{"id":14534,"date":"2025-03-10T16:04:38","date_gmt":"2025-03-10T16:04:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cavea.it\/?p=14534"},"modified":"2025-03-31T21:28:08","modified_gmt":"2025-03-31T21:28:08","slug":"innovation-and-tradition-at-the-teatro-mercadante-in-altamura","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cavea.it\/en\/2025\/03\/10\/innovation-and-tradition-at-the-teatro-mercadante-in-altamura\/","title":{"rendered":"Innovation and tradition at the Teatro Mercadante in Altamura"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Is it possible to merge modern technology with cultural heritage? For us, the answer is yes. The project we carried out for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teatromercadante.com\/\">Teatro Mercadante<\/a> demonstrates how an innovative audio system can be harmoniously integrated into a historically significant setting (even with architectural constraints)<\/p>\n<p>The Teatro Mercadante was built in the late 19th century, following the traditional Italian theater layout. It has remained continuously active over time, benefiting from various upgrades, but more recently, the need for technical enhancements\u2014especially in terms of audio and lighting\u2014became evident.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Simulation, digitization, and a new system<\/strong><br \/>\nOne of the main challenges was the lack of a resident audio system capable of meeting the theater\u2019s needs. However, architectural constraints\u2014particularly the preservation of the proscenium and the 18th-century curtain\u2014ruled out conventional solutions, which were too bulky.<br \/>\nWith the support of<strong> 3D modeling and a precise simulation<\/strong> of the planned interventions, we designed a <strong>removable audio system based on a vertical array of column speakers<\/strong>. This system was engineered to minimize visual impact while maintaining excellent performance. We also adopted creative, unconventional solutions: for example, we inverted the top module to achieve better sound directionality toward the gallery, which would have otherwise been left partially uncovered. This configuration ensures that both music and dialogue are perfectly projected throughout the theater, effectively covering the stalls and multiple tiers of boxes.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, the <strong>modular structure allows for easy assembly and disassembly<\/strong>, respecting architectural constraints while catering to artistic programming needs.<br \/>\nWe also upgraded the audio signal routing, which was still operating in analog mode. By <strong>digitizing the signal transport through the Dante protocol<\/strong> and integrating the necessary electronics for management and correct routing, we introduced a significant improvement in system control and flexibility.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stage Technology and Lighting<\/strong><br \/>\nBeyond audio, we also worked on u<strong>pgrading the stage lighting system<\/strong>, replacing outdated equipment with new, modern modules and renewing the lighting fixtures.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-14530\" src=\"https:\/\/cavea.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/F_Mercadante_Altamura_2-225x300.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cavea.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/F_Mercadante_Altamura_2-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/cavea.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/F_Mercadante_Altamura_2-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/cavea.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/F_Mercadante_Altamura_2-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https:\/\/cavea.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/F_Mercadante_Altamura_2-600x800.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/cavea.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/F_Mercadante_Altamura_2-700x933.jpeg 700w, https:\/\/cavea.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/F_Mercadante_Altamura_2.jpeg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-14532 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/cavea.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/F_Mercadante_Altamura_36-225x300.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cavea.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/F_Mercadante_Altamura_36-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/cavea.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/F_Mercadante_Altamura_36-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/cavea.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/F_Mercadante_Altamura_36-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https:\/\/cavea.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/F_Mercadante_Altamura_36-600x800.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/cavea.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/F_Mercadante_Altamura_36-700x933.jpeg 700w, https:\/\/cavea.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/F_Mercadante_Altamura_36.jpeg 1530w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.teatromercadante.com\">Teatro Mercadante in Altamura<\/a> has now become a benchmark for the implementation of modern technical systems in historically and architecturally protected environments. Today, it boasts enhanced acoustics that elevate every performance without compromising the theater\u2019s beauty, as well as a lighting system better suited to contemporary programming needs.<\/p>\n<p>A heartfelt thanks to Meti Ingegneria for entrusting us with this project, and to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dbaudio.com\/global\/en\/about-db\/db-worldwide\/subsidiaries\/db-audiotechnik-italy\/\">d&amp;b audiotechnik Italy<\/a> team for their invaluable technical support!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Is it possible to merge modern technology with cultural heritage? For us, the answer is yes. The project we carried out for the Teatro Mercadante demonstrates how an innovative audio system can be harmoniously integrated into a historically significant setting (even with architectural constraints) The&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":14528,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[480,481,482,479],"class_list":["post-14534","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-en","tag-3d-modelling","tag-db-audiotechnik-en","tag-meti-ingegneria-en","tag-teatro-mercadante-di-altamura"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cavea.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14534","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cavea.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cavea.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cavea.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cavea.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14534"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/cavea.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14534\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14561,"href":"https:\/\/cavea.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14534\/revisions\/14561"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cavea.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14528"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cavea.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cavea.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cavea.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}