- Designed by Alvar Aalto and built in 1982, the Jyväskylä City Theatre is the largest venue of its type in this city of roughly 132,000 people in central Finland. It is home to a broad assortment of cultural activities, including everything from concerts and musical theatre to opera.
To ensure the best possible sound reinforcement for its myriad of programs, the theatre recently invested in a sizeable wireless microphone system utilizing the acclaimed Digital Hybrid Wireless technology of Rio Rancho, NM-based Lectrosonics.
Noretron Broadcast Ltd of Kirkkonummi, Finland, the professional broadcast division of Noretron Group, handled the sales and installation of the Jyväskylä City Theatre’s new wireless system. Mr. Timo Vilmi, owner of Noretron Broadcast, discussed the nature of the project and his decision to deploy Lectrosonics wireless technology.
“The Jyväskylä City Theatre has two rooms, with the main stage having seating for 551 people and the secondary room being far more intimate in character—with seating for 98 people,” Vilmi explained. “As the premiere facility of its kind in this region, we wanted to ensure the best possible audio quality and the highest level of reliability. Mr. Mika Filpus, the theatre’s chief sound engineer, evaluated several brands and, based upon his findings, ultimately selected Lectrosonics.”
The wireless microphone system deployed by the Noretron Broadcast team incorporates twenty-two Lectrosonics SMDB/E01 super miniature beltpack transmitters and two HH/E01 handheld transmitters. On the receiver side of the equation, there are four Lectrosonics WRMWB Venue Series/E01 receiver mainframes—with all but one of the 6-channel systems fully stocked with VRT receiver modules for a total of twenty-two channels. Lectrosonics ALP650 skeletal design Log Periodic Dipole Array antennas augment the system, as do RM remotes, which enable audio technicians to modify audio input gain, RF operating frequency, lock/unlock the front panel controls, and enable/disable Sleep Mode on the SMDB/E01 transmitters.
“Audio quality was the first and foremost concern,” said Vilmi, “and this is precisely why the Lectrosonics gear was chosen. Lectrosonics’ Digital Hybrid Wireless technology sounds exceptional and exhibits none of the sonic artifacts one typically encounters with systems using a compandor. The SMDB/E01 transmitters are extremely small and, as a result, are easy to hide among wardrobe, so they’re a great choice for theatrical applications—and with the RM remote, an audio tech can make changes to the transmitter without interfering with the talent’s wardrobe. Combine these factors with first-rate build quality and it’s easy to see why Lectrosonics excels in this type of environment.”
