Levelling up Darmstadt State Theatre with Lawo

Darmstadt State Theatre, located in the historic and picturesque Hesse region of Germany alongside Frankfurt, has completed an extensive modernisation of its audio infrastructure, transitioning to a fully IP-based solution from Lawo. Headliner discovers how this upgrade was designed to meet current and future requirements for sound reinforcement and recording across the Small Stage, Main Stage, and the facility's recording studio.

The new audio system in the Kleines Haus (Small Stage) is centred around two mc²56 MkIII production consoles, each featuring 16 faders. These are supported by two additional 16-fader extender units. The infrastructure includes multiple A__stage and A__mic8 stage boxes, and an A__UHD Core licensed for 768 DSP channels.

Centralised control is managed via the HOME platform, and the system is built on RAVENNA/AES67 Audio-over-IP. This architecture supports multi-user workflows, redundancy, and interoperability. The system integration for the theatre's venues and recording studio was carried out by Digitech.

“The Lawo mc²56 MkIII was the ideal choice for our new audio infrastructure,” explains Sebastian Franke, head of sound. “It not only delivers the performance and feature set required for large-scale productions, but its modular user interface gives us maximum flexibility.”

Franke continues: “We now have an mc²56 console with 16 faders at the FOH position and an identical unit in the sound control room, plus two 16-fader extenders that we can deploy wherever needed. During rehearsals, we often place them in the middle of the auditorium — because that’s the only position where we can accurately hear the 3D sound image. At FOH, the ceiling speakers aren’t audible, so moving into the auditorium is essential for immersive checks.”

The A__UHD Core Audio Engines serve as the primary processing units for the mc²56 consoles, each providing 1,024 DSP channels. Integration with the theatre's existing infrastructure is facilitated through A__stage I/O units and Power Core devices, which manage signal distribution.

“We’re extremely satisfied with this decision,” says Franke. “We’ve worked with Lawo for years, sharing our views and requirements at trade shows and workshops, and many of our suggestions have been implemented in the mc²56 MkIII. Plus, support is always close at hand.”

The modernisation process followed a phased approach, with the Main Stage upgraded in 2023 and the recording studio equipped with the AoIP infrastructure in 2024. The recording studio's mc²56 console is designed to integrate with the systems used in the other venues.

“The recording studio now features an mc²56 console that integrates tightly with the systems in both the Main Stage and Small Stage. Once the HOME systems are fully connected, we’ll be able to route signals directly from the choir hall or musical theatre stage to the main house, without anyone needing to sit in the studio,” Franke explains.

The centralised network architecture is intended to simplify operations. Franke notes: “The most complex workstation in the theatre, the mixing console, is now identical in both venues, so every sound engineer feels at home.”

The integrated system includes Waves SoundGrid, Lawo Virtual Sound Card (VSC) for macOS, RTW TM7 loudness metering, and the browser-based VisTool interface. Fourteen A__stage series stage boxes, including two A__mic8 units, provide ST2022-7 Class C redundancy to ensure low-latency, fail-safe connectivity between the stage, orchestra pit, and production areas.

The first live test of the Small Stage system took place during the premiere of Tom Sawyer. “We spent most of the time working with the console and the 16-fader extender in the last row, plus a monitor for playback. Everything worked flawlessly,“ reports Franke.

Franke concludes by noting the flexibility of the updated setup: “The scalability of the Lawo system makes it easy to adapt to any production, wherever and however we need it. We now have a highly networked, scalable infrastructure that allows us to manage even the most complex productions efficiently and reliably, from rehearsals to opening night.”