Even with the multitude of multi-channel personal monitoring solutions currently on the market, I've never been able to get very excited about using them. But being a fan of almost all things dbx, I was eager to take a look at the company's new monitor mixing platform. Like most, I was already familiar with the quality and usefulness of many other dbx products, so it intrigued me to figure out why they would jump into the fray of personal monitor mixing systems.
As I delved into this brilliantly simple system, some distinct advantages became obvious.
This system is comprised of two devices: the TR1616 Blu link I/O, described by dbx as a 16-input/16-output digital on-ramp/off-ramp module, and the PMC16 Personal Monitoring Controller. Used together, this creates an audio chain that allows personal monitoring to be controlled and tailored by a musician onstage.
Some specifics
The heart of the system is the TR1616: a four rack unit stage box with 16 analog inputs (combo XLR and TRS jacks), 16 analog outputs, a Blu link RJ-45 loop input and output, as well as RJ-45 snake input and output ports and a mini-USB port to easily do firmware updates. Up to 60 of these units can be linked together with no fidelity loss, although Blu link supports 256 channels at 48 kHz or 128 total channels at 96 kHz. Each input preamp has gain, phantom power, 20-dB pad, low-cut, and polarity selections as well as a four-segment input meter. Its functionality as a conventional stage box is readily apparent; using the input and output on each channel, you can patch to the TR1616 input first, then use the corresponding output of each channel to continue on to an analog stage splitter or snake.
This is all slick and simple but the real power of the system lies in its Blu link capability. Blu link allows the unit to be directly tied to an audio network via the Blu link digital audio bus. Since the audio system in our main auditorium is based on the BSS Soundweb London system utilizing Blu link, it made sense that I find a way to implement it. Their description of this unit working as a digital on/off ramp is completely accurate. It's a simple way to get analog inputs and outputs to a device like the Soundweb London for about half the cost of a dedicated Blu-Bob or Blu-Bib output or input device. You literally plug in your XLR or TRS input to the TR1616, connect it to your Blu network, and you're in. You can further assign the inputs and outputs to correspond with a specific bank which keeps the data organized within the Blu network. Each bank handles 16 consecutive channels of audio, meaning bank A handles channels 1-16, bank B handles channels 17-32, C handles 33-48, etc. I was surprised at how deceptively simple this was to set up and get going.
Another option that continues to make this unit even more impressive is the digital snake connections. When in use, the TR1616 will transmit and receive Blu link audio through dedicated snake-in and snake-out ports, allowing you to use multiple units in different locales, such as one on stage and one at a front-of-house location—this functionality makes the system quite desirable.
To actually make this system functional for personal monitoring, dbx offers the PMC16 Personal Monitoring Controller. This is the digital remote control station that allows the user to set up and control their own personal 16-channel mix. The PMC16 uses Ethernet connections to interface with the TR1616 and is loaded with similar features one would expect to see in most personal monitor controllers: overall output volume control, input channel gain, individual or group solo and mute functionality, input panning, output limiting, and effects. They've made the mix parameter controls easy to navigate by breaking them up into four pages: meters page, levels page, pan page, and the effects page. Using these intuitive page features, it doesn't take long to get a decent mix going.
Normally I'm not a fan of automatic setup features found in some gear, but the PCM16 does a good job utilizing the same wizard functionality found in many of dbx's other products—the wizard proved useful and made the setup quite simple. I appreciated that the unit has both quarter-inch and eighth-inch parallel headphone outputs as well as a stereo pair of XLR outputs—this allows the user to interface directly to the unit via headphones as well as using the XLR's to send the mix to a wired or wireless in-ear-monitor system or outboard monitor speaker. There is also an output feature in the menu that allows you to choose between output devices: headphones, ear monitors, or wedges. The subtle presence and equalizer differences between those three settings were a nice touch. The stereo width adjustment was particularly useful in that it allowed me to find my perfect stereo width preference from mono all the way up to what they call hyper-stereo. This setting made a normal monitor mix really open up and feel much bigger. Also included were several generic Lexicon effect presets that sounded great. As with the other settings, the effects were easy to assign and route to a specific channel and did a great job enhancing whatever input I assigned it to.
Personal notes
Something I did notice on both the headphone and XLR outputs was that the audio equalization was flat and even a bit dull sounding right out of the box. By making a few adjustments to the low and high equalizer knobs located on the face of the unit I was able to accentuate the low-end punch a bit and create some high-end sparkle that made the quality closer to what I would consider a good ear mix.
In addition to the various output connections on the PCM16, there are Blu link ports allowing you to connect to the TR1616 or daisy chain to an additional controller, power supply input jack, Ethernet port (to allow for future feature expansion), and a mini-USB port used to update the unit's firmware. The supplied nine-volt “wall-wart” style power supply could be a bit cumbersome in a stage environment, but dbx has addressed this option by offering the new PS6 power supply. This is a power hub that will provide AC power for up to six PCM16s and could be quite handy in a location where multiple controllers are being used in close proximity. As I usually look for the simplest option in a product used in a live situation, this seemed like a great way to simplify the somewhat messy power cabling aspect of units such as these.
From the financial perspective, it was nice to find these items priced affordably for almost any budget range. The TR1616 unit is readily available for $1,999.95, an individual PCM16 controller retails for $499.95, and the optional PS6 power supply sells for $299.95. Because of its expansion flexibility, you could build up a larger system one piece at a time and purchase as budget allows.
Other than a few minor differences, this system is similar to several others on the market if used solely as a personal monitoring system. If your current setup allows for this type of on-stage personal monitor control, this dbx system would be easy to set up and use for almost any technician or musician. That being said, the most impressive part of the system is the Blu link capabilities. While reviewing and using the system, several immediate options came to mind of ways we could utilize this to improve our current setup. Even with the extensive ear-monitoring system we already have in place at Church on the Move, a system like this could be handy anytime we implement things like an orchestra or brass section. Not to mention a good way to bring some order and sonic clarity to our musicians' practice space. True to form, dbx has put some thought into this product and provided yet another tool for the audio engineer to do what they do best—only better.
