Marco Borsato is one of the biggest stars on the Dutch music scene. The 44-year-old singer has already accumulated no fewer than 42 platinum awards. Now with his current tour, the artist is breaking new attendance records. For example, when he performed in his hometown of Alkmaar from May 7-13, all four concerts were sold out, for a combined audience of 130,000.

The May 10 show – the highlights of which are scheduled to appear later this year on DVD – was the first in Dutch history to be recorded in 3D. This fact alone gives some indication of how high the demands of the production were. And to ensure everything went smoothly and the highest possible quality was achieved, Cinevideogroup was engaged to handle the recording, in the certainty that this globally successful broadcast service provider would bring a wealth of expertise and the finest possible equipment to the task. Arriving in two giant outside broadcast trucks (OB 14 and OB 2) with a 95-man team, Cinevideogroup had all bases covered and a formidable logistical infrastructure to underpin its efforts. So as to be sure of capturing every last nuance of the performances, each show was filmed by up to 32 cameras – some 2D, others 3D.

With a team of this size, communication between the participants plays a decisive role, and, as is standard practice with Cinevideogroup, systems from RTS/TELEX and its distributor AXON were chosen to streamline the production logistics. The nerve centre of the company's new HD-capable outside broadcast vehicle, OB 14, the flagship of the Cinevideogroup fleet, is an Advanced Digital Audio Matrix (ADAM) from RTS/TELEX with a 144 x 144 configuration, linked to 31 colour-display keypanels (KP-32 CLD and KP-12 CLD). Six 2W/4W digital hybrid interfaces from RTS as well as RTS TW BP-325 dual-channel beltpacks complement the installation in the 16.5-metre-long high-end OB truck. As for its sister vehicle, OB 2, an RTS matrix – this time a Zeus 24 x 24 – again ensures flawless communication between all members of the team, with eight KP-12 keypanels, two RTS 2W/4W interfaces, and RTS TW BP-325 dual-channel beltpacks serving as peripherals.

"We have long relied upon intercom systems from RTS/TELEX and its distributor AXON, both in our OB vehicles and in our studios," explains Bolke Burnaby Lautier, Cinevideogroup's Operations Manager. "It is mainly the high quality and the reliability of RTS/TELEX solutions that has convinced us. But also the fact that they allow us – as we did with this production – to link several trucks together in order to obtain an expanded capacity." Regarding the special requirements of the Marco Borsato concerts, Lautier adds: "We needed here to be 100% sure that communications between all members of the team would function flawlessly – as, once again, they did. But the changeover to 3D format also posed no problems with these systems – a fact that testifies eloquently to the high compatibility and flexibility of RTS/TELEX systems."

About Cinevideogroup

Cinevideogroup – a United Broadcast Facilities company, part of Euro Media Group – has been supplying Europe's leading producers and broadcasters with high-tech equipment and services since 1982. The company's portfolio includes sports and music productions as well as TV shows and series.

About Marco Borsato

Marco Borsato is a Dutch singer whose 14 albums featuring among others Dutch versions of Italian songs have gone platinum 37 times already in the Netherlands as well as 5 times in Belgium, where he has also had 5 gold discs. He can therefore claim to be the most successful musician in the Netherlands. As well as a successful singer, however, Borsato is a goodwill ambassador for the Dutch aid organization War Child and an Officer of the Orange-Nassau Order.