From our Who’s Buying What page: Since opening in 1967, the Congresshalle in central Saarbrücken, Germany, has hosted a wide range of events, including concerts and broadcasts hosted by regional public-service broadcaster Saarländischer Rundfunk.
The hall underwent a full renovation between December 2021 and September 2023, and SR used that as an opportunity to refit its control room with a modern IP-based set up.
“With the new audio technology in our control room in the Congress Hall, we have taken a first step into the IP world, which gives us considerable freedom in production,” stated Ralf Schnellbach, head of radio production technology at SR and project manager for this installation. “It makes many things easier, faster and clearer, such as switching between 48 and 96 kHz or signal management with the new user lists.”
To achieve this, SR installed a Lawo mc²36 MkII production mixing console along with two Lawo AoIP stageboxes. The console includes 256 channels of integrated processing at both 48 and 96 kHz, allowing SR to handle even large orchestral programs from the Congresshalle’s Grand Auditorium. The console also offers support for ST 2110, AES67, RAVENNA and Ember+ protocols.
“With this installation, a smart and economically very lean sound control room was created, whose components can be moved for mobile use without great effort, like for festivals during the summer break,” Schnellbach stated.
Based on many years of good experience with Lawo systems as well as the company’s project and customer support, SR opted for a setup from the Rastatt-based manufacturer for the Congress Hall installation.
