
Press Contacts:
Maria Fiorellino at DiGiCo
Tel: +44 1372 845600
Email: maria@digiconsoles.com
Web: www.digico.biz
Sarah James at Gasoline Media
Tel: +44 1483 223333
Email: sarahj@gasolinemedia.com
Europe Stories
16/12/2025
Hawkins has landed on Spotify, just in time for Stranger Things Season 5, Volume...
16/12/2025
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
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
16 Dec 2025
VEON Announces Release Date for Full Year and Fourth Quarter 2025 R...
16/12/2025
16 Dec 2025
VEON's Kyivstar Invests in Renewable Energy in Ukraine with Acq...
16/12/2025
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 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
Singer -songwriter Brian Kennedy has been announced as the final celebrity dance...
15/12/2025
Cape Town, November 13, 2025 - SES and International artist and humanitarian, Fo...
15/12/2025
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
15 Dec 2025
VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan Delivers First Starlink Direct to Cel...
15/12/2025
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 New capabilities strengthen cross-platform campaign reporting suite; CCR rebran...
15/12/2025
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
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
Friday 12 December 2025
Ted is back! Seth MacFarlane's live-action comedic ...
12/12/2025
Uachtar n na h ireann, Catherine Connolly visited RT Raidi na Gaeltachta's...
12/12/2025
Ireland AM host Eric Roberts has been revealed as the sixth contestant taking to...
11/12/2025
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
Having the right song soundtrack your moves can make all the difference when gam...
11/12/2025
It's been a big year for Taylor Swift. Her highly anticipated album The Life...
11/12/2025
11 Dec 2025
VEON's Banglalink Receives Regulatory Approval to Launch Digita...
11/12/2025
Thursday 11 December 2025
Sky Arts paints a picture of Britain's beauty as ...
11/12/2025
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
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
Irish golfing hero Shane Lowry...
11/12/2025
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
Sash is ready to samba as Fair City star Stephanie Kelly is revealed as the late...
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
10/12/2025
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
10 Dec 2025
VEON's Rising Capital Markets Profile Strengthened by Inclusion...
10/12/2025
10 Dec 2025
VEON Recognized for JazzCash, Kyivstar and Jazz at the World Commun...
10/12/2025
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
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 conne...
10/12/2025
It's out of the frying pan and into the sequins for comedian and actor Micha...
10/12/2025
Born That Way airs Thursday 18 December on RT One and RT Player
Born That ...
09/12/2025
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
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 C...
09/12/2025
Wuppertal December 9, 2025
Riedel and Racing Electronics Announce Strategic Pa...
09/12/2025
Another year, another 12 months of amazing adventures.
We are pleased to bring you our Highlights of the Year 2025.
We've worked hard and played hard this...
09/12/2025
DPA Microphones today announces the immediate availability of its new N-Series Digital Wireless Microphone System for customers throughout the U.S. In addition ...
09/12/2025
Jason, before we get into the detail, what first got you involved in retail media standards? And how did you come to chair IAB Europe's Retail and Commerce ...
09/12/2025
Current Rose of Tralee Katelyn Cummins has been revealed as the third contestant...
08/12/2025
Comscore Releases 2025 AI Intelligence Report: Establishing New Benchmarks for G...
08/12/2025
Over 1.7 million people watched across the weekend
Another record-breaking year...
08/12/2025
08 Dec 2025
VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan Breaks Ground for Hyper Cloud Data Ce...
08/12/2025
Strategic and transformative transaction would sharpen Harmonic's focus on its core Broadband business and advance its growth initiatives
Ensures continued...
08/12/2025
Copenhagen's The Epicurus is a one-of-a-kind Jazz Gastropub that presents exclusive performances curated by Jazz Pianist and Producer Sir Niels Lan Doky. Fe...
Here, Scott Willsallen, audio director and sound designer at Emmy Award-winning audio visual design consultancy, Auditoria, talks about his use of 4REA4 as an essential element of the audio system for an extensive technical upgrade at the world's tenth biggest stadium, the illustrious Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Australia.
