At this year’s 14th Winter X Games in Aspen, Colo., CP Communications used its RF HD5 truck, which recently underwent a refurbishment with the addition of a Stagetec CRESCENDO mixing console. CRESCENDO was used as a submixer and router for all RF feeds used during the pipe, slope, big air and snowmobile events.
More than 30 RF audio feeds were coming into the truck from the talent, athlete and effects mics, follow-cams, handheld cameras and onboard sled cameras. The CRESCENDO, a 16-fader, 80-channel version, was controlled by Denver-based audio mixer Jeff Shuey. Using the CRESCENDO for the first time, Shuey was quickly routing signals after just a quick afternoon of training. “The visual feedback provided by the console surface and the additional metering of the NEXUS system gave me a really clear snapshot of what was going on at anytime,” he says. “The CRESCENDO was really easy to understand and operate, and that enabled me to concentrate on getting everything else up and running”.
This was CP and Total RF Productions’ second year combining to supply a turnkey operation for all the RF mics, RF cameras and fiber infrastructure for the Winter X Games. They report that setup actually took a full day less time this year. According to Kurt Heitmann, president of Total RF Productions, “Although 75 percent of the equipment on the truck is new, my team was able to get all the fiber laid up the mountain, RF HD cameras and audio going in record time. We were very happy with the results and with the new Stagetec console, as was our client, ESPN. The CRESCENDO is packed with I/O capabilities, including MADI through the NEXUS router, and we hope to use even more of its resources on future events.”
The RF HD 5 is a hybrid RF and fiber HD truck, which is typically used for major events like the X Games, New York and Chicago marathons and golf.
