Digital audio consoles are all the rage these days. Digital console manufacturers are designing many of their products with houses of worship in mind. So there's a lot of talk from the manufacturers on how their consoles shine. But when it came time to return to this topic in the pages of Church Production Magazine, we thought we'd take a different approach. This time around, we decided to talk to some of our readers about their experiences with the digital consoles they use in their home churches.
Digico SD8: Brian Caringer, Audio Engineer, St. Matthew UMC, Belleville, IL
Yamaha M7CL: Rick Jeremiah, Technical Director, Northwoods Community Church, Peoria, IL
Midas XL8: Danny Slaughter, Technical Director, Westover Church, Greensboro, NC
Allen & Heath iLive: Patrick Gourley, Associate Pastor of Worship, Christ's Church of the Valley, San Dimas, CA
Roland M-400 V-Mixer: Greg Sisley, Executive Pastor, Faith Baptist Church, Kent, WA
Soundcraft Si3: Jeff Treubig, Audio Tech, First Assembly of God, Binghamton, NY
Innovason Sy48: Jerry Keifer, Technical Manager, Village Baptist Church, Beaverton, OR
Avid (formerly Digidesign) Venue D-Show: Eric Myers, AVL Manager, Colonial Baptist Church, Cary, NC
PreSonus StudioLive: Chad McIlvenna, Audio Director, Fusion Church, Buford, GA
What follows is a summary of the input received from these digital console users.
Complete user responses are available online at www.churchproduction.com/digitalconsoles-july2010
Fitting the Needs
All our users report that their consoles fit their needs well. The Digico SD8 was reported as enabling fast stage switch-overs between different service styles; the Yamaha M7CL, Avid Audio Venue, Allen & Heath iLive, Roland M-400 and Innovason Sy48 were considered easy for volunteers to learn. The Midas XL8 was praised for its ability to handle complex routing. The Soundcraft Si3 excelled with its ability to save and recall presets on effects and EQs, and to quickly call them back on different channels. The Innovason's configurability was praised, as it allows for the control surface to be completely reconfigured to suit the user's needs and abilities.And the PreSonus StudioLive is appreciated for its ability to work with a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) for easy multi-track recording as well as playing backing tracks in a live environment.
Sound Quality
All reported the sound quality of their consoles to be excellent.
Repair/Issues Record
Caringer reports that the Digico SD8 had several issues with saved sessions not being recalled properly. Using a wireless network connection between a remote controlling computer and the console tended to cause the audio console to shut down, with the solution being to use hard-wired network connections.
Treubig states that the Soundcraft Si3 had an issue with matrix settings not being saved when the console was powered down. A software upgrade fixed the issue.
Keifer indicated that on the Innovason Sy48, the staff had some issues with faders getting stuck, a fader's automation failing, and had some noise appear on one of the input channels. He was also quick to point out that they had purchased a demo unit, so the console had already been through some wear and tear before the church took possession. Innovason has been responsive in addressing the issues, even when the U.S. offices in Nashville were flooded with two feet of water from recent storms.
The only issue that Myers reports with his Avid Audio Venue is a repair needed as a result of a lightning strike. He received the needed replacement parts the next day.
All others reported no issues with their consoles.
Favorite Features
Each of our users had things they particularly liked about their consoles. Caringer likes the 12 control groups/VCAs on the Digico DS8. On the Yamaha M7CL, Jeremiah likes the "Sends on Fader" section of the console.
For the Midas XL8, Slaughter's favorite features are the Mix section of the console, and the "dashboard" where you can see the entire signal flow of the console, which aids in troubleshooting signal problems.
Gourley appreciates having all the dynamic processing controls at his fingertips at all times. "It makes a big difference in the speed and quality of the mixing" on his A&H iLive, he says.
Sisley appreciates his Roland M-400's easy access to signal parameters and metering during live mixing, and the way it makes joining the audio team less intimidating to new volunteers by being so user-friendly.
Treubig says the ease of use, overall layout and design, and the fully sweepable EQ with a graphical display are his favorite features of the Soundcraft Si3.
Keifer states that on the Innovason Sy48, the Xfad feature, which enables grouping of inputs, is his favorite.
Myers' favorite feature is the customizable snapshots on the Avid Audio Venue, with a close second being the plug-ins.
McIlvenna's favorite feature is the StudioLive's ability to interface with almost any DAW for recording.
Least Favorite Feature/Issue
Most users also had areas of their consoles that they are less than thrilled with. Caringer reports that on the Digico SD8, he would prefer a different EQ layout. "It is backwards from how I would like it and how I have used it on other consoles. It is also laid out vertically, which I can deal with but I don't like. I would prefer it horizontal." He also doesn't like the location of the main mute button. "The mute button is inconveniently located next to the layer button on the main section. Twice, so far, while quickly working on the mix during a service I went to change the layer and instead hit the main mute ... yielding an unpleasant result."
Slaughter reports that if he had to pick a least favorite aspect of the Midas XL8, it would be the Effects section. "While I do use some of the onboard effects on the console, I will use certain outboard effects units that I have used over the years for specific applications. I think this is an area where sound guys are the most picky
because whether it is an onboard effect on a digital console, a rack unit or a plug-in from a laptop, you will always use what gives you the desired effect."
Regarding the A&H iLive, Gourley states, "My least favorite issue so far would be the [lack of] sensitivity of the touch screen. It has always worked, but seems to need to be recalibrated or pressed harder to get it to respond."
For Treubig, he wishes that his Soundcraft Si3 had more bus sends. "The four Lexicon [effect] channels are included in the 24 bus outputs. With 16 going over to the Aviom [personal monitoring system], we had to sacrifice two effects channels in order to get six on-stage monitor sends."
Keifer states that he has two areas he wishes were better on his Innovason Sy48. "The lack of dedicated mute groups is unfortunate. I didn't realize how much I depended on mute groups until I started mixing without them. Now my transitions are a bit sloppy and I always get nervous when I need to open many channels at once. Innovason says VCAs can be used as mute groups, and I suppose that's somewhat true, but they don't function like a mute group. Obviously, a channel can't be opened if it is muted by a VCA, whereas a mute group simply recalls a group of mute states and does not prevent the muting or unmuting of anything. I don't really want to use up valuable faders for every mute group I want.
"The second issue, the bigger of the two, is the Sy48's lack of upgradability. When researching consoles I was struck by the support Innovason has provided for its consoles since day one and the importance of maintaining an upgrade path for all of the users. Unfortunately, as I found out shortly after acquiring the console, that upgrade path ended with the Sy48. The release of the Eclipse [console] has Innovason focused on a different platform so the most I can expect as an Sy48 owner are small bug-fix updates."
Myers would prefer not to have channels share faders through banking (also called layers on other digital consoles), but is thankful for "bank safes" on the Venue that allow him to "pin" a fader in place so that banking does not affect that selected channel, thereby making it always available.
McIlvenna wishes that the StudioLive included motorized faders.
Sisley states that the slight latency in the stereo fader pairs (when you move one fader, there's a very slight delay in the other moving) are his least favorite aspect of the Roland M-400. But he also states that it's not noticeable sonically, and causes no problem in using the console.
Wrap Up
Like any major investment, a church's needs have to be matched to the technical level of the users and the available technical infrastructure. It can be a complicated process to find the right digital console for your church. The more varied or ill-defined the needs of the church, or the more diverse the user groups, the more complicated the decision can become. Input from users from other churches on the consoles they use in their facilities can be the most valuable advice your church can get. Be sure to read the detailed input from each user online at www.churchproduction.com/digitalconsoles-july2010.
Also, if you like this format of reporting users' experiences with a specific type of equipment, send an email to us at editorial@churchproduction.com and let us know what equipment type you'd like to hear about next.
