DiGiCo consoles have been a fixture of the Royal Shakespeare Company since 2003, when a D5T the theatre specific version of the original D5 Live - was installed in its Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford upon Avon. Twelve years of sterling service later, that same D5T has finally been replaced with a new DiGiCo SD7.
The D5T was initially bought for use on the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) production of Beauty and the Beast, a development that RSC Head of Sound Jeremy Dunn remembers well.
We previously had a 44 channel analogue console but, even with the D5T's then colossal 96 channels, the sound designer always needed just one more, he smiles. The D5T served the theatre for eight years, before the 1400-seat venue was redeveloped and we installed an SD7T.
Since then the D5T has continued in frequent use, first in the temporary Courtyard theatre while the main house was redeveloped, then for touring and residences in the Roundhouse, London, before most recently alternating with a second D5T in the RSC's 450-seat Swan Theatre.
When the time came to purchase a new console for the Swan Theatre, there was a strong feeling from show operators and designers within the sound department that we needed the dual redundancy of engines, PSUs and optical/MADI that we enjoy with the Royal Shakespeare Theatre's SD7T, says Jeremy. For ease of programming, it was also felt that we should stick to the DiGiCo SD series. Personally, I also like the sonic invisibility of DiGiCo consoles, the endless I/O and the space they save.
Installed in the Swan Theatre this October, the SD7 was supplied with three new SD-Racks, each fully populated with 56 I/O, plus both MADI and optical connections.
It may seem indulgent to have such a large and powerful desk in a 450-seat venue, but our shows play in repertoire and changeovers can be limited to only 90 minutes between matinee and evening performances. This usually involves an alternate band position, so instant show recall becomes very useful and it saves a lot of time and errors, says Jeremy.
Currently only the big productions from the Royal Shakespeare Theatre are transmitted live to screen, but when the decision is taken to go live from the Swan we'll be ready, as the extra MADI Ports on the SD7 make connection to the outside broadcast trucks so much easier.
The first productions set to benefit from the new SD7 will be productions of Euripides' Hecube, Helen Edmundson's Queen Anne and William Congreve's Love for Love, where the SD7 will take control of a live nine-piece orchestra with some large, unusual and interesting percussion set-ups, with up to 48 channels of sound effects directly connected through MADI, along with a number of a radio mics and effects machines
Our studio is also using an SD11, while our SD9 - which recently toured with the Taming of the Shrew and Othello - will be the new console for our re-developed The Other Place venue which opens in 2016, celebrating 400 years since Shakespeare's death, says Jeremy.
The RSC is busily employing further DiGiCo consoles hired from Autograph. These include an SD7T on Matilda at the Cambridge Theatre, with another for Death of a Salesman at the Barbican from November.
We were also introduced to the SD10 in recent hire for Oppenheimer at the Vaudeville theatre, says Jeremy. Although the SD10 has no redundant engine, we had support from Autograph. They have been critical to the success of our London shows, especially as support from Stratford upon Avon is two hours away.
Press Contacts:
David Webster at DiGiCo
Tel: +44 1372 845600
Email:webby@digiconsoles.com
Web: www.digico.org
Sarah James at Gasoline Media
Tel: +44 1372 471472
Email: info@gasolinemedia.com
Web: www.gasolinemedia.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/sarah_gasoline
Image1: Jeremy Dunn - Head of Sound - RSC
Image2: Oli Soames - RSC
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
09/10/2026
September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026
New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
29/09/2026
Oak View Group (OVG) has announced Cisco as an Official Technology Partner, with plans to standardize infrastructure across its venue network on Cisco solutions...
29/09/2026
SportsNet Pittsburgh (SNP) won three honors at the 2026 Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards.
Program awards went to Bucs BP in the Sports Program Live category (produced ...
29/09/2026
The Professional Women's Hockey League has announced home openers for all 12 teams for the 2026-27 season, along with a broadcast partnership with CBC under...
29/09/2026
Manifold technologies has been recognized as a contributor to the Media eXchange...
29/09/2026
FuboTV has announced My Local Sports, allowing subscribers in select markets to add their local regional sports network (RSN) as an add-on to a Fubo Sports subs...
29/09/2026
Asian News International (ANI), a wire agency and video news provider based in India, has deployed Grass Valley's AMPP Media Operating System and Framelight...
29/09/2026
South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has deployed Ikegami UHK-X600 cameras as part of an upgrade to IP-based production infrastructure. The deployment ...
29/09/2026
REMI, REMCO models will drive the bulk of the broadcaster's NHL productions ...
29/09/2026
Three years in, the facility is supporting more centralized race production, com...
29/09/2026
NBC, Peacock, and NBSN are carrying all four Wild Card series with a production ...
29/09/2026
19 Nonfiction Projects Across All Stages of Production to Receive More Than $1 million in Support as Documentary Film Program Approaches 25th Anniversary
LOS ...
29/09/2026
Two new plug-ins launch alongside updated bundles
Zynaptiq have just announced the launch of two new plug-ins, alongside new and improved versions of two of...
29/09/2026
All-in-one bus processor revealed
Wes Audio's ng product range has come a long way since it was first introduced, and now includes a tasty selection of ...
29/09/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Ikegami announces that the South African Broadcasting Corporation, SABC, has chosen Ikegami UHK-X600 camera systems as part of an advance to IP-based operation ...
29/09/2026
Blendkit Offers 20% Discount to Celebrate Crossing 150K Asset Milestone
Brie Clayton September 29, 2026
0 Comments
Blendkit, the largest 3D asset libr...
29/09/2026
Interactive streaming specialist Ease Live supported more than 76.5 million fan sessions across three major European media operators during this summers FIFA Wo...
29/09/2026
Ease Live has added support for VAST (Video Ad Serving Template) to its graphical overlay technology, opening up new ways for broadcasters, streamers and rights...
29/09/2026
Rise AV has announced the launch of the inaugural Rise AV Awards, a new global awards programme celebrating the women, advocates and organisations across the AV...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Clear-Com announced that First Baptist Nashville has upgraded its production communications with a Clear-Com intercom solution as part of a comprehensive sanct...
29/09/2026
Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K Captured Action Shots for Sketch
Brie Clayton September 28, 2026
0 Comments
Camera's portable design and dynamic range...
29/09/2026
Kean Production Services Deploys AJA ColorBox to Deliver Consistent, Accurate Co...
29/09/2026
Berklee Alumni and Faculty Nominated for the 2026 Latin Grammy Awards A total of 28 Berklee alumni and faculty earned nominations across 20 categories this ye...
29/09/2026
Berklee's K-Pop & Beyond Explores Connections Between K-Pop and Hip-Hop Now in its fifth year, the series brings together artists, industry leaders, and s...
29/09/2026
We tend to think we live in a digital world, with hopes and fears around artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, data centres and the next big technolo...
29/09/2026
Today, in partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Apple relea...
29/09/2026
Final Cut Camera, the professional filming app for iPhone, receives a major upda...
29/09/2026
RT lyric fm is proud to announce the annual Choirs for Christmas competition callout. Warm up those vocal chords and join us on RT lyric fm for a celebration ...
28/09/2026
The NHL has announced Adobe as an Official Creative, Marketing and AI Partner beginning with the 2026-27 season. The partnership will provide the league and its...
28/09/2026
MultiDyne will exhibit at CABSAT 2026 (October 5-7, Dubai Exhibition Centre), showcasing an expanded technology portfolio following its June 2026 acquisition of...
28/09/2026
ARRI and HONOR have announced the HONOR Magic9 Pro Max, a flagship smartphone carrying ARRI branding on the device and packaging as the first product-level expr...
28/09/2026
Net Insight has added the Nimbra 1020G to its pan-Asian live media trial network, giving customers and partners in the region a way to evaluate ST 2110 and JPEG...
28/09/2026
Vindral has been named a recipient of a 2026 Technology and Engineering Emmy Award by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in the category of We...
28/09/2026
Interra Systems will exhibit at CABSAT 2026 (Stand B2-37, Dubai Exhibition Centre, October 5-7), demonstrating its BATON QC platform, ORION monitoring solutions...
28/09/2026
Two years into its new production facility, the TOUR is expanding centralized wo...
DiGiCo consoles have been a fixture of the Royal Shakespeare Company since 2003, when a D5T the theatre specific version of the original D5 Live - was installed in its Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford upon Avon. Twelve years of sterling service later, that same D5T has finally been replaced with a new DiGiCo SD7.
