Focusrite RedNet interfaces deployed for FIFA World Cup Final Draw
Focusrite’s RedNet range of network audio interfaces are playing a key role in the live broadcast and recording of some of Brazil’s biggest entertainment events. Recently, Brazilian OB company Mix2Go invested in multiple RedNet units as part of their wider digital audio/visual network for the broadcast and recording of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Final Draw event.
Sound engineers Daniel Reis and Beto Neves from Mix2Go have adopted Audinate’s Dante platform for all their networked audio. Their OB truck features a Dante-enabled Allen & Heath mixing console and stage racks, which route audio from the stage to any device connected to the Dante network. This enables the team to route signals to a multitude of different recording, mixing and live broadcast systems simultaneously, while giving them the opportunity to upgrade and expand their network, simply by connecting more Dante devices to their gigabit switches.
“I started using Dante back when the Dolby Lake loudspeaker management system came out, and was amazed by how it gave you access to a whole new world,’ says Reis. “I’ve also used a lot of the Focusrite ISA products, so when I heard about RedNet, it was great news: finally a company committed to sound quality had invested in the best protocol available.”
Mix2Go uses a RedNet 2 16-channel A-D/D-A interface, the RedNet 3 32-channel digital I/O, a RedNet 6 MADI Bridge and three RedNet PCIe cards. “I need to give the option of delivering the program through MADI, AES/EBU or analogue,” says Reis. For the FIFA World Cup Final Draw, the team decided their RedNet 2 was an ideal choice to deliver the final live mixes to the video OB truck. They also used their RedNet 3 as an additional monitoring reference via the AES/EBU outputs.
“Installing RedNet was very fast – plug-and-play – and almost idiot proof,” says Reis.
The setup for the Final Draw event consisted of a large Dante network that linked two OB trucks parked in different locations outside the venue to the main stage. Two stage boxes (one primary and one backup) were located in the main arena, connected to gigabit network switches using Cat-6 cables. Signals from this stage rig were sent via multi-mode fiber cables to another pair of switches inside the music OB truck, about 150ft (50m) away. Inside the truck, the fiber signal was converted back to Ethernet and routed to two Mac Mini computers, which handled the multi-track recording, using Pro Tools and Audinate’s Dante Virtual Soundcard (DVS) driver. The signals from stage were also routed simultaneously to the live mix console, from where the final broadcast stems were then routed to RedNet 2, located inside the video OB truck, about 100ft (30m) away. Here, the stems were converted to analogue then mixed with the rest of the event’s audio and added to the final video feed, which was then sent to a distribution truck to be broadcast to television stations all around the world.
Reis concludes: “The converters sound transparent and tight. RedNet has truly given us reliability and quality, and pride to have such amazing equipment from a brand that we truly respect.”