Colombian superstar Maluma made history with a live rooftop performance from the Empire State Building as part of the global launch of Hugo BOSS’s “BOSS Bottled Beyond” fragrance. The private event featured 600 guests and was streamed to fans worldwide, supported by a Clair Global audio team using Sound Devices’ Astral Wireless system to ensure crystal-clear sound in a challenging environment.

The performance marked the first time a live concert had been staged from the Empire State Building’s 90th floor platform. With no room for error, Clair Global Live Sound Engineer and Mixer German Tarazona led a team tasked with delivering perfect sound under tight spatial and technical constraints. “There were so many aspects of it that made it special — the iconic location, the excitement around the launch, and the fact that it was fully live,” Tarazona said. “We had to make sure we could deliver nothing less than 100% perfection.”

Working alongside Musical Director Miguel “Escobar” Marques, Playback Tech Camilo Fernandez, Production Manager Teo Echeverria, RF Engineer Matt Edminson and Audio Tech Andrew Puccio, Tarazona designed a compact yet powerful setup. The system had to support mixes for both the live audience and the global stream, as well as in-ear monitoring for Maluma and Marques. “Our musical director created a special arrangement for the show … around 86 channels with a unique orchestration to give the performance a special feel,” Tarazona said. “All of this had to be routed through a single console and be supported by a wireless system that was utterly foolproof. This is where DiGiCo and Sound Devices Astral Wireless were utterly essential to our process.”

The team used a DiGiCo Quantum 225 Digital Mixing Console and SD Mini Rack for routing, along with Sound Devices’ ARX16 Digital Wireless Receiver, A20-Monarch omnidirectional antennas, and four Astral HH Digital Wireless Handheld Microphones. “RF was the biggest challenge we were facing up there, so we knew we needed rock-solid signal quality and quick frequency evaluation,” Tarazona explained. “We knew we needed rock-solid signal quality and the ability to quickly evaluate frequency availability to get the job done.”

As Maluma performed atop the illuminated tower, lit in the colors of the Colombian flag, the team’s efforts paid off. “This was huge for Maluma and for Colombia in general,” Tarazona said. “Twelve intense minutes that delivered an incredible result for our artist — something we’re truly proud of as a production team.”

Tarazona credited the success to the preparation and reliability of the gear. “Everything came together on the audio production side perfectly,” he said. “We’re incredibly thankful for the support from Clair Global throughout pre-production and to Sound Devices and DiGiCo for designing rock-solid gear that can stand up to a high-stakes production situation like this.”

For more information, visit www.sounddevices.com or www.clairglobal.com.