The Aalto-Musiktheater Essen has exchanged its old communications equipment for a Riedel Artist digital matrix intercom system.
The installation was handled by Systemhaus Giebel Electronic- & Kommunikations GmbH on behalf of Gemeinnützige Theaterbaugesellschaft Essen mbH.
At the heart of the system is a Riedel Artist 64 mainframe. Due to its modular approach, Artist systems can be easily expanded to up to 1,024 x 1,024 non-blocking ports. In total, 20 control panels from Riedel Artist 1000, 2000 and 5000 series are used at the Aalto Opera. To provide for maximum flexibility, two stage manager booths were set up – one on each side of the stage – with the ability to switch between the two booths. Both include of a Artist 1000 series control panel plus three expansion panels, providing a total of 76 talk keys, which can be doubled using the shift page.
The control panels’ keys feature an 8-digit LED display offering detailed labelling options. Four GPIO cards in the Artist mainframe enable the control panels to trigger light signals as well as switch monitors and seven different cameras. The GPIO cards are also responsible for controlling the opera’s sound reinforcement system, with this control implemented using the logic functions within Artist’s configuration and control software.
“For our new stage manager system it was important to us to find the most flexible solution. Riedel’s Artist system not only features extensive configuration possibilities, but it’s also amazingly flexible and versatile in daily operation,“ said Daniel Kaiser, chief technician at the Aalto Musiktheater.
Twelve Artist 2000 control panels integrate the audio and video control rooms, the audio console, the lighting and the technicians into one single communications infrastructure. Artist 5000 control panels in the stage area and the orchestra pit round out the installation, which also features the technicians’ radio network integrated into the wired intercom system.
Riedel product manager Henning Kaltheuner told IE: “Opera house and theatre installations always mean integrating a lot of different technologies and signals whether it be communications or signalization. Artist’s flexibility in terms of integrating various communications systems such as radio or partyline, or to just realise light signals via control panels, offers a lot of possibilities for those kind of installations.”
