Canford microMUSA installed at one of the largest classical music venues in Europe

Opernhaus Düsseldorf Zuschauerraum © HansJörg Michel

Canford microMUSA installed at one of the largest classical music venues in Europe SALZBRENNER media, one of Germany’s leading system integrators for professional audio, video and media technology, has recently completed two major projects with Canford’s new 12G 4K microMUSA patching solution.

SALZBRENNER media - Turnkey Systems and Project Solutions on a Global Scale SALZBRENNER media is one of the leading systems integrators for professional audio, video and media solutions.

Their experience in designing, planning and manufacturing, as well as installing and implementing demanding projects, spans more than five decades and has made them a trusted partner for project managers and customers.

They cover a vast range of areas and applications, from research and development of audio, video, media, and intercom technology and emergency alarm systems, to system integration and distribution. They design custom-built solutions from the planning stage to final implementation.

The long list of successful projects ranges from theatres, operas and concert halls, to high-profile broadcast, sporting and music events, as well as public and religious buildings. The list comprises top-notch venues and institutions, such as the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, the Federal Chancellery in Berlin, Sydney Opera House in Australia, the Veltins-Arena (also known as the football stadium of Bundesliga club FC Schalke 04) and the Parliament in Hanoi, Vietnam. Despite regularly working on high-profile projects, SALZBRENNER media are one of only few systems integrators to provide both, large and small scale turnkey solutions.

Most of their products are made-to-measure and include innovative functions with ISO-certified production processes.

With their headquarters in Buttenheim and subsidiaries in Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Papenburg, Chemnitz and Vienna (Austria), they implement projects worldwide.

“Deutsche Oper am Rhein Düsseldorf” – one of Germany’s biggest opera companies The Deutsche Oper am Rhein Düsseldorf Duisburg GmbH is a theatre community serving the cities of Düsseldorf and Duisburg that represents a lengthy tradition of collaboration between these two urban centres. Ever since it was founded in 1956 it has been regarded as one of Germany’s leading opera houses. With an ensemble of top-quality soloists, distinguished chorus and the nationally- and internationallyacclaimed Ballett am Rhein Company, it has evolved into one of Europe’s premier addresses for both opera and dance. Its home lies within one of Germany’s largest and most densely populated cultural regions. The two cities of Düsseldorf and Duisburg alone account for almost 1.1 million inhabitants, but numerous neighbouring districts and a large number of outside visitors also benefit from the range of excellent work offered by the Deutsche Oper am Rhein.

In 2020, SALZBRENNER media was commissioned with the complete renewal of the stage management technology of the Opera house. The new system comprises a mobile stage management console, an IP-based cue light controller for light signalling, a new intercom system and the integration of the

canford.co.uk | UK sales tel: +44 (0)191 4181122 email: sales@canford.co.uk | Int sales tel: +44 (0)191 4181133 email: international@canford.co.uk

rehearsal sound system in the hall, which is independent of the main sound system, into the stage manager system.

“Festspielhaus Baden-Baden”- one of the largest classical music venues in Europe During the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic, Festspielhaus BadenBaden appointed systems integrator SALZBRENNER media to replace their audio and video technology, as well as their sound system. With a capacity of 2,500 seats, the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden is one of the largest classical music venues in Europe. The building features a unique architecture as the opera hall sits on the trackbed of a former railway station, whose neo-classicist structure serves as the entrance hall. The reconstructed opera house was designed by the Viennese architect Wilhelm Holzbauer in the mid 1990s in accordance with ideal acoustic values calculated by the acclaimed Munichbased physicist Karlheinz Müller. microMUSA provides vital video patching capacity Large format 3G SDI video distribution systems are used in both the Deutsche Oper am Rhein and Festspielhaus Baden-Baden installations. All footage from the cameras of the audience and the conductor, for the recording or the monitors on stage, as well as recordings and transmission for the foyers, are transmitted via this video distribution.

This is implemented using matrices from “Nevion”, which can transmit the SDI signals via copper or fibre optic cables.

In both projects, matrices of 128x128 inputs/outputs are used in the control centres for the stage. Directly connected to each of these matrices are 16x16 fibre optic channels as connections for the smaller submatrices in the control rooms and production studio. The signals from the offset boxes, cameras, feeders and monitors are connected via 3G-specified copper cable and switched in the matrix systems (partly also automated). In these applications, the patch panels are connected before or after all copper SDI inputs and outputs, mainly for safety reasons.

without them, and thus guarantee rehearsals or performances within a short time. In both venues there are emergency distribution boxes, which can be used to distribute the signals relevant to the performance to the monitors, recorders or streamers in the shortest possible time.

Technical Consultant Joachim Lindemann explains: “We used Canford’s microMUSA because it offers a good price/ performance ratio with excellent quality. The 12G specification offers reserves in 3G systems, because the transmission over copper lines is only possible up to certain cable lengths.

The quality of the connectors influences the quality of the transmission path, and the high quality connections used within microMUSA allow for longer transmission distances. The workmanship and quality of the patch cords is excellent and the microMUSA patch panels are also available in a very high density (up to 32 channels in 1U). We also made provision for the use of larger diameter cables by using Canford’s 24-way micro panels”.

Sarah Webster, Key Account Manager for Germany, comments: “microMUSA is a very important product range for Canford. It was developed in response to an increasing demand for 4K infrastructure products and provides 12G high density patching for applications where reliability is critical and space is at a premium. We are absolutely delighted that our long-standing customer SALZBRENNER media has selected to use microMUSA in two such prestigious venues in Germany.”

Festspielhaus Baden-Baden © Thomas Straub

In this situation, the microMUSA patch panels are paramount. In case of failure of a large matrix in such a system, it would be practically impossible to guarantee (emergency) supply on stage and in the control room or studio

canford.co.uk | UK sales tel: +44 (0)191 4181122 email: sales@canford.co.uk | Int sales tel: +44 (0)191 4181133 email: international@canford.co.uk