Why Lawo technology is “invaluable game-changer” for La Monnaie opera house

La Monnaie/De Munt, Belgium’s premier opera house, has long been renowned for its world-class cultural productions. To further optimise its operations, La Monnaie, which draws its name from the former mint building at that site, has implemented a state-of-the-art Lawo IP infrastructure spanning multiple areas across two buildings. Headliner discovers why the venue’s investment in Lawo technology has been an invaluable game-changer…

With this installation, the Brussels-based opera house continues to strengthen its position as a leader in the performing arts scene. Recent technical upgrades include the addition of a second 32-fader mc²56 audio production console, an A__UHD Core audio engine, and the integration of Lawo’s HOME management platform for IP-based media infrastructures – significantly improving workflow efficiency and ensuring the exceptional audio quality required by the prestigious venue.

La Monnaie has relied on Lawo technology for years, utilising an mc²56 console to deliver audio experiences to live audiences. In 2023, the opera house took another step forward by installing a second mc²56 console in its in-house recording studio, dedicated to capturing high-quality recordings.

“La Monnaie is a major cultural hub,” said Karl Ancia, IT & technical network project manager. “In addition to our live performances, we always produce video and audio recordings of every opera, regardless of whether a radio or TV broadcaster is present for a live transmission. We record two performances per production and work on post-production in between. 

"The new setup not only enhances our live performances but also enables us to produce high-quality recordings, which we can distribute to a wider audience across multiple platforms.”

For La Monnaie, the integration of Lawo’s HOME platform has been a game-changer. Managing an IP-based media infrastructure with HOME has streamlined production processes by allowing flexible use of shared resources across different production environments.

“Flexibility with Lawo means that a single platform can handle a wide range of tasks,” Ancia explained. “Each opera is completely unique, with vastly different technical requirements – sometimes it’s just audio monitoring for the singers, while at other times we need immersive 3D sound effects and subtle reinforcement throughout the hall.”

This flexibility also enhances collaboration within the production team. “An opera house like ours has numerous destinations and an almost infinite number of sources,” furthered Niels De Schutter, La Monnaie’s recording engineer. 

“Our two shared consoles make it easy to exchange audio signals and collaborate seamlessly. The A__UHD Core’s Pooling License allows sound engineers working on the mc²56 consoles to dynamically allocate and share 1,024 DSP channels in mc²-grade quality, ensuring that processing power is precisely tailored to each production’s requirements.

The implementation of Lawo’s Power Core engine has further expanded La Monnaie’s audio distribution capabilities. “We use this powerful gateway for distributing all audio feeds, from artist dressing rooms to the interval bell and the house-wide sound distribution system,” Ancia adds.

By leveraging Lawo’s cutting-edge technology, La Monnaie meets the growing demand for top-tier audio production. This is particularly critical as the opera house frequently delivers live broadcasts to national radio and television networks and streams performances via platforms like OperaVision.

Lawo’s unified platform enables La Monnaie’s technical team to push the boundaries of live production and recording. Owen Rose, AV production engineer, highlights the system’s versatility: 

“For our Turandot production in June, the initial plan was to keep the technical setup quite minimal. But as rehearsals progressed, we needed to add more monitoring feeds and sound effects in multiple variations. So, I kept adding AUX paths. On top of that, not all microphone and sound effect signals should be heard everywhere. 

"Being able to adjust audio setups in real time to match evolving artistic expectations is invaluable for ensuring a seamless realisation of the production’s creative vision. In the end, technology and artistry are deeply interconnected.”

“Audiotechnology plays an increasingly vital role in our productions,” confirmed Ancia. “That’s partly due to our technical team – our work quality has continuously raised expectations among directors and management. The front-of-house console, the studio console in our separate building, and the flexible signal distribution have opened up entirely new possibilities. We have Lawo to thank for that.”