Last century I was driving cross country and I can't remember where (Indiana, KY. or Ohio?) but it was in a rural area on July 2 or 3rd a station was promoting every stop set I heard about how at the county fireworks show and their music was supposed to be "in time" with the fireworks. I believe it was sponsored by a Car dealership, Farm Equipment place and Chiropractor. You were supposed to take a portable radio in the fair grounds. Was this a local thing or do the fireworks folks have some kind of way to sync up the fireworks with music?
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4th of July Fireworks syncing
- Thread starter secondchoice
- Start date
It's been going on for years. A station produces a soundtrack to go along with the fireworks. An example is the WEBN (Cincinnati)Fireworks on Labor Day Weekend
IIRC, that type of fireworks show originated in 1976 with Rick Liebert and his Sky Show at KGB San Diego. WEBN Cincinnati did their first in 1977. Louisville has an annual show as part of the Kentucky Derby festival. Knoxville and Indianapolis no longer do their once annual shows. I’d guess you heard the show for Q-Mix 107 dot 3 WRZQ in Columbus, Indiana.
The basic way of doing a show in the early days was to use a multi-track tape reel to reel deck. Two tracks were the stereo music track output to the on-air feed. A third track was a “count track” only heard off-air. The show producer verbally recorded a count to specific points in time. A second person sat at a launch board at the show site listening to the count and following a detailed list of when to fire a shell.
“Rise time” is the length of time from when the shell is launched from the mortar until it breaks in the sky. For example: a shell might have a four second “rise time.” The shell is to break at seven minutes into the show. Following the list, the launch board person would listen for the “count track” voice to give the six minute fifty-six second command. At that point, a specific shell is fired. Four seconds later it breaks with the pre-determined point in the soundtrack.
Since those early days, computers have replaced count tracks and firing board operators, making the synchronization must easier and much tighter to the music track. There are a number of companies who’ve developed synchronized fireworks into an art. Rozzi Fireworks in Cincinnati or Melrose Pyrotechnics outside of Chicago are two examples.
The basic way of doing a show in the early days was to use a multi-track tape reel to reel deck. Two tracks were the stereo music track output to the on-air feed. A third track was a “count track” only heard off-air. The show producer verbally recorded a count to specific points in time. A second person sat at a launch board at the show site listening to the count and following a detailed list of when to fire a shell.
“Rise time” is the length of time from when the shell is launched from the mortar until it breaks in the sky. For example: a shell might have a four second “rise time.” The shell is to break at seven minutes into the show. Following the list, the launch board person would listen for the “count track” voice to give the six minute fifty-six second command. At that point, a specific shell is fired. Four seconds later it breaks with the pre-determined point in the soundtrack.
Since those early days, computers have replaced count tracks and firing board operators, making the synchronization must easier and much tighter to the music track. There are a number of companies who’ve developed synchronized fireworks into an art. Rozzi Fireworks in Cincinnati or Melrose Pyrotechnics outside of Chicago are two examples.
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KLMI 106.1 Laramie, WY has broadcast music synched up to the fireworks for about the entirety of its existence, 13-14 years
In fact, for 2 years, i was the one who picked the music..... we would put it together in Adobe a week or so ahead of time, lay it out, mix it down and send it off to the fireworks people.
whatever guy/company does laramies fireworks has been doing them for 3 decades
In fact, for 2 years, i was the one who picked the music..... we would put it together in Adobe a week or so ahead of time, lay it out, mix it down and send it off to the fireworks people.
whatever guy/company does laramies fireworks has been doing them for 3 decades
''The fireworks folks?'' No. It doesn't originate from the fireworks folks. It originates from programming folks who see a way to attract sponsorship.
One example is the Capitol Fourth. That is an annual event put on by the National Park Service and WETA. The fireworks are hired by the Park Service. Then you have the National Symphony Orchestra on the grounds of the Capitol, with seating on the grass and steps. The finale is the Symphony performing the 1812 Overture with the fireworks. They even have real canons shooting off. The whole thing is broadcast live, with sponsorship from GM or some similar company.
Every fireworks show we simulcast the music was provided by the company producing the show, associated with the company doing the fireworks.
Various methods were used over the years.
One initial method before we owned the FM station, not legal, they set up a complete 950 MHz STL transmitter and antenna at the stage where the audio originated. Switch off the studio STL switch on the fireworks STL.
When we took it over that was nixed immediately.
First few times we got a copy of the music and the board op would try to keep it in sync with a Marti feed from the fireworks.
Then we used a Moseley 450 wideband (15 KHz audio) RPU to get the synced (mono) music from the display. That worked the best.
I ended up running the music from the stage a few times. Last time they had a digital 4-track player (don't remember what it was) that a couple of the tracks were audible cues and a data track that fed a couple Marties to the fireworks crew and the firing computer.
Then we dropped it ( I was SO HAPPY!).
Various methods were used over the years.
One initial method before we owned the FM station, not legal, they set up a complete 950 MHz STL transmitter and antenna at the stage where the audio originated. Switch off the studio STL switch on the fireworks STL.
When we took it over that was nixed immediately.
First few times we got a copy of the music and the board op would try to keep it in sync with a Marti feed from the fireworks.
Then we used a Moseley 450 wideband (15 KHz audio) RPU to get the synced (mono) music from the display. That worked the best.
I ended up running the music from the stage a few times. Last time they had a digital 4-track player (don't remember what it was) that a couple of the tracks were audible cues and a data track that fed a couple Marties to the fireworks crew and the firing computer.
Then we dropped it ( I was SO HAPPY!).
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