Yamaha Rivage PM7 becomes the new star of the Wrocławska Opera

The Ópera Wrocławska from Poland has incorporated the console into its sound systems Yamaha Rivage PM7 to facilitate the transmission of performances.

Streaming performances have become a routine way to deliver the performing arts. Following difficulties with the technical sound production of the first production of Wrocław Opera, a digital mixing system Honda Rivage PM7 everything has changed for your audio department.

Streaming has offered a lifeline to the arts during the pandemic, but the question has been raised whether large-scale productions, such as orchestra concerts and great theatrical shows, can convey their performances with the necessary artistic effect. An essential part of achieving this is how the production sounds..

In 2020, Poland's Wrocławska Opera adopted live streaming, but ran into two problems: a template of 300 people with a sound department in the room of only three people (Grzegorz Bieńko, Sebastian Jarus and Jakub Krzysiek) who had no experience in streaming productions; y, besides, the mixing capacity was three consoles Yamaha DM2000, that did not adapt to streaming shows.

“The DM2000 is still a great audio console for theatrical use but, due to its age and its facilities, We found it difficult to offer the best quality for a live broadcast”, Affirma Grzegorz.

However, when they were commissioned to direct the sound of the Wrocławska Opera's first live concert (an orchestral version of the Straszny dwór opera (The haunted mansion – The Haunted Manor) de Stanisław Moniuszko) Grzegorz, Sebastian and Jakub were up to the task.

Mixing opera is always a challenge, since the orchestra, the chorus and soloists come together to create a coherent performance. But, In addition to the limited technical facilities, each musician and vocalist had to maintain a physical distance of at least one meter from each other. To make things even more difficult, production was arranged in a 360º circle. Unwanted spillover from different sections into each other's microphones was clearly going to be one of the technical obstacles.

Grzegorz, Sebastian and Jakub filled the six expansion slots of each DM2000 with cards Yamaha mini-YGDAI, which allowed them to network the consoles through Dante, directing the signals to the opera studio where the live mixing was done. The basic feed for the live mix comprised more than one hundred channels.

The Haunted Mansion turned out to be a great success for the Wrocław Opera, but improvements were needed to simplify audio setup and deliver better quality to online audiences..

PogoArt, based in Wrocław, has worked with opera in many productions, especially at large scale outdoor events, y, on this occasion, also participated, supplying a Yamaha Rivage PM7 digital mixing system. From a production of Bohemia de Puccini, the sound team noticed a great technological advance.

“They had worked many times with the consoles of the Yamaha CL and QL series, but the ease of use, ergonomics, technical facilities and sound quality of the Rivage PM7 surprised them”, says the owner of PogoArt, Slawek Pogorzala. “The sound of 96 kHz, saturation of individual channels at preamp level and reverb processing, Broader pooling and shipping flexibility were just the beginning”.

Pogorzala also highlights tools such as the dynamic equalizer and Rupert Neve Designs plug-ins “that have allowed the audio team to refine the sound that the audience hears.”, maintaining naturally complex dynamics. Even the very fast jumps sung by the female soloists, which had always been a problem for the DM2000, are easily handled by Rivage PM7″.

Two other features that have made a big difference to the audio team are the system's ability to handle direct parallel and multitrack recording for streaming and the way it handles virtual sound checks.. They have been able to spend more time working on the sound and, when rehearsals take place with the performers, Use that time to perfect your audio production.

“Taking into account the technical challenges, the audio team produced a remarkable production of The Haunted Mansion with the three Yamaha DM2000s. But, in comparison, What the Rivage PM7 system has provided has been fantastic”, explica Slawek. “Has provided consistent sound quality, precise and full of nuances, which truly brings the audio quality of the Wrocławska Opera House to the online audience”.