A Lawo crystal console has been installed in the Joan Sutherland Theatre
Australia - Professional Audio & Television (PAT) announced that they have delivered, configured and commissioned a Lawo Nova73 and a Lawo crystal console including compact engine for the Joan Sutherland Theatre in the Sydney Opera House via lead integrator The Downer Group.
The Lawo Nova73 Core has been configured as an mc² Mix Engine. Used as the Central Audio Router for the Joan Sutherland Theatre, the Nova73 is combining MADI, RAVENNA and Dante signals, along with traditional analogue and AES by way of a Lawo DALLIS I/O Frame. Lawo’s powerful mxGUI is used as the primary control interface for the router, allowing users to load snapshots for different room configurations, while also offering user manual adjustments of signal flows and parameters.
The system is completed with a VistoolMK2-equipped Lawo crystal console, to provide a simplified tactile, or customisable on-screen, mixing surface. This allows for basic use of the JST for situations such as rehearsals or simple presentations. The Crystal engine communicates with the Nova73 via RAVENNA.
Lawo’s CEO Philipp Lawo visited the facility a couple of weeks ago and reports: “I am delighted to see our technology plays an integral part in making the Joan Sutherland Theatre an even better venue for hundreds of events per year. Over the years we have been able to grow the Lawo footprint in Australia significantly and we have some amazing reference sites here in Australia, but to now also be able to list the Sydney Opera House is something very special. We are honoured to have been chosen for this upgrade and thank the Opera House for their trust in Lawo technology.”
The Sydney Opera House’s renewal technology manager David Dalton adds, “The Lawo Nova core has been solid since its install in January and has already seen significant use. We are very satisfied with the Lawo technology and the service their Australian distributor PAT provided to us via The Downer Group.”
The Joan Sutherland Theatre is the first theatre to undergo a ‘renewal’, next on the agenda will be the refit of the main concert hall planned to begin in 2019.
(Jim Evans)

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