SSE Sales
The Digital Boom!
The world of professional live audio is changing and changing fast. This is not only due to the rapid speed of technological advances, but because of the growing digital revolution. SSE Hire's Rob Hughes looks at the impact Digital Consoles are having on the touring industry.
Since 1994 when the first ‘affordable’ digital mixing desk was released - the Yamaha ProMix 01, there has been a growing number of manufacturers designing and producing digital desks, from small affordable desks designed to provide more functionality in a small frame like Yamaha’s ProMix, to large scale, full automation consoles such as the new Midas XL8.
The simple fact is that digital consoles now are becoming more and more the standard and anyone who has not yet embraced the digital revolution will soon be left behind. This has become more and more noticeable here at SSE Hire where a quick trip to the desk prep room highlights the change - it is now quite uncommon to see an analogue desk going out on tour. This is not to say that analogue is dead, just in steep decline.
As well as the obvious advantage of ultra clean audio paths, the digital revolution has allowed the user to save whole mixes and scenes meaning a single console can now do multiple acts on shows and change between settings at the press of a button. This has obviously transformed the live environment, allowing tighter show schedules and reducing change-over times on tour, not to mention the ability of engineers to take their mix home with them on a USB memory stick, which can then be loaded onto other desks for future shows.
As well as the recall functions, most digital consoles incorporate on-board dynamic processing, EQ and effects processing. This helps to reduce the racks needed to run a show, meaning everything is available to the user from one control surface rather than having to move away from the mix to access out-board racks, not to mention reducing the foot-print of a mix position.
The digital console developers are able to release software updates to either fix a bug or add a new feature, meaning they can easily keep the desks up to date with current trends.
Some digital desks even provide the facility to multi-track record the live show without the hassle of setting gain levels for every input. There are many systems that connect via a single cable and simply record the data taken immediately after the digital conversion stage, meaning pure clean recordings straight to a computer hard drive that can be taken away and taken straight to a studio.
Digico and Digidesign console systems can be configured to allow ‘virtual sound-checks’. The multi-track recording from a previous show is played back into the console at the exact same level it was recorded at and the mix is adjusted for that system like a sound-check. This gives the engineer as much time as possible to get things right before the band arrives.
The market is now awash with various manufacturers producing professional quality digital consoles. Below is a brief list of the main manufacturers and their products. Click the name of products - purple links - to see more information about that product on this site (all links open in a new window/tab).
Yamaha – www.yamahacommercialaudio.com
The PM1D is the longest standing live digital mixing console on the market and the PM5D is now one of the most widely used digital consoles world-wide, due to its functionality, compact size without the need for any external racks and affordability.
Digico – www.digico.org
Soundtracs, who have been leaders in digital mixing technology since the early 80’s, formed Digico in 2002 to develop the D5 Live as a live digital mixing console. The D5 was a pioneer of 96Khz sample rates, multiple touch screens as an interface and the use of optical fibre as a digital multicore.
Soundcraft/Studer – www.soundcraft.com
Vi6
This is a relative newcomer to the market. Soundcraft has joined forces with Studer, who have been leaders in the world of professional digital audio in broadcasting and recording for years. This has enabled Soundcraft to produce a high quality digital console with features like the innovative “Vistonics’, which incorporates digital encoders protruding through the touch screen surfaces. Features are also included from fellow Harmon Pro companies, such as emulations of BSS 960 graphic equalisers and eight built in effects units from legendary effects ‘wizards’ Lexicon.
Digidesign – www.digidesign.com
VENUE/D-Show D-Show Profile
Digidesign have been in the digital audio market for over 20 years with their digital hard disk recording system – Pro Tools. In 2004 Digidesign launched the Venue/D-Show live mixing console, with its Pro Tools ‘plug-ins’. These ‘plug-ins’ are virtual software emulations of conventional outboard equipment, replicating the operation and sound of established compressors, gates, EQ, etc. and they tend to be based around vintage equipment such as old valve technology. This enables users to add warmth to the pure and - some would say - sterile digital medium. It also allows bands and engineers to use the exact same plug-ins on the road that they used in a Pro Tools recording studio.
Midas – www.midasconsoles.com
The recently released and much anticipated XL8 is probably the most advanced console on the market - as well as the most costly!! However, it boasts incredible audio quality, using 24 bit 96Khz sample rates its newly designed pre-amps emulate the legendary XL4 sound.
SSE's Digital Experience
SSE Hire has been increasing its stocks of digital mixing consoles in recent years as the demand for them rises. With this experience, a few significant trends have started to emerge.
Generally, Yamaha's PM1D has all but been replaced by their popular and more compact PM5D, despite its smaller 48 channel frame compared to the PM1D’s 96 channels. The PM5D is very popular as a monitor console and is predominantly hired as such, although it is still used at front of house, just less frequently.
Yamaha's new M7CL console has also managed to secure a strong foothold in the business, thanks to its 48 channels, graphic EQ, and effects - and all at a very reasonable price. It's proving very popular as a support band console, due to its price, size, and full recall ability, especially on tours with limited space and more than one support band.
The Digico D5 and D1 with their high quality transparent audio are very popular as FOH consoles, but their slightly convoluted operation make them less popular for monitors.
Digidesign's Venue is the flavour of the month right now with more and more bands requesting them for tours, mainly due to the popularity of the Plug-ins. The control surface seems less strong, as we've received reports from engineers who have been disappointed with the layout and operation of the console. However the end result in audio terms carries the console to the popularity it is currently enjoying and it is by far the most popular desk brought into festivals by bands carrying their own production.
The Soundcraft Vi6 is also emerging as a very popular console here at SSE Hire. Most engineers who have mixed on it immediately ask to use it again for subsequent tours and shows. The Vi6's great layout enables engineers to see their whole mix and access all functions quickly and easily, which with the great sound of the desk is clearly contributing to its popularity.
Finally, although the Midas XL8 has yet to establish itself - at the time of writing it is out on its first tour for SSE with 80s favourite OMD - in fact this is the XL8's first UK tour - its large frame, high cost and complex operation may limit its use to larger touring acts, but watch this space!
