State-of-the-art sound technology at the Theater in der Josefstadt, Vienna, Austria
The Theater in der Josefstadt has brought its sound technology up to date and completely overhauled its central audio infrastructure, which includes three AX Center units that act as Dante/Thunderbolt bridges and audio routers behind the stages.
The Theatre
Founded in 1788 as a small stage to increase the business of a Pub, Theater in der Josefstadt was rebuilt to todays shape in 1822. The opening ceremony was conducted by Ludwig van Beethoven, writers and poets Ferdinand Raimund and Johann Nestroy performed as actors, King of walz, Johann Strauß performed with his orchestra. In 1924 the house was renovated under Max Reinhardt to todays red velvet and golden appearance.
Reliable support and maximum compatibility
Raimund Hornich, Head of the Sound Department, particularly emphasizes the seamless compatibility between the Theater in der Josefstadt and its sister stage, the Kammerspiele: “A major advantage of our new system is its complete interchangeability between the two venues. We could produce a play at the Kammerspiele and perform it on the main stage the next day, with virtually no technical adjustments. The workflows, the routing, the setups: everything remains virtually identical. This saves time, reduces sources of error, and creates planning security for both artistic and technical staff. A key factor in the system selection was the local sales partner TSAMM, led by Mario Reithofer, who closely oversaw the technical implementation of both theatres.”
Technical Details
Since the sister Theatre, Kammerspiele, already uses two SSL SystemT, the Theater in der Josefstadt operates two SSL S500 surfaces, each with 34 faders, connected to an SSL Tempest processor – fully redundant. A custom-built trolley was developed for mobile applications in order to get one S500 Mixing Surface in and out the auditorim for rehearsals on daily basis.
The system features 800 signal paths, which can be flexibly defined as inputs or outputs. The fully Dante-based infrastructure uses I/O from SSL, DAD, Glensound, Sennheiser, d&B and Audinate and can be expanded at any time. Currently, approximately 800 inputs and outputs are in use. The first-class SSL preamps offer gain-compensated Dante playback. An additional remote unit with an additional sixteen faders allows the system to be operated throughout the theater.
Two Apple mini Mac playback computers are connected via DAD AX Center units, each translating up to 256 Thunderbolt channels to Dante. Both computers run in parallel and can be switched between multi-channel configurations using a user button on the SSL or Stream Deck. A third AX Center with a MOM monitor controller connects the Studio DAW.
Overall, the sound system at the Theater in der Josefstadt features a clearly structured architecture, energy-efficient amplifier solutions, and differentiated room coverage. It is optimized for the complex acoustic requirements of a modern theater operation, which also includes new sound reinforcement and wireless solutions by d&b audiotechnik and Sennheiser respectively.