Clear-Com’s intercom solutions supported live operations across 12 stages for over three weeks at the Coachella and Stagecoach Music & Arts Festival 2025, which brought hundreds of thousands of fans to the California desert this summer. The overall event is split into two parts – Stagecoach is devoted to country music, whereas Coachella focuses on rock music – with both events being held at the Empire Polo Club, Indio, in the Coachella Valley of the Colorado Desert.
The deployment, led by Azuolas Sinkevicius, principal of Media Stream Wave, featured Clear-Com’s latest configuration software, EHX v14, as well as FreeSpeak II beltpacks and an Eclipse Omega HX matrix frame, creating a communication intercom backbone for both festival production and livestream broadcasts.
Clear-Com technology supported live operations across the following stages: For Coachella: Sahara Tent, Mojave Tent, Sonora Tent, Yuma Tent, Quasar Stage, El Dorado Stage. And for Stagecoach: Mane Stage, Palomino Stage, Honky Tonk Stage, Toyota Stage, and the Host Set.
At the heart of the system was a Clear-Com Eclipse HX-Omega matrix, configured with:
- EHX v14 software, enabling programming across a distributed network.
- 2 E-IPA 64-port licences, offering high channel count and scalability for IP-based devices.
- 1 MADI card, allowing integration with audio routing infrastructure.
- 3 MVX16 analogue interface cards, supporting legacy equipment and third-party integration.
- 23 IVC-32 IP-connected intercom panels, placed throughout the production compound and stages.
To ensure untethered mobility across sprawling outdoor festival grounds, the team deployed:
- 61 FreeSpeak II 1.9 GHz beltpacks, worn by technical leads, stage managers, and comms operators.
- 16 FreeSpeak II IP transceivers, mounted strategically to provide wireless coverage.
Clear-Com’s support extended beyond traditional intercom to include integration with broadcast trucks and livestreaming workflows. This ensured coordination not only on the ground, but also with remote teams responsible for distributing high-quality content to global audiences.
Sinkevicius said: “Festivals like Coachella and Stagecoach require precise coordination between dozens of departments. With so many stages, artists, and live broadcast elements in motion at once, communication is necessary to create the fun and carefree environment attendees crave. Clear-Com gave us the freedom and autonomy to keep every cue on time.
“We didn’t experience a single drop in communications throughout the entire event. Even with multiple stages and changing artist lineups every hour, Clear-Com performed exactly the way you hope it will, quietly, reliably, and transparently.”
