Prolight + Sound 2019: Lawo To Exhibit Audio Consoles, Stageboxes, Processing Units

Lawo’s (booth C28) exhibition setup at this year’s Prolight + Sound (PLS) will focus on IP-based products and solutions for theater and live applications. In a hands-on environment, visitors can experience Lawo mc²audio consoles and Lawo IP routing systems as well as Lawo’s video processing units and audio-over-IP interfaces, including A__stage, the new members of the A__line family of WAN-capable stageboxes.

mc²56

mc²56 Audio Production Console
On show in Frankfurt will be an IP-based, 48-fader mc²56 audio production console of the 3rd Generation. This mixing system is optimized for today’s IP-video production environment, designed from the ground up for networking in complex production infrastructures, with full native support for SMPTE 2110, AES67 / RAVENNA, Dante, and MADI audio streams. Its networking performance rises to even greater heights thanks to unique new capabilities such as IP-Share gain compensation and Dynamic Surface to Core Allocation (DSCA). Because reliability is paramount, the console’s local I/O provides dual-redundant IP network interfaces for simultaneous, identical, connections to the Nova73 router, in line with the SMPTE 2022-7 “Hitless Merge” standard for stream and port redundancy. Comprehensive local I/O includes 16 Lawo-grade Mic/Line inputs, 16 Line outputs, eight AES3 inputs and outputs, eight GPIO, and a local MADI port (SFP).

mc²36 All-in-One Console
Also on display in Frankfurt will be Lawo’s mc²36 all-in-one live mixing desk in a 24-fader frame, with a comprehensive feature set covering broadcast, theater, houses of worship, live, and installed-sound applications. Its uncompromised sound quality and Lawo-grade mic preamps offer unprecedented value. A powerful DSP micro-core with an internal 512×512 port audio matrix and integrated I/O make it ideally suited for permanent installations where space is at a premium. The mc²36 integrates seamlessly into IP infrastructures, thanks to native AES67 / RAVENNA networking technology.

A__line Family of AoIP Interfaces Welcomes Three New A__stage Recruits
Beside the A__mic8, A__digital8, and A__madi4 AoIP units, Lawo showcases its recently launched WAN-capable A__stage live-performance AoIP interfaces at PLS. The A__stage units feature discrete Class A Mic preamps, advanced digital A/D FIR filtering, and SMPTE 2022-7 Seamless Protection Switching (SPS), providing two discrete, redundant network links for rock-solid network connectivity. The A__stage80, A__stage48 and A__stage64 feature switchable Mic/Line inputs capable of handling balanced or unbalanced sources, AES3 I/O with broadcast-grade sample-rate conversion, PTP/Wordclock sync and conversion capability, plus dual-redundant power inlets. The A__stage64 presented in Frankfurt has been designed for applications where discrete XLR sockets are preferred. It has a capacity of 32 switchable Mic/Line inputs, 16 analog line outputs, 8 stereo AES3 inputs, and 8 stereo AES3 outputs. The A__stage80 and A__stage48 are equipped with SUB-D37 connectors for breakout cables. Like all A__stage products, the A__stage64 offers dual-redundant MADI ports on SFP, 8 opto-isolated GPI/O ports, two SFP/RJ45 streaming and control ports and one RJ45 management port, in a 4RU enclosure.

A__stage48

V__pro8
Visitors to PLS can learn more about Lawo’s V__pro8 8-channel video processing toolkit, which accepts different video formats as well as MADI audio signals. High-quality format conversion, color correction as well as audio embedding and de-embedding make the V__pro8 a compact and powerful video processor, building bridges between different worlds and formats. A high-density MADI audio connection provides efficient video-to-audio bridging within the studio infrastructure. The V__pro8 works as a flexible matrix system: using its 8 x 8 video matrix and 384 x 384 audio matrix, it is possible to switch any signal to any other. A modern GUI based on HTML5 provides an effective interface for easy handling of day-to-day work.

A__UHD Core
Introduced last September, the A__UHD Core is a network-based, software-defined audio DSP engine with unparalleled processing density that takes Lawo’s mc²56 and mc²96 consoles into an altogether new dimension. Utilizing the IP network as an extension of the console core’s backplane, Lawo’s UHD Core can be located anywhere on the network. Its ultra-high processing density with over 1,000 fully featured, mc²-grade DSP channels can either be utilized by a single mc² console for coping with even the most challenging productions or be shared amongst up to four consoles. Thanks to a flexible licensing model, the A__UHD Core is ideal for both mobile applications and facility use. For mobile productions the scalable DSP performance with temporary licenses is a great way to turn CAPEX into OPEX. In facility applications, the possibility of resource pooling and flexible allocation of DSP resources to multiple consoles can significantly increase the utilization of the audio infrastructure investments.

Power Core

Lawo Power Core
The Lawo Power Core is a networked 19”/1RU Audio Processing Unit with unprecedented processing capacity providing 96 fully-equipped DSP channels, 80 summing busses, and a 1,920×1,920 routing matrix. The eight slots at the back accept any variety of I/O cards for Mic, Line, AES, MADI and headphone interfaces, which are available alongside the unit’s IP (AES67, RAVENNA) and MADI connectivity. Besides standard audio processing like dynamics and EQs, the Power Core also features advanced audio assist systems like one-touch AutoGain and 32 instances of AutoMix for automatically maintaining the balance of open mics. The included touch-screen GUI building software VisTool allows for routing, mixing, processing, and integration of 3rd party web interfaces in an intuitive and customizable graphical user interface. Alternatively, the Power Core can be paired with Lawo’s ruby hardware audio mixing panels with 4-60 faders per unit. The Power Core’s DSP resources are sufficient to drive multi-room installations.

Lawo VSM Control and Monitoring System
Another highlight in Frankfurt will be Lawo’s VSM Control and Monitoring system, which is in operation in countless broadcast, live and install environments, from cruise ships (Quantum class of shipping company Royal Caribbean) to auditoriums and lecture halls (e.g. German and European Parliament). VSM is a brand-agnostic control system that brings all of the devices in a facility into a single, unified control environment.

All Lawo IP products are future-proof and based on open standards. They also comply with the roadmap of the AIMS industry association.