Know-how

The entire live production of Europe’s most popular song contest was produced on two of STAGETEC’s flagship consoles

When the annual Eurovision Song Contest went on air this year from Kiev, Ukraine, it was a double premiere: For the very first time the event was broadcasted live in Stereo and 5.1. and for the very first time two AURUS consoles by STAGETEC, Berlin, were in charge for the live mix of the popular show! Broadcasted live into 39 European countries, the two AURUS’ provided the entire primary sound feed during the semi-final on May 19 and the final on May 21.

With an average of more than 350 million viewers in 39 Nations, the Eurovision Song Contest is one of the most popular programs in European TV. This year, primary sound production facilities were provided by a Swedish Radio (SR) OB truck equipped with an brand new AURUS with 40 Faders and an overall DSP-power of about 260 channels and 64 busses. In addition, STAGETEC, as an official sponsor of the event, contributed with a second AURUS as fallback option. This second AURUS was equipped with 48 faders and an DSP-power of about 200 audio channels and 64 busses. Both AURUS were networked via double-redundant MADI lines and the installation was complemented by a total of five NEXUS base devices providing for all I/O’s on stage and in the sound control rooms as well as in the OB truck.

The AURUS in the SR OB truck was in charge of delivering the 2.0 and LCR music mix to an OB truck by Swedish outside broadcast specialist Prisma. Here, the secondary mix (SL,SR, LF) was made and afterwards forwarded via satellite-link to the connected international TV-Stations. A second primary mix was simultaneously made with the other AURUS, located in a provisional sound control room at the venue. “For an high-profile event like this absolute reliability is a must-have”, says Christian Fuchs, sound engineer on-site on behalf of SALZBRENNER STAGETEC MEDIAGROUP and in charge for the additional mix. “Therefore all mixes were made twice at the same time for immediate take over in case of system failure. Thanks to the easy networking of the whole system via fiber, setting-up two consoles working simultaneously was done quickly”, he continues. Besides absolute reliability, the Swedish sound engineers became to know another advantage of their new AURUS: Quick and simple operation. “The Eurovision contest was a challenging task for all of us, but in particular for my Swedish colleagues, as it was only their third production with the new desk”, explains Christian Fuchs, “but just after half a day of training they felt so familiar with the AURUS that they didn’t need any further assistance from my side!”, he sums up.