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Digital Consoles: Everybody Gets More for Less
Technology trickles down, with high-end features in mid and entry-level boards
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Soundcraft Si2 is suited for installations where a smaller footprint is needed. The Si2 features 48 mic inputs mapped to 24 faders with four dedicated stereo line channels, four dedicated FX Returns from the four stereo Lexicon FX processors. 24 group/Aux busses are available at all times, and every input and output has its own dedicated input/output socket on the back of the console.
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The DiGiCo SD-8 won “Best New Audio Product – Digital Mixing Console” at the 2009 WFX – Worship Facilities Conference and Expo. Digico is distributed in the US by Group One Ltd.
Ah, the digital revolution - where will it end? Remember when you used to pay serious money for little USB drives? Expect them in cereal boxes at any moment. Speaking of free, that's what it costs to call anybody anywhere in the world from your new...I-Pod?! Yep. Simply load the Skype app and lurk in the vicinity of wi-fi. Is this crazy or what?
For better or worse, progress proceeds at a more deliberate pace in digital consoles. Technology continues to trickle down, however, with features of the high-end boards now appearing at the mid-level, and with some better entry-level consoles now hard to distinguish from the mid-level mixers of just a few years ago.
For this story, we will divide the market into three (somewhat arbitrary) groups corresponding to both costs and broad scenarios in church production. We'll look at the common features within each group, and then highlight new or top-level offerings from various manufacturers.
Getting Started: Under $10,000
Mixers in this category provide affordable options for small to mid-size churches looking for a plug-in replacement of an analog board. These budget consoles - some with street prices creeping under $2,000 - nevertheless offer all core advantages of digital mixing.
Here's what you get that analog can't offer: on-board digital effects plus dynamics processing (compressor/limiter) for each channel; moving fader level automation; and programmable presets encompassing virtually everything, including levels, input-output matrixing, and all effects parameters. The latter is a major blessing because it means one trained operator can set up the console for different events, and minimally trained volunteers only need select the proper preset and make any on-the-spot level adjustments.
Mixers at this level are quite compact; they fit just about anywhere. Unfortunately, this means the controls and monitor screens are often small. Dedicated control knobs and switches can be limited, and when more are available they are densely packed. Finally, all mixers at this level are "all-in-one" units; there are no separate control surfaces and remote stage racks.
At the lower end of this range is the brand new Summit mixer from Phonic. Fresh out of the gate, it does offer touch-screen capabilities, along with 16 input channels and 40-bit, floating-point processing. PreSonus, known for high-value recording gear, offers the dual-purpose StudioLive at a similar low price. It boasts extensive signal processing, high-quality mic preamps, a FireWire interface and live recording software. A 16-input version is now shipping, with a 24-input version on tap.
In the middle of the group is Tascam's DM-4800, with 24 standard mic inputs, 24 mix busses, 12 aux sends and an optional 32x32 FireWire recording interface. Also optional is a full meter bridge, a rarity at this level. Yamaha has been highly successful in this range with its LS-9 mixers, featuring MP3 recording and preset backup via USB drive, external computer programming capability, and expansion via Yamaha's extensive MY-card options. The 16-input LS-9 is in the middle of the range, while a good deal on the 32-input version may squeeze in just under the $10K limit.
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Bruce Borgerson networks around the industry via Wavelength Communications while monitoring technologies at the First United Methodist Church of Ashland, Ore.
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