Gdynia, January 2018: The Danuta Baduszkowa Musical Theater in Gdynia, Poland, has been using an extensive NEXUS routing network for some time. Together with its Polish partner Konsbud Audio, STAGETEC, the Berlin-based manufacturer of digital audio technology, has now continued this project - a CRESCENDO platinum with 32 faders was installed as the heart of the audio control room. In addition, the NEXUS network was upgraded with four powerful RMDQ DSP boards and brought up to the latest technical standards.
The Danuta Baduszkowa Musical Theater has been modernized in several phases over the past few years. In search of a flexible routing network for audio signals to connect the three stages and a recording studio, the theater chose NEXUS in the course of the modernization. Beforehand, the sound department from Gdynia had convinced itself of the efficiency of the NEXUS network in German theaters. They were particularly impressed by the wide range of conversion options to all common formats, the microphone split function of the XMIC+, and the high dynamic range of up to 158dB, as well as the redundancy options offered by NEXUS.
A very extensive NEXUS network with 18 Base Devices and two NEXUS STAR routers was then installed in Gdynia. The Base Devices were distributed throughout the building and also on the stages. In order to be able to react flexibly and quickly to artistic requirements, some NEXUS Base Devices are mobile and can provide additional audio inputs and outputs locally, e.g., when large musicals with high miking requirements need additional microphone inputs.
In the final phase of the upgrade, Konsbud Audio installed the CRESCENDO platinum mixing console. The search for a new audio console began before the production of the new play "Notre Dame de Paris". The performances are a great technological challenge that requires a console with multiple functions. Before the decision was made in favor of the console from STAGETEC, various other audio consoles were tested. Mariusz Fortuniak, the head of the sound department at the musical theater, describes the decision process in an interview with the Polish trade magazine Muzyka i Technologia: "After testing numerous options, we decided on the CRESCENDO platinum from STAGETEC with 32 faders (4 x 8). There were several reasons for this. In our theater, we use a NEXUS network from STAGETEC, so it's fitting that the console is from the same manufacturer. We can use all the possibilities that the NEXUS network offers via any base device. This is very practical, especially in live situations. Another important reason is that we can now use the full dynamic range of the AD/DA converters. Limitations that are typical when converting to other audio formats no longer occur for us. The result, of course, is much better quality of the final signal. Apart from that, the console is extremely flexible and the dedicated software allows assigning any function to many user keys. The production of "Notre Dame de Paris" also influenced the decision to use CRESCENDO platinum. The musical requires very complex monitoring, so we need a console with the largest possible number of outputs. The console has to be integrated into a heterogeneous monitoring environment consisting of several stage monitor paths (including a setup for an experimental choir) and dozens of direct signals for a personal monitoring system for the orchestra musicians. The essential parameters were the shortest possible latency for in-ear monitoring of the singers and musicians, the high dynamic range of the processed signals, and the highest possible quality of the audio signals. The Crescendo met all our requirements with its RMDQ cards in signal processing."
The Danuta Baduszkowa Musical Theater in Gdynia has hosted more than 300 premieres since it opened in 1958, including such well-known productions as "Les Miserables," "Jesus Christ Superstar," "Chicago," "Shrek" and "Notre Dame de Paris." The house has three stages and seats more than 1500 spectators.
