Interview: Avid VENUE | S6L at Paderborn Theatre
Paderborn Theater has recently modernized its audio setup in the main hall (Großes Haus) and studio (Studio) with VENUE | S6L live sound systems from Avid. In this interview, Till Petry, head of the sound department, and Sven Belzer, sound and video technician, talk about the workflow improvements that have resulted from the switch to VENUE | S6L at Paderborn Theater.
Please tell us who you are and what role you have or had in your facility during the project.
We are Sven Belzer and Till Petry and we are the sound department of Paderborn Theater. Sven started at Paderborn Theater after several other positions (including AIDA in the season of 2022/23 as a sound and video technician at Wiesbaden Theater). Till has been at Paderborn Theater since 2010, first as a trainee, then as a sound and video technician, and since 2023 as head of department. Since 2020, we have repeatedly considered renewing the audio consoles. Finally, in 2022/23 we delved deeper into the planning.
Describe your theater or production focus and any special requirements resulting from this.
Paderborn Theater is a single-genre theater with one musical production per season. We have three performance venues, and two of them use the S6L. We work a lot with pre-programmed snapshots and MIDI-controlled cues.
Is VENUE | S6L an essential component for the realization of your productions and what is VENUE | S6L used for (FOH, monitor, several venues, etc.)?
We fully rely on the S6L both in the main hall and in the studio, where it is used as a FOH console.
Please tell us which VENUE | S6L solution and which components you use.
For the main hall we opted for an S6L-32D with an E6L-144 engine. In the studio we chose the S6L-16C with an E6L-112 engine.
Which previous systems have been replaced by the VENUE | S6L solution?
In the main hall we had used a VENUE Profile with 48 ins and 16 outs before. In the studio we used the SC48, also from Avid, with 48 in and 16 outs.
What were the most important requirements in the decision-making process to meet your workflow challenges?
It was important to us to have as little familiarization time as possible to get straight into the flow. We wanted to be able to adopt the old shows as quickly and easily as possible. Also, we wanted to access familiar and well-established functions such as snapshots or MIDI connectivity.
What was the deciding factor to invest in the VENUE | S6L system?
The low- to no-availability of spare parts for the old system and the known workaround with the hardware and software. In addition to that, our previous experience with Avid and the VENUE played a major role in our decision to opt for the new S6L.
What do you see as the biggest advantages of the VENUE | S6L feature set within your workflow and how do you use them?
The biggest advantage is the simple and intuitive snapshot system that we use to program our shows. Also, the workflow is well organized and easy to learn. The overview layer enables faster access, and the channel strips have remained the same; familiar and intuitive.
In what ways has VENUE | S6L helped to modernize or optimize your production workflows?
The new routing options have made working even easier, clearer, and faster. The overview layer makes set-ups very convenient and makes a huge contribution to maintaining an overview. Also, the individually programmable layout option is particularly helpful in the studio.
The complete case study for the modernization of the audio setup at Paderborn Theater can be found here.
This interview was conducted by our official Live Sound systems distributor in Germany, S.E.A. Distribution.