I would be lying if I said I am not a fan of Ashly. Their gear has always been reasonably priced, and I have never had a big problem with gear functionality, as well as advancing the shows that I do with my personal gear, which are, on average, around "B" level nationals.
The way I see it is, they are one of those companies that aren't quite on every rider in the world, but if you are advancing a show and say you have an Ashly product, most likely it won't be a problem for engineers to use.
The Gear
The Protea 4.8SP and Protea 3.6SP are the latest additions to the Protea family from Ashly. Both of these processors come in a single rack space frame and have a depth of 8.5 inches. The 4.8SP has 4 inputs and 8 outputs and the 3.6SP has 3 inputs and 6 outputs. Both of these processors weigh in at 9 lbs. Each of them also have a fully programmable front panel and software that's included on a CD-ROM and available for free on ashly.com. For the most part, the only difference between the two models is the number of inputs and outputs. The model that I was sent to test is the 4.8SP.
The front panel of the unit has the functions of what one would typically want out of a processor. These include input and output meters as well as mute, limiter, signal and clip indicators. Other functions accessible from the front are the Gain, EQ, Delay, Xover, Limiter, Mutes and the typical utility with load/save functions. All of this can also be controlled via USB (on the front and back) or RS232 (on the back).
Signal going in and out of the unit is processed by 24-bit 48khz delta sigma converters with 128x oversampling. On the inside of the Protea, there's a plethora of filter options. Crossover filters have a selection between Linkwitz-Riley, Bessel or Butterworth at a 12, 18, 24 or 48 dB/octave slope. Each input has a total of 6 EQ filters that are a Fully Parametric, Lo Shelf or Hi Shelf. Every output has a total of 4 EQ filters with the same filter type options as on the input side.
These units also come with a six-foot USB cable and a CD that has the Protea software on it. The software can be used with Microsoft Windows 7, Vista and XP on 32 and 64-bit operating systems. The Protea software is very user friendly and has a minimal learning curve.
The Gigs
Most Road Tests involve a small amount of time tinkering around with the gear in the shop and the majority of the test would be at a gig. For this Road Test, it was the other way around. Since this is a programmable (from scratch) processor, it certainly needed to be programmed in the shop before going out on a show. It's also worth mentioning that it is not a good idea to start messing around with networking a computer with new gear while in the middle of a show.
Upon opening up the box and taking out the 4.8SP, I realized even before powering it up how straightforward it was going to be to figure how this unit worked. Everything on the front panel made sense, and I didn't have to spend 20 minutes reading a manual just to figure out how to get sound to come out of it. One thing I immediately noticed that I did not like is the way the mutes are set up. In order to mute an input or output, the user must select an input/output and then hit the "mute" button on the center section of buttons. I like to have a dedicated mute button for each output, if not every input as well. It makes things easier, especially when programming, to A and B things if not to just mute everything real quick in case something disastrous happens. Even though this unit doesn't have separate mute buttons, I did like to see that there is a light to indicate that something is muted as well as a "Mute All" function that is quick to mute everything at once.
Once I knew that I could operate this unit standalone, I thought I would give networking with a PC a shot. I downloaded the latest software from the Ashly Web site (which also comes on a CD with the unit), followed the instructions, and had the 4.8SP up and running on my PC in about five minutes. The software was extremely easy to use with almost no need to even open the manual. Routing inputs to outputs was as easy as dragging whichever input I wanted to go to whatever output I wanted. I loved the way the EQ sounded and also how the limiter sounded, even under heavy gain reduction. Another thing I loved about the hardware and software is the copy and paste function. Say this processor is being used to make four 2-way mixes. Once you get the first mix all dialed in, you can copy and paste the inputs and outputs instead of having to manually match all the parameters.
I used this piece at a festival outside here in Vegas to crossover my tops and subs. I was very happy to see that the 4.8SP has a nice bright screen and indicator lights that are even visible in the bright Vegas sunshine. The 4.8SP performed flawlessly all day and sounded great.
All in all, I am a big fan of the Protea 4.8SP. Its flexible and user-friendly style made it easy to do what I wanted. I can also see this piece being nice to use as signal distribution for powered systems with multiple zones as well. One thing that would have been nice to see is an AES/EBU option for inputs/outputs.
Ashly Protea 4.8SP and 3.6SP
What They Are: The latest additions to the Protea family of processors from Ashly.
Who They're For: Anyone looking for a processor with 4 inputs and 8 outputs (the 4.8SP) or 3 inputs and 6 outputs (the 3.6SP).
Pros: Very intuitive and flexible hardware and software; nice bright screen and indicator lights; time-saving copy and paste function for inputs and outputs.
Cons: No independent mute buttons for inputs or outputs, no digital interconnect options.
How Much: $1,575 (MSRP)
