I can still remember 20 years ago when the small church where I was mixing made the jump from a 12-channel mixer with four auxes to a 32-channel model with six auxes (and four groups!). Today, even mid-sized churches are routinely dealing with 40, 50, 60 or more inputs, and need an ever- expanding number of auxes and groups (not to mention larger matrix mixers for all the ancillary feeds). Digital mixing has been a bit of a gold rush for input count.
And with the new Digico SD5, which made its first appearance in the US less than a year ago, that input/output count is impressive. It can mix up to 124 channels to 56 buses. There is a 24x24 matrix and enough built-in processing to keep it all under control. Stage racks can be connected via coaxial MADI ports (there are three, each with a redundant pair) or the built-in Optocore ST or HMA-Fibercast fiber optics. Up to 14 stage racks can be connected and shared, meaning you can select from or send to 448 inputs or outputs, plus 56 x 56 additional intra-console tie lines for up to five consoles on the optical network.
Like all the consoles in the Digico SD lineup, each session is completely configurable. You decide how many mono or stereo auxes or groups you need and you can have it—providing the total number doesn't exceed 56. Your main output can be LR, LCR, LCRS or 5.1, and each channel can be mono or stereo. The surface is likewise completely configurable. Using the channel select buttons, you can place inputs, auxes, groups, VCAs or matrix outputs on any of the 36 faders.
Console Specifics
The surface is arranged in three banks. The left and right banks are identical, and are set up to give you quick and full access to all functions of input channels. Both banks have full controls for high- and low-pass filters, EQ, dynamics and insert switching. Two rows of programmable encoders below the touch screens handle additional rotary control tasks. The top row is mode-selectable via a series of Quick Select buttons on the left side of the screen. In addition, both rows of encoders can follow what aux is solo'd and can be assignable to whatever control you like ie: mic pre, trim, high-pass, low-pass, aux, LCR, pan etc.
The rotary assignments follow the bank selection so you can view what you need in each group of channels. Above each touch screen is another screen for metering. But it's not just input or output level. Additional meters show gain reduction on the compressors (up to three in the case of multi-band), gate or ducker information, and a cool glowing Digi-Tube that fills up as you “saturate” the DigiTube, delay time and direct out level.
The surface has a very elegant and refi ned feel to it, much like you would expect from an expensive European car.
The center bank is really set up as a master section. Unlike its bigger brother, the SD7, you can also display channel information in the center screen, but it's much easier to interact with on the side screens. The master screen is tilted toward you making it easy to see and easy to get to all the major functions of the console and detailed control like the parametric EQ. Below the screen is a row of ten large LCD macro buttons (in four banks, all fully assignable), headphone and talkback control as well as snapshot management.
The left and right banks give you access to up to 10 layers of faders, while the center section offers access to eight. All layers and faders have a dual line, multi-color LCD select button for quick reference to what each is doing. All of the encoders have RGB LEDs below them, and they change color depending on what mode you are in. This makes for a very quick visual reference as you switch modes or functions.
In addition to the MADI and optical I/O connections, the surface sports eight channels of analog and AES I/O; MIDI in, out and thru; word clock and AES sync; and 16 standard (expandable to 32) GPIO. A single SD-Rack can be configured with up to 56 channels of analog or digital I/O, and racks can be shared with built-in Digico gain tracking with up to five consoles, plus the SD Racks have an additional MADI Split that can feed any other manufacture's systems or recording with gain tracking.
Because the SD5 is built around a very robust Stealth Digital Processing SFPGA (Super Field Programmable Gate Array—a type of processor), the internal processing power is huge. The console offers the usual four-band fully parametric EQ on every input channel (eight on every ouput), but goes further with two bands of dynamics. Dyn 1 can be configured as a regular multi-band comp or a de-esser. And Dyn 2can be used as a gate, ducker or a frequency-dependant, side-chained compressor. You can deploy up to 24 multi-band compressors, 24 dynamic EQs, and DigiTubes on every input and output on the console. Also available are 24 FX racks and 32 graphic EQs. Multi- channel folding allows you to collect up to 11channels and represent them as a single fader with some or all of the parameters linked. An “Unfold” button gives you quick access to each individual channel.
On To The Gig
This year, for our Good Friday and Easter services, we put the SD5 at FOH (front of house) and moved our SD8 to monitors. A single coax ran from the SD-Rack to the SD8, which gave the monitor console access to all the inputs the FOH desk saw. I designated FOH as master and the SD8 tracked gain and compensated for level changes with digital trim.
While I'm very comfortable and fast on the SD8 with it's single center screen, I found the SD5 to be even quicker to work on. Being able to display both the master screen and 24 channels of information at once was a huge time saver for transition-heavy services. I ended up building 62 snapshots for Good Friday and being able to quickly edit and update those with multiple screens was a tremendous help.
It took me a little while to get used to the center master layout, but the ease with which I could rearrange channels and faders made it easy to experiment and find the system that worked well for me. Overall, the surface has a very elegant and refined feel to it, much like you would expect from an expensive European car. Each encoder, switch or fader moves with precision and accuracy with just the right amount of resistance. Because the software layout is essentially the same across the entire SD line, I felt at home right away and was proficient on the desk in a few hours.
How Does It Sound?
In a word, fantastic. I always thought the pre-amps in the DigiRack that we use every week sounded pretty good, but the SD-Rack preamps have a bit more magic pixie dust sprinkled on them. Words like “clear,” “open,” “effortless,” and “transparent” kept coming to mind. I was able to mix Palm Sunday on the desk and one of our musicians who wasn't playing remarked on how good the acoustic guitar sounded in particular. “There was a sparkle to the acoustic guitar that we don't normally hear” were his words. And that was with the system running at 48kHz for compatibility with the rest of our system. It will do up to 96 kHz right now although the SD racks are capable of 192 kHz.
What's not to like? If I had any complaints about the SD5 it would be that sometimes it took a little more pressure to activate the LCD buttons when compared to our church's SD8. Also, the surface occasionally felt a bit sluggish when changing pages. This initially slowed down my workflow, but depending on what you're used to, you may not even notice it. It's not a deal-breaker—and there's certainly a lot going on under the hood. I would have also liked one more row of encoders like on the SD7 and the SD8 above the left and right touch screens. I also would try to rig up a small light under the front lip to illuminate the built-in keyboard. Other than that, I have to say it's a fantastic console.
SD5 EX $158,500.00 List Cost includes SD5 and SD Rack loaded 56 In x 40 Analog and 16 AES outs and 2 150M HMA Optical Snakes. SD5 purchases qualify for the DiGiCo Trade Up program where you can trade in any manufactures analog or digital console for a rebate and also get a DiGi-Grid 128 channel recording interface for virtual sound check.
