PreSonus Streams NAMM Show to the World
PreSonus Streams NAMM Show to the World
... At this year's Winter NAMM Convention the PreSonus booth was a non-stop nexus of activity, with live performances, technology demonstrations, showcases, and more. But perhaps the biggest buzz was one most attendees were barely aware of. In a tiny 12 x 6 foot room behind the stage, PreSonus staffers were busy streaming the entire show out to the world.Anaheim, CA, January 2012
Winter NAMM is one of the world's largest and most exciting events for musical instruments and music technology. But while tens of thousands of industry visitors from all corners of the globe converge on the Anaheim Convention Center every year, members of the general public have rarely had an opportunity to get inside the show - until now.
Multiple video feeds, including PTZ camera on the performers and an oversize screen behind the stage, were fed to a Black Magic switcher in the editing suite, where Video Designer / Producer Paul Charbonnet cranked some serious performance out of three computers at once. "The Black Magic system is mixing directly to a Mac Pro, which gives us our primary program," Charbonnet explains. "Then we've got an iMac and MacBook Pro doing multiple duties including rendering, encoding for the Web, capturing for our YouTube and Vimeo channels, monitoring live chat, and more."
"We've got a multitrack audio split feed coming from the stage into our StudioLive 24.4.2 console," explains Audio Engineer Mat Criddle. "That enables us to deliver separate, simultaneous mixes for FOH and Webcasting." Criddle also provided monitor mixes back to the performers, who were able to manipulate their mixes using their iPhones via PreSonus' new QMix™ wireless technology.
"At the same time, we're also recording a multitrack feed of the live performances directly into StudioOne," says Criddle. "So any of our performing artists can take their tracks and do a full mix later on, and create a live recording or music video from their performance here at NAMM."
In addition to the performance camera feeds, Associated Creative Director Cave Daughdrill and Social Media Manager Ryan Roullard were regularly roaming the show floor, camera and wireless mic in hand, conducting interviews with other exhibitors, attendees, and anyone else who might have something interesting to show, say, or play. "In between performances, we're mixing in a bit of Cave and Ryan's feed, along with a range of product demos and other content," says Charbonnet.
Besides roaming the show, Roullard was a full-time presence on the web, blasting out photos and posts to Facebook and Twitter, fielding questions and comments from viewers, and monitoring the Web for relevant info.
And the action didn't stop after the show closed. At 6PM, the day's content was uploaded to PreSonus' LiveStream channel, where viewers from time zones in Europe, Asia, and elsewhere could get a peek. "Over the first two days of the show alone, we edited and uploaded more than 32 videos," says Charbonnet.
Despite the daunting demands of bringing NAMM to the world, Charbonnet reports that both men and machinery held up to the job. "It was a non-stop gig, but we were pleased to see that everything went off without a hitch," he says. "It was a real team effort, and we had tons of support from everyone. In the end, it was a great feeling to know we were doing something great for music fans everywhere, and making history at the same time."
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Founded in 1995, PreSonus Audio Electronics, Inc., is a leading designer and manufacturer of audio-recording software, hardware, and related accessories. PreSonus software, microphone preamps, signal processors, digital audio interfaces, mixers, control surfaces and other products are used worldwide for recording, sound reinforcement, broadcast, sound design, and Internet audio.
