Recording control room Volksoper Wien: Martin Lukesch and engineer Andreas Hendler stand in front of the Lawo mc²56 mixing console.
The Volksoper Wien grand opera house in Vienna recently renovated its control rooms. For the recording control suite the facility opted for a Lawo mc²56 mixing console.
During the opera season — between September and June — the theater, which accommodates 1,337 spectators, offers approximately 300 performances, which include operas, operettas, musicals and ballet. More than 150 singers, 95 orchestra musicians and 100 dancers are part of the ensemble. This places high demands on the audio technology with regard to size, flexibility and quality, placing the same high demands on the recording control room.
The Lawo mc²56 with HD core and one DALLIS frame for the recording control suite offers 32 faders and 96 DSP channels. The router offers a capacity of 8,000 x 8,000 crosspoints, the power supply units are redundant, said Lawo. The mc²56 replaces a digital mixing console in the control room and has to communicate perfectly with an already installed digital console for PA purposes. Despite different manufacturers, it is possible that one control room can share audio signals with the other control room, said the company.
“The Lawo system’s flexibility with regard to mechanical build and the free configurability played a decisive role, just like the clear design and intuitive operation of the mixing console as well as the excellent sound,” said Martin Lukesch, head of Audio and Media Technology at the Volksoper Wien. “For example, the size of the metering displays and the number of summing displays can be freely selected. And, last but not least, because of the sophisticated surround mixing options including upmix we decided on the Lawo mixing console.”
