COLOGNE, Germany—RTL News has completed a ground-up rebuild of its Audio Control Room TR 1 here, basing the build upon the Lawo mc²96 Grand Production Console and a new IP-based broadcast infrastructure.
Supporting 5.1 surround production for live, news and sports broadcasting, the control room is the next step in the news organization’s transition to a Lawo HOME-based IP production environment. Prior to the rebuild, RTL News had equipped four audio control rooms with Lawo mc²56 consoles and the HOME platform. The new control room integrates seamlessly into this infrastructure.
Cologne-based RTL News produces daily programs including “RTL Aktuell,” “Punkt 12,” “Exclusiv” and “Extra,” as well as productions for ntv and other RTL family brands.
The control room modernization also comprised a new monitoring environment, signal infrastructure and full support for 5.1 surround production, enabling multichannel audio production and program delivery for RTL and ntv.
The overall production environment has been streamlined. Many functions previously handled by standalone hardware, including auto-leveling, signal processing and routing, are now integrated directly into the production platform. Only specialized applications, such as CEDAR noise suppression and Waves SuperRack for advanced plug-in processing, remain. Waves plug-ins are fully integrated into the workflow and can be controlled directly from the mc²96 surface.
“Our objective went far beyond replacing a mixing console,” Gerhard Ruberg, head of audio at RTL News and project manager for the modernization, said. “We wanted to create a platform that will continue to meet the demands of modern live production while laying the foundation for future IP-based operating models.”
RTL has relied on Lawo audio consoles for many years and had experience with mc²56 systems. For its primary audio control room, the broadcaster chose the mc²96, a console with a control surface specifically designed for large-scale broadcast productions. Like all mc² consoles, the mc²96 supports native SMPTE ST 2110, AES67, RAVENNA and Dante workflows.
The system combines large-format touch-screen operation with an extensive set of dedicated hardware controls, providing immediate access to EQ, dynamics processing, monitoring and routing functions, offering an operational advantage for use in fast-paced live environments, such as news and magazine productions.
“In a news environment, our audio engineers often need to react instantly to changing conditions,” Ruberg said. “The mc²96 provides exactly the level of direct access and operational clarity we need to make fast decisions during live broadcasts.”
The mc²96 also can be scaled to meet the extensive signal counts of major sports productions, which can require up to 600 concurrent audio signals with intercom channels included. The mc²96’s processing is based on a redundant pair of A__UHD Cores, providing extensive DSP resources and ample processing headroom.
One of the project’s biggest challenges was completing the migration while maintaining uninterrupted on-air operations. To ensure a smooth transition, the new console was initially installed in Audio Control Room TR 5, where teams from RTL News and Lawo tested the complete configuration, signal paths and infrastructure under real-world production conditions.
Following several weeks of testing and operator training, the temporary control room was used for regular productions. Only then was the TR 1 fully modernized. RTL News has used the rebuilt control room for regular broadcast operations since August.
Beyond adding the new console, RTL News also used the rebuild to advance signal transport from baseband to IP. The organization replaced its legacy baseband solution with a modern IP-based architecture built around Lawo A__stage audio I/O devices, IP audio streams and the Lawo HOME IP orchestration platform.
The transition to IP has created increased operational flexibility. Studios, control rooms and audio-processing resources can now be interconnected and allocated as needed. The new architecture also enhances resilience.
By combining the Lawo mc²96, A__stage, and a fully IP-based architecture, RTL News has established the foundation for the next phase of its live-production strategy, supporting everything from daily news programming to complex live and sports productions.
More information is available on the company’s website.
