Part of the preparations being made by His Majesty’s Theatre in Perth for Australia’s ‘digital dividend’ is the installation of a Riedel digital intercom system.

The theatre has replaced its analogue party lines with the Performer digital party lines and exchanged its existing wireless system with Riedel’s Acrobat digital wireless system in line with legislation that will see the release and auction of 126MHz of contiguous RF spectrum – with direct consequences to existing wireless microphones, in-ear monitors and RF communications systems.

‘The implementation of the Riedel system has made vast improvements in the venue’s back-of-house operations as its high-level coverage greatly increases the scope of our flexibility and opportunities for communication in both performance and rehearsal modes,’ says the theatre’s General Manager, Rodney Phillips. ‘We are thrilled with the system.’

The Acrobat wireless system runs in the DECT spectrum at 1.9GHz, clear of other wireless audio systems and unaffected by the digital dividend. The single CC-8 base station can control up to 18 wireless belt packs, each with two full-duplex channels. Four strategically placed CA-6 antennas ensure coverage throughout the facility. System interfacing allows the audio team to replace its many paging mics, hooking them directly into the stage manager’s 1U-high control panel.

The all-digital intercom system at ‘The Maj’ is centrally controlled by a Riedel Artist 32 digital intercom matrix. Four Artist key panels (one rackmount and three desktop) give users high-quality audio and total system control. The user-friendly Director software enables technicians to control conversations – crews only hear what they need to hear –improving the clarity, utility and safety of communications.