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.
Finally, we have the category-straddling V-Mixer series from Roland Systems Group. Most units have 10 local inputs on the main console, with all the rest in stage input boxes connected to FOH via standard Cat-5 Ethernet cable. The new, small-footprint RSS M-380 rack-mount unit in a 26 x 18 configuration will tag slightly under $10,000, but most versions of this highly expandable and flexible concept will bump to the next level. A 58 x 16 system, based on the M400 console and offering multiple input options (including AES3 digital) and an integrated personal monitor mixing, will list around $16,000.
Getting Serious: $10,000 to $30,000
Digital mixers in this category fit the needs of many contemporary, production-oriented churches. They offer sufficient input, output, and monitoring capacity to deal with sophisticated productions, yet at the same time they can be programmed as "volunteer friendly" for day-to-day operations. Some have remote stage I/O engines connected via Ethernet, either standard or as options. Note that all systems in this group are highly modular, and offer options for different control surfaces, on-stage I/O and mix engine modules, external I/O and monitoring, or all three. Consequently, loaded versions may creep above the $30,000 mark.
Allen & Heath's i-Live T systems offer a "Chinese food menu" approach, allowing users to couple one of two control surfaces (20 or 28 faders) with one of two stage I/O packages (32 x 16 or 48 x 24). The control surfaces are very much "analog style" and offer variable levels of password-controlled access to programming features.
Yamaha's M7CL series is a popular mainstay in the category, and the new M7CL-48ES promises to extend the run. This new "split" version moves most I/O to the Ethersound-connected (via Cat-5e) stage box, which holds 48 remotely controllable mic preamps and 24 outputs; eight "omni" inputs and outputs remain at the console.
Two entries from Soundcraft and Digidesign take a different tack; these are "all-in-one" mixers, with all I/O facilities in the same frame as the mixing surface. However, both incorporate numerous features from their high-end siblings. Digidesign's Venue SC48, not surprisingly, offers seamless integration with ProTools recording, along with up to 48-in/16-out capability via expansion cards. It also supports Aviom's A-net system as well as the popular TDM processing plug-ins. Soundcraft's sleekly-raked Si2 comes standard with 48 mic inputs mapped to 24 faders on a small-footprint chassis. Controls are widely distributed "analog style" using rotary encoders and OLED screens.
Tour- and Network-Class: $30,000 and Up
You'll find these digital boards in network television production facilities, in elite performing arts centers and Broadway theatres, and at front-of-house mix on top-grossing concert tours. Churches working at this level of production quality and sophistication - or planning to do so - should consider this group before investing in a mid-level board that may not be sufficiently expandable to meet future demands.
Any attempt to detail features here would be an exercise in futility: reviewing the list for just one board would double the length of the story. Suffice it to say you will have extensive I/O capacity, starting with 48 inputs and going up - way up, if you like. All are split systems, with control surfaces (offering limited local I/O) connected to remote stage boxes via Ethernet, MADI or fiber optic connections. All systems are readily expandable, allowing you to add more inputs, outputs and, in most cases, DSP cards for enhanced mixing and processing power. Control surfaces are larger, and visual monitoring is afforded either by large embedded screens - some with touch screen facilities - or by attached computer monitors.
The first group listed here (again somewhat arbitrarily) I would classify as "primarily live production" in orientation and features, though some have excellent recording facilities. That group includes Yamaha's PM-5D Series, recently extended with the PM5D-EX version offering 96 mono and eight stereo inputs at 96 kHz sampling rates, with up to 80 outputs at 48 kHz. Allen & Heath's iLive-144 control surface coupled with the iDR10 rack offers 64 x 32 I/O capacity with cards available to integrate multitrack recording (MADI or Ethersound) or personal monitoring (Aviom or HearBus). Digidesign's Venue Profile offers highly customizable stage racks, optional ProTools integration, and cool "mushroom" knobs. DiGiCo's impressive SD-8 supports up to 60 mono or stereo channels routed to 60 mono or stereo busses, all with complete dynamics processing; control is on three banks of 12 faders plus a high-res 15-inch touchscreen. Innovason's new Eclipse offers a highly configurable control surface, integral 64-track on-board hard-disc recording, and the capacity to simultaneously mix 104 inputs to 48 busses. And the Pro 6 from Midas combines the company's peerless touring reputation with advanced digital networking capabilities.
Now we turn a corner into what might be called live/broadcast hybrids. The Vi6 from Soundcraft is more the former than the latter, but the extensive I/O and matrixing capabilities, along with features co-developed for the related Studer Vista boards, make it a good choice for live-to-airways use. Two highly flexible systems designed to bridge live event sound and intensive media production are the Stagetec Crescendo and Euphonix 5B/MaxAir. The Crescendo control surface allows ample, simultaneous visual feedback so multiple operators - for live sound and broadcast feeds - can work together. The Crescendo also incorporates Stagetec's powerful NEXUS digital audio router. The more broadcast-oriented Euphonix 5B can support over 350 DSP channels and a dedicated mix-minus bus with mix-minus outputs from each channel. The MaxAir version uses the same DSP engines but offers a more compact control surface.
There, that's it. More digital for less money, serving the small country church and the largest urban multimedia-oriented ministry - and all of us in between.
