Nothing stands still on a Metallica tour except the expectation of perfect audio every night, in every city. To maintain that standard throughout each stop, the band’s production team relies on Wisycom RF over Fiber (RFoF) to provide a wireless infrastructure built for scale, mobility and absolute reliability.
After quickly becoming a critical component of the wireless infrastructure supporting Metallica’s M72 World Tour, Wisycom RFoF now enables seamless monitor mixing across extensive stadium distances while delivering the flexibility required for one of live music’s most demanding bands.
Metallica’s monitor engineering team, led by Bob Cowan and Mike Bollella, relies on Wisycom’s RFoF technology to maintain uninterrupted monitoring throughout the production footprint, despite working from mixing positions located hundreds of feet from the stage.
“Wisycom is doing things 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 as we need it to.”
Cowan, who has worked with Metallica for more than 18 years and currently mixes monitors for James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, along with supporting technical personnel, said the transition to Wisycom fundamentally changed the team’s wireless capabilities.
Before adopting Wisycom, the team relied on long coaxial cable runs that introduced signal loss and inconsistent coverage across remote monitor positions. Integrating Wisycom’s RFoF technology provided a stable and scalable approach while opening the door to a broader wireless ecosystem.
“We were previously using extremely long BNC cable runs and constantly battling signal loss,” added Cowan. “When we integrated Wisycom RFoF through Clair Brothers, that part of the system immediately stood out.
“Then I started looking more deeply into the platform and realised the flexibility, bandwidth and worldwide usability were unlike anything else we had used.”
The Wisycom RFoF system enables Metallica’s production team to transport RF signals over fibre, extending wireless coverage while maintaining signal integrity across multiple operating zones.
At the centre of the deployment is a Wisycom MFL unit equipped with a laser transmitter module positioned near the stage, which sends RF signals over fibre to a second MFL unit with an optical receiver located in ‘Monitor World’.
This architecture allows the team to send RF signals across the production footprint without the signal loss associated with long coaxial cable runs. The system provides seamless connectivity between the stage and remote positions while also supporting a dedicated backstage huddle location where the band members gather before performances.
“For us, 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, regardless of 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.”
Supporting the deployment is Wisycom’s MPR50 IEM bodypack receiver platform, which has become an essential part of Metallica’s touring workflow.
“We currently deploy 56 MPR50s on stage alone,” added Bollella. “That includes the band, backup packs, technicians, guests, VIPs 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 engineering team noted that Wisycom’s broad tuning range and fine frequency resolution have simplified international touring operations by allowing the same wireless infrastructure to be deployed globally.
“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 emphasised the operational advantages available through Wisycom’s detailed device configuration and audio optimisation features.
“The amount of control available in the menus surpasses anything I’d used before,” he added. “The ability to tailor settings, adjust impedance and optimise for different in-ear configurations creates a wider image and noticeably higher fidelity.”
By combining advanced RF transport, flexible spectrum operation and scalable wireless monitoring, Wisycom’s solutions continue to support productions that demand consistent performance across every venue and city.
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