Poland’s new Cavatina Hall is the first concert hall in the country to be built and managed entirely from private funds. Located in the city of Bielsko-Biała, the unique multi-functional building combines office and cultural spaces set over six storeys in more than 9,000sq-m of space, and includes a recording studio as well as a 1,000-seat concert hall.

The concert hall has a modern A/V infrastructure designed around an Optocore backbone that supports an L-Acoustics L-ISA Immersive Hyperreal sound system and a pair of roving DiGiCo Quantum 338 mixing consoles, and boasts Poland’s largest RTS Roameo wireless intercom system.

These elements were specified and delivered by system integrator Audio Plus, along with the latest stage mechanics and audiovisual technologies, including sound and light tracking, variable acoustics and visual information systems.

Warsaw-based Audio Plus was heavily involved from the outset, in order to deliver one of the best facilities of its kind in the world – and one of the key features was the successful distribution of signals between the FOH stations to the stage, the recording studio and third-party OB vans. This has been carried out using integrated high-performance Optocore digital network devices and third-party converters, which can handle up to 1,856 digital audio channels.

While the analogue signals delivered to the consoles are have already passed through a 96-channel analogue splitter, deployment of the Optocore devices enables a further 96 analogue signals to be processed via more than 40 connection boxes. This creates optimum versatility, enabling a wealth of different signals to be transported to any destination, including the many different platforms to OB vans for broadcast and recording.

Audio Plus Contract Manager/engineer Tomasz Ibrom explains that it had been a no-brainer to specify Optocore to help achieve such a nimble and agile solution: ‘We have never experienced any problems with Optocore devices,’ he says. ‘They do exactly what they are designed to do, and this is what we expect from devices in professional audio. Also the technical and sales support we receive is always of the highest level. It was a natural choice, particularly once we had selected DiGiCo desks.’

He highlights the advantages of fibre, including retention of signal integrity over distance, redundancy, low latency and channel capacity. ‘On top of that, ‘fibre is free of EM interference, and enables us to transmit all types of data’.

His design is based around Optocore M8-OPT and M12-OPT Madi switches – the former converting the Optocore loop to Madi and the latter used as a stand-alone Madi matrix. In addition, six X6R-FX-16MI and an X6R-FX-16LO take feeds from the consoles, enabling the desk to handle 96 mic input channels.

‘With flexibility the key to the project, all the digital and analogue connections are terminated on patch panels in the amplification room – optical, concentric, Cat6, and analogue,’ Ibrom says. The destination boxes are located not only on stage but also in booths, auditorium, hanging bats, foyer, patio, recording studio, backstage and the garage for the broadcast vehicles.

‘Signals can be connected in many different ways,’ he continues. ‘Of course, not all possible channels are in use at the same time but using the system [after reconfiguration] we can, for example, split analogue signals for broadcast or the recording studio and connect any digital desk that exists on the market, using Dante, AES50, Madi, Optocore, AVB etc. We can also do a number of other things – record concerts using analogue or digital signals, after passing through Optocore A/D conversion; place a musician in the Piano Room [part of the recording studio] and transmit signals to the concert hall. Finally, we can transmit audio and video from the concert hall to the outside patio.’

Throughout the installation process and at subsequent events the Optocore platform has remained solid. ‘Take the devices out of the box and they just work,’ Ibrom says. ‘If you understand the Optocore philosophy, you can always trust them 100 per cent to be stable. They are easy to configure and work perfectly with DiGiCo.

On stage, Electro-Voice microphones have been selected to cover a wide range of vocal and instrumental needs. This includes everything from the RE97Tx micro-headworn condensers, to ND44, ND46 and ND66 instrument mics, as well as the iconic RE20 and RE320 Variable-D models.

The Multifunctional Remit

Beyond the concert hall, the audio system at Cavatina Hall calls on a large 100V Electro-Voice loudspeaker installation supported by a Dynacord MXE5 Matrix Mix Engine alongside IPX multichannel amplifiers with sophisticated loudspeaker processing.

‘The IPX 10:8 is at the core of the system – we wanted something that was technically optimal in terms of control and this amp allows each channel to be individually operated, along with analogue inputs from Dante and OCA via Omneo network inputs – it’s a highly flexible solution for us,’ says Audio Plus Tech Support Engineer, Stanisław Mielczarek.

‘MXE5 was chosen as it’s a universal processor that complements other systems in Cavatina Hall – through SoniCue Sound System Software. It integrates perfectly for this kind of project, allowing us to have full control of the entire system of signal routing and signal processing for public address speakers.’ adds Ibrom, who was responsible for the system integration at Cavatina Hall.

The Dynacord electronics are driving an loudspeaker solution combining the strengths of Electro-Voice Evid ceiling and surface-mount ranges. ‘Evid speakers offer a big spectrum of models in the series and were the ideal choice because of their mounting capabilities,’ Ibrom says. ‘Each piece is exactly fitted for its location.’

In the main auditorium, a pair of Electro-Voice FM6.2 speakers have been hidden behind the wooden sound panels either side of the stage. These are linked to the RTS intercom system and used for addressing the performers onstage. The stage manager or event director can use the system via an Electro-Voice wireless mic to communicate with the musicians during rehearsals.

‘This additional system works perfectly because the speech is super-intelligible and the speakers are completely invisible,’ says Ibrom. ‘The team at Cavatina Hall are really happy with it.’

Cavatina Comms

Relying on a digital intercom solution from RTS, the stage managers have full communication throughout venue, with various KP-Series keypanels and Roameo DECT-based wireless intercom systems with an Odin digital matrix at the centre.

‘Cavatina Hall is a big building made out of concrete, steel and glass, with lots of separate halls and rooms with thick concrete walls between them,’ says Ibrom. ‘Despite this, there is wireless intercom communication provided in almost every place of the building. We selected every place where users might need to communicate with co-workers in other rooms and provided wireless transmission there – it works fantastically.’

‘Being a coherent, innovative building with a very effective audio signal network, all the systems had to be adaptable enough to work within the concert space,’ adds Mielczarek. ‘The client had an uncompromising approach to all the systems working in the hall, not only the acoustics elements or PA, but also all the supporting systems like intercom, scene action preview system, digital signage system, public address system.

‘The most important aspect was flexibility, which is why the Odin matrix was chosen. Its ability to connect with different systems in various audio formats was perfect for this type of project. The KP-Series key panels were chosen to exactly match the needs of the user in certain locations. The breadth of the RTS portfolio allowed us to make the right choice in every situation.’

Taking three years to construct and fully equip, the venue now boasts the largest Roameo wireless intercom system in Poland with its AP-1800 access points and TR-1800 beltpacks being put into practice across the multifunctional space. ‘It did take lot of resources, work and time,’ Ibrom says. ‘But in the end, it was worth it, because we could propose uncompromising solutions, and it is now a reference that will be valid for years to come.’

‘Cavatina Hall is a concert hall first of all, but also a whole complex, with the chamber music hall and the recording studio being a valuable complement to the concert hall,’ concludes Fiducia Foundation CEO, Katarzyna Pytlarczyk. ‘It is quite an honour to be able to participate in this project. I feel pride and a surge of energy. I feel that something unique is happening before our eyes.’