FRANKFURT, Germany — On the eve of the 2014 Musikmesse/Prolight+Sound show, Midas has announced its new flagship PRO X touring console, which builds on the legacy of its PRO3, PRO6 and PRO9 digital mixers. Its powerful Neutron DSP engine is capable of up to 800 audio channels, which can be routed on a point-to-point basis, and that routing can be changed, even on individual automation scenes. MAP pricing is expected to be $41,999 when it ships in late 2014.
On its own, the PRO X provides 144 inputs and 99 mix or 103 output channels simultaneously on a control surface that measures less than 60-inches wide. This compact form-factor is ideal where space comes at a premium, but high I/O counts are a must. AES50 digital audio connectivity allows scalability for up to a total of 288 network inputs and 294 network outputs. Seamless integration comes via IP-compliant third party audio networks, such as Audinate Dante and Cirrus Logic CobraNet, using the Klark Teknik DN9650 Network Bridge.
PRO X’s 99 mix buses that can be simultaneously displayed as 24 mono or stereo mixes on the console surface. Each of the displayed mixes has its own LCD select switch with RGB color coding and scribble strips – plus 11-segment LED bargraph metering. This output-centric approach redefines monitor mix workflows, allowing for even the most demanding stage monitoring applications. AES 50 and HyperMAC audio networking combine ultra-low latency performance with true “Plug and Play” connectivity, minimizing set-up and configuration times – essential when playing a different venue every night.
The powerhouse behind the PRO X system is the new Neutron Audio System Engine, which is the result of a three-year research and development program. Advanced FPGA and MIMD (Multiple Instruction, Multiple Data) architecture delivers more than 100 gigaflops of real-time audio processing performance, translating into 271 simultaneous processing channels at 96 kHz and 40-bit floating point operation.
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“The PRO X brings mind-blowing I/O channel counts and seamless integration, while maintaining easy and cross platform operation – all at a price point that allows even the budget conscious to own Midas,” says spokesman Shawn Watts. “Another amazing feature is that existing PRO 3, 6 and 9 owners can easily upgrade those systems to the new PRO X. They need only replace certain sections of their control surface, upgrade to the new Neutron DSP engine, and use their existing remote I/O – that’s it!”
Visiting engineers can prepare shows in advance of their arrival, either using another Midas console or the Apple Mac OS X Offline Editor software, saving valuable time during show set-up. Show files are forward- and backward-compatible, so shows created on the user’s Midas PRO Series console work exactly the same on any other Midas PRO console.
For more info about Midas consoles, go to midasconsoles.com.
