Denmark - Østre Gasværk is a theatrical venue in Copenhagen. It opened in 1979 on the site of a redundant gas works and the theatre is housed within the old gas tank. Its giant cylindrical shape makes it a dramatic place to stage the musicals and theatrical events that Østre Gasværk is known for.
The addition of a new DiGiCo Quantum 7T has revolutionized the programming and rehearsal process. Morten Frank, head of sound and board operator for its latest musical, UrineTown, explains what it means to have the DiGiCo Quantum 7T at the front-of-house position.
“Having the Theatre software for our Quantum 7T has really helped,” he says. “It gives us a great overview of the cues in the show, and quickly being able to change members of Control Groups during rehearsals has been a massive improvement to our workflow.”
The DiGiCo Theatre software allows greater flexibility and tracking of cast members with key features like Live Update. This feature allows engineers to react to character changes, such as understudies coming on, or dance and singing tracks changing for ensemble members by rippling changes through the whole cue-stack. It retains all effects that apply for that channel until Live Update is removed, meaning that engineers can mix complex shows without distraction, knowing that their programming will remain in place until they decide to change it.
The Quantum 7T’s three FPGA chips power faster processing and connectivity. “We needed a desk that could handle the sort of shows we are doing at the theatre, both with processing and channel count,” Frank continues. “The greatest add-on to that was the Theatre software, it’s been a real game-changer and makes it a lot easier to work with the new Theatre Max system.”
TheatreMax is an immersive, integrated system that allows sound, video, and lighting designers to use the entire space as a blank canvas. Speakers are placed throughout the venue, completely surrounding the audience. Acoustic dampening is also used beyond the lighting rigs to acoustically soften the cavernous roof space. It has won many awards for innovation since its installation in February 2023. Having a mixing desk that can cope with the increased input and outputs for this system was key for Frank during the programming stages of opening Urine Town.
“The new desk is a great add-on to the system,” he explains. “With the possibility of much more processing channels, it makes it a lot easier to work with the new system.”
Upgrading any equipment in the theatre just before a large musical opens can be a testing time, but being head of sound at Østre Gasværk since 2017 meant that Frank was sure the Quantum 7T would fit right in, as he concludes.
“The joy of the DiGiCo mixing desks is that the interfaces are largely similar,” he says. “It is very intuitive to go from one desk to the next, so I wasn’t worried about the change. The main benefit has been the T software. It has made my life as a board operator much easier. It really is a game changer when working in a theatre environment.”
