We are seeing a dominance of DiGiCo consoles being used by artists on the main stage, he says. The choice of consoles for the festival is usually determined by the artists' engineering team and their preference is often a deciding factor. In front of me at the mix position, three of the four consoles are DiGiCo; it seems to be a trend. We are also using an SD-11 to control system feeds, including video mapping, pyro-sound, FOH-stage communications, FOH walk-in music and more.
The experience of Rock in Rio is like no other festival. Created by Roberto Medina as a gift for the city and a way to put Rio de Janeiro firmly on the world music map, it has an enormous reach. Since 1985, there have been 19 editions, and 2,038 artists have performed in front of 9.5 million attendees. A further 12 million fans have joined by watching the live stream online, with the festival's social media channels connecting with 143 million people since 2017. In Rock City, the festival site, there are seven music stages, rides, attraction and food choices from chefs who have been flown in from cities around the world to deliver exceptional dining experiences. Also enjoying the spectacle was Ian Staddon, VP of sales for DiGiCo. Staddon joined the Gabisom team and Audio System's Brazil, DiGiCo distributors and suppliers for the festival, to experience the festival for the second weekend.
It was very special to see so many artists coming through the festival using DiGiCo consoles, Staddon recalls. In addition to being at the front of house position, I also got to witness the team from Epah Studios provide the live broadcast mix from their SD7, and the Gabisom engineers in their purpose-built studio using the Quantum 852. It was a really positive experience.
Rock in Rio has always been an industry leading festival, with techniques used there replicated at festivals across the world. Today the visitors' experience is second to none and festivalgoers can experience VIP lounges, shopping experiences, chill out zones and, for the first time this year, the Hype Fair, a new space for fashion, art and design. Rock City is an extravagant opportunity to really enjoy all that the music world has to offer with the highest-class facilities, and visitors do so knowing the weekend will be mud free, thanks to extensive site preparations.
The event was outstanding, Staddon continues. The whole system was exceptional, with many engineers commenting on the quality of the set-up. There was a long list of artists on the Palco Mundo and Sunset stages that were using DiGiCo, and I noticed a full range of Quantum consoles from all the headliners!
Technically, the audio set-up was huge. Not only must the audience hear the artists perfectly from each stage, but the entire festival was also live streamed via the festival's website and recorded. The live recordings were mixed onsite from the Gabisom recording studio installed backstage, with DiGiCo consoles providing the reliability and clarity that is required by all sound engineers, regardless of the application, as Racy continues.
From my perspective as a systems manager and also a FOH mixer, I like DiGiCo consoles for a number of reasons, he says. Thanks to features like their dual power-supplies, dual engines, and redundant fibre loop, they are a solid and reliable platform. And you can't forget the excellent audio specifications and performance, all accessible via the amazing, feature rich user interface.
Thanks to the festival's long history and luxurious setting, they have no trouble booking the very best acts, and the calibre was high across all seven stages this year. Each one had its own focus, with the World Stage featuring artists like Imagine Dragons, Ed Sheeran, Karol G, Avenged Sevenfold, Charlie Puth and Ne-Yo.
Peter Racy and the Gabisom crew are masters of their craft, says Staddon. Flipping between both main stages, interspersing acts with live, aerobatic display team fly-bys as well as full fireworks displays and anniversary presentations, it's outstanding to see. Mariah Carey closing the Sunset in style, with a Quantum 5 at FOH and a Quantum 7 on monitors, was a special moment.
The Rock in Rio production team have turned festival-production into a fine art, the result is relaxed, looks incredible and almost feels like a theme park, Racy concludes. DiGiCo consoles fit into this world because they are feature rich and super flexible. The software is highly evolved to do exactly what we need it to do. Add to that combination the practical and communicative surface, and there is no doubting that the Rock in Rio / DiGiCo trend is here to stay.
[ENDS] Image captions:
DiGiCo_Rock_In_Rio_2024_1.jpg - Simon Kemp - FOH for Ed Sheeran
DiGiCo_Rock_In_Rio_2024_2.jpg John Buitrago FOH for Karol G
DiGiCo_Rock_In_Rio_2024_3.jpg Maycon Mendes FOH engineer for Jao, Quantum 338
DiGiCo_Rock_In_Rio_2024_4.jpg Mike Schaeffer FOH Engineer for Charlie Puth
DiGiCo_Rock_In_Rio_2024_5.jpg Gabison recording the full festival on a Quantum 852 from the broadcast truck
DiGiCo_Rock_In_Rio_2024_6.jpg Ze Lima FOH Engineer for Ivette Sangalo
DiGiCo_Rock_In_Rio_2024_7.jpg Doreonne FOH for Ne-YO
DiGiCo_Rock_In_Rio_2024_8.jpg and DiGiCo_Rock_In_Rio_2024_9.jpg Paul J. Falcone FOH and monitor engineer Connor Murray
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
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
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 ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
How Chris Bolte Builds the Sound of PlayStation Games Chris Bolte '16 is a technical sound designer at Sucker Punch Productions, where he helps create the...
19/03/2026
Other Voices presents a legendary night of music as Foo Fighters bring their stadium anthems to St James' Church, An Daingean. The surprise performance teas...
19/03/2026
***Issued by RT on behalf of RTS Ireland Awards / Gradaim RTS 2026...
19/03/2026
It's a double feature on GFN Thursday. This week, GeForce NOW offers smoother sights in virtual reality (VR) and a sprawling new land to conquer.
Streaming...
18/03/2026
Newly named chief product officer (CPO), Larissa G rner Meeus will return to Net Insight on May 4.
Larissa G rner Meeus will become CPO of Net Insight on May 4...
18/03/2026
SVG Europe's The Football Summit 2026 explored how the sports broadcasting i...
18/03/2026
The 2026 NAB Show kicks off one month from today and SVG is once again set to cover the show from every angle. SVG's SportsTech@NAB Show Blog is now live - ...
18/03/2026
(L-R) The cast and crew of Dead Lover at The Ray Theater for its premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. (Photo by Robin Marshall/Shutterstock for Sundan...
18/03/2026
Yamaha C7 captured in Nashville
Wiltone Productions have announced the release of Music Row Piano, a deeply sampled Yamaha C7 piano library that's been ...
18/03/2026
Bass-enhancement plug-in upgraded
Along with a steady stream of new releases, Techivation have recently been revisiting some of the older plug-ins in their ...
18/03/2026
Mix-reference plug-in overhauled
iZotope's powerful mix-referencing plug-in has just reached its third major version, and now boasts a new capture proce...
18/03/2026
Latest EZKeys 2 expansion arrives
Toontrack's staggering collection of EZKeys 2 expansions has grown once again, and the latest instalment delivers a on...
18/03/2026
Jess Ho explores the politics of food in new SBS Audio podcast For The Culture
18 March, 2026
Media releases
New SBS Audio podcast For The Culture, hosted ...
18/03/2026
Future-ready broadcasts with ATSC 3.0 and enhanced services from Rohde & Schwarz...
18/03/2026
London Calling - When The Industry Convened to Help Streaming Find its MoJo In this blog, Laura Rognoni reflects on key discussions from the Connected TV World...
18/03/2026
SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations
Brie Clayton March 18, 2026
0 Comments
SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, a...
18/03/2026
Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K
Brie Clayton March 18, 2026
0 Comments
LED wall virtual production blends 12K open gate acquisition w...
18/03/2026
Brainstorm transforms productivity and sustainability with Suite 7 at NAB Show 2...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, and engineers, today unveiled its educational presentations for the 2026 NAB Show. This year SMPTE will ...
18/03/2026
Maxon, maker of powerful, approachable software solutions for creators working in 2D and 3D design, motion graphics, visual effects, gaming, and more, today ann...
18/03/2026
Digital Alert Systems
Preview
2026 NAB Show
April 19 - 22
Booth C3452
At the 2026 NAB Show, Digital Alert Systems will showcase Version 6.0 of its DASDEC ...
18/03/2026
Setplex today announced that it will showcase its complete, fully integrated Zapflex platform for the first time at the 2026 NAB Show, introducing powerful new ...
18/03/2026
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT RELATES TO THE DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION THAT QUALIFIED OR MAY HAVE QUALIFIED AS INSIDE INFORMATION WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 7(1) OF THE ...
18/03/2026
COW Jobs: Seeking DP for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago
Brie Clayton March 17, 2026
0 Comments
Seeking Director of Photography for Low Budget Dramedy Fe...
18/03/2026
COW Jobs: Seeking Gaffer for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago
Brie Clayton March 17, 2026
0 Comments
Seeking Gaffer for Low Budget Dramedy Feature Film- I...
18/03/2026
COW Jobs: Seeking Location, Sound for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago
Brie Clayton March 17, 2026
0 Comments
Seeking Location/Sound for Low Budget Dramed...
18/03/2026
COW Jobs: Seeking Child Wrangler for Low Budget Film - Chicago
Brie Clayton March 17, 2026
0 Comments
Seeking Child Wrangler for Low Budget Dramedy Fe...
18/03/2026
Calrec Redefines Broadcast Workflows at NAB 2026 with its Most Powerful Hardware...
18/03/2026
Oscar Nominated Two People Exchanging Saliva Posted with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton March 17, 2026
0 Comments
DaVinci Resolve Studio handle...
18/03/2026
Boston Conservatory Presents Celebrated Musical Satire Urinetown Performances for this Center Stage production will take place at Boston Conservatory Theater ...
18/03/2026
Charlie Puth Joins Switched on Pop at Berklee NYC The Berklee alum spoke with host and Berklee NYC professor Charlie Harding for a live taping, answering audi...
18/03/2026
X-Rite Pantone Demonstrates Advanced Color Management Solutions to Support Smart...
We are seeing a dominance of DiGiCo consoles being used by artists on the main stage, he says. The choice of consoles for the festival is usually determined by the artists' engineering team and their preference is often a deciding factor. In front of me at the mix position, three of the four consoles are DiGiCo; it seems to be a trend. We are also using an SD-11 to control system feeds, including video mapping, pyro-sound, FOH-stage communications, FOH walk-in music and more. 
