NEW YORK – When it comes to daunting audio gigs, few can match the challenges presented by the annual New Year's Eve Show in New York City's Times Square. With a live audience in the hundreds of thousands and a TV audience in the 10’s of millions, this is one of those gigs where the whole world really is watching. Long-time audio provider Maryland Sound International (MSI) pulls off the seemingly impossible every year, but the most recent show was made better and easier with the addition of Studer and Soundcraft digital mixing technology.
Two performance stages – each with a 96-input Studer Stagebox – and a broadcast stage with 10 inputs were all fed to an optical splitter, which fed both a Soundcraft Vi6(tm) running monitors for each performance stage and a Studer Vista 5 SR in the main "mix container." According to MSI Owner Bob Goldstein, "The Studer Vista 5 SR is the console we have been waiting for. In the smallest of footprints, it provides a 'no limits' solution to this project. We can bring three stages worth of inputs, truck feeds and playback into one console that is easy to use, sounds great and provides all of the outputs required with total redundancy. With a ton of Vista consoles in the broadcast field and the extensive abuse we have put them through we know reliability is a non-issue. That is really important for this gig."
Among the challenges of the Times Square production is the need for even coverage throughout an area that runs seven city blocks. "Both analog and digital outputs – a total of 20 matrix output busses – were sent via Optocore to an army of Crown amps which fed JBL VerTec line arrays installed throughout the square from 42nd to 48th streets," said Shane Morris, principal engineer for Soundcraft and Studer USA. "And each of those matrix outputs had its own EQ and dynamics control."
The system included more than a mile of optical cable with more than 20 signal "drop" points. Additional outputs were supplied for both an analog broadcast split and Pro Tools recording of the entire event.
Adding to the obvious technical challenges was the fact that this show takes place in one of the busiest commercial corridors in the world and the powers that be can't exactly shut things down so the sound company can come in and set up.
"We have provided sound for some of the most difficult productions in the world – Pink Floyd on the Grand Canal in Venice and at the Palace in Versailles; Super Bowl halftime shows; inaugurations and Washington D.C. Mall events; and large-scale sports events, concert tours and festivals – yet these all pale in comparison to Times Square New Years Eve," says Goldstein. "Not only can it be really cold, it is extremely crowded on the streets and sidewalks except for 2:00 a.m. until 7:00 a.m. Furthermore, we are not permitted to make noise at any time other than show time. In other words, we have to be able to set up the system in a very short period of time, turn it on and have it work flawlessly the first time – all with the most complex set of circumstances imaginable. But we love this gig! It forces us to stretch the definition of flawless performance."
In the end, the audio setup became invisible as far as the crowd and TV audience were
For information, please visit www.marylandsound.com.
