Basel Music Academy’s Electronic Studio Basel (ESB) in Switzerland is being upgraded with Lawo IP technology, enabling future prospective sound engineers to be trained on two Lawo mc²36 audio consoles and accompanying compact I/O units.
The new mixing system, which was installed by Swiss system integrator SLC Broadcast, will also be used for recording contemporary electronic compositions, performed by ensembles as well as entire orchestras. It includes two identical 24-fader Lawo mc²36 consoles and corresponding interfaces (supporting MADI, RAVENNA, AES/EBU, analog operation). The two stage boxes each provide 32 mic/line inputs, 32 line outputs, 8 digital AES3 inputs, 8 digital AES3 outputs, 8 GPIO, a RAVENNA port, and a MADI Tie-Line Port (SFP). Also part of the upgrade are Horus and HAPI audio interfaces from Merging Technologies.
A priority was placed on the scalability of the components during the selection of equipment for the upgrade. From small mobile recordings to large live concerts with parallel recording, the audio systems are required to use the same digital interfaces and network topology. For large ensembles with simultaneous recording, all components – including virtual soundcards on laptops – are called into use. The flexibility of the Lawo IP-based configuration also makes it possible to work on several projects at the same time.
The Academy places a high value on the use of current technology and equipment in its audio training, especially in the areas of recording studio technology and sound reinforcement. In addition to the theoretical teaching of “audio design”, the opportunity for students to work on a modern mixing console system is also essential. Audio design, as described by Volker Böhm who heads the course, is the “technical artistic implementation of computer-aided composition.”