Inaugurated by Hungarian president Pál Schmitt, state secretary of culture Géza Sz?cs and Pécs mayor Zsolt Páva, the multi-purpose venue was opened on the 128th anniversary of eminent Hungarian composer and music teacher Zoltán Kodály's birth, after whom the centre is named.
Featuring a total area of 11,000sq.m, the facility cost 22m and includes a 999-capacity concert hall, recording studio, two conference rooms (one which also functions as a ballet room, the other which can be divided into two sections with a movable wall), rehearsal rooms, changing rooms and offices for the Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra.
Yamaha audio equipment has been installed throughout the venue by Budapest-based Interton Electroacoustics. The specification includes PM5D, M7CL-48ES, LS9-32 and DM2000-VCM digital mixing consoles; MG206c and MG166c analogue consoles; five SB168-ES stage boxes; HS80M, HS50M and HS10W powered reference monitors, plus MY16-ES64 and MY16-EX Ethersound interface cards.
"The PM5D is the main front of house console, the M7CL-48ES is used primarily for monitors, where it can be can be placed in four different positions. But it can also be used as the FOH mixer," says Interton design engineer Ferenc Volár. "There is a full Ethersound network throughout the building, so it's straightforward to move the consoles, if required, and it makes the use of the SB168-ES stage boxes very versatile."
The LS9 is used for smaller conferences in the main hall, while the analogue consoles are used in the conference and rehearsal rooms. Meanwhile the studio, which features the DM2000, is mainly used to record concerts from the main hall via EtherSound, but can also be used to record from the largest rehearsal room.
The venue's sound technician Zoltán Csurgai comments: "I am very happy to work with Yamaha consoles. I know them and have been working with them for years. One thing I really respect is that they are very reliable. I never have to worry about a failure during a show."
(Jim Evans)
