Vernouillet : Networks over EtherSound with stars of the stage

L'Atelier à Spectacle in Vernouillet, 80km south-west of the French capital, has become one of the latest theatre venues to upgrade to a digital audio network using EtherSound over Ethernet with a digital Sy48 mixing console from INNOVASON at the heart of it all.

Orignally an old sawmill, the building was first born as l'Atelier à Spectacle in 1984. Twenty years later the theatre underwent an ambitious renovation project that lasted 16 months and cost nearly 4.3 million euros. The result is an impressive multi-media arts and cultural centre capable of hosting everything from theatre performances to live music, dance, seminars and workshops.

There are three performance spaces in total, all of which are networked: the main theatre, "l'Atelier", which has a capacity of 954, seated; a second, smaller theatre room, known as "Le Séchoir" which can be configured in a number of different ways depending on how the space is to be used offers a maximum capacity of 350; and finally the main entrance foyer or "La Chaufferie" where there is a bar and snacks, may also be used as a performance space. L'Atelier à Spectacle also boasts a dance studio (Le Labo) and a large workshop area backstage (Le Depot) dedicated to scenery-building and storage.

AV project consultant Vincent Taurisson explained why a digital network was so important for L'Atelier à Spectacle. "There were two driving forces. Firstly, from a logistical point of view, as a multi-purpose venue, we wanted to be able to use the whole space or bits of it as required. We needed a flexible routing infrastructure that would allow multi-point, multi-source distribution including lighting and video projection and for that we had to have a network. Secondly, we actively wanted to use new and innovative technology that would enable us to build upon the system in the future. The brief was for a showcase, state-of-the-art multimedia installation, so that's what we did."

Working with Atech, the Chartres-based systems integrators who won the tender for the project, Taurisson decided on an Ethernet network because it is both cheap and universal. "All you need is CAT5 cable which you can get from anywhere. We then had to find a protocol that would run on Ethernet and do what we wanted it to do. Ultimately, after a fair amount of research and testing, we settled on an EtherSound solution. EtherSound provides up to 64 channels of bi-directional audio distribution. It also offered the lowest latency of anything that was currently available, and was based on simpler technology. We felt that this was actually an advantage as the simpler the technology, the more likely it is to be robust and stable.

The key factor for me was stability of latency because variations (peaks and troughs) can often be heard more than the delay itself if the delay is constant, although the delay presented by EtherSound is so negligible as to be inaudible anyway. Furthermore, EtherSound offers the possibility to route every input to every output in a daisy-chain, which makes system re-configuration very, very easy. And even if new cables need to be pulled, standard Ethernet infrastructure likes CAT5 cables, switches and even fibre, is so inexpensive and so straightforward to install that you can do it very easily."

Another advantage of an EtherSound solution was that is was compatible with INNOVASON. FoH engineer, Denis Rougier, was adamant that he wasn't going to work on anything else. "I had the opportunity to work on an INNOVASON console during the pre-renovation period, and fell in love with the concept instantly," he remarked.
"At the time, INNOVASON were moving towards EtherSound compatibility but weren't there yet, but that was before we'd even started to research digital networking solutions. However, bit by bit, it all came together. I kept insisting on INNOVASON, Vincent and Reynold Greneau from Atech were slowly moving towards an EtherSound solution at the same time as InnovaSON were working on integrating EtherSound into their consoles.
By the time it came to specifying the system everything fitted together beautifully. I now have an INNOVASON Sy48 and dedicated stagebox, both EtherSound-enabled of course, which gives me all the functionality and capability I could wish for in an extremely compact and ergonomic format."

Going into a little more detail, Rougier explained that the Sy48 gives him up to 64 mix channels, 48 mic/line inputs, 16 line inputs, 16 line outputs and up to 48 processed or non-processed analogue, digital or EtherSound outputs, in addition to the remote I/Os provided by the stagebox.
"I can configure this desk in any way I want in a matter of moments," asserted Rougier. "The interface is simple and intuitive and you don't get lost in pages and pages of script on the PC. Everything you need to see is in front of you at the click of a button. It's extremely well designed from that point of view. Visiting engineers, even if they've never worked on a digital console before, have usually got to grips with it in no time, which is reassuring for both them and us. And of course the sound quality is just superb. In my opinion the Sy48 gives even the best-sounding analogue consoles a good run for their money.

Furthermore, you can't hear the network at all. It's completely transparent."

Taurisson is clearly very pleased with the results at L'Atelier a Spectacle, although he points out that even though the installation is barely a year old, the technology has already moved on in leaps an bounds. "We used what was available at the time, which was already extremely advanced. However, now, just months later, instead of using the simple Ethernet audio bridges like the Digigram ES8in and ES8Out, of which we have several, we would have been able to choose from a range of audio equipment that directly implements EtherSound technology, like the INNOVASON console. However, that said, using the audio bridges gives us a greater choice of manufacturers. Nevertheless, if we choose to extend the system in the future, the chances are that the new gear will be EtherSound-enabled and can be hooked up directly to the network and controlled by a single piece of software. From the outset our intention was to build a future-proof system, and I believe that we have achieved out goal."