Østre Gasværk, an unusual theatrical venue in Copenhagen, Denmark, housed in the gigantic old gas tank of a redundant gasworks, has added a DiGiCo Quantum 7T to its existing TheatreMax System.
“We needed a desk that could handle the sort of shows we are doing at the theatre, both with processing and channel count,” said Morten Frank, head of sound and board operator for its latest musical, UrineTown. “The greatest add-on to that was the theatre software – it’s been a real game-changer and makes it a lot easier to work with the new TheatreMax system.”
TheatreMax is an immersive, integrated system that allows sound, video, and lighting designers to use the entire space as a blank canvas. Speakers are placed throughout the venue, completely surrounding the audience. Acoustic dampening is also used beyond the lighting rigs to acoustically soften the cavernous roof space.
“The new desk is a great add-on to the system,” he explained. “With the possibility of much more processing channels, it makes it a lot easier to work with the new system.”
The DiGiCo Theatre software is designed to help theatre engineers to be flexible and track cast members. Key features, like Love Update, allow the engineers to react to character changes – such as understudies coming on, or dance and singing tracks changing for ensemble members – by rippling changes through the whole cue-stack. It retains all effects that apply for that channel until Live Update is removed, meaning that engineers know their programming will remain in place until they decide to change it.
Frank says the DiGiCo Quantum 7T has helped the programming and rehearsal process. “It gives us a great overview of the cues in the show, and quickly being able to change members of Control Groups during rehearsals has been a massive improvement to our workflow,” he said.
The Quantum 7T’s three FPGA chips power faster processing and connectivity. It has a huge channel count, internal effects, Nodal Processing, and the Mustard and Spice racks. This was what Frank wanted for the sound for Urine Town, the theatre’s latest production, which features a large cast and live band.
Frank concluded: “The joy of the DiGiCo mixing desks is that the interfaces are largely similar,” he said. “It is very intuitive to go from one desk to the next, so I wasn’t worried about the change. The main benefit has been the T software. It has made my life as a board operator much easier. It really is a game changer when working in a theatre environment.”
