sydney opera house performance euphonix sound

Our audio team at Sydney Opera House is recognised as a world leader in concert and theatre production. Their level of skill and dedication have now been matched with digital audio facilities that have enhanced the calibre of our performances and enabled us to deliver an even better experience to our patrons.

We look forward to engaging with our artists and audiences via new media and through the broadcast of educational, interactive and commercial content which may be produced from any of our theatres or performance venues. Thanks to our partnership with Euphonix, our audio infrastructure has given us the flexibility to respond to our continually growing business and customer requirements.

Norman GillespieChief Executive Sydney Opera House

Sydney Opera House is Australia’s leading performing arts centre, attracting over 4 million visitors a year to engage in a range of cultural events and customer experiences. With six operating venues including the Concert Hall, Opera Theatre, Drama Theatre, Playhouse, Utzon Room and The Studio, this iconic landmark is Australia’s pre-eminent showcase for performing arts and culture as well as an international leader in the presentation and development of artists and their work.

sydney opera house:

David Claringbold Technical Operations Manager, Sound and Audio Visual

dclaringbold@sydneyoperahouse.com

a sound future: With a broad range of audiences to inspire and entertain, Sydney Opera House aims to make every experience world class. The technical foundation we now have in place will enable this in terms of recorded, broadcast and multimedia works. In the Concert Hall and Opera Theatre, audiences are now experiencing a quality of audio that was not previously thought possible. This is thanks to the Euphonix audio console,

Meyer loudspeaker systems and Lake speaker controllers operated via wireless tablet PC that enable sound engineers to move about the auditorium to perform adjustments to the audio.With the inclusion of a Euphonix console in the new Recording Studio and another in the Drama Theatre this whole-of-house solution operating off the fibre optic network allows for many technical and creative possibilities. We are now seriously connected.

TECH SPECS:

EUPHONIX SYSTEM 5 DIGITAL

40 FADERS, 106 CHANNELS, 48

GROUPS, 24 AUX, 32 MIX BUSS.

ATC 20 A MONITORS

AKAI DD1000

TC M2000

JBL HLA

NEUMANN

DPA

SHURE

Severin Sieben Sound Supervisor Opera Theatre

A critical requirement for us is the rapid reconfiguration and storage of pre-sets to restage productions possibly weeks or even months apart. The Euphonix console allows hundreds of pre-set shows to be recalled at the touch of a button.Utilising the System 5’s Remote Mixing capabilities has also become an irreplaceable part of the way we work. It allows much closer communication with the creative staff and performers.

opera theatre:

The Opera Theatre is the second largest venue at Sydney Opera House seating 1,547 people and can accommodate up to 70 musicians.

This venue is in constant use as a performance space for opera, ballet and contemporary dance. It is the major Sydney performance base for Opera Australia, The Australian Ballet and Sydney Dance Company.

The Concert Hall is the largest interior venue at Sydney Opera House.

Sydney Symphony, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs and the Australian Philharmonic Orchestra are regular presenters in the venue. In addition to these companies, Sydney Opera House also produces and co-presents a variety of contemporary musical performances by artists such as Dionne Warwick, Harry Connick Jnr and kd lang.

The System 5 easily allows us to meet the challenges of all the diverse performances staged in the Concert Hall. Whether they demand recording, live PA, or broadcast, we are able to configure the one console for all needs. Sonically the console is superb, allowing us to ensure that the dynamics, texture, and transparency of the music are preserved, no matter how detailed the program.

Bruce “Bunny” CookSound Supervisor Concert Hall

TECH SPECS:

EUPHONIX SYSTEM 5 DIGITAL

32 FADERS, 96 CHANNELS, 24 GROUPS, 24 MIX

BUSES, 16 AUX

ATC 20 A MONITORING

PYRAMIX HARD DISK RECORDER

MEYER SOUND LINE ARRAY

LAKE CONTOUR PROCESSORS

TC AND LEXICON

NEUMANN, DPA, SHURE

concert hall:

recording studio:

The new Recording Studio will be able to record live performances from any of the six Sydney Opera House venues.

It can produce the highest quality sound for DVD and CD recordings ranging from opera and symphony to contemporary music. It will also assist in the production of audio and visual content for performance, promotion, simulcast and education.

Tony David Cray Recording and Multimedia Producerrecording@sydneyoperahouse.com

The Recording Studio completes the audio picture. At last performing companies and visiting artists can record the magic of their performances within this world class facility. Whether it is from the Concert Hall, Utzon Room or outside on the Forecourt we have the ability to capture and post produce every performance to the highest standards.

TECH SPECS:

EUPHONIX SYSTEM 5 DIGITAL

56 FADERS, 156 CHANNELS, 48 GROUPS,

16 MIX BUSS, 16 AUX

ATC SCM50A CUSTOM 5.1 MONITORING SYSTEM

ATC SCM20A NEARFIELD MONITORING

PROTOOLS HD3 ACCEL

GENEX 9048 WITH DSD, PYRAMIX WITH V-CUBE

LEXICON 960L, TC M5000

NEVE, AVALON, UNIVERSAL AUDIO, FOCUSRITE,

NEUMANN, AKG, DPA

Having a console linked to a hard disk replay system that is fully digital and recallable means that in three minutes we can go from the show we were doing last night to the show we are doing now. That level of complexity and recall ability is critical and the impact of that is huge. We are now able to take on the most intricate sound designs and bring another dimension to the theatrical experience.

Colin Budd Sound SupervisorDrama Theatre

drama theatre:

TECH SPECS:

EUPHONIX MAX AIR DIGITAL

40 FADERS, 96 CHANNELS, 24 AUXILIARIES, 24 GROUPS,

20 MIX BUSS

ATC 20A MONITORS

TC SYSTEM 6000

LCS MATRIX 3 WILDTRACKS

CROWN IQ

TANNOY S300 AND B950

The Drama Theatre is a medium sized theatre which seats 544 and is one of the homes of major presenting partner Sydney Theatre Company. It is also in high demand for a wide variety of other performances from dance to musical theatre.

TECH SPECS:

EUPHONIX MADI ROUTER

EUPHONIX MADI FIBRE CONVERTERS

HOUSE DIGITAL CLOCK

MEDIA MATRIX

CROWN IQ

The CCR is the heart and soul of all audio, communications and video distribution for the house. Linking all the venues via fibre optics allows us infinite possibilities in expanding these services to our clients.

All major venues are permanently connected to the Central Control Room (CCR), while outdoor venues such as the Forecourt and specialised venues such as the Utzon Room, Playhouse and Studio can now be linked into the digital network with ease to send and receive audio visual content via the CCR.

A set of mobile acquisition racks completes the picture and provides a direct fibre optic link to the recording studio from any venue or room.

Steve LeRoux Technical Manager Communications & Audio Visual Systems

central control room:

Central Control Room

Drama Theatre

Concert Hall

Opera Theatre

Playhouse

The Studio

Recording Studio

Utzon Room

Forecourt

Sydney Opera House Fibre Network Links all venues for sharing audio and recording performances

Photography by Adam Craven Cover Photography by Jim Rolon180˚ Panorama Photography by Tony David Cray and Gavin PawseyArt Direction & Design by Ben Goss

Special thanks to: Euphonix and Technical Audio Group

euphonix.com sydneyoperahouse.com

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