Meyer Sound D-Mitri on the Soldier of Orange

Soldier of Orange, a new Dutch musical, marks, literally, a revolution in musical theatre. The entire audience of over 1,100 --seated on a turntable 108' across -- revolves laterally during the performance, making more than 30 stops in front of the surrounding sets. Fourteen identical loudspeaker clusters are spaced evenly in fixed positions with the sets, enabling a complete theatrical LCR mix with extensive reverb and surround effects, a complex mix that must progress around the loudspeaker clusters as the audience turns. Managing the precise mixing and routing of all audio signals at the show is a complete Meyer Sound D-Mitri digital audio platform with SpaceMap multichannel surround panning, Wild Tracks audio playback, and a CueConsole control surface.

D-Mitri digital audio platform is a network-based system that encompasses the entire audio chain, from microphone input to loudspeaker output, incorporating multichannel distribution, recording and playback, and show control automation. D-Mitri provides audio A/D and D/A conversion at a 96kHz sample rate and 24-bit resolution, and is one of the first audio products to adopt the emerging AVB audio video bridging standard, making it a true real-time system that allows multiple network devices to respond to a command at the same time.

"D-Mitri and SpaceMap were critical to making the audio work transparently and to full effect," says Jeroen ten Brinke, of ADI Group, the show's sound designer. "Often, the audience rotates while the actors are walking in front of the sets, sometimes moving halfway around the circle while talking. Fortunately, the transition from one speaker cluster to the next is handled seamlessly by D-Mitri, so the sound operator can focus on the mix."

Adapted from the film of the same name, about the heroic struggle of the Dutch underground against Nazi occupation, Soldier of Orange plays in a venue that was purpose-built for the production inside a World War II-era military aircraft hangar. The sets include various indoor rooms and a sweeping beachfront, while for the climactic scene a hangar door opens to reveal a vintage WWII transport plane taxiing up for the triumphant return of Netherland's exiled queen.

To handle all the audio signal processing, matrixing, and intricately pre-programmed panning, the production relies on 14 integrated D-Mitri modules. Two DCP core processors, and a DCM-2 core matrix are at the heart of the system, linked to four eachDAI-24 analog input and DAO-24 analog output frames plus one DDIO-24 digital input/output frame. Wild Tracks provides audio playback using a DWTRX unit with dual solid state drives, and a DGPIO unit communicates with the turntable automation. Operators mix the show on a CueConsole, with one transporter module and five fader modules augmented by four Mac Mini computers and touch-screen displays. Two Apple iPads are available for the RF tech and front-of-house engineer to monitor different channels and make adjustments remotely during rehearsals and the show.

With several processors distributed around the stage near the inputs and output amplifiers, the D-Mitri system is set up to manage all audio and control data as the audience area and the font-of-house console revolve. Chiel Blaauw, one of two primary sound operators and also a programmer of the system, is impressed by the power and flexibility of D-Mitri. "You can program almost everything, such as the fade time on the auxiliaries. I used it for all the monitors on nine different sets. We also used SpaceMap and WildTracks to make flying bombs go around the theatre."

Programming flexibility was not at the expense of audio quality. "I think D-Mitri is one of the best-sounding digital live systems," says ten Brinke, noting that the product's integration of 96kHz sampling rate converters was critical in the system's selection. "Other companies think that 48kHz is enough, but I can hear the difference in the mix."

Soldier of Orange premiered on October 30, with the Netherlands' Queen Beatrix in attendance. Nearly all shows have sold out since, with an extended run anticipated through 2011. The D-Mitri system was provided by Rentall bv, based in Bemmel, the Netherlands. Roland Mattijsen of Audio Electronics Mattijsen provided project support.