Dodd Technologies coordinates production of U.S. Swim Trials with Riedel’s Bolero and Artist

Riedel’s Artist and Bolero intercom systems helped Dodd Technologies orchestrate the broadcast of the latest U.S. Swim Trials.

Caleb Cassler, audio systems engineer at Dodd Technologies, notes that the company needed “ a flexible intercom system that was both easy to use and extremely advanced” for the production, requirements that were met by Riedel. “The Artist and Bolero systems handled the immense quantity of signals involved in production while providing better range than other solutions, without as many antennas. Any other solution would have been much more complicated, but the Riedel gear kept comms flexible and manageable without dedicating a role solely to comms,” Cassler specifies.

For this swimming tournament, which took place June 4-20, Dodd configured 15 Bolero wireless intercom beltpacks. By configuring each headset to meet the individual needs of the users, Dodd was able to simplify communications and keep the chat focused on the conversations essential to each user’s role. By providing clear audio with no signal loss issues despite the (“extremely crowded”) airspace, the Bolero’s helped Dodd orchestrate a complex production, and overcome the added challenge of meeting social distancing guidelines. Riedel’s Diretor software facilitated remote, on-the-fly reconfiguration when necessary, so Cassler was able to quickly address any problems or new requirements.

Artist-32 systems

Separately, Dodd installed two Artist-32 digital matrix intercom systems to accommodate the large volume of analog signals-especially IFBs and announcer transmissions between the house communications system and the four mobile production trucks-needed to coordinate stadium show and broadcast production. The Artista systems, including the 2300 series panels, also allowed Dodd to connect to the various communications systems used in the four trucks for complete coverage.

Dave Caulwell, North American channel manager for Riedel Communications, appreciates the confidence placed in Riedel by Cassler and his team: “Dodd has more than two decades of experience producing the U.S. swim trials, and the company continually finds creative ways to showcase the excitement and emotion at these elite competitions. The company’s use of Artist and Bolero for this event showcased both the power and elegance of these solutions in enabling clear, reliable, and flexible communications.”