The Theatre of Marcellus at Emperors Palace, Johannesburg has transformed its sound system with a DiGiCo SD9 console and D2-Rack on stage, a D-Rack at FOH and a Waves SoundGrid Server ONE, all supplied by Kyle Robson from DWR Distribution.
In 13BC, Julius Caesar Augustus built the original Theatre of Marcellus as an open-air theatre where locals and visitors alike were able to watch breath-taking performances. Johannesburg’s modern-day version hosts a thousand theatregoers in the 17-tiered auditorium, which boasts lavish seating and exceptional site lines.
“This is an exciting upgrade,” said DWR’s Jaco Beukes. “It allows the theatre to access 48 Mic/Line inputs, 16 Line outputs and eight AES outputs on stage. At FOH, engineers have access to 40 local Mic/Line inputs, four AES inputs, four AES outputs and 16 Line outputs. Recording and playback is a breeze with the DiGiCo UB MADI in place, allowing anyone to record and playback up to 48 channels. To top off this amazing system, they also have access to Waves plug-ins, which is built into the console with the SoundGrid Server One handling all the processing.”
“I particularly enjoy the flow of the desk,” said Ken Crossley, the contracted in-house engineer at The Theatre of Marcellus. “And having an analogue background, it has been quick and easy for me to find my way around the console.”
The venue currently run monitors from FOH and this makes it even more critical to work on a desk that is laid out logically, with an effective and fast workflow. As a result, Ken has been very happy to run each show on the SD9.
“To ensure we continued with the original spirit of this theatre, the DiGiCo SD9 was the obvious choice,” said Robert Wilkie, the Theatre’s technical manager. “The decision was based on the ongoing support we received from DWR and because DiGiCo is so versatile, powerful and one of the most popular desks amongst top audio engineers worldwide.”
