COPENHAGEN, Denmark – Copenhagen Dansehallerne acquired two PRODIGY.MP and six PRODIGY.MC, equipped with AN8.IO converter modules, Dante.IO and Milan.IO network modules, to enhance the audio infrastructure for their flexible performance spaces.
More details from DirectOut (www.directout.eu):
DirectOut is a supplier of flexible, robust solutions for any audio application. When the scope of the flexibility required by Copenhagen Dansehallerne, Copenhagen’s center for Dance and Chorography, became clear, DirectOut was the only solution able to deliver what was needed. Anders Jørgensen, Project Manager for consultant and integrator Stouenborg, offered DirectOut solutions to Johannes Hornberger, Head of Sound and Video at the center. The team decided to purchase two PRODIGY.MP and six PRODIGY.MC, equipped with AN8.IO converter modules, Dante.IO and Milan.IO network modules. This combination ensured the audio infrastructure was flexible and stable enough to support any conceivable performance design.
Dance is an artistic medium like no other, so performance spaces require imagination in order to respond to the needs of performers, designers and choreographers. The beautifully designed Copenhagen Dansehallerne (Dance Halls) are completely adjustable spaces, from the audience seating to the performance programming. The transformation of this listed building took 7 years of rebuilding, renovating and modernizing, during which time Dansehallerne had to move to temporary premises. The center, housed in the historic Kedelhuset, opened in August 2024.
Hornberger has worked in the Dansehallerne since 2012, He is responsible for all sound and video requirements of the halls, as well as all media requirements, and oversaw the move from the old premises to the new halls.
Matching the freedom of the spaces, there are no permanent loudspeaker positions. The entire building is covered by an ethernet network, powered by Dante and AVB/Milan network protocols and a Meyer Sound Galaxy drives the Meyer Sound Ultra X20 and X40 point source speakers. Initially, the specified system was too rigid to deliver results that could cope with the requirements of the artists, so Hornberger worked with the rest of the design team, turning to DirectOut for a solution.
“We needed a completely flexible system, which is unusual for a performance space, especially for small or black-box spaces,” Hornberger explains. “We had already planned that the whole house would be covered with an ethernet network, with connections wherever we needed them. However, the speaker system was analog, so we would need to convert the signal and run analog cables to them.”
In a traditional theater setting, this system would be entirely satisfactory, but with the ever-changing repertoire of the Dansehallerne, engineers would be running hundreds of meters of cables a week. As Anders Jørgensen of Stouenborg continues, the venue is designed to be used as separate spaces and as a single performance venue, with the ability to fully immerse the audience as soon as they step through the front doors.
“We have 300 network lines throughout the building. We knew we would be using Dante and AVB/Milan, so we needed a bridge, and we had no doubt that the only solution was DirectOut,” Jørgensen says. “The infrastructure that DirectOut provides, with the ability to swap cards and easily route whatever we want to wherever we want, is completely aligned with our immersive whole-venue mindset. Whatever you dream of as a sound designer is possible in this building.”
Thanks to Stouenborg’s implementation of this bold and future-proof infrastructure, the Dansehallerne are now the perfect blend of modern ideas and historic style. The audio network covers the venue entirely, offering the connectivity of a single performance space, allowing engineers to access any point at any time to facilitate whatever the choreography requires.
“Dancers and choreographers love to experiment. Our system is AVB/Milan, so we knew we need to convert from our console and wireless microphones, plus IEMs to our loudspeakers,” Hornberger explains. “DirectOut can handle all of this, not just the network conversions, but also analog to digital. We can use the whole house as a single space and move freely throughout the building in a performance setting.”
Being able to pick up video and audio feeds anywhere in the building is useful not just for play back for performers and audiences, it can also be used to facilitate online and broadcast streams, delivering content to an even wider audience.
“Overall, we have eight PRODIGY systems, two PRODIGY.MP are permanently installed into a central control room, then we have six further PRODIGY.MC to ensure flexibility; whether the performance is in a studio or the foyer, we are all set. In the old days, we would need to run a lot of cable, through doors and windows to get to some places, now we just have one box!”
Ultimate flexibility in a system can sometimes result in over-complicated interface options but, by utilizing globcon, Hornberger can personalize access to the network system. This gives him the freedom to delegate control, without risking programming errors.
“The system is amazing, but also complex if you are not familiar with it. We have developed setups and workflows, so when I am absent, freelancers can access the audio system and work within programmed parameters. So now, all they have to do is move the loudspeakers and plug them in. I have put our DirectOut BREAKOUT box into a small, labelled flight-case so everyone can understand and plug in simply. It’s very easy to move that small box wherever it’s needed and plug straight into the system.”
It is a system that has delivered successful results for Hornberger. The audio team are now able to react positively to any request with an efficient and elegant solution that offers exactly what the dance piece needs, without resulting in hours of effort from the technical team.
“We couldn’t be happier with the system,” he says. “Making changes to a plan is always concerning – budgets are already set, and systems are in place – but thanks to the hard work of our suppliers and installers, we have been able to create a system that works exactly as we hoped. The major challenge was to make this complex system suitable for all our performances; simple for small set-ups but retaining the possibility to facilitate the big complex shows, too. It has achieved exactly that.”
“This is a building that lends itself to festivals or large-scale events. As soon as the audience walks through the doors, they are in the middle of the production, and the show doesn’t stop until they leave. To facilitate an idea as grand as that, we need a solution with flexibility and scalability,” Jørgensen concludes. “It is completely possible in the Danserhallerne, and that is thanks to the complexity of our system and the ability of DirectOut to accommodate that flexibility.”
