Clear-Com's FreeSpeak II eases production workflows in unprecedented immersive concert experience
In early September, Brown Note Productions (BNP) teamed up with their client to deliver an incredible virtual music festival in Colorado. A staggering 7,500,000 fans tuned into the concert, hit play, and plunged into the first-of-its-kind immersive experience. BNP supplied all audio gear required for festival production, including Clear-Com 's FreeSpeak II Digital Wireless Intercom, for a completely wireless solution at the client's request.
In a normal summer, Denver-based BNP would execute countless live events around the country but given the social distancing requirements implemented by COVID-19, companies like BNP are developing new ways of producing events within these requirements. In this case, that meant producing the festival onsite as if it were a typical live show, all while keeping the crew and artists socially distanced and streaming the content to an online audience. BNP brought on Denver local John Kendrick to assist with the comms solution.
This concert series was unique in its nature because it was live-streamed with no crowd, so it was going to be unique in its comms solution as well. The producer of the show asked for a completely wireless solution, and I had honestly never done that before for a live show, Kendrick explained. But this was a fun experiment, and it worked!
The event featured two renowned headliners each night, who played to a crowd of production staff and executives, while their main audience tuned in online. The seating area ahead of the FOH mix position was converted into the main stage, whereas the venue's main stage was used as the production area and for side stage needs, like hair and makeup. Audience interactions were in chat windows on the concert's website as well as over social media platforms-viewers could choose emojis and make comments or requests that would then be projected on the venue walls via video projection, which was the primary way of bringing the removed audience into the show in real-time.
After a quick consultation with Clear-Com's application engineering team, it was decided that FreeSpeak II, operating in both the1.9 GHz and 2.4 GHz bands, would be the most appropriate wireless solution for this first-of-its-kind virtual concert experience. The system was comprised of two FreeSpeak II bases, one operating only 2.4 GHz, the other operating exclusively in 1.9 GHz, 10 1.9 GHz FreeSpeak II transceivers (with two splitters), 10 2.4 GHz FreeSpeak II transceivers (with two splitters), 25 1.9 GHz FreeSpeak II beltpacks, 25 2.4 GHz FreeSpeak II beltpacks, and various lightweight, single-muff and double-muff headsets.
Getting everyone over to wireless was actually ideal for COVID because it allowed the layout of the tech worlds to be very spaced out to account for social distancing, stated Kendrick, And I can't speak highly enough of the FreeSpeak II Base II CCM. Being able to make every necessary change to a comms pack via my phone, iPad or computer is invaluable in helping maintain social distance and continue working while in this pandemic.
Key personnel who would require the most point-to-point connections, including directors, production executives, LX board operations, and broadcast audio, were all on 1.9 GHz packs, while support staff including projector technicians, dimmer technicians, and camera operations were on the 2.4 GHz packs and used a 4-wire or 2-wire ties between the systems, creating multiple partylines to get them the calls they needed. Production communications largely relied on six partylines for audio, video, cameras, spots, electrics and the production team.
Aside from ensuring the comms solution was effective, it also needed to be conducive to a safe working environment, in compliance with COVID requirements. The producer of the show was very proactive in maintaining the health and safety of the artists and the on-site team members, Kendrick explained. All traveling staff had to complete COVID nasal swabs prior to travel, all locals were nasal swab tested onsite; daily temperature checks were mandatory each morning and masks were worn at all times. Everyone was assigned their own beltpack and headset to use for the duration of the event, and after the day's work, batteries were dropped off, sterilized and redistributed the next morning. Everyone was great about the conditions as I think we were all just happy to be at work and doing the thing we have spent our lives doing. I know for me it was amazing to be back at work and enjoying live music again, said Kendrick.
It was truly a surreal experience, he continues. The band is playing their hearts out, everything is dialed in, but there is no crowd, just the technicians and executives. We became the crowd for the bands, clapping and hooting and hollering to keep their energy up as they played to millions watching and listening at home.
The long-term survival of family-owned rental houses like BNP is crucial to the rebound of the live events industry, and it is imperative that they keep their lights on and doors open. To see how you can contribute to the survival of the live events sector, please visit wemakeevents.com.
Categorised in:
Europe Stories
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...
07/05/2026
Journalists reporting on Sudan are working in one of the most complex and fast-m...
07/05/2026
Seit dem Start im Jahr 2023 hat DJ (Beta) das personalisierte H rerlebnis von 94...
07/05/2026
Da quando stata presentata nel 2023, DJ (beta) ha aiutato a definire un'esperienza d'ascolto pi personalizzata per 94 milioni di utenti Spotify Premi...
07/05/2026
Since launching in 2023, DJ (beta) has helped shape a more personalized listenin...
07/05/2026
Desde o lan amento em 2023, o DJ (beta) j ajudou a deixar a experi ncia de ouvi...
07/05/2026
From our earliest days, Spotify has been built on a simple principle: Great audio should be easy to reach. It's what's driven us to expand from music to...
07/05/2026
Asian and Pacific Islander artists continue to shape the global soundscape, pushing creative boundaries and connecting with fans worldwide. This Asian & Pacific...
07/05/2026
Company announce long-requested choir instrument
In the latest expansion of their Symphonic Elements series, UJAM have introduced an all-new vocal instrumen...
07/05/2026
Modular-inspired sound generation with digital control
Buchla have introduced Ziggy, a new compact synthesizer built around the company's complex oscill...
07/05/2026
Combines analogue voices with digital synthesis and sequencing
Polyend have announced Drums, a new hybrid analogue and digital drum machine that combines sy...
07/05/2026
Control surface now officially supports four DAWs
When Nektar launched the Panorama CS12 control surface, it worked exclusively with Apple's Logic Pro, ...
07/05/2026
In the first quarter 2026, SGL Carbon generated consolidated sales of 184.5 million, which was 49.8 million, or 21.3%, lower than in the prior year (Q1 2025: ...
07/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and Greenerwave achieve precise and fast ESA antenna characteriz...
07/05/2026
January 8, 2024
Colorfront (colorfront.com), a leader in high-performance, on-s...
07/05/2026
February 9, 2024
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning pioneer i...
07/05/2026
March 20, 2024
NAB 2024, Las Vegas - Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-awa...
07/05/2026
April 1, 2025
CINEMACON, APRIL 1, 2025 - Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming syste...
07/05/2026
June 15, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), an Academy and Emmy Award-winning de...
07/05/2026
June 15, 2025
Colorfront participated in the ICTA Barcelona Cinema Technology Summit on Sunday, June 15, 2025. Held at The Phenomena Experience, the event feat...
07/05/2026
July 1, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming systems for motion pictures, OTT,...
07/05/2026
July 1, 2025
Passion and dedication will take you places. Come with us on a short trip to the heart of India, where Annapurna Studios is living-up to the inspi...
07/05/2026
July 3, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming systems for motion pictures, OTT,...
07/05/2026
September 1, 2025
IBC 2025, Amsterdam - Colorfront (colorfront.com) - the Acade...
07/05/2026
April 17, 2026
LOS ANGELES - April 17, 2026 - Colorfront today announced Colorf...
07/05/2026
April 23, 2026
NAB 2026, Las Vegas - the Academy and Emmy Award-winning develop...
07/05/2026
Thursday 7 May 2026
Sky continues Sphere Abacus partnership with The Death of S...
07/05/2026
Thursday 7 May 2026
Sky Confirms Saturday Night Live UK will return this September for Series Two
Saturday Night Live UK will return for a second series, as S...
07/05/2026
Save 20% on the Sky Glass Gen 2 and Sky Glass Air TVsThursday 7 May 2026
How to watch the World Cup on Sky Glass
Tune into the World Cup on the BBC and ITV vi...
07/05/2026
Production sound mixer Dirk Sciarrotta has mixed Family Feud for 28 seasons. Thats up to 200 syndicated episodes per year, plus primetime celebrity specials - a...
07/05/2026
As audience expectations have evolved, Owen has stopped trying to hide microphones or excuse amplification. Instead, he treats sound as a fully immersive part o...
07/05/2026
Well known Irish faces pushed to the edge in new series of
Uncharted with Ray G...
07/05/2026
RT will premiere A Traveller Family, a compelling new documentary exploring the...
06/05/2026
New pricing tiers for vocal/dialogue restoration tool
NoiseWorks Audio's AI-powered vocal and dialogue processing plug-in is now available in three diff...
06/05/2026
Popular mixing & routing software overhauled
Following a recent public beta test, RME have launched the final release version of the powerful mixing and rou...
06/05/2026
New SOS Video Feature
Focusrites ISA C8X is a milestone product that brings together the companys analogue heritage and their expertise in digital audio. Yo...
06/05/2026
06 May 2026
VEON's Kyivstar Authorized to Resell Starlink for Businesses & ...
06/05/2026
UKTV has secured the exclusive rights to the early back catalogue of iconic Australian drama series Neighbours, following a landmark content deal with Fremantle...
06/05/2026
Wednesday 6 May 2026
Sky commissions feature documentary to mark 10th anniversa...
06/05/2026
Wednesday 6 May 2026
Sky and Formula 1 agree long-term partnership across UK, Ireland and Italy
Sky in the UK & Ireland to remain the home of Formula 1 until ...
06/05/2026
Sky Zero Footprint Fund-backed TV campaign launches nationwide, supported by new...
06/05/2026
Wuppertal May 6, 2026
Riedel Expands Leadership Structure, Appoints Marc Engro...
06/05/2026
SAN JOSE, Calif. - May 6, 2026 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced its latest broadband innovations for ANGA COM 2026, highlighting its vision for a new e...
06/05/2026
Statement from Rupert Murdoch, Chairman Emeritus, Fox Corporation on Ted Turner&...
06/05/2026
Friday 8 May on RT One and RT Player
Meet the NSPCA team caring for and protecting animals in need in this six-part series
Fly on the wall, six-part series...
Clear-Com's FreeSpeak II eases production workflows in unprecedented immersive concert experience 
