From left: Theatre de la Ville’s Pierre Tamisier and Alain Frouin with Jean Luc Gerard of Audiopole, Studer’s French distributor, at the Vista 8
The first Studer Vista 8 digital audio front-of-house console to be used in Paris’ theater district has been installed at the 1,000-capacity Theatre de la Ville, which has chosen the board as the digital platform for an extensive refurbishment program that will take place during the next two years.
In 2003, the audio production team, led by Pierre Tamisier, began the search to replace the theater’s 12-year-old Studer 900 analog console. Having examined digital technology from several other leading manufacturers, the group still wound up at the door of Audiopole, Studer’s French distributor, with an order for a 32-fader Vista 8 with 10-fader extension remote.
“There are many reasons for choosing the Vista 8,” explains Tamisier, “but the most powerful one is the extension remote panel, which we now use most of the time. With the main console in the sound control room, the remote can be taken down into the auditorium to set up the show or to mix it. It has a very small footprint and is easy to move, providing up to 60-fader capability in a 60-centimeter-wide unit that one person can lift.”
The sound control booth at the Theatre de la Ville is located high above the last rows of audience seating, with compromised sightlines to the stage. “When we bring in external productions, visiting sound engineers often prefer to work at seat level and the Studer remote is ideal for this. Our team sets it up, and the ergonomics make it very simple for the visitor to understand and use; we can provide him with backup because we can monitor his actions on the main Vista 8 in the control room.”
This is currently an ideal solution to a problem, but the Theatre de la Ville has a longer-term plan to build a new control studio, close to seat level, which will also enable the venue to record productions. As well as installing the Vista 8, the team from Audiopole has already put in place the stagebox and optical fiber infrastructure for this next phase of the upgrade program. Fiber-optic connections have been used throughout; all sources are already digital, including a MADI interface from the Vista 8, enabling the sound operators to mix up to 48 mic inputs directly on PC.
For more information, visit Studer at www.studer.ch.
