EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey - February 2014 For the 82,529 fans that braved forecasts of cold, snowy weather predicted for Super Bowl XLVIII on February 2, Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers delivered an enthusiastic show that was long on great musicianship and killer showmanship. And making sure that show also sounded great were a pair of DiGiCo SD5 digital audio consoles used for both front-of-house and monitor mixes.
The SD5 used for the FOH mix was positioned at the NFC end zone end of the Met Life Stadium, the site of the 2014 Super Bowl between the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks. The monitor SD5 console, meanwhile, was located in field-level suites underneath the stage, which was built into one side of the stadium. Between them, the DiGiCo SD5s filled the stadium with crystal-clear live sound pumped through 66 JBL VT4889 speakers and 32 VT4880A subwoofers.
The two DiGiCo desks are part of a recent acquisition of six DiGiCo digital consoles two SD5s, two SD7s, two SD10s and 14 full-sized SD I/O Racks, capable of delivering up to 192-kHz high-resolution analogue I/O converters and multiple digital formats, including MADI, AES and ADAT by ATK Audiotek, which provided the live sound for the Super Bowl halftime show, as it has for the past 16 years. No stranger to live broadcast audio, the award-winning DiGiCo SD console platform has also been the choice for FOH and monitor mixing for many other high-profile televised awards programs, including the GRAMMY Awards and Billboard Music Awards.
The DiGiCo consoles performed fantastically, comments Patrick Baltzell, sound designer and FOH mixer for this year's Super Bowl halftime show and for 16 of the iconic events that preceded it. He mixed the live show for the stadium audience with the SD5 FOH console connected to a Mini-SD Rack, which held all of the I/Os for the live and recorded elements of the show, as well as for several key pieces of outboard processing, including four Empirical Labs Distressors used on vocals, an Izotope ANR-B adaptive real-time noise reduction hardware unit, a Dolby CAT-430 dialog processor, and a Lexicon PCM 96 digital reverb. However, the rest of the processing used for the live sound for the entire show was from the SD5 console alone, including all of the EQ, compression and gating for all of the performers and instruments.
Anything that was outboard was something very specific for the show, like the Distressors, which Bruno likes because they give vocals a real vintage R&B edge, Baltzell explains. But everything else was just the SD5, which made managing the mix much easier. Baltzell was particularly enthusiastic about the Dynamic EQ on the SD5 that he says was especially effective on the large choirs backing Queen Latifah and Rene Fleming during the pre-show music segments. The EQ on the SD consoles has exceptional transparency in the upper frequencies, he says. We could do things with the sound that you cannot do with any other console.
This was only the DiGiCo SD5's second Super Bowl, so it was naturally going to be under some scrutiny. This would be a similar venue for all of the other Super Bowl halftime shows I've worked on, and the music would be played through the same PA system we've used for over a decade this would be the ultimate A/B comparison for a mix console, Baltzell observes. And the sound was just great. The SD5 really came through sonically.
It also came through on another level. For 11 days preceding the Super Bowl, rehearsals had to endure temperatures that went into single digits at night and wind chills that reached into negative territory. When it wasn't freezing, it was raining or snowing. It was, in short, a horrific environment for audio equipment. But the SD5 consoles weathered the adverse climate, in part, because once they were turned on, they stayed on for a dozen days straight. We left the DiGiCo boards simmering', Baltzell jokes. In weather like that, condensation can build up inside the console, then freeze, and then turn back into liquid as soon as the temperature goes back above 32 degrees. When you're constantly going above and below the dew point outdoors, leaving the electronics on all the time is the way to deal with it, and the SD5s were totally reliable, even under those difficult circumstances.
DiGiCo Press Contacts
David Webster at DiGiCo
Tel: +44 1372 845600
Email: webby@DiGiConsoles.com
Chris Shuler at Public Address
Tel: +1 269 815 5055
Email: christophershuler@comcast.net
Image: DiGiCo_Super_Bowl.jpg ATK Audiotek's DiGiCo SD5 console used to mix FOH for Super Bowl XLVIII's halftime performance by Bruno Mars and Red Hot Chili Peppers (photo: Dave Rat)
Most recent headlines
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
07/08/2025
July 8 2025, 22:30 (PDT) Tata Motors & Dolby Bring Dolby Atmos to Harrier.ev, R...
16/07/2025
It's Emmy nominations day, and Sundance Institute storytellers are basking i...
16/07/2025
Spotify's podcast editorial team is always on the hunt for shows and episodes that spark conversation, push boundaries, and keep us coming back for more. As...
16/07/2025
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...
16/07/2025
Join us at IBC this September and take control of your content. Discover how we're bringing a new level of purpose and precision to the application of AI in...
16/07/2025
Warsaw - Poland, June 24, 2025 - Nielsen, the global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics, has released its latest May All Screens Video Landscape...
16/07/2025
Bluey Tops Nielsen's Overall Streaming List with More Than 25 Billion Minutes Streamed from January through June 2025
Big June Vaults Squid Game into Top O...
16/07/2025
TV SIM, the SBT affiliate serving Esp rito Santo state in Brazil, has launched a transmitter upgrade initiative with the installation of a Rohde & Schwarz R&S T...
16/07/2025
Pebble, the leading automation, content management and integrated channel specialist, is turning its vision to the future of automation with its demonstrations ...
16/07/2025
Ikegami announces a new addition to its UNICAM-XE product range with the introduction of the UHK-X700RF wireless portable camera: The new version has the same f...
16/07/2025
Today, Amazon Web Services added TwelveLabs as a new model provider to Amazon Bedrock, delivering what could be the most significant breakthrough in enterprise ...
16/07/2025
NEW YORK Streaming platforms continued to dominate TV viewing patterns in June, with data from Nielsen's 50th monthly report of The Gauge showing that strea...
16/07/2025
MAHWAH, NJ Ikegami has introduced the the UHK-X700RF wireless portable camera, a new addition to its UNICAM-XE product range with the same feature set, operatio...
16/07/2025
LONDON IBC2025 organizers said global attendees will have access to a new feature that will integrate Amsterdam's GVB public transport pass into the officia...
16/07/2025
July 16th, 2025
Tribeca Films to Release the Acclaimed LARPing Doc WE CAN BE HEROES by Carina Mia Wong and Alex Simmons, Alongside a Slate of Festival-Favori...
16/07/2025
Deltatre Acquires Endeavor Streaming in Major Streaming Industry Move The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2025 By Brandon Costa, Direc...
16/07/2025
SVG Regional Sports Production Summit 2025: All Sessions Now Available to Watch ...
16/07/2025
Wednesday 16 July 2025
Sky and ITV today announced an extension of their long-standing partnership, which will see ITV's content and services remain seamle...
16/07/2025
Sky Sports lifts the lid on Lions life with hilarious behind-the-scenes mockumentaryWednesday 16 July 2025
To view this content, please enable our use of cooki...
16/07/2025
CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA Apple TV+ today earned a record-breaking 81 Emmy Award nominations across 14 hit Apple Original titles for this year's 77th Emmy Awa...
15/07/2025
Independent media outlets in Brazil and Colombia are invited to apply for a new programme aimed at strengthening the long-term resilience of journalism in the f...
15/07/2025
By Lucy Spicer
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival...
15/07/2025
Spotify une fuerzas con DiDi, la app l der en servicios de movilidad, delivery y...
15/07/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
15/07/2025
L3Harris put its CORVUS-RAVEN counter-small UAS capability into the hands of soldiers at VANAHEIM, showcasing its ability to provide passive signal detect, enha...
15/07/2025
Netflix Viewing Up 13.5% vs. May, Represents 42% of Monthly Gain for Streaming
...
15/07/2025
SAN FRANCISCO and BENGALARU, India Sangeeta Chakraborty has been named chief revenue officer at Amagi, a cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) technology pro...
15/07/2025
As part of its mandate, the Advanced Television Systems Committee the U.S. organization tasked with developing advanced broadcast TV standards promotes ATSC 3.0...
15/07/2025
QuickLink, the leading global provider of multi-camera video productions and remote contributions, announces the launch of two innovative control panels Studi...
15/07/2025
Chris Kontopanos has joined leading high-quality microphone solutions manufacturer, DPA Microphones, as the company's new Regional Sales Manager for the Mid...
15/07/2025
Magnifi by VideoVerse, a global leader in AI-powered video automation, has launched a major platform upgrade built to simplify live and archival video editing f...
15/07/2025
Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, will preview its latest innovations at IBC2025, Stand 7.B21. This year's showcase highlights how...
15/07/2025
IBC2025 is set to transform the onsite experience for its global attendees with the launch of a pioneering new feature: full integration of Amsterdam's GVB ...
15/07/2025
Music, sport and technology collided in spectacular fashion as ASB GlassFloor powered the debut of Beats N Buckets, Germany's first Basketball meets Hip-Ho...
15/07/2025
The Collectv, the Emmy award-winning broadcast solutions and workflows consultancy - and winner of Broadcast Tech's Team of the Year is delighted to announc...
15/07/2025
SipRadius, the expert in secure, low latency media transport, will showcase how broadcasters and media companies can take control of fragmented IP workflows at ...
15/07/2025
Appear, the global leader in live production technology, today announced its strategic partnership with beIN ASIA PACIFIC, a leading multi-platform sports media...
15/07/2025
Company marks 15 years of innovation at the show
Broadpeak, a leader in streaming and monetization at scale, will return to IBC (Hall 1, Stand F83. RAI, Amster...
15/07/2025
New software solutions extend trusted timing measurement across broadcast, venue, and professional AV applications
Hitomi Broadcast, the market leader in audi...
15/07/2025
SHENZHEN, China Telycam has added control options for its portfolio of pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras with a new plug-in for Elgato's Stream Deck family of con...
15/07/2025
MELVILLE, N.Y. Chyron said its Chyron LIVE cloud-native live production solution has successfully completed the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Foundational Technical...
15/07/2025
PHILADELPHIA The Xumo streaming platform joint venture between Comcast and Charter has announced the nationwide launch of a new line of Xumo TVs from Westinghou...
15/07/2025
LONGMONT, Colo. DPA Microphones said Chris Kontopanos has joined the microphone solutions provider as its new regional sales manager, Mid-Atlantic....
15/07/2025
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO OR TO ANY PERSON LOCATED OR RESIDENT IN THE UNIT...
15/07/2025
Back to All News
Netflix and YRF Entertainment's Mandala Murders' Buil...
15/07/2025
From Small Town Councils to State Chambers-There's a Broadcast Pix Bundle for You In today's digital-first world, every level of government-whether a ru...
15/07/2025
Audiences and ad dollars are moving to streaming - media organizations are evolving to meet them there....
EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey - February 2014 For the 82,529 fans that braved forecasts of cold, snowy weather predicted for Super Bowl XLVIII on February 2, Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers delivered an enthusiastic show that was long on great musicianship and killer showmanship. And making sure that show also sounded great were a pair of DiGiCo SD5 digital audio consoles used for both front-of-house and monitor mixes.
