Eclipse broadens horizons at UNESCO HQ

January 2011

The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) was founded in 1945 in the aftermath of the Second World War. UNESCO’s mission is to contribute to the building of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information. Thirty-seven countries signed the original charter in 1945. Today the organisation boasts 193 Member States and 7 Associate Members and is headquartered in Paris. The striking Modernist building was inaugurated in 1958 and has recently undergone extensive renovations with more planned in the near future. Part of the renovation has been focussed on the building’s main 1350-capacity auditorium where an Innovason Eclipse digital mixing console has recently been installed.

UNESCO’s Alain Joly, who manages the AV department, explained that the auditorium’s sound system was long-due for an upgrade. “Our old analogue console simply didn’t have the resources required to handle the types of events that we hold here these days,” he explained. “It was time to upgrade to a digital console – the question was which one?” Joly and his team had demos from all of the major manufacturers before selecting the Eclipse from Innovason.

“We do absolutely everything in this room, and it’s never the same thing twice,” he described. “It could be anything from rock concerts to pantomime to international cultural delegations with simultaneous translation to corporate events – you name it, we’ve hosted it! As a result, one of our primary criteria for the new console was versatility, and in that regard, Eclipse excels. It is completely configurable, so you can set it up to be whatever you want according to the requirements of the day. The networking aspect is also important. We’ve got the DioCore stagebox under the stage, so when the new PA system is installed later this year, the entire system will run on an EtherSound network that we can control from the console. I’m also pleased with the M.A.R.S. onboard recorder. It’s high quality and innovative and great for archiving purposes when we host meetings and conferences. Finally, there is the fact that Innovason is a French company – obviously, this would have been irrelevant if the product hadn’t been what we were looking for, but given that, in fact, Eclipse suits us perfectly, it’s a bonus! We’re pleased to be supporting French innovation – now combined with German efficiency, and of course it makes communication and support much easier.”