Rastatt, Germany (November 2, 2026)—RTL News in Germany recently completed a modernization of Audio Control Room TR 1 at its Cologne headquarters, featuring a Lawo mc²96 mixing console and a new IP-based broadcast infrastructure.
The new facility has been rebuilt from the ground up, upgraded for 5.1 surround production, and designed to support the evolving requirements of live, news, and sports broadcasting. The project represents the next step in RTL News’ transition toward a modern, HOME-based IP production environment. The broadcaster had previously equipped four audio control rooms with Lawo mc²56 consoles and the HOME platform. The newly redesigned Audio Control Room TR 1 integrates into that infrastructure.
As one of Germany’s largest journalistic production organizations, Cologne-based RTL News produces daily programs including RTL Aktuell, Punkt 12, Exclusiv and Extra, as well as numerous productions for ntv and other brands within the RTL family.
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The existing facility was largely stripped back and completely redesigned. Alongside the installation of the mc²96, the control room received a new monitoring environment, a modernized signal infrastructure, and full support for 5.1 surround production. RTL and ntv programs can now be produced and delivered in multichannel audio.
At the same time, the overall production environment has been streamlined. Many functions previously handled by standalone hardware, including auto-leveling, signal processing, and routing, are now integrated directly into the production platform. Only specialized applications such as Cedar noise suppression and Waves SuperRack for advanced plug-in processing remain. Waves plug-ins are fully integrated into the workflow and can be controlled directly from the mc²96 surface.
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Scalability was another consideration. Some sports productions require up to 600 concurrent audio signals, including intercom channels. The mc²96’s processing is based on a redundant pair of A__UHD Cores, providing DSP resources and processing headroom.
“Our objective went far beyond replacing a mixing console,” says Gerhard Ruberg, head of audio at RTL News and project manager for the modernization. “We wanted to create a platform that will continue to meet the demands of modern live production while laying the foundation for future IP-based operating models.”
