Providing not only Warsaw’s main art-house cinema but also housing the Polish National Film Archive, the Iluzjon Cinema has recently undergone a massive renovation – including its sound system.

The new installation was designed by audio consultant and system designer, Wojciech Zielinski from pro audio specialist, Dysten. At its centre is an Innovason Eclipse GT mixing console serving a fully networked Fohhn Audio loudspeaker system.

Due to its National Film Archive heritage, the cinema often screens silent movies accompanied by live music. In contrast to a typical cinema, this means that Iluzjon must be able to operate a live venue. This led Zielinski to specify the Eclipse and Fohhn set-up, providing both flexibility and ease of use.

The console workstation has been designed as a mobile unit so that it can be located in a traditional FOH position in the main auditorium or in a separate control room. Dysten built a custom lightweight, height-adjustable metal stand for the console, which allows it to be transported and also provides a comfortable working position for the engineer. The Eclipse retains full control of the network and audio distribution to both the cinema and the projection room from either location.

The heart of the audio installation is the Server Room in the basement, which houses a 42U-high rack containing the Diocore stagebox for the Eclipse, active splitters for Sennheiser IEM transmitters and wireless receivers, fibre-optic network control, ES/Madi converters, Fohhn Net LAN interface and Fohhn DSP power amplifierss. All the connections to FOH are via a wall box in the control room that is linked to a floor box in the auditorium.

‘We have thought of and anticipated every detail,’ Zielinski says. ‘In spite of the renovation, we had numerous constraints to deal with, so every element of the system had to be carefully thought out for maximum efficiency. There was no room for the superfluous in this installation.’The result is a great-sounding system that offers maximum flexibility to the user, enabling the venue to adapt the system quickly and easily to the different requirements of each screening. I am very proud of this system.’