Surround Sound Mixing Consoles 0

(12/07/2013) Digital mixing console sales have increased dramatically since their introduction in the 1990s. Yamaha sold more than 1000 PM5D mixers in the first 15 years and other manufacturers are seeing increasing sales of their digital products. Digital mixers are more versatile than analog ones and offer many new features, such as reconfigure signal routing at the touch of a button. In addition, digital consoles often include processing capabilities such as compression, gating, reverb, automatic feedback suppression and delay. Some products are expandable via third-party software features (called plugins) that add further reverb, compression, delay and tone-shaping tools. Several digital mixers include spectrograph and real time analyzer functions. Some incorporate loudspeaker management tools such as crossover filtering and limiting.

Calrec

Calrec's large presence in the domestic remote broadcast-audio market underscores a growing line-up of consoles. The Apollo's control surface incorporates Bluefin2, the second generation of Bluefin high-density signal processing, which provides Apollo with 1,020 channel-processing paths, 128 program busses, 96 IFB/track outputs, and 48 auxiliaries. In addition, Apollo has a second dynamics section in each channel, more than 70 minutes of assignable delay, and three independent AFL/PFL systems for multiple-operator use. The control surface manages all these channels over 12 layers and up to 320 physical faders. With single- and dual-fader options, Apollo has a higher fader density within its footprint than any other console.

copyrighted by liveProduction.tv In addition, the Calrec A/B path-selection system is retained for those users who wish to use the desk in a similar manner as Calrec's Alpha platform products. Layers and the A/B path system can be disabled if not required. Featuring full-color displays and touchscreens to provide high-resolution feedback of function and status, the Apollo control surface also has light-emitting knobs that change color depending on function for immediate recognition. The surface can be configured into different operational settings to suit the operator. Based on the Apollo platform, smaller sibling Artemis uses the same Bluefin2 and Hydra2 core technologies. Combining full-color displays, touchscreens, and light-emitting knobs, the soft Artemis control surface provides instant visual feedback and the flexibility to reconfigure the desk on the fly. It's available in three sizes: Bluefin2 gives Artemis Shine 680 channel-processing paths, Artemis Beam 340, and Artemis Light 240, with up to 128 program busses, 64 IFB/track outputs and 32 auxiliaries. Artemis Light packs all this into a 4RU enclosure. An integrated router means that all I/O functions can be performed by Hydra2, using high-capacity 8,192-squared crosspoint routers and a variety of I/O units. Hydra2 is Calrec's audio-routing system. Its plug-and-play architecture means that connecting consoles together is as simple as connecting their routers, with a single connection between routers providing 512 audio signals in both directions and enormous network expansion. The router does not require an entire console system to function, so complex networks can be created with minimal cost. Based on 8,192-squared router modules, Hydra2 allows connection of audio sources and system components over copper or fiber, with signals routed to any consoles or I/O boxes on the same network.

DiGiCo

The SD10B follows in the footsteps of the SD7B, featuring Stealth digital processing with Super FPGA processing, floating-point precision, and superior analog conversion. The console has 96 channels, 48 busses, two discrete backstop PFL solo busses, and smart-key macro triggers. A 15-in. touchscreen, 37 touch-sensitive faders, and an on-the-fly customizable worksurface allows the user to quickly access console parameters. The DiGiCo Optocore optical network can support up to five consoles and 14 DiGiCo SD-Racks totaling 448 inputs and outputs.

copyrighted by liveProduction.tv The modular SD-Rack can be configured with everything from analog to AES, Aviom, HD-SDI, Dante, and more. Sources can be injected directly into another console's monitor matrix, allowing monitoring of any source on the network without using additional DSP channels. 5.1-surround inputs can be stacked onto a single fader, linked, then folded, and unfolded on the surface with the touch of a button. Assignable macros facilitate such functions as fader-start and -stop commands, as well as snapshot scene recall. New for 2012 is a series of processing expansion packages. Nitrous for the SD10B adds such features as a new de-esser with sidechain listen on every input channel, an expanded 16 16 matrix and expanded FX section, and expanded dynamic EQ and multiband compressors. Pricing for the SD10B starts just under $100,000. The newer SD9B and SD11B offer flexibility in smaller packages. With 48 and 32 mono and/or stereo channels respectively, the SD9B and SD11B use the same large touchscreen and processing engine as the SD10B and can now be integrated into the same Optocore network. The ultra-compact 12-fader SD11B is rackmountable, and the SD9B doubles up at 24 faders in a desktop package.

Lawo

The mc Series mixing consoles (mc 90, mc 66MKII, and the new mc 56) provide timecode (dynamic) and snapshot automation of any parameter in the system, combined with a high degree of flexibility inside the channel structure, bussing, and router to accommodate any production requirement from monaural to 7.1 surround sound. These consoles offer integration with such systems as Pro Tools, Pyramix, Sequoia, Sadie, and others.

copyrighted by liveProduction.tv Features of the operating system include loudness metering for every channel, DSP 5.1 upmix module AMBIT, and downmixing. Embedding/d

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