Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

A DiGiCo past leads naturally to a DiGiCo future in

01/12/2021

Located in the eastern Dutch town of Hengelo, the Metropool is a long-established live music venue featuring a huge range of acts and genres. It moved to its present home in 2009 and at that point its console stock was updated to include three DiGiCo SD8s and a large-format analogue desk, covering all its audio mixing needs across its Jupiler and Jack Daniels halls. They were one of the first Dutch venues to invest in DiGiCo technology as Teun Zekhuis, their Head Technician recalls: We chose the SD8 for its sound, interface, workflow and overall look and feel. Being one of the first stages in the Netherlands with this first series of SD8s we were really pioneering in a new world of digital audio. The SD8s proved to be a great choice and served us very well.

Fast forward nine years to 2018 and through a series of events, Metropool found itself taking over the business of Atak, a venue for pop music, creating Metropool | Pop stages of Twente. The audio equipment we inherited at Enschede confirmed that we made a good choice back in 2009; unlike ours, it had not withstood the test of time! So, one of the first things we did in Enschede was to replace the consoles, Zekhuis continues. Having DiGiCos in Hengelo, the choice for a new series of DiGiCos in Enschede was obvious; why change a winning formula? But to be sure we checked a few competitors and concluded that there was no other brand with a product line so compatible with our business, both affordable and quantitive. So, in 2018 we chose an SD5 for front of house in the Hertog-Jan hall (850 capacity) an SD10 for FOH for the 350-capacity Saxion Hall and SD12s for monitors in both rooms. We also bought an SD11 for the Muziekcafe which can hold up to 100 people.

Then, in 2020 back at Metropool we purchased another set of DiGiCo consoles: the Jupiler hall (850 capacity) now has a Quantum 338 for front of house with an SD12 on monitors, the Jack Daniels hall (cap: 250) uses an SD10 for front of house. Both rooms have SD12s on monitors and in the Muziekcafe it's an SD11.

Zekhuis shares his vision for presenting and maintaining contemporary performance venues in technical terms. We run an average of 500 shows a year and have many volunteers and freelancers at work, he says. In order to guarantee continuity in personnel and to keep the workflow constant, we have chosen to provide the same audio quality in all rooms, optimally realised in audio terms due to the Stadius 32-bit pre-amp technology in the racks. Besides that, all the mixers and workflows on the stages are adjusted to each other, which means that when you know how to handle monitors on one stage you also know how it works on all the other stages. The same goes for FOH we want to keep it as simple and plug-and-play as possible, which saves time in setup and gives the artist more time to prepare and perform.

Meanwhile in Enschede some 10km away, Wilminktheater en Muziekcentrum, a major regional facility encompassing several rooms of varying sizes and which presents everything from rock and roll to comedy, opera, theatre, ballet, conferences, cabaret, jazz and classical music, was also in the process of upgrading its technical infrastructure. These two organisations in two different cities combined forces through municipal budgets and clever in-house solutions to realise their respective goals.

We were looking for an upgrade on our mixing consoles, explains Eelco Braakhuis, the main engineer and audio specialist for the Wilminktheater en Muziekcentrum. The guys from Hengelo already knew DiGiCo so for them it was a no brainer in the search. For us also it was a console we knew and are very pleased with as we already owned two. It ticked all the boxes in terms of usability because we have a wide variety of shows that we produce ourselves, so we needed a console that is as flexible as it can be. Anything you can come up with in audio routing and processing, a DiGiCo can do it!

DiGiCo made a huge step up in audio quality with their new 32bit Stadius cards and we were very pleased with the sound it delivers. Combining it with Waves plugins and with the ability to go to immersive audio already in the console's software is very nice to have. It takes us a step forward to the future of theatre and opera.

Braakhuis notes that Wilminktheater en Muziekcentrum has a crew that all have to know how a console works, and it was easy for them to get used to the new DiGiCos.

We chose the SD10 for our main auditorium and two S21s for our small auditorium and church where we host mostly classical music, and a SD11 for flexible use in front of the house or during small conferences, he adds. So now here in Enschede we have six rooms with a total of ten DiGiCo consoles, all equipped with various racks including SD, D2 and D types. The different consoles have been very consciously chosen for the individual rooms, so they exactly meet the needs of each. It also makes it possible to use the different consoles in different rooms, entirely according to the technician's wishes.

As this is a purchase that was made by the city council, we had to do an inventory of pricing from three different companies, Braakhuis notes. The Ampco Flashlight Sales team made us a very good offer, they also know the consoles inside and out and do all the technical maintenance for DiGiCo in the Netherlands. This made them a good partner in our purchase. They handled everything very well for us during finalising the order and helped us create a great set of mixing consoles.

At Ampco Flashlight we're thrilled to have worked with both Metropool and Wilmink for the last two decades and that we've had the chance to extend and fortify our relationship with these beautiful DiGiCo-setups in both venues, concludes Bart van der Smissen, Product Manager Audio for Ampco Flashlight Sales. Ensch
LINK: https://digico.biz/a-digico-past-leads-naturally-to-a-digico-future-in...
See more stories from digico

Europe Stories

06/10/2025

France Tlvisions Wins Prestigious 2025 EBU Technology & Innovation Award in Groundbreaking Collaboration with Dalet

France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...

04/09/2025

Monumental Sports & Entertainment and Dalet Win Prestigious 2025 NAB Show Project of the Year Award

Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...

01/07/2025

ITV Celebrates Best Sunday of 2025 with Code of Silence

The launch of Code of Silence, coupled with the Britains Got Talent semi final, gave ITV its best Sunday night of 2025. The first episode of the new crime dr...

01/07/2025

Romola Garai joins Shaun Evans in ITV thriller BETRAYAL, as filming begins in the North West

ITV and Mammoth Screen have announced the start of filming for Betrayal, a gripp...

01/07/2025

Movicom Selects Clear-Com to Power Communications for Global Live Events

eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......

01/07/2025

KIT Plugins release NOIZ One Vox

Vocal-processing plug-in joins NOIZ Hub series Launched in 2024, KIT Plugins' NOIZ Hub series was created with the aim of providing a range of professio...

01/07/2025

7 Day Mastering: New course from Mastering.com

New self-paced learning programme announced Mastering.com have announced the availability of a new online course designed to cover the fundamentals of maste...

01/07/2025

cetecom advanced certifies Rohde & Schwarz test solution for the verification of Next Generation eCall functionality

cetecom advanced certifies Rohde & Schwarz test solution for the verification of...

01/07/2025

Teresa Smith Announced as Commissioning Editor for Factual Entertainment

RT has announced that Teresa Smith has been appointed Commissioning Editor with responsibility for Factual Entertainment following a public competition. This s...

01/07/2025

RT is Supporting 26 Arts and Cultural Events across Ireland this July

This July, RT is delighted to support Galway International Arts Festival, Earagail Arts Festival in Donegal, Belfast TradFest and 23 other arts and cultural ev...

30/06/2025

Discover Weekly Turns 10: Celebrating 100 Billion+ Tracks Streamed and a Decade of Personalized Discovery

There's nothing quite like the magic of finding music that feels made just f...

30/06/2025

Spotify's Editors Pick Their Best Songs of the Year (So Far)

When it comes to new music, Spotify's team of editors across North America is always on the hunt for songs that make them feel, think, and move. They're...

30/06/2025

The Forsytes Season 2 Commissioned by MASTERPIECE on PBS

Star Studded Ensemble Cast Are Joined by Richard Rankin as Filming Begins on the Second Season [June 12, 2025 - Boston, MA]: The Forsytes, Debbie Horsfield...

30/06/2025

Qu-Bit announce the Bloom v2

Eurorack sequencer module reimagined California-based modular synth innovators Qu-Bit have announced the launch of a new module that offers a fresh new take...

30/06/2025

Techivation launch T-De-Esser Pro Mk2

Improved dynamic behaviour, improved audio quality & more Techivation have announced the release of an upgraded edition of their very first premium plug-in,...

30/06/2025

German premiere with live flight demonstration: German industry team showcases electromagnetic combat from the air

German premiere with live flight demonstration: German industry team showcases e...

30/06/2025

The Focusrite Summer Sale is now on

The Focusrite Summer Sale is now on Don't miss unbeatable deals on Scarlett, Vocaster, and more. Whether you're an artist, a producer, or a podcaste...

30/06/2025

Yellowstone origin story 1923 starring Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren comes to RT One and RT Player

All 8 episodes of Season 1 of 1923 will be available on RT Player from Tuesday ...

30/06/2025

Thales 2025 Global Cloud Security Study Reveals Organizations Struggle to Secure Expanding, AI-Driven Cloud Environments

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn 52% report AI security spending is displacing tr...

30/06/2025

Thales Alenia Space to develop SOLiS very-high-throughput laser communications demonstrator

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Cannes, June 30th, 2025 - Thales Alenia Space, t...

29/06/2025

Roland introduce the Mood Pan

Handpan-inspired instrument announced Roland have announced the launch of the Mood Pan, a unique electronic hand percussion instrument that has been designe...

28/06/2025

Scaler 3.1 update from Scaler Music

Music theory plug-in updated Three months on from the release of the latest version of their renowned music theory plug in, Scaler Music have launched an up...

27/06/2025

Spotify Launches K-Pop Performance Video Series . . . Next Up, TWS

K-Pop remains one of the biggest genres globally, and many fans just can't get enough of it. That's why Spotify has launched a new series of K-Pop perf...

27/06/2025

Family Cybersecurity CEO: Protecting Kids, Parents, and My Sanity From Scams

In our latest blog post, Rafael Rivera highlights the rising threat of online scams, and the important role cybersecurity plays in protecting families across ge...

27/06/2025

Klevgrand introduce Walls reverb plug-in

From grounded realism to bending, impossible geometries Klevgrand have announced the release of a new algorithmic reverb plug-in which they say deconstruct...

27/06/2025

GIK Acoustics: Room EQ Wizard Tutorial

Learn to use REW for room analysis Acoustic treatment is one of the most important factors in any studio, and with the extensive range of products available...

27/06/2025

Soundtheory release Kraftur Focus

Second edition of parallel clipper plug-in announced Soundtheory have announced the launch of Kraftur Focus, a new edition of their parallel clipper plug-in...

27/06/2025

Thales and KONGSBERG to establish new major Defence communications joint venture in Norway

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Thales, a global high-tech leader, and Kongsberg...

27/06/2025

RTL Group to acquire Sky Deutschland

Friday 27 June 2025 Combination of RTL Deutschland and Sky Deutschland (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) to create a unique proposition in entertainment, sports ...

26/06/2025

AgileTV will develop the TV service for LIWEST in Austria

Bilbao Linz, June 26th 2025 - AgileTV, a European leader in TV and video technology solutions, has signed an agreement this week with the Austrian telco LIWES...

26/06/2025

Ad-hoc News: aconnic AG places capital increase and postpones publication of annual report until completion of the transaction

aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, has resolved, based on the decisions ma...

26/06/2025

KRK launch Kreate Series monitors

Three new entry-level models introduced Catering to everything from casual listening to professional content creation, KRK's new Kreate Series monitors ...

26/06/2025

MIDI Innovation Awards: Deadline approaching

Registration closes on 8 July 2025 The deadline for entires into the fifth annual MIDI Innovation Awards is now just two weeks away. Product submissions are...

26/06/2025

Waves V16 now available

Entire plug-in range updated Waves have announced the launch of Waves V16, the latest version of their extensive plug-ins collection. Along with compatibili...

26/06/2025

The European Space Agency awards Thales Alenia Space the study of the SIRIUS mission to monitor Urban Heat Islands from space

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Madrid, June 26, 2025 - The European Space Agenc...

26/06/2025

UKTV and Talented People renew partnership for a third year and expand into recruitment for scripted roles

UKTV and Talented People are delighted to announce the renewal of their successf...

26/06/2025

THE EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING OF MAGYAR TELEKOM DECIDES ON THE SEPARATION OF THE COMPANY'S PASSIVE MOBILE INFRASTRUCTURE

THE EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING OF MAGYAR TELEKOM DECIDES ON THE SEPARATION OF...

26/06/2025

RT'S FINDING SAMANTHA TRUE-CRIME PODCAST SERIES OPTIONED AS A TV EXCLUSIVE

Keeper Pictures, the Dublin-based scripted production company whose credits include The Gone and Striking Out, has optioned the exclusive TV adaptation rights t...

26/06/2025

RT presents new documentary on the origin stories of three abandoned babies in 1960s Ireland

This July, RT presents The Phone Box Babies, a documentary revealing new insigh...

25/06/2025

VidCon 2025: Top Creators Join Spotify to Discuss the Impact of Video Podcasts

Last week, content creators from all over the world flocked to Anaheim for VidCon 2025, one of the largest creator conferences in the U.S. As an official sponso...

25/06/2025

Clear-Com Supports Fourth Annual Rise Academy Summer School

eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......

25/06/2025

Soundtoys announce Pride Month campaign

Sales proceeds from 25 - 26 June 2025 donated to Lambda Legal Soundtoys have announced that 100% of all sales made on 25 and 26 June 2025 will be donated to...

25/06/2025

Universal Audio A-Type plug-in goes native

No Apollo or UAD hardware required Universal Audio have announced that their software recreation of Dolby's renowned multiband enhancer - which was laun...

25/06/2025

WA-CX24 stereo valve mic from Warm Audio

Recreates AKGs sought-after C24 Warm Audio have announced the launch of a new stereo valve microphone that offers a modern take on AKG's sought-after C2...

25/06/2025

Emergence Audio's Infinite Summer Sale

Save up to 50% on Kontakt instruments Emergence Audio have announced that their Infinite Summer Sale promotion is now live, with savings of up to 50% applie...

25/06/2025

Rohde & Schwarz selected by Collins Aerospace to upgrade oceanic communications network

Rohde & Schwarz selected by Collins Aerospace to upgrade oceanic communications ...

25/06/2025

Arqiva joins SWIG

Arqiva will engage with fellow members to explore the latest developments in sensor innovation, environmental monitoring and data analytics Arqiva is proud to ...

25/06/2025

2025-06-11

Continuing its commitment to creating technology that enriches users' lives while helping them stay safe online and protect their privacy, Apple today share...

25/06/2025

2025-06-25

Apple Sports - the free app for iPhone that gives sports fans access to real-time scores, stats, and more, delivered with speed and simplicity - today added ten...