Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Optocore M8 MADI solves problems of clocking and rack space on Jason Aldean tour

20/09/2024

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
LINK: https://optocore.com/2024/optocore-m8-madi-solves-problems-of-clocking...
See more stories from optocore

Most recent headlines

28/11/2025

Brides Asks for Compassion for Our Youths

Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...

28/11/2025

4 Reasons Why Keeping Your Spotify App Updated Matters and What You Might Be Missing

It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...

28/11/2025

FCC to Vote on LPTV Rules at Dec. Public Meeting

WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...

28/11/2025

Professional Fighters League Packs a Domestic, International MMA Punch (TV Sportsplay)

The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...

28/11/2025

Fubo Launches Multiview Beta on Roku

Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....

28/11/2025

WNBA Playoffs Continue: What's On This Weekend in TV Sports (Sept. 28-29)

The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....

28/11/2025

Freeze Frame: B+C Hall of Fame 2024

The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...

28/11/2025

Next Text: As DirecTV and Dish Try to Seize the Remains of the Day, Does It Even Matter?

We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...

28/11/2025

DirecTV Acquires Dish, Unifying Struggling Satellite Business

DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...

28/11/2025

B+C Hall of Fame Announces Its Class of 2025

The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...

28/11/2025

Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey that unlocks a month of free content from the home of sport

Friday 28 November 2025 Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...

28/11/2025

Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds three billion euros for the first time

Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...

28/11/2025

Changing children's lives for good: Donations for the RT Toy Show Appeal 2025 open tonight

Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...

27/11/2025

Vizrt Launches Viz One 8.1 With AI-Powered Features

LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...

27/11/2025

Prime Video Debuts AI-Powered Video Recaps

Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...

27/11/2025

Netflix's 'Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders' Marks a Grand World Premiere at IFFI Ahead of Its Global Release on 19th December

Back to All News Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...

27/11/2025

Sky unveils first look image from high-stakes action thriller Prisoner, coming 2026

Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...

27/11/2025

Sky Arts Reveals the Nations Greatest Basslines and Queen Reign Supreme

Thursday 27 November 2025 Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...

27/11/2025

Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With Our Final Season Coverage Guide

Back to All News Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...

27/11/2025

Elastic Compute for a Sustainable Media Industry

The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...

27/11/2025

Arqiva Achieves Five-Star GRESB Rating

Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...

27/11/2025

Retail Media Audits Explained: What Networks Need to Know

What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...

27/11/2025

Katie Taylor, Rachael Blackmore and Arthur Gourounlian among the guests on this week's Late Late Show

World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...

27/11/2025

Tonight on RT Prime Time, serious child protection concerns emerge over online gaming platform, Roblox

Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...

27/11/2025

The Ultimate Black Friday Deal Is Here

Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...

26/11/2025

SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Featuring NFL, NBA, and Golf

SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...

26/11/2025

Inside the Archives: Winter Is in the Air and in Our Festival Films

A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...

26/11/2025

10 Book Podcasts You Can't Miss

Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...

26/11/2025

JioStar and Nielsen Unveil Breakthrough Cross-Screen MeasurementStudy, Redefining Advertising Effectiveness in Live Sports

Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...

26/11/2025

ITN Deploys IP-Based Production Control Room

LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....

26/11/2025

YouTube TV, TelevisaUnivision End Lengthy Blackout

MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...

26/11/2025

OpenDrives Bridges the Gap Between IT and Creatives with...

OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...

26/11/2025

Disguise to Showcase Future of Event Visuals at LDI 2025

Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...

26/11/2025

HighField AI Expands Global Channel Partner Network to Ac...

HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...

26/11/2025

Mono Streaming selects PlayBox Neo to manage English Prem...

As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...

26/11/2025

Bell Centre arena in Montreal elevates fan experience wit...

Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...

26/11/2025

Vizrt launches AI-powered advances for speed and accuracy...

Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...

26/11/2025

ITN Launches Low-Latency IP Control Room Powered by Teche...

ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...

26/11/2025

Ikegami Maintains Initiative in Broadcast Systems Develop...

Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...

26/11/2025

Fubo, NBCUniversal Trade Barbs in Carriage Dispute

Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....

26/11/2025

Global Sports Rights Spending to Top $78 Billion in 2030

LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...

26/11/2025

Vubiquity Earns AWS Media & Entertainment Competency Status

LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...

26/11/2025

Comcast Pays $1.5 Million to Settle FCC Data Breach Probe

WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...

26/11/2025

Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List

Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...

26/11/2025

Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on Romance Between Aristocrat and Exchange Student in London

Back to All News Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...

26/11/2025

NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator

Back to All News NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator Social Impact 26 November 2025 United States Link copied to clipboard The National Assoc...

26/11/2025

YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for Sustainability

YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025 YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...