I heard this morning that the new Soundcraft Si3 is supposed to be shipping in October with a street price of about $35-40k. This will definitely help Soundcraft’s presence in the middle of the road console market. Of course, it may still be out of the reach of many churches who are looking at an LS9 or similar console. Sometimes it isn’t all about money though and we have to factor into the equation features and the quality of the console.
I would further predict that this is just a start and we will be continually seeing smaller digital consoles with lower price points. As I discussed the other day, it is easier to scale a product down that it is to try and scale it up. Yamaha has been in the game a little while longer, so they have already been taking their consoles to a smaller scale. Where some of the competition comes in (like Soundcraft) with coming to the market with a product later is that they have been able to see what everyone else has done and aim to improve the products and market.
Either this is the week for digital consoles, or there must be a trade show coming up soon. In addition to the recent announcement of the Si3 digital console from Soundcraft, they have announced upgrades to the Vi6 and Vi4 digital audio consoles. The new upgrades will allow the Vi6 to handle 96 channels and take the Vi4 to 72 channels.
All that is needed for the upgrade is a DSP card and new V3 software if you have one of the existing consoles. Those interested in purchasing a new system will have the option of a package for 64 or 96 input channels for the Vi6 and 48 or 72 inputs for the Vi4. Additional stageboxes can be added to the system if additional microphone preamps are needed or the additional inputs can be used with MADI hcannels or AES/EBU inputs.
The Vi6 and Vi4 are very impressive consoles from Soundcraft and these new updates will hopefully expand the reach of viable venues for these consoles to be used in. I personally love the layout and feel that these consoles most closely match the feel of mixing on an analog console that most of us are used to using. An engineer can almost literally walk up to this console with no training and figure out how to use it. One of my biggest issues with digital consoles in the layout of the channel strip and Soundcraft has kept things essentially where they should be. The Vi6 and Vi4 keep the channel strips as we are used to and yet use the adjacent space on the lcd screens when the user needs to fine tune something in the mix.
The V3 upgrade also allows the Vi4 to access all 35 output busses (8 busses fixed in Aux mode). The output expansion does not require the DSP card.
For more information on the new software or to download, please visit soundcraftdigital.com. For pricing and basic product information, see productionoutlet.com (vi6 | vi4). To purchase or to speak with us about this console, give us a call at 877-4-CBC-TECH. We’re working on finding the information regarding the needed DSP card as this is a product we haven’t seen yet. Stay tuned for updates.
Midas has slowly been giving us information regarding the XL8’s little baby brother. (It seems that everyone is introducing a new baby brother these days – I just wrote about the UR1M last week.) Many knew or expected that a smaller version of their flagship console must be on the way so that it would be more within the reach of most people’s budget. Well, their theory is that they needed to start with he big guy and then scale it down from there. The real advantage of scaling something down instead of up is that you know the infrastructure can handle it. The last thing any designer or manufacturer would want to do is take a small product and try to make it larger only to find out that it doesn’t scale. Midas has taken the correct approach with this console. Sometimes it sucks that we have to wait for the tools we really want; this one will be worth the wait!
The PRO6 is scheduled to be revealed at PLASA next week (September 7-10, 2008) and I’m sure there will be a crowd there waiting to get their hands on it. The console is being compared to a digital Heritage with the tag line “digital, with Heritage.”
The new product brochure tells us:
The Midas PRO6 Live Audio System is the second networked digital audio system from Midas. Employing technologies developed from the class-leading XL8, the PRO6 offers the same exemplary sample-synchronised audio performance in a compact package.
Although the PRO6 standard system comprises a Control Centre with a footprint similar to that of a 32 channel Verona and only two 7U 19” rack units, it’s diminutive size belies its ability to provide up to 80 simultaneous input processing channels and up to 32 (+3) discrete mixes in monitor mode, all of which feature EQ and a choice of many dynamics processing options. By adding additional I/O hardware the PRO6’s network can be expanded up to 264 inputs and 264 outputs. These connections can be patched and routed on a scene-by-scene basis, by use of the PRO6’s powerful snapshot automation.
In typical Midas fashion, they were concerned with ensuring the Midas sound with the digial consoles which is achieved through Midas microphone pre-amps and Midas class plugins. Reliability is handled with redundant master control computers, power supplies and data links.
Alas, I probably won’t get my hands on one until October and I’ll be sure to enjoy it and report back to you. In the meantime, have fun drooling over the new product brochure or check out the teaser. And hey, let me know if something like this would work for you and we’ll discuss your needs and find out how we can get the product to you. You can always call 877-4-CBC-TECH or drop us an email at sales@cbctechnical.com. We look forward to discussing this product and your needs with you.
How could this console work for you? What features are you looking forward to?
