References

Bayrischer Rundfunk: Herkulessaal

As a project manager and planning engineer for the BR, Ulrike Haub was in charge of the reconstruction of the Herkulessaal studio. “ For the new equipment in the Herkulessaal, we opted for a CANTUS system which was customised to meet our requirements. A mixing console in the control room, three small NEXUS base devices and a modified slave console in the audio-editing room. Undertaking this project in a historic building was also interesting from the planner’s point of view, because there were often surprising discoveries. For example, when we were looking for old conduits in the hall.
Another novel aspect for us was the fact that the technical equipment as well as the general contractor all came from one source. We were pleasantly surprised and impressed by the SALZBRENNER STAGETEC MEDIAGROUP’s performance as general contractor and manufacturer. The new studio was actually completed two weeks earlier than originally scheduled!”

Classicism and Modernity

Crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and precious tapestries contribute to the noble classical ambience. The view from BR’s brand new CANTUS control room really is unique. The Herkulessaal (Hercules Hall), maintained by the Bavarian Castle Administration, is one of Munich’s most popular concert halls thanks to its atmosphere and acoustics. It is situated at the Munich Residency, founded in the 13th century, and has an audience capacity of up to 1,450 people. The BR regularly organises concerts here. In fact so frequently that the broadcasting service maintains its own recording studio at the venue, including a complete technical infrastructure in adjacent rooms.

Optimum Balance

The radio studio in the grand Municipal Residency has been equipped with a digital console for twelve years. At the time of the original installation, BR was in the vanguard, one of the earliest pioneering organisations to use one of the very first, ultra-large digital desks. After an amazingly long life this needed to be replaced. Where, a decade ago, serried ranks of tall fully populated racks stood side by side heating the machine room, today a single 19II rack houses all the hardware for the new CANTUS and NEXUS systems. The room is almost chilly now. The original airconditioning system continues to blow air but refrigeration is no longer needed. Energy consumption has fallen almost to a tenth of what it used to be.

A Simple Decision

From classic concerts and theatre performances to TV productions, the Herkulessaal hosts a very broad range of events. It is a very varied workplace for the BR sound engineers and an ideal application for the flexible and extremely reliable CANTUS. The choice of this system was a simple one because the BR is already using CANTUS desks in two O.B. vans for radio productions, two more for TV productions, two radio studios, and one TV studio. In fact, the Studio 10 radio studio houses the very first CANTUS console ever delivered! Therefore, sound engineers working at the Herkulessaal, Studio 10, and the Gasteig (which is the third BR radio CANTUS control room), do not need additional training. With only one console type in use, their job is also made considerably simpler.

Ambitious Slaves

The BR included future proofing in their planning. When revamping the entire audio and video equipment of the Herkulessaal studio, multi-channel capability was included from the start. With five Geithain speakers and a 5.0-mix option, including motorised joystick, integrated into the CANTUS, the studio is well prepared for format changes in years to come. However, not only the main console needs to be surround-capable. The small slave console located in the audioedit room next door needs similar capabilities. In this room the recordings are auditioned, monitored, and edited. The small slave console is essentially used as a monitoring desk for all signals received from the control room and audio-edit room sources.
Up to this time, all CANTUS slave consoles had been used in stereo environments, so STAGETEC needed to make modifications for the BR and to implement a multi-channel monitoring bus, independent of the main console. Incidentally, this was not the first alteration made at the BR’s suggestion. The NEXUS intercom matrix was originally designed for a CANTUS installation in one of the BR O.B. Trucks.

Quick Start

The studio modernisation had to be rigidly scheduled to fit in with the Herkulessaal programme of events. The major works needed to be carried out in a few weeks during the summer break. Removing the old equipment from the tight confines of this historic building was difficult, and all the new components needed to be carried up a stairway, by hand, into the studio.
Cabling from the studio into the auditorium only required a few modifications, but the control room, audio-edit room, and of course the machine room, were rewired from scratch.
The SALZBRENNER STAGETEC MEDIAGROUP has gained considerable experience in completing such projects. This is especially true in the theatre field, where almost every renovation is subject to immense time pressure during the inter-season breaks. This expertise was obvious during the Herkulessaal installation, SALZBRENNER STAGETEC MEDIAGROUP’s first installation for the BR as a general contractor: The well-planned modernisation ran quickly and smoothly, with no technical problems. This was essential, since the very first production to use the new installation was the livetransmission of the ARD Musikwettbewerb, a musical competition organised by the German TV and a really major project.

For Posterity

The technical overview is very exciting, functionality and reliability highly convincing — but the glorious period environment leaves the most lasting impression of this project. Several centuries old, this fascinating building enchants everyone, artists, technicians, and the audience. Against this backdrop, every performance in the Herkulessaal becomes a unique event, recorded for posterity by sophisticated technology working unobtrusively in the background.

Logically Speaking

An integrated NEXUS and CANTUS system provides enhanced functionality, e.g. a compact intercom matrix. Offering 32 inputs and outputs connecting remote intercom stations, or to internal CANTUS functions, the matrix can often replace an external intercom installation. Every matrix is customized to exact requirements, featuring complex routing criteria and hierarchic control. For example, it is often used to toggle a reporter’s foldback line. While preparing his piece, he can listen to station output but when on air, he hears his own voice. The intercom matrix was designed at the suggestion of the Bayrischer Rundfunk broadcasting service, the very first CANTUS users, and is now available as a CANTUS option.  

XET with Parallel Outs

In Broadcast stations, monitoring the signal before it goes to the transmitters is essential. Until now, this task has been accomplished by using a distribution amplifier to route the NEXUS output to the broadcast line and return the signal to the NEXUS system for monitoring purposes.
This can now be achieved more elegantly by using the new XET digital output board (NEXUS AES/EBU Transmitter). The XET board enables additional parallel outputs to be provided from a single source. The simplest version features a TosLink and an RJ45 port per channel. More parallel outputs are provided by an extra XETS module that connects to the relevant XET board via a ribbon cable inside the NEXUS base device.
The parallel output ports are separately driven and isolated. This application is not only recommended for monitoring output signals but also for archive recordings of transmissions or for connecting multiple tape machines, in parallel, to a single output.