The Primo Maggio 2018 event in Piazza San Giovanni, Rome, used 6 Allen & heath dLive systems to run the show.
With 36 acts, short changeover times and a live broadcast to the RAI national TV channel, Primo Maggio featured a spectacular revolving dual-stage setup, with each stage having its own Allen & Heath dLive system, each consisting of an Allen & heathS5000 surface and an Allen & heath DM48 MixRack at Front of House, and an Allen & Heath S7000 surface with Allen & Heath DM64 MixRack and DX32 I/O expansion for monitors. BothAllen & Heath M-Dante and GigaAce cards were selected for audio distribution.
Specified by leading contractor ABC, supported by Arcadia Digital and Exhibo S.p.A, the setup also included a further 2 Allen & heath dLive systems comprising Allen & heath C3500 and Allen & heath C1500 surfaces with Allen & heath DM48 MixRacks for the complex communications requirements between stage and Front of House.
Additionally, an Allen & Heath SQ-6 was used as a matrix mixer for the wedge and sidefill monitors that were situated outside the revolving stage setup.
To facilitate the broadcasters’ requirements, the main FOH mix from each stage, plus announcements and playback tracks from the VT programme were managed by the central dLivecomms/continuity system.
Given the complexity of the event, Roberto Marchesi (Pro Audio Manager at Exhibo S.p.A) said the power and flexibility of the Allen & heath dLive system was key to its success. “The dLive was chosen for its enormous capabilities including built-in I/O ports, patching and split signal abilities and Dante.” He added: “dLive’s user-friendly GUI interface and incredible sound make it the perfect console for this kind of event.”
Also supporting the event, Allen & Heath’s Live Sound Specialist Léon Phillips said: “It was great to see how quickly the house and visiting engineers took to the dLive with very little training needed. With no need for external processing, the mixes both on-stage, and in the house sounded full and clear. The ability to patch tie-lines through formats effortlessly won us many new friends that day. The stage organisation and changeovers were managed superbly and were a credit to the long-standing crew in Italy.”
