This January, NAMM, the esteemed annual event organized by the National Association of Music Merchants, is returning to its usual show dates of January 25-28, 2024. Often referred to as the industry's largest stage in uniting global music technologies, NAMM is trusting Clear-Com® as the official intercom supplier for the Yamaha Grand Plaza Stage, which will showcase both up-and-coming and established musical artists. Clear-Com was brought on to the production by long-time Partner, Mastermind Production Group, who provides the majority of the Audio production infrastructure for the stage with PA being provided by Reach Communications. Chad Griswold, CEO of Mastermind states, “Clear-Com's a natural choice for this production since they are a first choice in intercom for the touring and live music market and our first choice for all of our events in the music and corporate event spaces we work in. We used the Arcadia system last year with great success, and this year we are excited to put the latest updates to that system to the test, including the Bluetooth connectivity on FreeSpeak II beltpacks.”
The Yamaha Grand Plaza Stage is both literally and figuratively the heartbeat of the NAMM Show, where live music performances are as much a part of the business as conferences and meetings. The announcement of artists is always eagerly anticipated, and without fail, there’s always something for everyone in the line-up.
The Clear-Com Arcadia® Central Station system will be based at FOH, with FreeSpeak II® Wireless Intercom System and FreeSpeak Edge® wireless beltpacks dedicated to the stage management and production team members who need to roam freely around the area. HelixNet® digital wired partyline user stations will be located at key fixed locations, including the lighting director, spot ops, and for the Audio FOH, monitor, and broadcast mixing engineers. This year Griswold plans to experiment with using Bluetooth headsets for the FreeSpeak II 1.9 GHz beltpacks; with bone induction headsets, users can maintain situational awareness (or use hearing protection for when things heat up) while staying connected on comms. This workflow promises to be especially effective for primary audio mixing engineers as it leaves their ears uncovered while still maintaining intercom connections.
The stage will provide NAMM attendees an opportunity to experience the latest advances in intercom for music touring and live sound production with in-person access to a real-world deployment.
For the latest information on the lineup for the Yamaha Grand Plaza Stage and to watch the livestream, visit the NAMM website.