Allen & Heath MixWizard WZ312M
Allen & Heath makes a small line of front-of-house mixers known as the Wizard series, jam-packed with a lot of clever mechanisms and built-in digital effects. They have also made a monitor version available, the WZ312M. The monitor version makes no effects available, but employs functionally clever mechanisms similar to its front-of-house counterpart. I spent some time with the WZ312M, and got to know it a bit.
Personal Observations
This console features 16 monophonic mic/line inputs and 12 mono outputs (or six stereo outputs, contingent upon your configuration). A four-band semi-parametric EQ is featured on each of the mixer’s 16 channels as well, and the console proves a truly handy solution if a splitter is not available—it features a built-in splitter. Citing the popularity of in-ear monitoring these days, Allen & Heath touts the simple creation of six discrete stereo mixes with this console as a key benefit, and I would tend to agree. And while the creation of 12 monophonic mixes is also possible, my assessment is that the true power of this console is the ability to create a combination of mono and stereo mixes as necessary. If I’ve learned anything over the years, it’s that “everybody wants something different from everybody else,” for lack of a less colloquial way of putting it. And indeed—you may have a drummer who’s perfectly happy with a single floor wedge feeding a click, the bass, the guitar, and a bit of the vocal. At the same time, it’s likely that the diva vocalist will want a carefully crafted stereophonic pop record-style mix with lots of compression, tasteful reverb, and a healthy measure of her shimmering voice right smack in the middle. The WZ312M facilitates both simultaneously—I like that.
One of the huge strengths of the WZ312M is the built-in capacity to split the mic inputs and send them off to front-of-house. The question that arises here is whether the console’s mic pre-amps exhibit a level of quality that earns your confidence. I can say absolutely yes—Allen & Heath’s WZ3 mic pres are dead quiet, and sound fantastic—very little coloration. So any concern you might have about using this console to feed the snake to front-of-house is put immediately to bed … these are great pres.
Product Functionality
The console’s I/O panel can be shifted very easily from a desktop configuration to a rack- or flight-case-mounted orientation. In the desktop configuration the panel is used to prop the console up to an angle that presents the controls nicely. In its rack-mount configuration, it simply moves all the console’s connections to the back, making them accessible from the rear of the rack. This panel features 16 differentially balanced XLR inputs, each with a TRS insert jack. Below these 16 inputs are the console’s 16 splitter outputs. Below the splitter outputs are 12 XLR outputs representing the console’s 12 distinct mixes (or six stereo mixes, or any necessary combination thereof), each with a TRS insert jack, just like the inputs.
A pair of balanced ¼-inch TRS outputs mirrors a “monitor out” pair of XLR outputs in order to feed a stereo pair of speakers for the benefit of the monitor engineer. Another pair of balanced ¼-inch jacks represents the console’s “external monitor” inputs, and the rear panel also features both an IEC AC power input and a proprietary DIN connector to accept DC power from an external supply, creating a welcome power redundancy. Finally, blank plates fill the slots allocated for Allen & Heath’s “Sys-Link II” expansion option.
The console’s front panel is simple and self-explanatory. I found the quality of the “feel” to be very solid. Allen & Heath uses individual circuit cards, and the potentiometers are attached directly to the panel. Switches and knobs do not feel cheap or plasticky—rather they feel solid and substantial. Each input channel features an input section with a phantom power switch, a pad switch, a gain knob, and an 80 Hz, 12 dB/octave HPF switch that segues to the channel’s EQ section.
Phantom power can be provided by the WZ312M or by front-of-house, and ground can be lifted globally, disconnecting pin one between the input and the splitter output. Each channel sports a four-band semi-parametric (no Q adjustment) equalizer. There is a shelving-type EQ fixed at 12 kHz, sweepable high-mid and low-mid with 500 Hz – 15 kHz and 35 Hz – 1 kHz ranges, respectively, and a shelving-type EQ fixed at 80 Hz. These specifications apply strictly to monophonic operation—in stereo operation, the high-mid and low-mid bands become fixed at 2.5 kHz and 250 Hz, respectively. Regardless of mono or stereo operation, maximum boost or cut is 15 dB, and the Q for the two middle bands is fixed at a pleasant 1.8, not incredibly wide, nor incredibly narrow. I found these equalizers to be nicely musical.
The console’s 12 mix sends come next in the signal path—all are post-EQ. Sends one through four can be switched globally from pre- to post-trim, and sends 8 to 12 default to post-trim, but can be switched to pre-trim by soldering internal jumpers. Each odd/even pair can be configured to stereo with a recessed pushbutton switch located near its associated pair of master faders. In stereo mode, the odd send knob becomes a stereo level control, and the even send knob becomes a pan control. This is exactly the clever kind of thing I like to see that facilitates squeezing more function out of a device with a small footprint. A mute switch turns off the channel signal, but does not affect the insert send. Right up front at the engineer’s fingertips are the channel trim knob, the PFL button, and LEDs to indicate signal presence and peaks. The peak indicator builds in plenty of what I call “dummy-proof headroom,” engaging when the signal is 5 dB away from audible distortion. I like this a lot. The console’s mix sends are color-coded in pairs, gray, black, red, blue, yellow, and green—and obviously the corresponding master faders are the same.
The console’s 60mm master faders each sport a mute switch, which simply shuts off the output, but does not affect the AFL, and there is a switch for AFL associated with each fader. Peak and signal-present LEDs are featured here as well. A recessed pushbutton micro-switch toggles stereo/mono operation for each pair. A bit of front-panel real estate is devoted to engineer monitoring, with a 12-segment stereo VU meter, monitor level knob, mono switch, PFL switch, four-pin lamp socket, “external input” insertion switch, and headphone jacks, both quarter-inch and 3.5mm. I love having both sizes represented—I can’t tell you how many times I’ve run off searching for an adapter.
The WZ312M is a highly usable monitor console that sounds great. What else do you need to know? It is targeted at in-ear applications, but would work nicely if you’re mixing strictly for wedges as well. At a list price of $2,399, this would be a very good choice for a house of worship that is ready to make the leap to mixing monitors away from front-of-house with no major compromises. As I stated before, the built-in splitter convention would raise the question of mic pre-amp quality any other time, but Allen & Heath’s truly excellent WZ3 pres simply sound great. The WZ312M is a truly excellent choice.
