Digico announces the release of its latest software, Version 22, designed for all Quantum and SD consoles. Now available for free download from the Info and Downloads section of the DiGiCo website, found under the Support tab at http://www.digico.biz/, V22 brings many new features and functional improvements designed to further streamline and enhance the experience of mixing live sound.
Mustard Levelling Amp
Mustard, available on all Quantum desks, is a premium channel strip insertable onto all types of channels and provides sonic processing based on industry-standard processors. Digico added the Mustard Source Expander in software V20, and now, with V22, the manufacturer introduces its new Mustard Levelling Amp, the Silver One. This processor is based on the classic tube-design, electro-optical compressor sound that gives warmth and thickness to sources like vocals and bass while still maintaining their dynamic content.
Snapshot Setlists
Digico’s Snapshots panel has undergone a makeover, adding some new functionality. Snapshots can now more easily be reordered using Touch and Move, and the Snapshots Overview panel now follows all view options of the main Snapshots panel, giving continuity from Master Screen to Overview Screen.
With V22, Setlists have also been added to the Snapshots panel. “This feature has been heavily requested and is designed to quickly and easily build up custom shows from a library of different snapshots,” according to the announcement. By default, the All Snapshots list includes all snapshots in a session. Further set lists can then be created and snapshots added and removed from these. The console will then only recall snapshots in the current setlist. Snapshots in set lists can be in a different order to the All Snapshots list and the console will fire through them in this custom order. As a real-world example, during festival season, an act may change the length of its set each day, prompting the audio engineer to create specific 45-minute, hour-long, and headlining setlists for easy show selection.
Snapshot Recall Times
With an increasing number of productions now utilizing timecode to manage shows, V22 has
overhauled the Recall Times panel of the Snapshot panel. Snapshots previously had the option to capture a recall time at the point of insertion, and now can update their recall time from timecode when the Update Recall Times button is pressed. As productions can also frequently change as they develop, Digico has added timecode offset adjustments to allow for recall times to be more easily adjusted for one or many snapshots at once.
Aux To Faders Includes Groups
Digico’s internal console routing has provided users with the ability to flexibly route anything almost anywhere. Groups have always had the ability to send to Auxes, and now with V22, Groups can be included when enabling Aux to Fader. By default, all but the Master group are included in the Aux to Fader selection, and the included groups can be changed at any time. If a Group is enabled for Aux to Fader and is a member of a Control Group that has Aux Sends enabled, then the Control Group fader will provide the same +/-18dB controller as any input channels in the control group when in Aux to Fader mode.
Update to Macro Panels
Version 22 brings improvements and new features to the Macro panel. First, there is the ability to reorder Macros to create an easier to navigate list. Second, when searching for a Macro command, the command types column now filters to show categories where the search term exists. New Macro commands for V22 are Switch to Bank, bringing a specific fader bank to the surface; and Set Security Mode, putting the console directly into either Live or Unattended mode without navigating through the Security Panel.
For those on a Quantum112 or Quantum852, Digico has also added a search feature to the Macroder and Channel Macros panel. And if a Macro is used on a Quantum112 to set the console into Surface Offline mode, an indication is displayed in the Top Bar of the console.
Sound Devices Integration
The latest software update now deepens Digico’s integration between Quantum consoles and the Sound Devices Astral range of wireless microphones. Within Audio I/O, users can assign RF channels from Astral devices to sockets within a session. If these sockets are then routed to a channel, data from the Astral receiver, including Battery level, RF Quality level, NexLink signal strength, On/Off Status, and Mute Status are displayed at the top of the channel.
LiveTrax 3 Integration
Harrison provides innovative software solutions for the Live and Studio market. “Alongside the launch of the new LiveTrax 3 software, V22 provides a brand-new integration creating the ultimate Recording and Virtual Soundcheck system,” according to the release.
When fully integrated, channel names from the session can be pulled into the LiveTrax session and be updated at any time. Functions for controlling LiveTrax, such as record and play, are now available from the console directly, and whenever a snapshot is fired, a corresponding section with the same name is automatically inserted into the LiveTrax project, if this setting is enabled. When playing back into the console from LiveTrax, if a snapshot is fired, the play head automatically moves to the corresponding section and begins to play from there.
Workflow Improvements
It’s often the little things that make all the difference, and some of the workflow improvements in Version 22 include: collecting diagnostics files directly from within the console application; when copying Aux levels from Stereo to Stereo Aux, Pan data is also included; when an Aux node is set to control Klang, the pick point location is now hidden as Klang does not take this into account; and Mustard Dynamics Gain Reduction and Gate status is now shown in Channel overviews.
“Our customers know that when they purchase a Digico console, that’s only the beginning of the relationship, as our R&D team is committed to continually bringing fresh features and increased performance to users’ products,” says Digico Managing Director Austin Freshwater. “The new Version 22 software update is a perfect example, breathing increased life into older and newer Digico desks alike, keeping them at the very top of their game for the long haul.”
For details on DiGiCo’s V22 software release, please visit www.DiGiCo.biz.
