Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Zurich Opera House Uses Lawo IP Technology to Enable Remote Production

13/10/2020

In the age of social distancing, how can an orchestra and choir create a great musical performance when they cannot be in close proximity to each other? During the coming season, Switzerland's renowned Zurich Opera House will rely on Lawo IP technology to solve exactly this problem by remote production.

The need to find a solution for future performances became clear in early 2020, after Switzerland's lockdown went into effect on 15 March. That solution came in the form of an IP-based Remote Production installation from Lawo, designed specially for WAN-based remote productions. Equipment includes a Lawo mc 36 console, Compact I/O stagebox units, and V__remote4 devices to transport and process video and audio signals, plus an upgrade of the Lawo Nova73 HD Core already installed at the Opera House which adds RAVENNA networking and additional SFP Ethernet ports.

At first we sat at home, puzzled and surprised, but pretty quickly we were thinking about how to move forward, says Oleg Surgutschow, head of the Opera House's Sound Department. While some departments, like the workshops and costume departments, were able to continue working under the prescribed anti-Corona measures, the sound department's activities were pretty limited. So we had to quickly find a way of coping to ensure effective rehearsal operations and, later on, deliver opera, operetta and ballet performances of the usual high level for the 2020-2021 season.

Since the orchestra pit proved too small for the required minimum distances between the musicians and choir members would likewise have been performing too close together, the management of the Opera House decided the only option was for both to use separate facilities, and the idea was born to transfer the Bregenz Floating Stage Principle to the opera house.

After agreement was reached, Surgutschow and Fabio Luisi, General Music Director of the opera house, and Michael Utz, deputy head of the sound department, sat down with the other trades to sound out the implementation. Fabio Luisi was already a conductor at the Bregenz Festival, where for years audio and video signals as well as intercom have been transmitted via long-distance connections between the stage, orchestra and audience, so the concept was a familiar one.

However, says Utz, we had to adapt the Bregenz model to the needs of our house. The Bregenz Festival is a long run of performances, while the Zurich Opera House has a changing program with changing musicians and ensembles. The equipment has to be mobile, and we have to be able to adjust settings quickly and safely. It was quickly decided that the orchestra rehearsal room on Kreuzplatz in Zurich, about 1 km from the Opera House, would have sufficient space for orchestra and choir.

Corona restrictions meant that delivery times for the chosen technology would be longer than usual, so time was of the essence in deciding on the solution and procuring the required gear: infrastructure for the audio and video signals and their transmission, as well as peripherals - for example, 60 microphones for the musicians, each of which now occupy a single desk due to distance rules rather than the double desks normally shared by two performers.

Of course transmission demands were high, confirms Surgutschow. The orchestra's sound had to be reproduced in the main hall, video of the conductor's movements had to be transmitted to the musicians, and communication between the stage, orchestra rehearsal room, and other technically relevant positions had to be ensured. This required a secure connection that could transmit audio and video signals without latency, and we decided to use two RAVENNA streams, giving 128 channels in both directions. For the transmission itself we rented a direct, redundant fiber optic connection from the city of Zurich, so that a back-up line is always available.

The Zurich Opera House is a long-standing and satisfied Lawo customer, so naturally a solution from Lawo was first on the table. Tingo GmbH / AV-Architekten from Muri AG, who were involved in the planning and system integration of the Opera House's new building in 2014, were called upon again to help with planning and evaluation.

Lawo presented a concept based on experience gained from many other remote production projects. And, for the Opera House, it made sense to employ new Lawo technology that would easily integrate with their previously installed equipment.

The Lawo setup includes a Compact I/O stagebox, a 24-fader mc 36 all-in-one mixing console and, with the V__remote4 for converting and transmitting the AV signals, a bidirectional, four-channel Video-over-IP interface with four local SDI inputs and outputs, as well as other tools required for production over WAN. An additional V__remote4 unit is located in the opera house, where a Lawo mc 56 mixing console, installed in 2018, was upgraded with a RAVENNA interface and SFPs in its Nova73HD core.

The V__remote4 solution covers all our needs a very powerful system in a slim design, notes Surgutschow.

From Kreuzplatz, the audio signals are transmitted via the compact I/O, the mc 36 console and V_remote4 to the Opera House, where another V__remote4 receives the signals. There, the mc 56 console mixes the sound and passes it on to the sound reinforcement system. The conductors use cameras to guide the orchestra and choir, who are playing music on Kreuzstrasse. The infrastructure makes great use of the multi-viewer option of the V_remote4, which allows the stage to be transmitted with conductors in a wide shot, with communication via a previously installed Riedel Artist system. The main task of the mc 36 console is to provide a monitor mix for the conductor, but it is also used for parallel rehearsals, individual sound checks, and occasional sound recordings.

In the opera house, wave field s
LINK: https://lawo.com/zurich-opera-house-uses-lawo-ip-technology-to-enable-...
See more stories from lawo

Most recent headlines

01/04/2025

Inside USHER's Star-Studded Black Box' Event in London

USHER's London takeover is in full swing. After kicking off his sold-out run of shows at the O2 Arena to rave reviews, the R&B icon joined forces with Spoti...

01/04/2025

ST Engineering iDirect Launches New Excelerator Partner Program

Innovative program empowers partners with growth, efficiency and collaboration Herndon, Va., April 1, 2025 ST Engineering iDirect, a global leader in satelli...

01/04/2025

L3Harris Sets Date for First Quarter 2025 Earnings Release

MELBOURNE, Fla., April 1, 2025 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) will release its first quarter 2025 financial results before the market opens on Thursday, Ap...

01/04/2025

Calrec Craft Interview: Aston Fearon, Sound Supervisor

Calrec Craft Interview: Aston Fearon, Sound Supervisor In this craft interview, Aston Fearon speaks to us about how his career in sound started, projects he'...

01/04/2025

Telestream Adds Support for intoPIX's JPEG XS Technology in PRISM

MONT-SAINT-GUIBERT, Belgium Telestream has integrated intoPIX's JPEG XS technology into Telestream's PRISM waveform monitors, which Telestream says will...

01/04/2025

Avid Accelerates Move to Cloud Production With AWS Agreement

BURLINGTON, Mass. Avid has signed a strategic collaboration agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS), to deliver a cloud-based production framework that helps f...

01/04/2025

UFL Goes Global with DAZN Deal

LONDON and NEW YORK The United Football League (UFL) has signed a new global partnership with sports broadcaster DAZN to broadcast every game of the UFL's 2...

01/04/2025

Netflix Outlines Groundbreaking Effort to Streamline Global Production

In a groundbreaking bid to streamline and democratize the production process, Netflix has laid out how it is developing a new Media Production Suite, that t...

01/04/2025

Comcast Business Closes Nitel Acquisition

PHILADELPHIA Comcast Business has announced that it has completed its acquisition of Nitel, a U.S. managed services provider headquartered in Chicago, from inte...

01/04/2025

Research Veterans Launch New Analytics and Insights Platform Tenetic

NEW YORK A team of research industry veterans, led by Tod Johnson have launched a new consumer insights and analytics platform, Tenetic, that offers both local ...

01/04/2025

V-Nova Joins Access Advance HEVC Patent Pool - Reinforcin...

V-Nova, a leading provider of compression solutions, today announced its inaugural participation in a patent pool, joining the Access Advance HEVC Patent Pool. ...

01/04/2025

Cinnafilm To Unveil Tachyon LIVE at the 2025 NAB Show - R...

Cinnafilm, a global leader in video optimization solutions, today announced that it will launch Tachyon LIVE, its groundbreaking live IP standards and format co...

01/04/2025

HighField AI Partners with Vizrt to Augment Vizrt-based B...

HighField AI, an advanced AI-powered solution designed to automate repetitive tasks within the media production workflow, today announced that it will demonstra...

01/04/2025

Nimbra Edge enables simplified and smarter cloud media tr...

Globecast has expanded its use of Net Insight's Nimbra technology by deploying Nimbra Edge, significantly streamlining its media transport operations. This ...

01/04/2025

Broadpeak Launches Edgepeak

EdgePeak enables software architects and developers to design and build their own content delivery network (CDN) while reducing streaming costs, fighting video...

01/04/2025

Cinnafilm and NVIDIA Revolutionize AI-Powered Video Upcon...

Cinnafilm to preview the innovation at the 2025 NAB Show Cinnafilm, a global leader in video optimization, has collaborated with NVIDIA to unveil a groundbreak...

01/04/2025

Synamedia to showcase innovations that transform video se...

Leading video software provider Synamedia, will showcase its innovation-driven approach to solving the biggest challenges facing customers today and in the futu...

01/04/2025

AJA Debuts IP and 12G-SDI Innovations Ahead of NAB 2025

AJA Debuts IP and 12G-SDI Innovations Ahead of NAB 2025 Brie Clayton April 1, 2025 0 Comments New tools optimize media and entertainment and proAV wo...

01/04/2025

Bit Part Introduces bitbox mini, the Smallest and Lightest Solution for Ultra-Long Distance, Remote Camera Control

Bit Part Introduces bitbox mini, the Smallest and Lightest Solution for Ultra-Lo...

01/04/2025

IABM Unveils Bold Transformation at NAB Show, Prioritizing Member Value

IABM Unveils Bold Transformation at NAB Show, Prioritizing Member Value Brie Clayton April 1, 2025 0 Comments IABM is delivering a strategic transform...

01/04/2025

OOONA Introduces Multilingual QC Tool for Subtitling Workflows

OOONA Introduces Multilingual QC Tool for Subtitling Workflows Brie Clayton April 1, 2025 0 Comments See OOONA on booth W4209 at the NAB Show, Las Veg...

01/04/2025

Netflix Media Production Suite democratises access' to innovation

Adopting open standards, the solution aims to provide workflow standardisation, allowing for automation and other innovations across a diverse range of markets ...

01/04/2025

Best of Show Awards at 2025 NAB Show submissions close tomorrow

Submissions will be accepted up until 23:59 PST on 2nd April By Jenny Priestley Published: March 24, 2025 Updated: April 1, 2025 Submissions will be acc...

01/04/2025

TVBEurope April 2025 issue now available

The AI issue takes a look at how AI is reshaping broadcasting, including areas such as sports commentary and archiving and storage, plus we discover how Norways...

01/04/2025

John Wastcoat new senior director of partner development at TVU Networks

Joining the company with more than two decades of experience forging and scaling alliances in the industry, Wastcoats role will support TVUs strategic developme...

01/04/2025

Meet Rich Welsh, SMPTE's New President

At the beginning of the year, Rich Welsh, senior vice president with Deluxe, was appointed the new president of Society of Motion Picture and Television Enginee...

01/04/2025

Charter's Spectrum Adds AMC+ to Spectrum TV Select

STAMFORD, Conn. and NEW YORK Charter's Spectrum pay TV operations are continuing its previously announced strategy of adding more streaming services to its ...

01/04/2025

Sinclair and ONE Media Technologies Announce NAB Show Plans

HUNT VALLEY, Md. Sinclair, Inc. and its subsidiary, ONE Media Technologies, have announced that members of their leadership team will be participating in multip...

01/04/2025

Bus Stop Films' first feature Boss Cat to begin production in June

01 04 2025 - Media release Bus Stop Films' first feature Boss Cat to begin production in June Boss Cat cast (L-R): Olivia Hargroder, Penny Downie and Juli...

01/04/2025

PremiumBeat - Flexible, Unlimited Music For Creators

PremiumBeat - Flexible, Unlimited Music For Creators Brie Clayton March 31, 2025 0 Comments Back in November of 2024, PremiumBeat made a bold move tha...

01/04/2025

MLB 2025: TNT Sports Chooses Remote Production for MLB Tuesday,' Upgrades Control Rooms at Techwood

MLB 2025: TNT Sports Chooses Remote Production for MLB Tuesday,' Upgrades C...

01/04/2025

SVG All-Stars: Francisco Contreras, Executive Director, Field Operations, FOX Sports

SVG All-Stars: Francisco Contreras, Executive Director, Field Operations, FOX Sp...

01/04/2025

MILTON drones get a boost with Rohde & Schwarz SIGINT integration

MILTON drones get a boost with Rohde & Schwarz SIGINT integration Rohde & Schwarz and MILTON have partnered to integrate advanced signals intelligence technol...

01/04/2025

Rohde & Schwarz presents comprehensive R&S ELEKTRA portfolio for reproducible, standard-compliant EMC measurements

Rohde & Schwarz presents comprehensive R&S ELEKTRA portfolio for reproducible, s...

01/04/2025

NAB 2025: FOR-A America Introduces Fully Software-Based Switcher

Create Complex Compositions with Unlimited Layers with FOR-A MixBoard Powered by ClassX...

01/04/2025

Nara Deep Dive

Article courtesy of Digital Production Germany Read the article Digital Production Germany magazine editor, Bela Beier, recently talked to Nara's Steve Br...

01/04/2025

Light Iron integrates Nara

Article courtesy of Digital Media World Read the article Light Iron uses Nara to handle file navigation, content streaming and information sharing workflow ef...

01/04/2025

The making of Here AI, VFX and colour

Article courtesy of British Cinematographer Read the article DoP Don Burgess, VFX supervisor Kevin Baillie and colourist Maxine Gervais pulled their talents t...

01/04/2025

Krzysztof Polesiski chooses DiGiCo to power his immersive mixes

Polesi ski made a name for himself early in his career. Renowned for his attention to detail and ability to mix his creative and technical skills, Polesi ski st...

01/04/2025

2025-04-01

visionOS 2.4 is available today, bringing the first set of powerful Apple Intelligence features that help users communicate, write, and express themselves on Ap...

01/04/2025

DSTA and Thales Announce AI-Driven Co-Lab to Strengthen Singapore's Defence Systems

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) and...

31/03/2025

Ready, set, Party Time!' SBS News empowers young voters with a new political podcast

Ready, set, Party Time!' SBS News empowers young voters with a new politica...

31/03/2025

Hitachi Announces Executive Changes (31.1.2024)

31 January, 2024 Company News Tokyo, January 31, 2024 - Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE:6501) today announced the following executive changes to improve corporate value....

31/03/2025

L3Harris Completes Sale of Commercial Aviation Solutions Business to TJC for $800 Million

MELBOURNE, Fla., March 31, 2025 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) has complete...

31/03/2025

L3Harris, Dutch Ministry of Defence Sign FOXTROT Long-Term Agreement

Vice Admiral Jan Willem Hartman, commander of the Dutch Materiel and IT Command, and Chris Aebli, President, Tactical Communications, L3Harris Technologies, sig...

31/03/2025

L3Harris UK to Optimize New Australian Hunter-class Frigates for Anti-Submarine Warfare

The L3Harris team visited HMS GLASGOW, the first T26 Global Combat Ship, current...

31/03/2025

Sinclair's KOMO, KUNS to Broadcast 33 Seattle Storm Games

SEATTLE As the WNBA prepares to kick off the 2025 season, the Seattle Storm WNBA team has announced a multi-year deal with Sinclair's KOMO and KUNS station...

31/03/2025

Digital Nirvana and Avid Partner to Enhance Media Product...

Digital Nirvana, a provider of leading-edge AI-powered media solutions, today announced a global Alliance Partnership with Avid to bring advanced AI metadata c...

31/03/2025

BeckTV Welcomes Kate Gazdic as Senior Procurement Special...

BeckTV, a premier systems integrator for the broadcast media industry, today announced that Kate Gazdic has joined the company as a senior procurement specialis...

31/03/2025

MainConcept Unveils Efficiency Gains for its HEVC Encoder...

MainConcept, a leading provider of video and audio codecs, has announced a series of key codec advancements that enable customers to realize significant time an...