The Musikalischen Komodie (“Musical Comedy’), a division of the Leipzig Opera and
one of the highest occupied stages in Germany, has decided for a solution from the
Dutch sound system manufacturer Alcons Audio.
The focus of the house, which is known far beyond the city limits as “MuKo”, is on
operettas and musicals, and increasingly also on ballet performances. As the sound
system of the auditorium got old, a modern solution was being sought that would
satisfy the needs of the 520-seating, acoustically demanding room and would match
the stage program as well.
The company HFE professional studio technology from Leipzig was responsible as an
advisory and executing service provider for the installation. Hans Hermann Honsch
from HFE explains: “I’ve known Alcons Audio for a long time and recommended the
Alcons LR7, because the system is in my opinion particularly well suited for theatre.
Already in mid-2014, we organized a comparative listening session, whereupon the
heads of the Musikalischen Komodie unanimously agreed to Alcons. ”
The new PA system was installed under sporting conditions during the running
season. It now consists of 6x Alcons LR7/90 (1x RBN401 4″ pro-ribbon driver + 6.5′
woofer) micro line-array and 2x Alcons LR7B (12″ neodymium woofers) line-array
bass as low frequency support per side. The centre unit consists of a further 4x
Alcons LR7 / 90. In addition, 2x Alcons VR8 (1x RBN401 4″ pro- ribbon driver + 8′
woofer) monitors have been installed on each side of the orchestra pit.
The auditorium can also be expanded to include 3x Alcons SR9 (1x RBN401 4″ pro-
ribbon driver) as frontfills – an option that the musical comedy is currently only
using during microport performances. In addition, 2x BF362 double-18″ subwoofers
are available for particularly bass-intensive applications. The entire system is
powered by 1x Sentinel10 and 3x Sentinel3 4-channel amplified loudspeaker
controllers.
Thus, Tobias Finke, Tonmeister and sound department manager, considers the
theatre as “technically up-to-date”. The acoustic challenges in the hall were not to
be neglected, as Finke explains: “The Musikalischen Komodie is a very early
concrete
construction, arc-shaped with facets in the interior. This creates a few strange
reflections and other unique hall effects. In addition, self-resonances are an issue.
The room is excited by the PA quite severely. “All this had to be considered and
controlled as much as possible.
There was also only positive feedback from the audience and employees, especially
regarding improved sound imaging. “The clarity in the reproduction has been
noticed by many people – from musicians to technicians to our guests,” Finke
concludes.
Thus, the road of success continues for the Musikalischen Komodie Leipzig.
More info on www.alcons.audio, www.hfe.de and www.oper-leipzig.de/en/musikalische-
komoedie
