Rastatt, Germany (December 14, 2022)—Georg Burdicek, whose tonzauber (“sound magic”) studio is a go-to location for many classical music productions in Austria, introduced a remote recording van outfitted with a Lawo mc²36 MkII mixing desk earlier this year.
“Building an OB truck was my long-cherished wish,” says Burdicek, who founded the studio in 1998. After working through various possibilities, from trailers to box vans, the detailed planning of a sound OB van based on a full-grown truck began in August 2021. Construction began in October 2021, with the in-house tonzauber team working with TV service provider Euro-TV, which has extensive experience in the construction of OB trucks. The new mobile studio rolled out in spring 2022.
Burdicek is banking on IP technology for the future: “Our entire vehicle is based on Ravenna/AES67 technology, which gives me a level of flexibility not available in the broadcast sector before.” Drawing on his many years of experience with mixing consoles from Lawo and others, Burdicek chose a Lawo mc²36 MkII. Designed for immersive audio, the truck can accommodate mixing for Dolby Atmos and is fitted with a 7.1.4 sound system.
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The biggest and most elaborate production the truck has handled so far was a performance of Verdi’s opera Nabucco. “I had 128 channels to mix there, so I have to be able to set up the console perfectly in order to keep track of everything and quickly reach buttons or faders without thinking,” Burdicek says. “That’s the only way to handle a live concert mix of that complexity, and Lawo gives me a big advantage doing so because I can label everything very easily, I am supported by the color-coded controls, and I can also work with logos and symbols from the new mc²36 MKII. All of this dramatically increases the overview.”
The new tonzauber truck can handle more than just classical music, however. “I built the vehicle primarily for classical recordings, but that doesn’t mean I don’t let other people use it as well,” says Burdicek, noting that he recently went to Germany to oversee a concert production for a client at the Wacken Open Air metal festival. “The colleague who mixed the production came with his own prepared plug-ins on his own hardware, which I integrated into our system within minutes. This shows the flexibility of my sound OB truck – audio-wise, there are practically no restrictions.”
