With its origins dating back to the 1850s, Den Nationale Scene (DNS, or The National Theatre) is Norway’s oldest permanent theatre.
Now, however, with the installation of a DiGiCo SD7 mixing console, the venue has become a true 21st century facility.
Located in Bergen, DNS puts on around 20 productions each year across its three stages, which include international and national classics, musicals, contemporary drama and family shows.
One of three national theatres in Norway, it has a reputation for high quality productions and also bringing on new talent.
The venue’s biggest space is the 450-capacity Store Scene (Main Stage), where the SD7 was recently installed by Oslo-based Bright A/S.
Front of House sound is mixed to a Meyer system, while an Aviom card in the SD7 feeds to the monitor system for production musicians, etc.
“When we were looking to install a new console, we looked at six and then narrowed it down to the two strongest candidates,” says DNS Head of Sound Bjarte Våge.
“We have had a variety of different digital consoles over the past 15 years, so we had a good idea of what kind of features we wanted (and also those we did not).
“We chose the SD7 because it had all the features we were looking for. The theatre version of the software has all the functions that we had been missing for the past 10 years,” he continues.
“Having two workspaces operating simultaneously, lots of inputs and outputs, theatre-friendly software and a clear, easy metering overview made it the ideal choice.”
“We also really like the speed at which you are able to update scenes and cues.”
Except for a Lexicon reverb, all processing is done using the SD7’s onboard effects engines, including EQ and delays for the Meyer system.
Meanwhile, the auto-update function and availability of the EX-007 extender wing has provided DNS with a mixing solution for both FOH and monitors that is about as flexible and future-proof as the theatre’s technical team could wish for.
Most importantly, despite its complexity, the SD7 is a console that you can get good results from almost instantly.
“The console is very accessible and straightforward to get started with. A user can grasp the basic functions very quickly,” says Bjarte.
“As you would expect, it takes a little more learning and familiarity to get to know the more advanced functions, but Truls Birkeland (our local dealer here in Norway) has been extremely helpful and responsive during the installation and training process.
That learning process is all part of the luxury of having such an advanced console!”
