Cine Teatro Liz Bastos

Following a city-led renovation, Cine Teatro Liz Bastos in Itabirito has reopened as a modern cultural venue with immersive 7.1 surround sound. Designed by Leonardo Pavanello Projetos and installed by Multicom Engenharia and Universal Music Brazil, the system supports cinema, concerts and live performances.

Built on Powersoft’s Unica platform, it integrates with a Dolby Cinema processor and uses intelligent power-sharing for efficiency. The result is a flexible, high-performance audio system for the 571-seat theatre.

The redevelopment of Cine Teatro Liz Bastos formed part of a broader initiative by the city of Itabirito to revitalise a long-closed cultural venue and restore it as a centre for cinema, live performance and community events.

To support this vision, consultant Leonardo Pavanello Projetos designed a new audio infrastructure capable of delivering an immersive cinematic experience while also supporting concerts, lectures and theatrical productions.

The design called for a 7.1 surround sound system able to integrate with the venue’s Dolby Cinema processing platform while providing sufficient headroom and flexibility for live events.

System integrators Multicom Engenharia and Universal Music Brazil implemented the audio solution using Powersoft’s Unica amplifier platform, selected for its ability to deliver high output alongside efficient power management.

The final system incorporates four Unica amplifiers, including two Unica 8K8 units and two Unica 12K4 units, providing the power and channel flexibility required to drive the theatre’s surround loudspeakers and subwoofers.

Through Unica’s power-sharing architecture, available amplifier power can be dynamically allocated between loudspeakers depending on system demand, allowing the installation team to reduce the total amplifier count while maintaining the performance levels required for both cinema playback and live sound reinforcement.

The amplifiers also provide native AES67 network audio connectivity, enabling seamless integration with the venue’s Dolby Cinema processor and simplifying signal routing throughout the system.

Configuration and system management are handled through Powersoft’s ArmoníaPlus platform, enabling straightforward channel patching, monitoring and day-to-day system control by venue staff.

The final installation delivers a powerful and flexible audio system capable of supporting a wide variety of programming formats within the venue’s 571-seat auditorium.

The primary challenge was designing a sound system capable of meeting multiple performance requirements within a single venue.

While the system needed to deliver a fully immersive cinema experience with precise surround imaging, it also had to support live music performances, theatrical productions and lectures.

Balancing these different requirements required careful system design to ensure the installation could handle both high-dynamic film soundtracks and live event audio without requiring complex reconfiguration.

Another challenge was achieving this performance while maintaining system efficiency and manageable equipment footprint. Rack space, energy consumption and long-term reliability were important considerations for a municipally operated cultural venue.

The integration with the Dolby Cinema processing environment also required seamless network connectivity and reliable signal routing across the system.

Finally, the venue required an audio system that could be operated easily by staff without advanced technical training, ensuring smooth transitions between film screenings and live events.

The revival of Cine Teatro Liz Bastos is as much about cultural restoration as it is about technical upgrade. The venue has been re-established as a flexible performance space, equally capable of delivering cinematic immersion and live productions.

At the heart of this transformation is a powerful yet efficient audio system built on networked amplification and intelligent power-sharing. This allows for high-performance output with a reduced hardware footprint, a critical consideration in heritage environments.

Coupled with Dolby Cinema integration, the result is a venue that bridges traditional theatre and modern cinema, reconnecting the local community with a revitalised cultural landmark.