Allen & Heath has continued its long-standing relationship with The Posthuis Theatre, in Heerenveen, the Netherlands, which dates back to the days of analogue technology. The new main attraction is the recently installed dLive C3500 Surface, which takes centre stage in the theatre’s large hall and tops off the theatre’s rich history dating back to the 1880s with modern audio technology.
The dLive C3500 Surface has been partnered with a CDM32 MixRack fitted with an AES 4in / 6out card, and complemented by an AHM32 Matrix Processor and a DX32 modular expander, forming a comprehensive audio ecosystem at the heart of the historic building’s various spaces and rooms.
The dLive C3500 surface features a pair of 12in touchscreens, 24 faders, 19 assignable SoftKeys, and 6 assignable rotaries. The connected CDM32 offers 32 mic/line inputs, 16 line outputs and an audio networking I/O port, which the theatre loaded with an AES 4in / 6out card – with 128 channels of input processing and 64 configurable mix busses.
The AHM-32 Matrix Processor and DX32 expander are deployed as a system preset controller for the newly installed Martin TORUS constant curvature array system.
To facilitate any show with options for analogue and digital inputs for left, right, centre, and sub, the DX32 is fully loaded with a combination of AES and analogue cards allowing the correct preset to be selected via the AHM. The CDM32 MixRack is connected to the DX32 with AES-lines for default operation.
Eric Noorman, a veteran technician with over 40 years of experience at the Posthuis Theatre, commented: “We used to work on an Allen & Heath S2 back when mixing was handled from the lighting booth. Most digital mixers were not intuitive to me.”
He concluded: “However, when I tested the dLive C3500, I didn’t have that issue. This console has a nice analogue feel in terms of layout – at least if you set it up that way – which allowed me to quickly get familiar with the workflow. It was very quick and easy for me and the team.”
