Sound is often an invisible art — felt rather than noticed, shaping emotions without demanding attention. For Martin Lukesch, head of sound and media technology at the Volksoper Vienna, the way an audience experiences sound is just as vital as the performance itself. His approach was never about making things louder but rather about making them clearer, more natural and seamlessly integrated into the acoustics of a historic theater. Through his commitment to point sound sources, Lukesch redefined how opera, musicals and concerts resonate within the Volksoper, ensuring every note and spoken word reaches the audience with precision and depth.
Like the Vienna State Opera, the Volksoper is part of the Bundestheater Holding, one of the world’s largest theater groups. Each season, from September to June, the repertory theater offers space for 1,337 attendees and presents nearly 300 performances across approximately 35 different productions.
The first encounter with theater acoustics
For Lukesch, sound had always been more than just a technical element — it was the invisible force shaping how a performance was felt. Perfect sound design should go unnoticed, seamlessly enhancing a performance without distracting from it. It is a delicate balance between technology and tradition, merging innovation with natural acoustics.
In the world of theater, Lukesch was often surrounded by the behind-the-scenes magic of live performance due to his father’s role as technical director of the Volksoper Vienna. In an interview with The NYC Daily Post, he recalled the moment he first became captivated by theater sound:
“One day in 1982, when I was a schoolboy, my father took me to the acoustics department of the Vienna State Opera, where the legendary Prof. Fritz led the department. It was as if I had stepped into an entirely different dimension. Suddenly, I realized that acoustics were about far more than just making voices louder or adjusting volume levels — they were about shaping emotion, about guiding the audience’s experience without them even realizing it. That day changed everything for me.”
That experience shaped his philosophy, a belief great sound design is invisible yet essential, subtly guiding the emotional arc of a performance. Today, that philosophy continues to define his work in theater acoustics.
His passion led him to study Sound Engineering at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (mdw) and Communications Engineering at the Technical University (TU), where he earned the title of Diplomingenieur (Dipl.-Ing.). With both artistic sensitivity and technical expertise, he entered the world of professional theater sound.
From 1995 to 1997, Lukesch worked as a sound designer for “Beauty and the Beast” at the Raimundtheater, refining his approach to live audio. In 1997, he joined the Volksoper Vienna, where he has now shaped the theater’s sound for 28 years.
Beyond his role at the Volksoper, he plays a key part in Austria’s audio community. As Vice President of the ÖTMV (Austrian Association of Sound and Music Designers), he actively contributes to the future of theater sound design, advocating both innovation and the preservation of acoustic authenticity.
The science behind the sound
The Volksoper Vienna, with nearly 300 performances spanning 35 different productions each season, requires flexible yet pristine sound design. Whether “My Fair Lady,” “Anatevka,” or “Die Zauberflöte” (“The Magic Flute”), clarity and balance are always priorities.
Musicals had been an integral part of the Volksoper’s repertoire for nearly 70 years, making high-quality sound reinforcement essential. Unlike many modern theaters that relied on line array speaker systems — distributing sound from vertical speaker clusters — Lukesch is a strong advocate for point sound sources. A point source speaker acts as a single, concentrated origin of sound, replicating the way natural acoustics function in a music theater. This approach enhanced vocal clarity, ensured even sound distribution across the auditorium and created a more immersive, natural listening experience — critical for a venue designed for unamplified performances.
“Opera houses were built to project the human voice without microphones,” Lukesch said. “If we introduce modern sound reinforcement, it has to complement the natural acoustics, not fight against them.”
The technical advantage of point sound sources
The key difference between point source speakers and line array systems lies in their dispersion characteristics and phase coherence. Line arrays, commonly used in large concert venues, stack multiple speaker elements in a vertical column, relying on wavefront shaping and phase interactions to distribute sound evenly. While this method provides controlled coverage over long distances, it often introduces phase inconsistencies and lobing effects, causing irregularities in frequency response across different seating areas.
Point source speakers, on the other hand, radiate sound from a single, defined location, minimizing phase interference and ensuring a coherent wavefront. This results in a more uniform tonal balance and precise localization of sound — particularly crucial at the Volksoper, where vocal intelligibility and natural acoustic reproduction are priorities.
Even before integrating KV2 Audio products, Lukesch had been a firm advocate of point source speaker technology, recognizing its advantages for the Volksoper’s acoustic environment. His commitment to this approach was further validated after experiencing a demonstration of KV2 Audio’s VHD system at Prolight + Sound in Frankfurt. Impressed by its performance, he decided to equip the Volksoper with KV2 Audio point source speakers, ensuring superior sound quality and coherence throughout the venue.
As the foundation of the Volksoper’s sound system, he selected three active ESR215S systems per side to cover the stalls, balcony and gallery, ensuring a consistent listening experience throughout the venue.
“I wanted true full-range systems, with a -3dB point below 40 Hz,” he said. “With its 110-degree horizontal dispersion and an extremely even frequency response, the ESR215 was ideal for this application.”
To accommodate the theater’s structural depth limit of 40 centimeters, the Slimline version was specially built for the Volksoper at his request, installed in a specially designed elastomer suspension to minimize unwanted resonance. The center cluster features two SL412 units in a custom frame for focused projection, while two ESD12s serve as outfills for the theater boxes, ensuring balanced coverage.
This meticulous speaker placement allows the system to complement the theater’s natural acoustics while maintaining the flexibility required for its diverse repertoire.
To ensure a fully immersive sound experience, Lukesch designed a secondary proscenium system with 12 ESD10 point source speakers, arranged for both horizontal and vertical wide dispersion. This system primarily enhances sound effects, adding depth and spatial precision to performances.
Beyond the stage, the Volksoper features a multi-layered effects and surround system, enriching the audience’s sense of space. A standout component is the “Voice of God” system, positioned in the theater’s dome, where two ESR212 speakers create an overhead sound source for atmospheric or dramatic effects. The surround setup includes 12 larger point sources and over 60 smaller speakers (ESD5s and ESD6s), used for room simulation and non-localizable effects, ensuring seamless sound movement across the venue.
On stage, six fixed ESR212 speakers provide directional reinforcement, delivering powerful low-end impact when needed. Lukesch highlighted their role in creating thunder or explosion effects behind the scene, demonstrating the necessity of strong reinforcement for realistic stage sound. Additional delay, front fill, monitoring and effect systems further enhance the flexibility of the setup.
Since the Volksoper’s repertoire changes frequently, adaptability is essential. While most systems are permanently installed, multiple audio setups run simultaneously to ensure smooth transitions between productions. In some cases, mobile systems are required, which is why the theater keeps ESDs in various sizes, from ESD5 to ESD15, along with ESMs for monitoring. This ensures that every performance is optimally supported, regardless of its unique sound design requirements.
“You can never have enough subs”
For Martin Lukesch, there’s no such thing as too much bass. “You can never have enough subwoofers,” he insisted. “Some productions demand powerful low end — the audience should feel the bass in their stomachs, and the seats should shake.”
At the Volksoper Vienna, this philosophy is fully realized with a precisely designed subwoofer system that ensures every performance, from delicate operettas to bass-heavy musicals, delivers an immersive experience.
The Volksoper’s historic architecture offers a unique advantage for subwoofer placement. The theater’s raised floor, part of its heating and cooling system, acts as a large air distribution chamber, making it the perfect space for housing VHD4.21 subwoofers. This setup enhances low-frequency energy without affecting the venue’s aesthetics. Additional VHD2.18 subwoofers in the proscenium slots and dome reinforce deep bass projection, while eight 18-inch subs under the balcony and gallery ensure balanced low-end distribution. No matter where they sit, every audience member can physically feel the music. “If we want to create the illusion of an earthquake, no problem — we can make it happen!” Lukesch said with a grin.
But power alone isn’t enough — it also requires smart control. The Volksoper is the first venue to use KV2’s Control & Diagnostics Tool, an advanced system that remotely monitors all 56 active amplifiers and five spares.
Audio control room: the heart of the Volksoper’s sound
The sound control room plays a central role in shaping the acoustics of each performance at the Volksoper. Two Polaris Touch consoles from Salzbrenner Stagetec provide flexible and precise mixing, allowing engineers to adapt settings seamlessly between productions. The digital system’s modular design connects multiple touchscreens, fader units and DSP engines. By integrating modern digital workflows, the Polaris Touch system supports the complex demands of live performance while maintaining the acoustic character of the historic venue.
Behind the sound: Martin Lukesch and the acoustics team of the Volksoper
Martin Lukesch is the head of the acoustics department at the Volksoper, leading a team that seamlessly integrates multiple areas of expertise.
In the field of audio engineering, this exceptional team includes deputy head Andreas Hendler, who has an acute ear for musical details and is highly skilled in technical acoustics. He is often responsible for recordings and post-production for ORF (Austrian national TV). In his recordings, he pays close attention to factors such as diffuse-field equalization and employs his own recording techniques, which include the ORTF recording method (developed by the Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision Française (ORTF) in the 1960s) to achieve a natural and spatially balanced sound image.
Gottfried Mayer is the expert in live mixing, bringing years of experience and an extraordinary instinct for sound to every performance. He operates the mixing console almost every evening, ensuring that every note, every voice and every effect blends seamlessly into a perfect auditory experience. A key part of his work is shaping the reverb for different instrument groups — strings, brass and woodwinds — giving each section its own distinct space in the overall sound while maintaining a cohesive and natural balance. With a rare ability to sense in mere milliseconds what the mix needs, he intuitively adjusts levels, dynamics and spatial effects in real time, creating a live sound that is both powerful and immersive. His deep understanding of acoustics and meticulous attention to detail make him an indispensable force behind the scenes.
Another key area within the department is multimedia, overseen by Michael Schernigg, a specialist in projectors, projections and video. As an EOS ETC operator on consoles such as the Gio, he is an expert in his field and belongs to a select few in Europe with this level of expertise. Schernigg has also worked internationally, designing lighting in New York, further demonstrating his versatility and mastery in the field. At the Volksoper, he works with Arkaos Mediamaster, a software used to control projectors for visual effects. The system operates with multiple layers — eleven in this case —and involves four projectors: two positioned behind the audience on so-called large and small bars (named after their IP addresses), one for rear projection on the backstage area and another in the portal bridge. For certain productions, the portal bridge needs to be lowered to unfold the projector. Once the Mediamaster files are loaded and the projector is switched on, a test pattern is used to fine-tune the projection.
A great example of this is La Cage aux Folles, where a rotating globe is projected onto a disk, creating a 3D illusion. The projection must remain precisely on the disk, as any deviation would disrupt the effect. When selecting Load Lens Memory in the projector settings, previously saved presets can be recalled. This reduces the need for manual adjustments such as shifting the image up, down, left or right, zooming or fine-tuning the focus.
Hannes Schmitzberger is a specialist in network technology with extensive expertise in both software and hardware. He plays a crucial role in ensuring seamless show execution by programming playback cues via QLab. His precision and technical knowledge enable perfectly timed audio cues, such as a QLab-GO trigger controlled through the Salzbrenner Stagetec console, which activates specific sound elements during performances. His work ensures that every cue is flawlessly integrated into the production, enhancing the overall auditory experience.
Another key area of his expertise is the room simulation system at the Volksoper, which ensures each performance benefits from the ideal acoustic environment. As a music theater, the Volksoper stages opera, operetta, musicals and ballets, requiring highly adaptable acoustics. To achieve this, the Live Professor software is used to control and fine-tune reverberation, echo and spatial effects in real time. This allows for customized reverberation times, creating the illusion of performing in a grand opera house when needed. Schmitzberger plays a vital role in programming and fine-tuning this system, ensuring that the acoustics can be adapted to the specific needs of each production.
Alexander Rot, a studio expert with deep knowledge of DAWs and effects processing, also contributes significantly to shaping the spatial characteristics of the sound. His expertise in delay, reverb, echo, compression and equalization ensures the room simulation is not only technically precise but also artistically refined. Having previously worked as a DJ, he brings an acute awareness of live sound dynamics, which enhances the flexibility and realism of the acoustic environment.
For example, in the Kaiserrequiem, a production that combines works by Mozart and Ullmann, Schmitzberger and Rot dynamically adjusted the room simulation: Mozart’s compositions require a longer, more traditional opera-like reverb, while Ullmann’s music benefits from a more direct, modern acoustic setting. Their work ensured that the Live Professor system adapts the space’s acoustics in real time, allowing each piece to unfold in an acoustically fitting environment and enhancing the audience’s immersive experience.
A recent addition to the team, Yuri Yoshimura, who previously had a career as a musical singer, handles wireless microphone management, ensuring each performer gets the right headset or clip-on mic.
Wolfgang Vrbicky, an expert in video technology and a repair specialist, is also part of the team. He is one of the rare professionals who can still repair power supplies, keeping essential equipment running smoothly.
This author is grateful to be part of such a dynamic and dedicated team, where every day is driven by passion and precision, a rewarding experience in the world of theater and an opportunity to bring performances to life through new inspiration and collaboration.
Balancing tradition and innovation
As theater technology evolves, so does the art of sound design. Martin Lukesch is a leading advocate for preserving the natural acoustics of historic venues while carefully integrating modern advancements. He believes music theater houses should enhance, not overpower, the music and voices that bring each production to life.
By merging tradition with innovation, the Volksoper Vienna sets a standard for how thoughtful sound reinforcement can elevate the audience experience while respecting the venue’s unique acoustics. For Lukesch, the finest sound is one that disappears into the magic of the performance.
Photos by Petr Zikmund
