Infrastructure preproduction: power, network, RF, lighting, video and FX.

Some setups collapse without any equipment failing: power to the main run was cut, the control network had no free addresses, two wireless devices shared a frequency, and the special effect arrived without a permit. None of those failures is acoustic; all are specification failures, and all would have been apparent in a document written two weeks ahead.

This guide covers the six infrastructure fronts that must be finalised before equipment is reserved: Power requirements, Network requirements, RF plan, Lighting plot, Video requirements and Special FX requirements. They are the technical translation of what the venue survey discovered, and the contract through which each service is requested, validated and paid for.

Infrastructure that must be requested in writing

The golden rule is simple: if a supplier cannot read it on paper, they cannot offer it. “There will be sound” is not a specification; “twelve active kilowatts, three phases, a separate supply for the booth” is. This guide’s six requirements exist to demand that precision.

Each requirement has an owner. Power is signed off by someone who understands electricity, network and lighting are validated by technical management, the RF plan belongs to the RF coordinator, video is confirmed by the VJ with production, and special effects go through safety. When a requirement has no responsible person, it is met through goodwill and missed through accident.

Writing them down also creates comparability: two rental suppliers offering “lighting for the stage” become distinguishable when both answer the same lighting plot with defined positions, consumption and control.

Power requirements: how much power and what type

Power requirements estimate what each zone needs: the main system, monitors, stage lighting, booth, video and services. They state available power and connection type at each point, with cable distances and cross-sections, because a 50-metre extension does not behave like a 5-metre one.

Two mistakes dominate. The first is adding nominal consumption without headroom or distribution across phases; the second is trusting the existing socket without checking which circuit it reaches and what else shares it. Both are solved with a prior calculation and an identified distribution board.

Also write down the margin: between estimated and available consumption, leave room for peaks, service lighting and any last-minute addition. Specify the reserve as well: if the main system fails, is there an alternative circuit for the console and screens? Power requirements without backups describe the ideal day, rather than the real one.

Details of voltage, current and load distribution are in event electricity: voltage, current, power and load calculation. With that calculation in hand, power requirements become a request an electrician can quote rather than interpret.

Network requirements: control and audio networks

Network requirements cover everything travelling in packets: lighting control, audio over IP, network video, intercom, amplifier monitoring and booth connections. Specify topology, port count, addresses, segments and who manages DHCP.

If the network belongs to the venue, learn its rules before setup: available VLANs, security policies and whether connecting your own equipment is permitted. If it belongs to the event, document the address plan and label every port; a well-placed label saves twenty minutes of tracing during setup.

Network requirements also include the fibre or cable route between stage, booth and front of house, with the maximum permitted distance and protections. They establish who administers the network during the event: one person authorises changes, preventing two departments assigning the same address during setup.

Audio over IP adds non-optional synchronisation and quality-of-service requirements: traffic priority, a master clock and stress tests with the actual channel count. That territory is detailed in IP audio networks: Dante, AES67, AVB and Milan.

RF plan: frequencies before setup

The RF plan lists all the event’s wireless devices — microphones, in-ear monitors, guide systems and data — and assigns frequencies compatible with authorised spectrum and neighbouring stages. It is built from the actual inventory and verified at the venue, because a city warehouse’s spectrum is not the same as an open field’s.

The plan also provides spares: reserve frequencies ready to switch to if interference appears, and criteria for what is sacrificed first. Without that hierarchy, a failure forces improvisation in front of the artist.

At events with several stages, the RF plan is coordinated globally: the RF coordinator’s work, developed in RF wireless systems: microphones and IEM. The same applies to antenna systems: distribution, splitters and combiners are specified here, rather than improvised.

Lighting plot

The Lighting plot locates each fixture: height, angle, support, DMX universe, control address and consumption. It includes stage positions, bars, floor positions and any service lighting that must coexist with the show.

A good lighting plot anticipates changes. With several artists, positions must serve the first and last without reinstallation; with suspended structures, weights, attachment points and authorisations must appear. Anything absent from the plan is not hung.

With the plot finalised, the console is prepared before setup: fixtures, groups, macros and basic scenes. That preliminary work is developed in DMX512 lighting: universes, fixtures and moving heads.

Video requirements and Special FX requirements

Video requirements establish screen size and resolution, signal type, maximum cable distances, content format and who supplies it. If there will be live cameras or artist content, also confirm the delivery format and backup playback system.

Special FX requirements list what is neither sound nor lighting: atmosphere machines, fog, CO2, confetti, stage pyrotechnics or pressure effects. Each effect comes with a safety distance, consumption, single-use materials and, where applicable, a permit and safety report.

Both blocks share a question: what happens if it fails? For video, there are two sources and a neutral output; for effects, there is a non-activation plan. An effect that can only work perfectly is a wager, rather than a specification.

Also give every requirement a schedule: what is tested before the show and what is tested during the first block. Video is tested with real content at final resolution; effects with test material and safety personnel present. Anything first touched in front of an audience belongs to risk rather than the plan.

How infrastructure is finalised

Closure has three steps. First, each requirement is sent to its validator, and written confirmation is received with a name and date. Second, responses are checked against the venue survey: if the requested power exceeds what is available, supply is expanded or the design reduced before booking. Third, set a contingency margin: spare power capacity, a free frequency and a common video format.

That package is shared with all departments on the same day. Production knowing what technical staff will request prevents another classic: discovering the cost of a generator after the budget is closed.

With infrastructure specified, the next step is turning it into an achievable schedule.

Next step

Now give the specification a clock: schedules, curfew, noise limits and show order organises load-in, soundcheck, doors, show and load-out, with the curfew and noise limits governing every decision.