Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

San Francisco Opera Embraces IP Audio with Lawo mc2 Consoles and Infrastructure

08/12/2021

San Francisco Opera Embraces IP Audio with Lawo mc2 Consoles and Infrastructure posted: 08/12/2021

San Francisco Opera's historic 3,006-seat War Memorial Opera House, opened in 1932 on Van Ness Avenue adjacent to City Hall, has just completed a technical upgrade to a complete Audio-over-IP infrastructure with two Lawo mc audio production consoles and related I/O, unifying the theater's audio production systems and bringing to completion a project with roots going back nearly 7 years.

San Francisco Opera acquired their first Lawo console, an mc 56 MKII, in 2015, for post-production use. It was a good testing ground, as the Opera's technical staff looked to the future, planning replacement of a previous, non-networked console with a looming EOL date.

Having such an important part of the system no longer serviceable was not something we could accept, says Doug Mitchell, San Francisco Opera's Master Audio/Video Engineer. Core requirements for new consoles were simple: First, the consoles needed to be native RAVENNA and, second, they needed to be made with the quality and detail that opera and symphonic music required.

Having already purchased an mc 56 MKII with Nova73 Compact in 2015 for our post-production facility, we were already very familiar with Lawo, says Mitchell. In fact, we chose Lawo in 2015 because of its RAVENNA audio capability. We had been using Merging Pyramix for multi-track capture and post-production mixing since 2007, and using Horus and Hapi AD/DA interfaces for all of our remote mic pre's since 2012. Integrating that first mc 56 MKII into our existing infrastructure made connectivity much simpler - it was a no-brainer to continue with Lawo for our live sound consoles.

The new installation - whose main goal was to bring together San Francisco Opera's Live, Broadcast and Post Production audio facilities within a 96kHz infrastructure - includes an mc 56 MKIII audio production console with a redundant A_UHD Core for the sound booth on the 5th floor backstage, along with A__stage64 and A__madi6 stageboxes, a Lawo V__pro8 video processor, and a Power Core RP with VisTool RP remote control for rehearsal and god mics. At orchestra level, an mc 36 MKII audio production console provides FOH sound. The system's backbone is managed with two Arista 7020 switches.

A second goal, integrating the FOH console with the main sound console, was also accomplished, as both new consoles now share all sources. Outputs feed two DirectOut Prodigy.MP's via RAVENNA and are matrixed prior to speaker distribution.

One big challenge with the previous equipment was lack of DSP, which required a lot of outboard processing gear, Mitchell explains. Since we had previously installed AoIP infrastructure with our first Lawo console, it was easy to replace the old stageboxes with the Lawo A__stage64 using existing wiring, and adding the Arista 7020 to tie the Consoles, A_UHD cores, A__stages64 units, A__madi6 and Power Core.

It all went together very easily, Doug enthuses: We have 2 Horus with 64 mic pre's in the orchestra pit, 1 Horus with 32 mic pre's for RF mics, 16 mic pre's for itinerant use DSL, 1 Hapi with 8 mic pre's in the ceiling for hanging mics, and 1 portable Horus with 32 mic pre's for special events. The ability to easily share all the Merging pre's and the A_Stage units with both mc 56's, the mc 36 and the Power Core really shows the beauty of an all-IP audio network.

Mitchell highlights one more major advantage of the new Lawo system: its extremely flexible workflow.

We share the theater with the San Francisco Ballet, and we both have very similar, yet different needs, says Doug. In my twenty years with the Company, the changeover that happens twice per year between us has always been quite complicated and took a lot of time, as it required a lot of patch bay changes.

Now, we finally have a system large enough and flexible enough that all we need to do is change out some microphones and recall a different snapshot in the mc 56 MKIII, mc 36 MKII and the Power Core, and we are ready to go!

About Lawo

Lawo designs and manufactures pioneering network, video, audio, control and monitoring technology for TV and radio broadcast, performing arts, houses of worship, stadiums and corporate applications. Products include IP-based media infrastructure solutions, control and monitoring systems, digital audio mixing consoles and video processing tools. All products are developed in Germany and manufactured according to highest quality standards at the company's headquarters in the Rhine valley town of Rastatt, Germany.

About SAN FRANCISCO OPERA

San Francisco Opera has been recognized as one of the world's leading opera companies since its founding in 1923. The Company remains a vital artistic institution through its mainstage programming, digital media innovations, acclaimed artist training programs and repertory-expanding commissions. Under the leadership of General Director Matthew Shilvock, the Company continues to pioneer new approaches to producing large-scale opera in the 21st century and create impactful connections with its community. Conductor Eun Sun Kim began her tenure as San Francisco Opera Music Director this fall and will lead the Company through its 2022-23 Centennial Season and beyond.
LINK: https://www.live-production.tv/news/products/san-francisco-opera-embra...
See more stories from liveproduction

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

21/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: BitFires Colin Bonzey on Growing Spark Platform for Live Cloud-Based Productions

Cloud-based production isnt going anywhere, and BitFire is doubling down by prov...

21/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: AWSs Jason Dvorkin, Regina Rossi on Driving Innovation With Al-Based Workflows

The topic of artificial intelligence has a stranglehold on the sports-video-prod...

21/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: T-Mobile for Business' Jason Schnellbacher on Enhancing 5G for Sports Fans, Broadcasters

5G is still a hot topic in live event production, and this workflow continues to...

21/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: Appears Ed McGivern on Fox Sports Deal, New XM Platform, and VX Software Debut

At the 2026 NAB Show, Ed McGivern, GM and President of Appear US, discusses the ...

21/04/2026

NAB 2026: Studio Network Solutions launches on-premise AI suite for media production workflows

Studio Network Solutions (SNS) has announced an on-premise AI suite designed for...

21/04/2026

NAB 2026: Suite Studios integrates file-streaming technology into Frame.io Drive

Suite Studios has integrated its file-streaming technology into the newly announced Frame.io Drive, a desktop application from Adobe company Frame.io. The colla...

21/04/2026

NAB 2026: Net Insight integrates InSync FrameFormer into Nimbra Edge for media processing

Net Insight has integrated InSync Technology's FrameFormer into the Nimbra E...

21/04/2026

NAB 2026: Fox Sports selects Appear X Platform for live production infrastructure

Fox Sports has selected Appear as a technology partner to support the next phase...

21/04/2026

NAB 2026: Diversified appoints Tyler Affolter as Chief Revenue Officer

Diversified has appointed Tyler Affolter as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) to lead the company's commercial organisation. The appointment follows the firm'...

21/04/2026

NAB 2026: Layercake integrates Bitmovin into Streamcake platform for end-to-end media orchestration

Layercake has formalised the integration of Bitmovin's video streaming infra...

21/04/2026

NAB 2026: International Judo Federation extends global content distribution partnership with SES

The International Judo Federation (IJF) has extended its distribution partnershi...

21/04/2026

NAB 2026: Glookast integrates Cinnafilm Tachyon plugin to enable GPU-accelerated video processing

Glookast has launched the Cinnafilm Tachyon plugin for its Media Producer and Me...

21/04/2026

NAB 2026: Cadena Tres selects Eutelsat for television signal distribution in Mexico

Eutelsat has entered into an agreement with Cadena Tres, a division of Grupo Ima...

21/04/2026

NAB 2026: Dolby and TV Azteca deploy Dolby Atmos for free-to-air broadcast

Dolby Laboratories and TV Azteca have partnered to introduce Dolby Atmos immersive audio to free-to-air television broadcasts. The implementation utilises the A...

21/04/2026

Verizon and FOX Entertainment leverage 5G and AI for remote production of Extracted

FOX Entertainment partnered with Verizon to overcome significant production hurd...

21/04/2026

NAB 2026: Osprey Video to showcase expanded IP infrastructure and orchestration at NAB Show 2026

Osprey Video has announced its technology showcase for the NAB Show 2026, highli...

21/04/2026

NAB 2026: Riedel introduces IP-based production updates including multiviewer, commentary control and audio connectivity solutions

Riedel Communications (Booth C4908) introduced a range of new solutions at NAB S...

21/04/2026

SportsTechBuzz at NAB 2026, Day 3: Live Reports From the Show Floor in Vegas

The NAB Show is in full swing, and the SVG and SVG Europe editorial teams are chasing down the hottest stories from all over the Las Vegas Convention Center. He...

21/04/2026

NAB 2026: Blackmagic Design Announces URSA Cine Immersive 100G and URSA Cine Live Encoder

Blackmagic Design has announced the URSA Cine Immersive 100G, an immersive cinem...

21/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: Clark Wire & Cables David McCarthy Showcases New Connectivity, Enclosure Solutions for Modern Broadcast Workflows at NAB Show 2026

Clark Wire & Cable is continuing its evolution from cable supplier to full-scale solutions partner for broadcast and live production. At the 2026 NAB Show, we s...

21/04/2026

Ricky Sensitively Portrays a Post-Incarceration Coming-of-Age

Rashad Frett attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Ricky at Eccles Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, UT. (Photo by George Pimentel/Shut...

21/04/2026

5 Years of Spotify in Pakistan: The Trends Shaping the Country's Music Scene

Five years ago, Spotify arrived in Pakistan, opening a new chapter in the country's music scene. Since then, local listeners have explored across genres, ge...

21/04/2026

The Next Wave of RADAR Spain Artists Arrives for 2026

Since its launch in 2020, RADAR has been our program for spotlighting emerging artists around the world. This year marks the sixth edition of RADAR Spain, our o...

21/04/2026

EverSync SP-10 from Cloudvocal

Offers compact wireless solution for pedalboards Taiwanese audio brand Cloudvocal have announced the availability of a new pedalboard-friendly wireless syst...

21/04/2026

Arturia launch Augmented Persia

Latest hybrid sampling/synthesis instrument arrives Arturia's Augmented series offerings rely on a mixture of sampling and synthesis, allowing users to ...

21/04/2026

Rohde & Schwarz to host Power Electronics Online Conference From Design to Validation in May

Rohde & Schwarz to host Power Electronics Online Conference From Design to Vali...

21/04/2026

MAS and Lockheed Martin Announce F-35 Sustainment Partnership in Quebec

MAS and Lockheed Martin partner to establish an F-35 depot in Canada, enabling in-country sustainment and creating high-skilled aerospace jobs....

21/04/2026

Nielsen data shows Australian outdoor and sport retailers are changing how they advertise to win over outdoor enthusiasts

Advertising strategies shift as competition grows for a large, active and qualit...

21/04/2026

ATSC Celebrates 3.0's Global Expansion

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

21/04/2026

Cinematic Feel Makes Survivor' Built to Last

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

21/04/2026

Live Event Technology Expands Fan Engagement

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

21/04/2026

MS NOW Uses Community to Build Up Its Brand

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

21/04/2026

Why Broadcast Is Well-Positioned to Safeguard Freedom of Speech

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

21/04/2026

AWS Demos AI Tools to Deliver Vertical Video

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

21/04/2026

Video Podcasting Leaps in Popularity

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

21/04/2026

Audio Systems Get Boost From Cloud and AI

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

21/04/2026

Layercake Deepens Bitmovin Integration to Power End-to-End Media Orchestration with Streamcake

Layercake Deepens Bitmovin Integration to Power End-to-End Media Orchestration w...

21/04/2026

Cobalt Digital Announces Launch of blueCORE at NAB Show 2026: Compact Powerhouse Signal Processors for SDI and ST 2110 Workflows

Cobalt Digital Announces Launch of blueCORE at NAB Show 2026: Compact Powerhouse...

21/04/2026

On-Premise AI Suite from Studio Network Solutions Debuts at NAB Show 2026

On-Premise AI Suite from Studio Network Solutions Debuts at NAB Show 2026 Melanie Ciotti April 21, 2026 0 Comments Unlimited processing, no cloud depe...

21/04/2026

IBC appoints Tim Banham as Chief Commercial Officer to dr...

London, 21 April 2026 IBC today announced the appointment of Tim Banham as its first Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), a newly created role that reflects the or...

21/04/2026

Motion Design Tools - April 2026

Motion Design Tools - April 2026 Roland Kahlenberg April 21, 2026 0 Comments Within 2 days, Maxon and Canva announced pro-level motion design apps - A...

21/04/2026

Chaos and Zero Density to Showcase Real-Time Ray Tracing for Virtual Studios and XR

Chaos and Zero Density to Showcase Real-Time Ray Tracing for Virtual Studios and...

21/04/2026

Diversified Appoints Tyler Affolter Chief Revenue Officer

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...