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Large-Format Digital Consoles

Large-Format Digital Consoles

Sometimes size matters, especially when it comes to the really big shows. We checked out some large format digital consoles and found models to fit nearly anyone’s needs, especially if your channel requirements hover in the near-100 (or more) range. And in this rarefied world of large boards, customization is key, as these big guns typically come with a long list of user-selectable options and choices, making exact price comparisons difficult, unless you configure each model for your particular specific application. But when you’re ready to go large, these are just the first-class ticket.

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Allen & Heath dLive Digital Console

Allen & Heath dLive Digital Console

When I got word I’d be reviewing Allen & Heath’s dLive system, I was excited to check out its new flagship digital console. My colleagues — who regularly use Avid, DiGiCo and Yamaha consoles — had nice things to say about dLive. I wondered if the board could live up to the hype. My demo system arrived in a nice, tour-worthy road case, and consisted of an S3000 surface, a DM32 Mix Rack, and the optional M-Dante expansion card. But before we dive in, let’s take a look at the entire dLive lineup.

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Blue Microphones Hummingbird features a swiveling capsule mount

Blue Microphones Hummingbird

Mid-priced, small-diaphragm condenser microphones are an essential part of the sound reinforcement industry. And with good reason, too. Housed in compact bodies, these offer wide-bandwidth, fast transient response that’s ideally suited for percussion, stringed instruments, piano and more. While these mics are available for a very wide range of budgets — from $50 to well over $1,000 — mid-priced entries, such as the Shure KSM137 and Audio-Technica’s AT4041 offer an excellent balance of price and performance — two more reasons why condensers with $300 retail tags are well-established in the live audio market.

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The Immersive Media Initiative shot a VR version of Courtney Barnett’s set at the Nelsonville Music Festival, offering a 360° perspective of the performance that can be remotely controlled by the viewer.

The Future is (Virtually) Here

The virtual reality section at last month’s AES Show in L.A. was in an appropriate location, on a second-level connecting walkway between halls in the Los Angeles Convention Center. Not just because nearby Hollywood is its own alternative universe, but because VR itself occupies its own media mezzanine tier at the moment, in between reality and fantasy, and between how we see the world now and how we might see it — and us — in the future. It was also separate from the growing live sound contingent at the show, where the AES has now come, somewhat reluctantly but inevitably, to embrace the fact that recordings are no longer the center of music’s universe.

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Fig. 1: Word Clock in and output jacks in BNC format on the rear panel of a Yamaha CL5 digital console.

Word Clock Basics

Does Anybody Really Know What Time it Is?

Last month, we touched upon the idea of routing digital audio from an outboard channel into a digital mixing console. Any time that digital audio is transferred between devices, there are two distinct components to the signal: the audio, and something called word clock. Often (but not always) these signals are combined on a single cable, so we don’t realize that word clock is being sent along with the audio. Understanding word clock is critical when interfacing digital gear, and that requires a brief review of digital audio. So here we go.

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Consoles such as this DiGiCo S21 offer powerful onboard processing and a host of I/O options.

Purchasing the Right Console

Purchasing a new audio console is one of the most important decisions a church technical team can make. Sure, there are a handful churches that don’t flinch at the thought of purchasing a $100,000 board, but most of us struggle to convince church leadership to spend even a fraction of that amount. Even if you work at a church with big production and big budgets, every dollar counts, and you want to make sure that the console you purchase will meet your needs now and in the future.

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Illustration by Andy Au

Clocking

There are very few rights and wrongs regarding the sound of a live audio mix, and while there are multiple ways of arriving at a final result, the ultimate criteria for assessing said mix should be that it sounds and feels good in the space one is trying to fill. Of course, this is a challenge thate seems to be right out of the Idiot’s Guide to the Sound Universe — a real “Duh” moment — but we all know this task is easier said than done.

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