‘tonzauber’ Recording OB Van With Lawo mc²36 MkII Console

Those seeking a studio in Austria for ultra-high-quality recording of classical music inevitably come to the name “tonzauber”, and for good reason.

The studio, whose name means “sound magic”, has gained a reputation for providing superior audio quality and expert engineering services for the performers who record there, which include not only classical performances but other musical genres from jazz to metal.

Now, tonzauber has expanded their capabilities with the addition of a new on-location mobile recording truck, equipped with a state-of-the-art Lawo mc²36 MkII mixing desk.

The entire vehicle is based on RAVENNA / AES67 technology, which gives a level of flexibility not available in the broadcast sector before. The smallest stagebox is 1RU and offers eight microphone inputs, 4 line outputs, and is powered by PoE. This makes it suitable for distributed use and can replace long analog multicores.

Choosing the Lawo mc²36 MkII All-in-One production console gave access to its A__UHD core technology, offering 256 processing channels available at both 48 and 96 kHz, making it possible to master even large orchestral productions. The all-in-one mixer natively supports ST2110, AES67, RAVENNA and Ember+. With an I/O capacity of up to 864 channels and local I/Os, the mc²36 MkII offers extensive connectivity, including 3 redundant IP network interfaces, 16 Lawo-quality mic/line inputs, 16 line outputs, 8 AES3 inputs and outputs, 8 GPIO connectors and an SFP MADI port.

Demands on the monitoring environment are high, so a superstructure with very elaborate acoustical treatment was mounted on a truck chassis, with the outer shell and interior isolated from each other and fitted with thick, 10cm insulation. Designed for “immersive audio”, the truck can accommodate mixing for Dolby Atmos and is fitted with a 7.1.4 sound system.

You might also like...

Microphones: Part 10 - Mid-Side (M-S) Recording And Processing

M-S techniques provide useful sound-field positioning and a convenient way to check mono compatibility. We explain the hard science behind this often misunderstood technique.

Monitoring & Compliance In Broadcast: Monitoring Cloud Infrastructure

If we take cloud infrastructures to their extreme, that is, their physical locality is unknown to us, then monitoring them becomes a whole new ball game, especially as dispersed teams use them for production.

Phil Rhodes Image Capture NAB 2025 Show Floor Report

Our resident image capture expert Phil Rhodes offers up his own personal impressions of the technology he encountered walking the halls at the 2025 NAB Show.

Microphones: Part 9 - The Science Of Stereo Capture & Reproduction

Here we look at the science of using a matched pair of microphones positioned as a coincident pair to capture stereo sound images.

Monitoring & Compliance In Broadcast: Monitoring Cloud Networks

Networks, by their very definition are dispersed. But some are more dispersed than others, especially when we look at the challenges multi-site and remote teams face.