Wisycom RF Over Fibre Transforms Wireless For Metallica's M72 Tour

Perfection in live sound remains non-negotiable on a Metallica tour, and the band's production crew has turned to Wisycom's RF over Fibre (RFoF) platform to sustain that standard across the M72 World Tour.

The system provides a scalable, mobile and highly dependable wireless backbone that supports seamless monitor mixing over vast stadium footprints.

Metallica's monitor team, led by Bob Cowan and Mike Bollella, depends on Wisycom's RFoF to keep uninterrupted coverage from mix positions situated hundreds of feet from the stage. "Wisycom is doing stuff that nobody else is doing," said Cowan. "We're mixing monitors roughly 750 feet away, and it's been flawless. Reliability is everything for us, not just the Wisycom IEM packs and transmitters, but the entire system architecture. The Wisycom RF over Fiber solution has eliminated the limitations we previously faced and has performed exactly the way we need it to."

Cowan, a Metallica veteran of more than 18 years who mixes monitors for James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich alongside key technical staff, says the switch to Wisycom reset the team’s wireless expectations. Previously, long coaxial runs produced signal drop and patchy coverage at remote mix locations; adopting RFoF delivered a stable, expandable pathway and unlocked a broader, more flexible wireless ecosystem.

"We were previously using extremely long BNC cable runs and constantly battling signal loss," added Cowan. "When we integrated the Wisycom RFoF through Clair Brothers, that part of the system immediately stood out. Then, I started looking deeper into the platform and realized the flexibility, bandwidth and worldwide usability were unlike anything else we had used."

At the heart of the setup is Wisycom's MFL fibre link. A laser transmitter module near the stage carries RF over fibre to a second MFL with an optical receiver in the remote 'Monitor World'. This architecture moves RF cleanly across the production area without the attenuation common to long coax, tying together stage and off-stage positions and also feeding a dedicated backstage huddle spot used by the band pre-show.

"For us, the Wisycom RF over Fiber has been an absolute game changer because we mix remotely," said Bollella, who serves as monitor engineer for Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo. "We needed full coverage, so every transmitter remained accessible no matter where we were working. The Wisycom system allows us to monitor exactly what the band is hearing with zero dropouts, and that has been a massive upgrade."

Complementing the transport layer is Wisycom's MPR50 IEM bodypack receiver, now central to Metallica’s touring workflow. "We currently deploy 56 MPR50s on-stage alone," added Bollella. "That includes the band, backup packs, techs, guests, VIP and accessibility support. We also maintain additional inventory in our tuning room and rehearsal environment. The sound quality and tuning flexibility have been outstanding."

The team highlights Wisycom's wide tuning range and fine frequency steps as a major advantage for global routing, enabling the same racks to be carried worldwide with minimal changes. "The worldwide bandwidth and the ability to tune with that level of precision have made an enormous difference," said Bollella. "One rack essentially supports the entire world tour, which removes a huge logistical burden."

Cowan also points to the depth of device configuration and audio tools as an operational edge. "The amount of control available in the menus surpasses anything I'd used before,” he adds. “The ability to tailor settings, adjust impedance and optimize for different in-ear configurations creates a wider image and noticeably higher fidelity."

wisycom.com