AURUS platinum replaces almost 20-year-old CANTUS mixing consoles
Bern/Switzerland, September 2017: Two large AURUS platinum and a NEXUS audio network now provide good sound at the Konzert Theater Bern (formerly Stadttheater Bern). Replacing them are two CANTUS systems from STAGETEC, which were installed in 1999 as the first digital consoles in Switzerland. As main and slave consoles, the CANTUS consoles mixed the sounds of the four-discipline stage for opera, drama, ballet and concert in a NEXUS network. Two AURUS platinum consoles with 32 faders each were now installed for them. For more performance, the consoles were equipped with five RMDQ DSP boards. One AURUS platinum was installed in the audio control room, on the second floor of the theater. The second console is mobile and is set up in the auditorium as needed. One advantage of this location is that during rehearsals, the sound engineer can assess the audio quality of musicals and concerts right here on site.
The NEXUS audio network with seven Base Devices and a STAR router was completely replaced and adapted to current requirements with high-performance modules. In addition to audio routing, NEXUS also distributes all monitoring signals of the various trades such as sound, lighting, stage technology, and stage management, as well as alerting in case of emergency.
The two mobile NEXUS base devices can be flexibly placed directly at the scene of the action and allow maximum flexibility, even for creative stage direction ideas. For example, the Konzert Theater Bern has its own choir hall, which is often used for live choir performances when there is a lack of space on stage.
"Our goal was to have a sound control room that could meet all the demands of our wide-ranging production repertoire, be it opera, dance, drama or musical," explains Bruno Benedetti, head of sound engineering at Konzert Theater Bern. "The cooperation with STAGETEC was ideal in this respect, as we were able to perfectly modernize the existing technology with the new AURUS consoles and the new NEXUS network - without compromising on quality and operational reliability."
The Stadttheater Bern has existed since 1903, and in 2011 it was merged with the Bern Symphony Orchestra to form the "Konzert Theater Bern" foundation. Since then, the four divisions of symphony orchestra, music theater, drama and dance have been operating under one roof within the framework of the foundation.
In recent years, the Konzert Theater Bern has been renovated in several stages. The end of the renovation and the glorious reopening of the house were celebrated with a large theater festival on September 9. In the new 2017/18 season, more than 30 premieres and projects are on the schedule of the Konzert Theater Bern, including numerous world premieres and first performances.