Irvine, CA (August 28, 2015)—Music Mix Mobile (M3) recently recorded the Grateful Dead’s final excursion—the “Fare Thee Well” (Dead 50) five-date concert tour.
M3, an Emmy and Grammy Award-winning provider of mobile audio facilities for high-profile live entertainment events and broadcasts, deployed its Eclipse mobile production vehicle. “Our biggest challenge for the Dead 50 tour was their requirement that we track each show at a 96k sample rate—which puts a whole new set of hardware demands on the truck. To make it happen, we needed to rely on Thunderbolt technology and expansion systems that would take up a minimal amount of space,” says Joel Singer, co-founder and general manager at M3.
As a result, Sonnet Technologies’ Echo Express III-R and xMac Pro Server rackmount expansion systems were key to M3’s recording workflow. “We’ve had enough experience with Sonnet’s Thunderbolt expansion chassis to know that they’re absolutely reliable and rugged. Plus, they’re some of the quietest expansion systems we’ve ever worked with, a critical requirement in the cramped recording environment onboard the truck. Sonnet systems have become an integral part of our equipment mix.”
Marking the 50th anniversary of the Grateful Dead’s founding and also its final public appearances, the “Fare Thee Well” mini-tour included two dates at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA, before arriving in Chicago for the final three concerts, played to sold-out crowds at Soldier Field on July 3, 4, and 5. M3 provided recording and broadcast services for the tour, which broke the pay-per-view record for live music shows with more than 400,000 cable and satellite viewers. An even broader audience watched the shows at theater simulcasts and online through live streaming services.
Sonnet Technologies
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