Lightware’s MX2-8x8-HDMI20 matrix switcher brought essential support to Teddy Swims’ “I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy” tour.
Event technology specialists, PRG, was tasked with providing video, automation and lighting across 19 dates, as James Hancocks, technical systems specialist, PRG, explains: "I mainly work in the concert touring market, and when a system design comes past me, my job is to check that we have the right kit and that the overall design looks solid for life on the road. We received a request for support on the tour and began our preparations, with Lightware products included in the design from the beginning”.
The tour’s stage video design featured an upstage LED screen, relying on ROE CB5 panels which were supported by two IMAG LED screens on either side of the stage. An additional over-stage oval screen acted as a visual centrepiece, displaying a mix of concert content and live camera feeds throughout the show. The video control environment relied on Disguise VX4 media servers, Brompton Tessera SX40 LED processing, and a Lightware MX2-8x8-HDMI20 matrix switcher. The Lightware switcher was responsible for handling the routing of video signals between FOH and the stage.
Signal stability was essential across the wide range of venues visited during the tour, with long-term familiarity playing a role in the choice of equipment. The Lightware unit handled multiple HDMI inputs from Disguise servers and camera systems, then routing them to outputs feeding the Brompton Tessera SX40 processors and other endpoints. Cameras feed into the tour-provided servers and Lightware’s MX2 8X8 matrix switcher, while Lightware’s HDMI20-OPTC-TX220-Pro and HDMI20-OPTC-RX220-Pro kits were used to capture the outputs and transport them back to receivers on the stage side for the screens.
Hancocks adds: "We use Lightware because we don’t need to worry about it. When you’re on tour, you want technology that does what it needs to do when you need it to, and Lightware has always been the most reliable choice for us out of all the options on the market.
“Video is always a challenge, but generally you get what you put in with the Lightware kit, which, in my experience, is more than you get with a lot of competitors. Good support also matters. You need to know that someone can help you wherever you are, and Lightware offers that high level of service The monitoring is the feature I use the most. I want to know what is going in and what is going out, and where any problems are. The diagnostic information available through the Lightware matrix is critical for us working in the world of live events”.