As well as being one of the largest music venues in Australia, the Melbourne Recital Centre (MRC) is acoustically isolated from its bust surroundings in the city’s Arts Precinct. The venue houses two auditoria – the Elisabeth Murdoch Hall (which seats 1,000) and The Salon (seating 132). Since opening in 2009, the MRC has operating with DiGiCo consoles, beginning with the DiGiCo D5, adding an SD8 and most recently an SD11.
The Elisabeth Murdoch Hall features a 135m2 stage, as well as a 51m2 extension when required. It is suited to chamber music and orchestral performances, and this is where the D1 and SD8 are most used. The Salon is a completely configurable space that can be tailored as required. When a flexible and portable solution that mirrored the versatile design of The Salon was needed, the SD11 made obvious sense to MRC Technical Manager, Jasja van Andel.
‘The SD11 was the logical choice for a multi-purpose console. Its specifications, size and weight make it a very easily deployable console for a wide variety of concerts, events and locations,’ he says. ‘Its user interface is intuitive, well laid out and the I/O options are impressive. It can easily be set up by just one engineer.’
Van Andel found several features of the SD11 particularly appealing and, with the MRC already using SD8 and D5 desks, the SD11’s integration into the rest of the system proved especially appealing: ‘Even though the actual work surface is relatively small, the SD11’s capabilities, accessibility and flexibility, combined with an excellent price point, made it a very appealing solution,’ he says. ‘The fact that the SD11 seamlessly integrates with our other racks and consoles made the SD11 even more appealing for us.’
Having begun his career using analogue gear, van Andel’s transition to digital was made with DiGiCo: ‘As an analogue trained engineer, I find the SD11 very user friendly,’ he confirms. ‘Its interface is logical, the control surface is well laid out, the I/O and routing capabilities are impressive, and I rapidly found my way around the important features the console has to offer. The fact that it has 16 local inputs as well as easy connectivity with the DiGiCo range of racks, makes the desk easily deployable for a wide array of events.’
With the SD11 used regularly in The Salon, van Andel has found its versatility meets the demanding scenarios the MRC often faces: ‘We regularly present contemporary amplified music in this space (think of three pieces and larger). The space is very intimate and has an amazing natural sound. It is an absolute delight to hear performers play in this space.
‘From a technical point of view, requirements can be demanding for the engineers mixing in this area. A relatively small sized performance space, hardly any separation between stage and audience, regular need of larger numbers of condensers and almost always monitors mixed from FOH combined with, at times, extremely subtle sound make it a demanding environment for an engineer.
‘I continue to be impressed with the SD11’s use in our Salon,’ he adds.
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