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Before the new Aviom A360 personal mixer, there was the Aviom A16ii. It was my favorite piece of stage gear back when I was a worship musician. I'd put in my in-ears, set my mix, and be ready to play. That was long before the market was filled with personal mixing options. Opening up the box with the new Aviom A360 mixer, I was eager to see how Aviom has advanced its personal mixing unit.
Specifications
The A360, priced at $799, is the new cornerstone of the Aviom personal monitor mixing system. As a personal mixer, it provides channel-level controls as well as overall mix-level controls. Channel-level controls include volume, mute, group, solo, and tonal controls. Tonal controls include reverb, tone, pan, and stereo spread (for use on stereo channels). Mix-wide controls include bass, treble, master volume, and “Enhance.” Per Aviom, “The EQ curve for Enhance was developed specifically with the frequency response of in-ear monitors and headphones in mind.”
The mixer has a 36-channel mix engine that supports 16 mono or stereo mix channels. The 16 channel assignments can be set up on a per-mixer basis, via an easy-to-use program and a USB drive, so musicians pick the input channels they need, from up to 64 inputs, and assign the channels where they want. I would have liked a front-end system so, as a tech, [I] could personally customize all of the A360s and pushed out the configurations to each unit. Based on iOS support, which I'll cover later, this functionality is coming soon. Optionally, the A360 can receive and route the 16 channels as directly fed from the source.
The A360 is designed for driving a pair of in-ears but does offer a mono-mixed output for driving an XLR-connected floor monitor. Stereo mix outs are also present in both ¼-inch and 1/8-inch for connecting to a wireless in-ear system.
Setup
Configuring an Aviom system starts by connecting either an analog audio mixer to an AN-16/I v2 input unit or equipping a digital mixer with an Aviom16/o-Y1 card. This process converts the audio output channels into Aviom's A-Net system. These units are then connected, via Ethernet cable, to a stage-located A-Net distributor that connects to the A360 personal mixers. The distributor can be an A16D Pro or the new D800.
The D800 distributor comes in two forms: the standard D800 and the D800/Dante for use in Dante-networked systems. The D800 provides more digital channels for the A360, up to 48, as well as network mix back functionality so an A360's mix can be sent elsewhere in the system. This means engineers can hear what the musician hears and help with mix problems. Up to eight mix backs can be sent through the D800. In the case of the D800/Dante, the unit connects to a Dante audio network for the audio source, instead of an Aviom input device. Another feature of the D800 is it can be connected to a wireless router for A360 iOS support coming in 2014.
Testing the A360
I brought some A360s to two area churches for testing. The first was Franklin Community Church in Franklin, Ind., where I used to play guitar on the worship team years ago. This is where I first used an Aviom.
We set up a band practice with the A360s swapped in place of the old A16iis. Jeff Sewell is a worship musician at the church. His first comment was that the A360 felt much sturdier than the older A16ii. After the practice, Sewell reported that the A360 sounds so much better than the A16iis. He liked the new channel-level tone controls, especially the reverb, and said with their older analog mixer, he could use the tone controls to easily overcome the so-so quality of the analog sends.
My next stop was my home church, Greenwood Christian Church in Greenwood, Ind. Paul Cockram is a worship musician at the church and plays in several of the church's venues, one of which uses an Aviom system with the older A16ii mixers. Cockram is working with a variety of different in-ear systems. He tried the A360 during a youth service.
“Going from the A16 to the A360 is easy,” he told me. He noted it was great that the buttons would light up when selected, and he liked the tonal controls. The improved Instant Mix Recall with the simple “save” process was another feature that impressed him. His only negative comment was that it didn't sound as good as the ProCo Momentum personal mixer he uses in the main venue. But about the youth venue, he reported, “The quality of the audio board wasn't as good and could have been a factor.”
Features
“Intuitive usability” are the words used by Chandler Collison, vice president of sales and marketing for West Chester, Pa.-based Aviom, when telling me the design concept behind the Aviom personal monitoring system. I was happy to hear this because I've seen musicians look at basic stage gear and ask, “Do you really expect me to know how to use that?” I've also seen in-ear systems that, as a musician, I thought were overkill.
Given the ease of use, tons of features, and the coming iOS expansion, an Aviom A360-based system is definitely worth considering for your church's next audio upgrade.
The Go-to Button
The A360 gives musicians a go-to button located on the bottom right of the mixer. This button can be used as an extra channel or it can mirror another channel, such as the user's own channel. So, essentially without looking, each musician [has] access to [his or her] own “most important” or “go-to channel” to control. It could be the “more of me” channel. Some may want more of the worship leader. In the case of [a] bass player, they may want more or less kick or snare in order to stay in the pocket. This is my favorite feature as a musician and as a tech. In the latter case, it makes training musicians easier, as I can say, “Your channel is always located here.”
The mixer links the “go-to” button to a two-button “Profile Selector” that enables the musician to have two different mix settings for that particular channel. For instance, a guitarist who switches between an electric and an acoustic guitar could have a profile for each instrument and select that profile as needed.
One-touch Ambience
Through the One-touch Ambience control, musicians can hear an in-house room microphone or the mixer's on-board microphone. This control can be configured, with the USB-based software, by routing a room microphone channel to the Ambient Control or leaving it empty for using the mixer's on-board microphone. The on-board microphone is shaped for speech intelligibility. The control knob lets the musician turn the channel on or off and adjust the volume. As an aside, an external ambient microphone channel could be routed to any A360 channel if the musician needs the use of the on-board microphone as well as an ambient room mic. I've had musicians tell me they don't want to use in-ear systems because they can't hear the congregation. I expect the convenience factor of the One-touch Ambience will go a long way in converting them to fans of an in-ear system.
Instant Mix Recall
The A360 offers two new ways of saving and recalling mix settings. The first method is through the Instant Mix Recall section on the mixer where the musicians can quickly save and recall four different mixer-wide settings. They could have one for each worship band or one for a specific song arrangement. Regardless of how you choose to use it, it's easy to set up and use. I was never a fan of the older A16ii's “Save” function, so this was a huge improvement in my eyes.
The second option is through the use of a USB drive. Each mixer has a rear-facing USB plug. Musicians can set up their mixer configuration on a computer, save the settings to a USB drive, and then load them into the mixer. The mixer's settings can be saved back to the USB drive. In addition, the A360 is user-upgradeable as the USB jack is used for loading firmware updates.
Stereo Placement and Pan-spread
I loved the pan control on the older A16ii when I was a musician. The A360 takes this to the next level. With the Spread control, musicians can now spread their stereo channels as well as pan them. This opens up the center of the mix for clarity through spatial arrangement.
Channel Reverb
Worship musicians often think their in-ear mix sounds flat. That's because they are hearing semi-raw tracks in their in-ears. They aren't hearing natural room reverb. The A360 includes a channel-level reverb control that goes a long way in bringing back that natural “live” sound. Musicians can get a good sound from the A360 as long as they spend the time with the various tone controls. I was dubious of the reverb knob when I first saw it, but upon hearing it, I loved it.
Coming in 2014
Aviom's Collison explains how 2014 is the year for Aviom iOS support. Once the iOS apps are released, the D800 can be connected via Ethernet to a Wi-Fi router to give musicians iOS support. The iPhone/iPod apps will make the devices act as display surfaces for showing channel settings or displaying all channel volumes on the same screen. The latter will help quickly identify a channel with a volume problem.
A wireless display is nice, as is the mixer's handy iPhone slot, but what about true manipulation through an iOS device? Collison explains that this is where the iPad support enters into the picture. Aviom plans on rolling out two versions of the iPad software; one for one-to-one control of an A360 and a master version that a worship leader or tech could use for seeing and modifying settings for all the A360s in use. The iOS apps will be free upgrades.
Should A16ii users upgrade?
Users of the A16ii should consider upgrading to the A360 due to the enhanced mixing capability and the improved sound quality. Upgrading the A16D Pro distributor to a D800-series distributer would open up a new world of mix routing; and the iOS wireless functionality is coming in 2014.
Summary
The Aviom A360 personal monitor mixer is a huge advancement over the A16ii. It's also a great contender in the personal monitor mixing market. Given the ease of use, channel and mix-wide tonal controls, upgradability, and the coming iOS expansion, an Aviom A360-based system is definitely worthy of consideration.
FIVE A360 FEATURES THAT MUSICIANS WILL LIKE
The Go-to Button
The A360 gives musicians a go-to button located on the bottom right of the mixer. This button can be used as an extra channel or it can mirror another channel, such as the user's own channel. So, essentially without looking, each musician [has] access to [his or her] own “most important” or “go-to channel” to control. It could be the “more of me” channel. Some may want more of the worship leader. In the case of [a] bass player, they may want more or less kick or snare in order to stay in the pocket. This is my favorite feature as a musician and as a tech. In the latter case, it makes training musicians easier, as I can say, “Your channel is always located here.”
The mixer links the “go-to” button to a two-button “Profile Selector” that enables the musician to have two different mix settings for that particular channel. For instance, a guitarist who switches between an electric and an acoustic guitar could have a profile for each instrument and select that profile as needed.
One-touch Ambience
Through the One-touch Ambience control, musicians can hear an in-house room microphone or the mixer's on-board microphone. This control can be configured, with the USB-based software, by routing a room microphone channel to the Ambient Control or leaving it empty for using the mixer's on-board microphone. The on-board microphone is shaped for speech intelligibility. The control knob lets the musician turn the channel on or off and adjust the volume. As an aside, an external ambient microphone channel could be routed to any A360 channel if the musician needs the use of the on-board microphone as well as an ambient room mic. I've had musicians tell me they don't want to use in-ear systems because they can't hear the congregation. I expect the convenience factor of the One-touch Ambience will go a long way in converting them to fans of an in-ear system.
Instant Mix Recall
The A360 offers two new ways of saving and recalling mix settings. The first method is through the Instant Mix Recall section on the mixer where the musicians can quickly save and recall four different mixer-wide settings. They could have one for each worship band or one for a specific song arrangement. Regardless of how you choose to use it, it's easy to set up and use. I was never a fan of the older A16ii's “Save” function, so this was a huge improvement in my eyes.
The second option is through the use of a USB drive. Each mixer has a rear-facing USB plug. Musicians can set up their mixer configuration on a computer, save the settings to a USB drive, and then load them into the mixer. The mixer's settings can be saved back to the USB drive. In addition, the A360 is user-upgradeable as the USB jack is used for loading firmware updates.
Stereo Placement and Pan-spread
I loved the pan control on the older A16ii when I was a musician. The A360 takes this to the next level. With the Spread control, musicians can now spread their stereo channels as well as pan them. This opens up the center of the mix for clarity through spatial arrangement.
Channel Reverb
Worship musicians often think their in-ear mix sounds flat. That's because they are hearing semi-raw tracks in their in-ears. They aren't hearing natural room reverb. The A360 includes a channel-level reverb control that goes a long way in bringing back that natural “live” sound. Musicians can get a good sound from the A360 as long as they spend the time with the various tone controls. I was dubious of the reverb knob when I first saw it, but upon hearing it, I loved it.
