Tech Focus: Audio Mixers, Part 2 - Diversity in Consoles for At-Home Production A look at the leading products on the market By Dan Daley, Audio Editor Thursday, July 19, 2018 - 8:00 am
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Remote audio-mixing consoles for broadcast are still a relatively rarefied category at the high end of the market, but their diversity is increasing, thanks to demand for more consoles of various sizes and functionality. Here's an overview of the leading contenders.
Click here for Tech Focus: Audio Mixers, Part 1 - Evolution of the At-Home-Production Console.
Calrec
The Brio console is entirely self-contained with analog and digital I/O and GPIO built into the surface. In addition, a range of Hydra2 modules can share audio and management over Calrec's Hydra2 network, including interfacing with multiple video- and audio-over-IP networks, such as SMPTE 2022, Dante, AES67, RAVENNA, and SoundGrid. Calrec recently boosted the Brio channel count, with new expansion packs that increase the Brio12 DSP count from 48 to 64 input channels and the Brio36 from 64 to 96. Brio also enables connectivity to other equipment in the Calrec Bluefin2 range: the Apollo, Artemis, and Summa consoles. Calrec's flagship Apollo can handle 1,020 channel-processing paths, 128 program buses, 96 IFB/track outputs, and 48 auxiliaries. The Apollo control surface manages all these channels on up to 320 physical faders, and, with single- and dual-fader options, Apollo has a higher fader density within its footprint than any other console.
Calrec Brio console enables connectivity to other equipment in the company's Bluefin2 line.
Based on the Apollo platform, Artemis uses the same Bluefin2 and Hydra2 core technologies. Four sizes are available: Bluefin2 gives Artemis Shine 680 channel-processing paths, Artemis Ray 456, Artemis Beam 340, and Artemis Light 240, with up to 128 program buses, 64 IFB/track outputs, and 32 auxiliaries. Artemis Light packs all this into a 4RU enclosure. Artemis's integrated router means that all I/O functions can be performed by Hydra2, using high-capacity cross-point routers and a variety of I/O units.
Bluefin2 gives the Summa and Summa 128 consoles either 180 or 128 channel-processing paths, eight groups, four mains, 16 auxes, and 32 tracks. Summa's considered control simplifies even complex workflow tasks, such as creating mix-minus feeds.
Designed with live sports broadcasting in mind, the RP1 remote-production unit's engine is a 2RU core that contains integrated, FPGA-based DSP, enabling a console surface at another facility to control all mixing functionality. The RP1 core manages all the processing for IFB routing and remote monitor mixes, and it does so locally with no latency. www.calrec.com/
DiGiCo
DiGiCo has expanded its S Range of compact digital consoles with the S31, a larger version of the popular S21, featuring an expanded work surface with 10 additional faders for more control and a third, 10-in. multi-touch screen; 24 mic inputs and 12 line outputs on the rear of the console provide straightforward audio connection. And there are slots for any multichannel-interface cards.
DiGiCo's new compact 2RU Orange Box is an audio-format converter with multiple options, allowing use of DiGiCo Multichannel Interface (DMI) cards to create audio paths over a variety of interfaces. The console features two PSUs for redundancy and two slots to accommodate any of the 10 current interfaces available (Dante, Hydra2, BNC, Cat 5, Optocore, Aviom, AES, ADC, DAC, and Waves/SoundGrid), the Orange Box allows conversion of almost any audio format to another. www.digiconsoles.com/
Lawo
Lawo consoles are IP-ready and support current and evolving industry standards for audio-, video-, and data-format interoperability. The mc Series mixing consoles include the mc 96 Grand Production, optimized for IP production environments; the mc 56 and new mc 56mkIII, which is also available with optional surfaces that provide extra free controls (mc 56xc) or dual faders (mc 56xt); and the all-in-one mc236. All are offered in multiple configurations with physical console surfaces, channel capacity, and frames optimized for everything from mobiles and flypacks to large production complexes. Lawo also offers a full range of solutions for remote-production and automated-mix applications, including standalone cores: the mc2 Micro Core universal networked audio engine, the Compact Engine AES67 audio node with on-board DSP, and the Power Core 1RU IP-based mix engine with modular I/O options. All can perform all audio-mixing and -routing functions under remote control of vision mixers or third-party automation systems.
Multiple stagebox I/O offerings support IP interfacing of analog and digital sources for remote-production applications. In addition to the DALLIS modular frames, Lawo also offers the A_line AoIP interfaces for managing analog, AES3, MADI, and RAVENNA/AES67 audio connections. They offer functionality for remote mic pre control and operation of audio-mix functions from a remote location using a browser-based interface that can be customized for specific workflows. All of Lawo's consoles, cores, stageboxes, control software, and Nova Series routers feature multiple configuration options with protocols supported for automation- and studio/remote-management applications, including the VSM Virtual Studio Manager broadcast-control and -monitoring system and SOUL (Seamless Orchestration and Unification Layer), Lawo's newest offering for control of networked-production infrastructures. www.lawo.com/
StageTec
StageTec's system concept integrates its NEXUS audio I/O and routing system with a range of scalable mixing consoles. NEXUS supports unlimited distributed GPIOs and RS-232, -422, and -485 and MIDI ports within the system. I/O cards are ava
