INNOVASON goes tothe Opera in Budapest

The recently renovated Budapest Operetta Theatre (Budapesti Operett Színház) in the heart of Budapest’s renowned theatre district has taken delivery of an INNOVASON Sy80 digital mixing system from Hungarian INNOVASON distributors, Microsound Ltd. Budapest has a long and rich heritage of opera and classical music, and the Operetta theatre forms a prominant part of that tradition. Designed in 1894 by two acclaimed Viennese architects, Fellner and Helmer, the Budapest Operetta is described as a highlight among Art Nouveau-style buildings in the Hungarian capital and hosts many of the city’s major musical and operetta performances.

The Operetta theatre’s technical team tested many systems over several months before opting for the INNOVASON solution. According to chief sound engineer, Lazlo Fazekas, one of the main criteria was ease of use and rapidity of manoeuvre. “Because the theatre welcomes so many complex international acts, speed and ease of handling was of paramount importance,” he explained. “The Sy80, as well as sounding good, is absolutely perfect for these demands, and is capable of solving many more difficult technical tasks besides. For example, many of our productions will be using between 45-50 microphones on stage, and up to another 50 channels coming from the orchestra. The Sy80 can handle all of those channels simultaneously with no problem.”

Sound engineer Viktor Szabo agrees. “The Sy80 sounds really good, and the huge number of faders available along with all the functions make it a joy to use. I also like the new effects module (FM-8VB) which sounds excellent, and I’m looking forward to the addition of a multiband compressor/limiter very soon!”

The Budapest Operetta’s Sy80 consists of 64 analogue inputs, 16 AES/EBU inputs and 40 AES/EBU/analogue outputs. The inputs are sent to the mix position via a DioCore digital stagebox which also enables digital audio networking over EtherSound.