Merging Technologies is set to preview Ovation 11 at ISE 2025, to be held in Barcelona, Spain, on 4-7 February 2025. The company shared that the latest evolution of Ovation has a bold redesign, enhanced usability and features designed to “redefine intuitive audio playback and show synchronisation”.
Ovation is a solution for synchronisation and playback of audio content, catering to applications including theatrical performance, opera, musical and broadcast with live operators, as well as self-contained, automated installation in museums, multi-zone shopping malls or immersive experiences.
Ovation is designed to provide redundant, precision timing and advanced synchronisation capabilities. It supports all major formats, including Time Code, MTC, IP, GPIO, (ADM) OSC and more, while integrating with the common immersive renderers.
Ovation handles professional multitrack audio formats and sample rates without the need for conversion, featuring an integrated mixer and renderer that scales up to immersive audio formats. For those who prefer hardware, Ovation connects to external consoles and supports control protocols such as HUI, Eucon, and OASIS (for Lawo and Stagetec). Automation is stored in each CUE independently and can be changed or adapted at any time.
Merging Technologies said that the integration of Pyramix 15 makes editing and publishing cues faster, enabling on-the-fly adjustments with a single click.
Updates and enhancements for Ovation 11 include a complete UI/UX overhaul, with the product now having a modern, dark interface designed for effortless navigation. There is also a revamped mixer, with fully customisable configurations – move buses, strips, and aux channels designed to suit the user’s workflow; and enhanced strip and bus tools with expanded sidechain capabilities for flexibility. Merging VS3 plugins have been redesigned for optimised performance. Merging said there are also numerous under-the-hood improvements and bug fixes to provide a smoother, more reliable user experience.
A dedicated team from Merging Technologies, including Maurice Engler (product owner – software solutions), will be at the ISE Show to demonstrate Ovation 11 and answer questions.
“It’s with great pride and excitement that we unveil Ovation 11 to the sound engineering and show design community,” said Engler. “This marks the first release since our integration with the Sennheiser Group where Ovation takes centre stage. We are confident that Ovation 11 will exceed industry expectations and cement its place as the go-to solution for professional show control.”
Ovation 11 remains a Native (ASIO/Windows-based) show controller and playout system compatible with any sound card. It is available in three software tiers (Elements, Pro and Premium) with an optional Masscore real-time engine, enabling up to 384 low-latency I/O channels with Merging converters or direct integration with Ravenna/AES67/ST2110.
Ovation 11 will officially launch in Q2 2025 and will be showcased at ISE on the Sennheiser Group booth.
