For the seventh straight year, Riedel Communications Switzerland AG provided a comprehensive communications infrastructure for the Winterthurer Musikfestwochen, held last August in the historic town of Winterthur, Switzerland. In its biggest commitment to date for the world-famous music festival, Riedel supplied a communications and signal routing backbone based on its Bolero wireless intercom and MediorNet real-time signal transport, processing, and routing technology.

"The Musikfestwochen grows bigger every year, and this year's production was the largest and most complex ever," said Sandra Smolcic, Co-Director of the Winterthurer Musikfestwochen. "It is essential that we have an experienced and reliable partner at our side, and Riedel Switzerland is that partner. It's the perfect win-win situation: We get a first-class and tailor-made communications backbone, while Riedel Switzerland leverages our close partnership to implement new concepts and solutions at the festival. With its local Swiss presence, Riedel's close proximity to our operation and optimal service are also critical success factors."

Winterthurer Musikfestwochen showcases the best in Swiss music including international newcomers, promotion of young talent, and an exciting supporting program. The festival spanned 12 days and included five stages, featuring over 70 acts and supported by 1,000 volunteers.

Riedel's Artist-1024 digital matrix intercom system and Bolero wireless intercom system are supporting state-of-the-art communications capabilities within Videe SpA's innovative new 4K HDR OB van, OBX VIDEE. The Riedel systems provide the power, density, and flexibility critical for pioneering remote production operations.

"Videe SpA is well known for its ability to leverage cutting-edge technologies to achieve the performance and functionality essential to demanding remote productions," said Giuseppe Angilello, Italy Sales Manager, Riedel Communications. "With Artist and Bolero, we've delivered on both counts to bring clear, flexible, and reliable communications to Videe's new OB van. As a true, native 4K unit, OBX VIDEE has the power and sophistication to support the most challenging projects — and the ease of use, compact size, and straightforward configuration of our intercom systems make them an ideal fit."

OBX VIDEE is a triple-expanding mobile production unit that can support up to 30 cameras. Based on client requirements, the van can be configured with dual control rooms or as one large, 75-square-meter production area that can accommodate up to 36 onboard team members. The OB van was engineered for the future by Videe and systems integrator Chromaline, with a design that meets each and every production demand with the best, most intuitive, and most efficient technical solution. As a top-end OB production system, OBX is ideal to provide host broadcasting services for major live sporting, music, cultural, and entertainment events worldwide. Integrating smoothly into the van's IP infrastructure, the Artist and Bolero systems along with 36 RSP-2318 SmartPanels, on board OBX VIDEE play a critical role by enabling clear communications tailored to the requirements of each production.

Sadler's Wells Theatre in London has adopted Riedel's Bolero wireless intercom to ensure reliable and flexible communications across the 10,000-square-meter building and the adjacent Lilian Baylis Studio. Located on London's iconic Rosebery Avenue, the theatre is renowned as one of the world's leading dance venues, staging contemporary dance and ballet performances in its 1,560-seat main auditorium. The theatre also has a unique link to Riedel's home city of Wuppertal through an ongoing residency with the Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, a partnership that spans more than 35 years.

As well providing a stage for visiting companies, the Sadler's Wells Theatre is a producing house with a number of associated artists and companies creating original works for the theatre, and many locally produced shows are also recorded for cinema. Visiting OB trucks that are also equipped with Riedel Artist systems can easily interface with the theatre's systems, creating smoothly integrated workflows and tremendous convenience.

Through trial and error with other manufacturers, David Glenn, director of technology and design for the Samford University theatre, finally found the communications solution he was searching for with Pliant Technologies’ CrewCom wireless intercom system. For the 288-seat university theatre, it is crucial to deploy a reliable intercom system that never compromises on quality, and has a small learning curve – ideal for students working in live production for the first time.

“We had planned to upgrade our wireless system for a long time now,” explains Glenn. “We were previously working with a failing two-channel wireless system, and its poor quality left me frustrated and seeking other options. When it comes to live performances, it is a top priority for us to have a dependable coms solution – this way all directions and cues are heard, and we can put on a smooth show.”

Samford University upgraded to Pliant’s 900MHz CrewCom, which provides the theatre with a strong signal and a range large enough to cover the space. “The CrewCom integrates well with our two-channel hardwired system and gives us the flexibility that was lacking with other solutions we’ve tried,” adds Glenn. “Something that stood out to me about CrewCom is its ability to increase user counts down the road. Other manufacturers’ systems would cap out at four wireless coms, but with CrewCom, we can deploy up to six Radio Packs at a time, and we have the ability to add more, if needed.”

When Glenn took a first look at CrewCom, he was immediately impressed by the rigidity of the Radio Packs (RP) – especially after finding other manufacturers’ packs to be frustratingly fragile. “They are a great size – not too big or too small,” adds Glenn. “The ability for these packs to take a beating is especially important when working with students. If they drop a pack, I know it’s going to hold up, and I won’t have to tape them back together, like I used to. They are durable, lightweight, compact, and well-constructed.”

Gravity MediaRiedel Bolero wireless intercom systems for its burgeoning Event Communications business. This significant kit investment is in response to the growing market demand for the Bolero system that is capable of supporting 10 beltpacks per antenna and up to 100 antennas in a single deployment. It also highlights Gearhouse’s vendor agnostic approach, with it now able to offer its customers a choice of either the Bolero or fellow class-leading solution, Clear-Com’s FreeSpeak II, alongside its in-house expertise and support.

Riedel today announced that two of Hong Kong's leading providers of rental broadcast and production equipment — A-Team Plus and Show Bros — have invested in Riedel's industry-leading Bolero wireless intercom. The two companies, which have common customers and often work together on AV and broadcast projects, each purchased two complete Bolero systems including beltpacks and antennas.

Riedel Communications supplied a comprehensive, integrated communications infrastructure for the Special Olympics World Games 2019 (SOWG) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Riedel's Artist digital matrix intercom system and Bolero wireless intercom were at the core of a massive comms deployment that spanned more than 30 venues and locations and included managed IT network services.

Over the past year, Bolero has set the standard for what modern wireless intercoms should be. Its performance speaks for itself, and clients around the globe continue to be impressed by its range, sound quality, and beltpack density. At the 2018 NAB Show, Riedel will unveil the Bolero Standalone Application, a license-enabled upgrade that will provide several performance enhancements along with standalone capabilities.

Bolero Wireless Intercom System