Delta Sound was honoured to be asked by Fireworks by Grucci, to provide their show
communications and firing timecode solutions for the annual new year’s eve
fireworks at Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE.
This year’s attempt saw the event secure the record for the ‘longest chain of
fireworks’ covering 4.6km using 11,284 firework devices. As well the ‘longest
straight-line of fireworks’ spanning 13km of the island. The event made headlines
last year by clinching the world record for the ‘largest aerial firework shell’, which
weighed 1,087.26kg and reached a height of around 1,127 metres.
Delta’s team this year was headed up by Technical Manager Liam McGrath, with
support from Jude Menezes, one of Delta’s up and coming communications
engineers, and Mark Gesmundo, our in-house Radio Technician.
McGrath said: ‘last year, Delta provided similar services to the event, and each
year the bar continues to be lifted higher, with no sign of stopping. Al Marjan Island
and surrounding areas has proved itself to be an extremely impressive venue for a
show such as this and allows people to get up close and personal to the fireworks.
‘This year we deployed the FM transmission of show audio to surrounding area, for
use in hotels and localised event areas to receive the main show content. We
supplied the wireless firework timecode distribution across 11km as well as site-wide
radios, and radio coverage for the show and during the build period.
‘Being the local leader for event communications we were asked to provide this as
well. We used Clearcom and local audio monitoring for main show control area and
we also provided audio playback systems for pre-show audio, and main event
music,’ Mr McGrath said.
As always with events such as new year’s eve, timing is the absolute key. It is essentially the event with the most defined deadline, and everything needs to be queued without question. Delta Sound use a combination of GPS timecode receivers to generate a master clock and then distribute local and GMT time to the relevant departments. This master clock then runs the main and backup audio playback systems which consists of the main audio for the show, the Fireone FSK signal, and various other audio feeds.
From the main FOH location, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel beach, Delta Sound
sends these signals via high powered transmitters out to the various firing points, as
well as to the surrounding smaller event areas so that they can receive the show
music. For this show, the signal was sent across more than 10km to allow coverage of
the furthest firing locations.
‘Grucci are very meticulous during the rehearsal stages, and everything is run to a
very controlled protocol to make sure that every eventuality is accounted for. Delta
take the same approach and we must allow for any eventuality.
‘In the world of RF, anything can happen, so there must be main and tertiary backup
systems in place. Wherever possible, every transmitter has a redundant backup, and
each audio system has a main backup, and a secondary backup,’ said McGrath.
Working with Phil Grucci and his dedicated team gives Delta Sound the perfect
opportunity to provide all the systems that we specialise in. It is the perfect blend of
all areas and is a true pleasure to be able to assist in making these shows happen.
McGrath concluded: ‘there is nothing quite in the same league as being involved in such
spectacular shows such as these, and it is an absolute privilege to be able to work
alongside a team such as Grucci, to be a small part of putting together what turned
out to be two new Guinness World Records!’.
