RTL News has completed the modernization of Audio Control Room TR 1 at its headquarters in Cologne, Germany. The project included the installation of a Lawo mc²96 Grand Production Console and the replacement of the existing baseband infrastructure with an IP-based architecture. The facility has also been upgraded to support 5.1 surround production, as Lawo has claimed in a statement.

The project forms part of RTL News’ transition to an IP-based production environment built around Lawo’s HOME platform. The broadcaster had previously equipped four other audio control rooms with Lawo mc²56 consoles and the HOME platform.

RTL News produces daily programs including RTL Aktuell, Punkt 12, Exclusiv and Extra, as well as content for ntv and other brands within the RTL Group.

The modernization of TR 1 involved a complete redesign of the facility, including a new monitoring environment, an updated signal infrastructure and support for 5.1 surround production. RTL and ntv programs can now be produced and delivered in multichannel audio.

The new production environment also integrates functions previously handled by standalone hardware, including auto-leveling, signal processing and routing. Specialized applications such as CEDAR noise suppression and Waves SuperRack for plug-in processing remain in use. Waves plug-ins are integrated into the workflow and can be controlled directly from the mc²96 surface.

“Our objective went far beyond replacing a mixing console”, notes Gerhard Ruberg, Head of Audio at RTL News and project manager for the modernization. “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”.

Installation of the mc²96 console

RTL has worked with Lawo audio consoles for several years and already had experience with mc²56 systems. For its main audio control room, the broadcaster selected the mc²96, a console designed for large-scale broadcast productions.

The system supports SMPTE ST 2110, AES67, RAVENNA and Dante standards. Its control surface combines large-format touchscreens with dedicated hardware controls for accessing equalization, dynamics processing, monitoring and routing functions.

According to Ruberg, the console allows audio engineers to adjust sound parameters during live broadcasts, particularly in news and magazine productions where changes in microphone types, impromptu interviews or lavalier microphone placement can require immediate intervention.

Processing capacity was another consideration in the project. Some sports productions require up to 600 simultaneous audio signals, including intercom channels. The mc²96’s processing is based on a redundant pair of A__UHD Cores.

The DSP capacity can be divided into multiple smaller cores, allowing processing resources to be allocated to additional productions in other control rooms.

Migration during live operations

The upgrade was carried out without interrupting broadcast operations. To achieve this, the new console was initially installed in Audio Control Room TR 5, where RTL News and Lawo teams tested the configuration, signal paths and infrastructure under real production conditions.

Following several weeks of testing and operator training, the temporary control room also handled regular productions. Once this phase was completed, the original TR 1 facility was modernized and the mc²96 was moved to its permanent location.

Since August, regular broadcast operations have been running from the new Audio Control Room TR 1.

From baseband to IP

Alongside the console upgrade, RTL News replaced its previous baseband infrastructure with an IP-based architecture. The new system is built around Lawo A__stage audio I/O devices, IP audio streams and the Lawo HOME IP orchestration platform.

The architecture allows studios, control rooms and audio-processing resources to be interconnected and allocated according to production requirements. It also enables resources to be reassigned to alternative workstations or control rooms when necessary.

During commissioning, production workflow changes were implemented without interrupting operations.

The project combines the Lawo mc²96 console, A__stage devices and the HOME platform as part of RTL News’ transition to IP-based production, covering daily news programming as well as live and sports productions.