Located in Ikebukuro, The Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre opened in 1990 by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government for the purpose of promoting arts and culture. Recently, to mark the 30th anniversary of the theatre, a new Solid State Logic Duality Fuse large format SuperAnalogue console was installed in the recording room of the theater's concert hall.
An arts center consisting of four halls—including a concert hall with a separate control room and one of the world's largest pipe organs—The Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre also hosts a variety of exhibition spaces and conference spaces.
[Solid State Logic's Announces New SSL Live Console, System T Updates]
Retaining sonic integrity with SSL's SuperAnalogue
"Prior to installing the Duality Fuse, we had been using an analogue console that had been installed since the theatre opened," said Mr. Koichi Ishimaru, sound director of The Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre. "When we were considering replacing it, we thought about installing a digital console or a system without a console, but we thought only an analogue console would do."
Duality Fuse's innovative hybrid design is preferred by many sound professionals because it combines a traditional analogue path and signal processing along with exceptional DAW control and integration—all within a single hardware surface. For The Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, the combination of its SuperAnalogue microphone preamplifiers and mix bus, flat frequency response and exceptionally low noise floor made it an ideal choice.
[SCN Hybrid World: Workplace Products and Expert Tips]
Detail across the entire frequency spectrum
An important part of the theater's decision process was choosing a console that could capture its programming in an accurate and authentic manner: "We decided on an SSL Duality Fuse because of its ability to express classical and opera programs as they are, without any necessary coloration and also because of the opinions of recording studios in Japan," Ishimaru continued. "The low end of the Duality Fuse adds no unnecessary coloration, yet it has a dynamic feel, so the power of classical music can be conveyed as it is."
Since installing the Duality Fuse, the theater changed the position of the suspended microphones that it uses to record stage performances, indicating that the Duality Fusion was able to impart an important dimension of space in the recordings.
"When recording on the stage, we typically lowered the microphones to keep the recording resolution," said. Ishimaru. "However, after installing the Duality Fuse, we were able to raise the position of the hanging microphones. This not only contributes to the appearance of the stage, but also to the sound, which is very important for expressing a sense of atmosphere. This is an important element in classical music where the sound is made up of an orchestra and a hall."
