On June 1, Limitless Lights and Sound had the distinct honor of supporting OTK Media in hosting the Melee Combat Event II at the Iron Forge Gym in Austin, Texas. This highly anticipated event captivated an audience with a live broadcast system, lighting, and audio system that reached over 150,000 concurrent viewers and amassed over 2 million views on creator Mizkif's Twitch channel, making it one of the largest events of the month on Twitch.
Limitless Lights and Sound turn-keyed the production, ensuring every aspect of the broadcast met the highest standards for OTK. OTK is an influencer network and media company built by creators that partner with authentic, relatable influencers, to develop the most exciting, innovative, and engaging content in digital media. Collaborating closely with the OTK team, we supported their needs for uncompromising video quality, seamless switching between high-quality cameras, fantastic shots with a jib and Steadicam, eye-catching graphics, pristine live and broadcast audio, and high-quality broadcast lighting that looked exceptional on video.
To do justice to the 150,000 live viewers, Limitless Lights and Sound coordinated and supplied a thorough broadcast package. After many in-depth conversations with OTK about the production quality and shot list they desired, we settled on the following system. The multi-camera package consisted of:
This system was seamlessly switched and colored back in the video booth, ensuring a high-quality broadcast experience. The technical setup included:
This comprehensive setup along with a comprehensive multiview package, ringside monitors, and video feeds across the venue each independently routed, allowed us to deliver a broadcast that met the highest standards, as well as a functional production for the entire team – showcasing the event in the best possible light and engaging viewers from start to finish.
When it comes to lighting a broadcast, you can never go wrong with ARRI and Astera products. For this show, our goal was to keep the lighting budget-friendly without compromising on quality. We used:
The lighting system was expertly programmed by local lighting designer Paul Turner, who utilized his Hog4 control system to create a beautiful contrast of color specials, exciting moments, and, most importantly, balanced levels for the broadcast.
The system was white balanced to a clean 5400K, with accent tones provided by the Mac Auras, Titan Tubes, and AX5s. This setup ensured that the lighting not only looked fantastic in person but also translated perfectly on video, enhancing the overall viewer experience.
To keep things simple, the lighting system was rigged from two 16′ x 32′ Global Truss Archways on either side of the ring.
For this event, our lead audio engineer, Robby Wall, aimed to capture all the natural ambiance of the fights and the event while delivering crystal clear audio of the primary mics uncompromisingly.
Our mic package consisted of:
All these channels were fed into a Whirlwind hardware split snake, which split each audio channel for independent control. One set of channels was directed to our M32 in the booth for controlled and crystal clear broadcast levels, while the other set was used for the live audience audio downstairs, delivering loud intro music and ambient sound.
In the booth, Robby dialed in an incredible mix, maintaining master control over every piece of audio content before it hit the stream, ensuring top-notch sound quality for the broadcast.
No production is complete without high-quality communications. For this, we provided 20 channels of intercom, utilizing a Clear-Com FreeSpeak II rack to facilitate both party line communication for the broadcast and camera team, and a live production line for the crew downstairs.
In addition, we pushed separate mixes to each commentator’s headphones, and gave the Technical Director (TD) Peccyz the ability to reach them with his mic for specific show-calls. Our stage manager, announcers, talent, and talent manager all received IFBs so that the TD could separately reach them with pertinent show calls.
This comprehensive setup ensured seamless communication and impeccable audio quality, contributing significantly to the event’s success.
The collaboration between OTK Media and Limitless Lights and Sound for the Melee Combat Event II was a resounding success, showcasing our commitment to delivering top-tier production services. From the meticulously coordinated broadcast package to the expertly crafted lighting and flawless audio, every element came together to create an unforgettable experience for both the live audience and the twitch.tv viewers at home.
Our dedication to quality and innovation was evident in every aspect of the event, proving once again that Limitless Lights and Sound is a leader in live event production. We are proud to have been part of this significant event and look forward to continuing our partnership with OTK Media for future projects.
We would like to extend an extra special thanks to Zodiac Studios for their support in this production, in assisting us with technical video elements and making sure this production was a resounding success.
Thank you to everyone who tuned in, supported, and participated in making the Melee Combat Event II a spectacular success. Stay tuned for more exciting events and groundbreaking productions from Limitless Lights and Sound.
