After 25 years working with arena acts, Dave Rupsch has found his "white whale" – a fully digital IEM transmission system that eliminates RF interference and closes the loop on modern concert audio.
The turning point came in Phoenix, a city notorious for its completely occupied radio spectrum. Environmental factors like noise floor and limited RF maneuverability were creating unnecessary stress during an already demanding job. Rupsch decided it was time to move beyond traditional RF limitations, and, with assistance from Clair Global, Spectera was put to the test.
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Initially cautious, Rupsch placed only the crew and music director on Spectera packs. The results were immediate. Within five minutes, the music director approached to say the pack sounded fantastic before walking onstage to show the rest of the band. They immediately asked why they weren’t using it yet. Rupsch’s planned “trial period” lasted about five minutes before Spectera ended up on every show of the tour.
The shift in audio quality was rooted in the absence of traditional analogue artefacts. Without RF noise floor, swishes, pops or clicks, performers could lean into the minute details of the mix. The band’s studio engineer immediately responded to the spacious stereo imaging, while several band members commented it was the clearest they’d ever heard themselves.
Beyond its sonic fidelity, Spectera fundamentally redefined Rupsch’s monitor workflow. Standard Cat 5 cabling replaced traditional BNC connections for antenna deployment. “Cat 5 is so much more pliable and easier to coil,” Rupsch noted. “It’s now possible to add these to our cross-stage looms without the signal loss or interference typically associated with long analogue runs.” Smaller, lighter antennas can be easily claw-mounted to scaffolding anywhere on site.
For the Maroon 5 arena tour, Rupsch utilised a four-antenna setup – stage right, stage left, the thrust and backstage. This configuration ensured frontman Adam Levine stayed connected even when moving through the crowd or into dressing rooms. Rupsch recommends a minimum of three antennas for standard arena stages to ensure a stable connection the moment artists put on their packs backstage.
Looking toward a massive 2026 stadium tour with My Chemical Romance, Spectera marks the end of a fifteen-year wait for the industry, stating: “We as engineers and RF coordinators have been waiting for these advancements to reveal themselves.”
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