Current Issue

May 2012

Print Article     Email Article

  Page 1 of 3   >>

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.

  Page 1 of 3   next page >>