Poland - The Mazowsze National Folk Song and Dance Ensemble was established in 1948 and is dedicated to the preservation and performance of traditional Polish folklore. In 2024, the venue completed extensive audio upgrades, with major changes to the sound system in the concert hall, designed by sound designer, Krzysztof Polesiński.
Powering the upgrades are two DiGiCo Quantum 852-T consoles and two further DiGiCo Quantum338 consoles, also equipped with Theatre software and Pulse upgrades for touring use, all supplied by Polsound, DiGiCo’s Distributor in Poland.
The Mazowsze Auditorium is housed in the Karolin complex, which offers a full cultural experience. There is everything from hotels to education on site, with the ensemble performing dance, drama and music, also exhibiting artwork, running arts and crafts workshops and much more. Jacek Boniecki, maestro and director of Mazowsze, explains the impact of the changes.
“Sound is the medium of every artform, so we take the upmost care,” he says. “Today’s audience’s demands are very different to even 10 years ago, so our investment must reflect that. We want the beautiful sound of Mazowsze to represent the next step up in what is possible.”
Krzysztof Polesiński is a keen advocate of DiGiCo and a renowned sound designer. Head of audio technology at the Mazowsze Auditorium, he has designed many immersive sound systems around the world.
“The flexibility, layout design, and quick access to functions are the DiGiCo Quantum features I like the most,” he says. “The Theatre automation is also crucial, as it accelerates the workflow significantly, allowing us to meet the increasing demands for high-quality audio and ensuring that we can focus on what matters most – delivering an exceptional performance.”
The experience for the artists is just as important as the audience’s experience, so Polesiński assembled a team that would be able to provide a fully immersive experience for the musicians and performers. Piotr Przedbora, FOH engineer and head of sound engineers at the Mazowsze Auditorium, is also well known for his Dolby Atmos immersive mixes and mastering.
“DiGiCo consoles are basically the only choice for me. I’ve used them for years, whether here or on other projects and they are great for our applications,” Przedbora says. “The sound of theses consoles is second to none, they offer more than enough channels, and the addition of mustard processing is great. Our performances are very dynamic and the Quantum 852T can deliver exactly what I imagine.”
To deliver the full immersive experience, the system utilises three Fourier transform.engines, two at the front-of-house (FOH) position, and the third dedicated for touring. Training for this system was provided by Polsound. The monitor system is powered by KLANG:konductor, offering engineers complete control from the console.
“With the immersive sound system in the main auditorium, we anticipated the need for immersive monitoring for the company, so we have prepared for this with KLANG:konductor,” notes Mikłaj Grzebieniowski, monitor engineer. “KLANG integration offers an easy way to offer a truly immersive experience for our artists and a simple way to control it.”
