Switzerland’s Caves du Manoir upgrades with DiGiCo SD12

To celebrate its 40th anniversary, the Caves du Manoir in Martigny, Switzerland has renovated its technical infrastructure, choosing a DiGiCo SD12 plus D2-Rack – supplied by Tonspur AG – as the new Front of House console, as well as upgrading its existing Meyer Sound loudspeaker system.

Sacha Knezevic Rudaz, technical director of the caves – which have been used for cultural events of all kinds – said the technical choices were inspired by the Montreux Jazz Festival.

Rudaz has been part of the legendary Montreux Jazz Festival audio crew for many years, and had the chance to try out the SD12 during last year’s outing. Following a further long-term test, he decided that the SD12 would be the perfect successor for the Caves du Manoir’s ancient analogue console.

“Maybe I’m one of those hardcore DiGiCo fans, but have a look at what DiGiCo can do,” said Rudaz. “They can double the channel count within a single software update, even years after the release of a product; that’s not from this world! For me it was a logical step to get the SD12 into the Caves. The user interface means we can have two operators working on the console at the same time, and the fact that I have every important control on a dedicated knob or button is just great.”

At the grand re-opening last autumn with Swiss rock band The Young Gods, the audience, technicians, promoters and artists were just as excited about the upgrade of the venue as Rudaz.

“Everyone who has come to the Caves and used the console has commented on how pleased they are to be able to work on an industry standard desk,” Rudaz concluded. “We are proud to have such a strong heritage and equally proud that we have a technical infrastructure that not only brings us up to date, but equips us for the future.”

www.tonspur.ch

www.cavesdumanoir.ch