
events
Youre reading:
Optocore M8 MADI solves problems of clocking and rack space on Jason Aldean tour
Innovative rig provides economical fiber transmission between monitors and FOH
When FOH engineer Chris Leonard took up his latest role, piloting the sound for country star Jason Aldean, he wasted no time in streamlining his FOH set-up.
I took up the position in February, spent March prepping and hit the festival scene in April; so it needed to be a fast transition, he said.
One of his concerns was lack of familiarity with the existing SSL L550 Plus FOH console. While it is an amazing desk, I didn't want to try and learn a new console on a gig of this size. Instead he turned to his trusty DiGiCo Quantum 338. His other concern was the need for a reduced footprint, noting there had been no available room in the I/O rack to put both a split and two SD racks. All of the sub snakes hit that rack and routed straight to the SSL [ML32:32] I/O boxes, he said.
Evan RIchner and Chris Leonard
Chris Leonard looked at various options for integrating the 96 channels of MADI into his system, He was already familiar with the Optocore topology: I had used Optocore Festival Boxes multiple times with great success-and with DiGiCo I've used the Optocore loop for much of the last decade too.
I've also had good experiences before with the DD4R MR-FX [MADI interface], integrating track rigs to the loop, and with them being only 1RU each, we could fit them into the existing I/O rack without having to modify it much, thereby saving time and space.
This time he opted for a pair of Optocore M8-BNC coaxial MADI switches, which he strategically located in Monitor World (where monitor engineer Evan RIchner resides). This enables fiber to be run back to FOH where it interconnects with his Q338 at FOH, and into the M8s, which connect to the SSL I/O-handling three streams of 32-channel MADI at 96k.
Leonard explained the rationale. Since the M8s are only 1RU each we were able to fit them in our existing monitor I/O rack. In fact, Evan has managed to fit all our RF, SSL I/O and ancillaries into a double wide 30RU rack. This has allowed him to both keep his footprint small and also save time during load in/load out. It also saved a lot of extra cabling each day and an entire other rack. All he has to do each day is just patch our HMA fiber into the back of the rack for FOH, and that's it.
A Dante network runs between monitor console, PA drive rack, the d&b DS10s (for Dante drive to the amp racks) and the Q338 at FOH. When the audio infrastructure was clocked to the Dante network, ensuring solid word clock sync between the SSL I/O and the Optocore network was proving troublesome, and a challenge to lock down. But once we dropped in the M8s they locked right in and haven't given us any issues. I simply take word clock via Dante from the drive rack at FOH and push that to the M8s over the Optocore loop.
This unusual deployment, has been a great solution, he says. Our FOH snake can stay as HMA fiber, instead of having to run a bunch of BNC MADI lines.
Furthermore, an identical duplicated rig for upcoming B' rig scenarios uses a second pair of M8s, creating a set-up that will carry them through the foreseeable future.
Chris Leonard
In summary, Chris Leonard says, Regardless of any changes-even to our entire infrastructure-the M8s can handle it. I can still come up with multiple uses for the M8s even the ability to use them as matrix mixers, separate from the Optocore loop, opens up a world of potential possibilities.
Their provider is Nashville based Spectrum Sound, long supporters of the Aldean organization. Bobby George, our account rep, was also instrumental in making this happen, says Chris. Audio crew chief was Loren Zimmer and extra support was provided by Brandon Coons at Optocore NA.
Previous 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
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
18/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/04/2026
New York, NY, April 17, 2026 -- TAG Video Systems has announced an integration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) Elemental MediaConnect Router. The integration bri...
18/04/2026
Pro Sound Effects (PSE), the leading provider of professionally recorded sound effects for film, television, advertising, and technology today announced the lau...
18/04/2026
Fincons Group, a multinational IT business consulting and system integrator firm, announced today that it has achieved Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Enterta...
18/04/2026
Adobe extends leadership in video: unleashing new AI-powered creation in Firefly...
17/04/2026
The World Fencing League (WFL) has announced DAZN as its primary global streamin...
17/04/2026
ARRI Releases ALEXA 35 SUP 6.0 and LPS-1 SUP 1.3 Software Updates
ARRI has announced software updates for its ALEXA 35 Live camera and Live Production System L...
17/04/2026
Sennheiser has announced Spectera Studio, an offline system planner for its Spec...
17/04/2026
Deltatre and the German Football Association (DFB) have announced DFB.TV+, a DFB-owned direct-to-consumer streaming service developed and operated by Deltatre. ...
17/04/2026
Global sports marketing agency IMG has announced new senior leadership roles, designed to strengthen how it supports rightsholders and partners in the midst of ...
17/04/2026
NAGRAVISION and Harmonic have announced a watermarking-as-a-service solution for...
17/04/2026
NETGEAR and EVS Broadcast Equipment have announced a global technology partnersh...
17/04/2026
America's broadcasters are launching the NEXTGEN TV Converter Box Program, a new initiative designed to provide millions of American viewers with a low-cost...
17/04/2026
Quantum Corp. will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth N1726), presenting what it ca...
17/04/2026
Leadership and Staff Announce '20/20 Vision' Playbook...
17/04/2026
TNT Sports has announced a multi-year agreement for U.S. media rights to the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). Three events will air on truTV - the 24 Hou...
17/04/2026
Scripps Sports has announced a multi-year broadcast partnership with PBR (Profes...
17/04/2026
Adder Technology, a specialist in connectivity solutions and high performance IP KVM, today announced the latest release of AIM, its IP KVM matrix management so...
17/04/2026
Victory , a free sports streaming platform from A Parent Media Co. Inc. (APMC), has announced a multi-year content distribution partnership with the Dallas Cowb...
17/04/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level have one major thing in common: the intensity and attention to detail ramps up dur...
17/04/2026
Quickplay has announced the full-scale deployment of Gray Media's streaming ...
17/04/2026
Clear-Com has introduced the FreeSpeak Cell cellular-based wireless intercom system that uses LTE and 5G infrastructure to support large-scale production commun...
17/04/2026
The 2026 NAB Show kicks off Saturday, April 18, with the show floor and exhibits opening April 19-22 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The show features more ...
17/04/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...
17/04/2026
Versatile ribbon mic kit revealed
The latest arrival to the AEA line-up brings together three contrasting models from their Nuvo range, delivering a versati...
17/04/2026
Revealed following sold-out MPG Awards ceremony
Following another sold-out MPG Awards ceremony at The Troxy in London, the MPG have released a full list of ...
17/04/2026
L3Harris towed array systems provide U.S. Navy submarines with extended acoustic...
17/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/04/2026
Cobalt Digital and SineSix Media Partner to Transform Accessibility Compliance into a More Engaging Viewer Experience at NAB Show 2026
Collaboration integrates...
17/04/2026
Strengthening Appear's North America team with a new Vice President of Business Development
Appear ASA (Appear, OSE: APR), a global leader in live producti...
17/04/2026
New framework helps broadcasters, streaming platforms, and sports organizations apply AI to live video for monetization, metadata, highlights, and downstream wo...
17/04/2026
New whitepaper gives broadcasters and OTT operators independent, codec-by-codec evidence that the VisualOn Optimizer transforms viewer quality of experience.
V...
17/04/2026
Blackmagic Design Announces New Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive 100G
Brie Clayton April 17, 2026
0 Comments
World's first immersive cinema camera f...
17/04/2026
NAB 2026: Vubiquity and Eluvio Showcase Streaming Solution that Significantly Re...
17/04/2026
What Makes a Good Marathon Running Playlist? We asked Xander Dawson, an eighth-semester saxophone major at Boston Conservatory running the Boston Marathon thi...
17/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/04/2026
At NAB Show 2026, PTZOptics (Booth N1902) will showcase a live sports streaming demo created in collaboration with Moondream, offering a new look at how Visual ...
17/04/2026
The Eindhoven University of Technology is a research university in the Netherlands spanning 25 buildings, specialising in engineering, science and technology. D...
17/04/2026
Documentary Editor - US, Remote
Brie Clayton April 17, 2026
0 Comments
Documentary Editor
April 13, 2026Freelance Video Cameraman - Los......