With the spectacular Spiel auf dem See (Opera on the Lake) as its centrepiece, the month-long annual Bregenz Festival finds the town of Bregenz in Austria taken over by a programme of theatrical, musical and operatic productions. Located on the shore of Lake Constance, the main event takes place on a floating stage on the lake.
In line with most such productions, the Bregenzer Festspiele makes increasing use of wireless microphone technology – the 2014 event using 12 channels of Shure’s flagship Axient wireless mic system.
The RF bands at Bregenz are constrained by local environmental factors – the town is very close to borders with Germany and Switzerland, all using radio frequencies in often conflicting ways. Furthermore, following the shutdown of analogue television locally and auctioning of the RF spectrum, the range of frequencies available for use by wireless microphones at Bregenz is more restricted than ever.
After 27 years working on the event, Bregenz Festival Head of Sound Rudolf Illmer and is used to the problems presented by using RF in the ‘border triangle’.
‘It requires very careful planning when it comes to spectrum management, and now the plans for the forthcoming Stage 2 of the Digital Dividend will put still more spectrum beyond PMSE [Programme Making & Special Events] use,’ he says. ‘Most of our wireless mic systems are 15 to 20 years old, and we can no longer guarantee that they will operate free of interference.’
Consequently, the period between the end of the 2013 Festival and the opening of the 2014 event in July saw the beginning of a wholesale renewal of the wireless systems at Bregenz: ‘We ran detailed live tests with systems from all of the major manufacturers,’ Illmer says. ‘Feedback from our engineers was decisively in favour of Axient by some margin, due to a variety of factors, including the clarity of sound, the extensive operating distance, the great range of frequencies usable by the transmitters and receivers, the intelligent battery technology, and the ease-of-use with the Wireless Workbench management software.’
The 12 channels of Axient in operation are all being used on the floating lakeside stage, and RF Systems Specialist Wolfgang Streiter has noticed the difference: ‘With the help of the Spectrum Manager and Wireless Workbench, we now have better control over what's happening locally in this very critical, demanding RF environment,’ he explains. ‘We rely absolutely on Axient's Interference Detection & Avoidance mode: during the festival, there are countless events locally that can cause us problems.’
All 12 channels of Axient are currently being driven in 10mW mode, allowing operation over a wide range despite the relatively low power requirements. Axient systems can also be driven in 50mW mode in the EU if required, but despite the crowded RF environment, the lower-power mode has proved sufficient in Bregenz, as Wolfgang Streiter explains: ‘Range is an important concern for us – the lake stage is the largest of its kind in the world, and the singers on it are sometimes performing at a distance of up to 100m from the transmitters.’
Streiter’s comments are echoed by Illmer: ‘Axient's handheld with its dual transmitters is currently without equal, as is its ability to seek out and switch to clear frequencies automatically in case of interference. This year, we're very relaxed about the festival season.’
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