ProAudio Review - April 2008 - (Page 58)

LIVE | First Look by Mel Lambert Soundcraft Vi6 Digital Live Production Console he English console firm Soundcraft enjoys an enviable reputation as a long-established manufacturer of analog designs. So, when the time came to make the inevitable move to large-format all-digital topologies, it was perhaps inevitable that the Harman-owned division would look within the brand family for DSP ideas and in-development technologies. Given Studer’s longterm experience with Vista and earlier D950 Series digital broadcast and production consoles, a synergy of effort was available to Soundcraft hardware designers and software writers. (And recall that, until late last year, with the introduction of the Vista 5 SR console intended for touring systems and fixed installations, Studer hadn’t put a toe into the livesound marketplace.) In essence, the Soundcraft Vi6 Large-Format Digital Live Console features a unique integration of touch screens and encoders that eliminate complex mental mapping. The 32-fader control surface handles mixing of 64 mono inputs into 35 outputs, with 24 insert send/return pairs assignable to any of the I/O channels via the powerful Vistonics II touchscreen based user interface. For added flexibility, in addition to internal routing to 32 Group/Aux/Matrix busses, all input channels can be set up with direct outputs and routing to the main LCR and Left-Right/Stereo busses. Exemplary sound quality is guaranteed through a combination of Soundcraft’s ultralow noise analog mic pre-amp designs and wide ranging experience in control-surface design, plus advanced 40-bit floating point DSP magic from Studer. (In essence, the Vi6 console was designed using the proven reliability of Studer’s Vista and OnAir 3000 Series consoles.) THE VISTONICS II REVELATION Vistonics II is a revelation; it enables users familiar with analog designs to be up to speed quickly and easily. A combination of touchscreen color TFT monitors with integral, onscreen rotary controls and switches provide a particularly intuitive and easy-to-remember Point-and-Click GUI that can be learned in minutes. The user is presented with all the system information he/she needs to make critical decisions, but without unnecessary clutter – what ergonomic designers might refer to as “perfectly optimized control density.” And since it controls the functions being accessed, Vistonics II’s unique integration of touch screens and encoders eliminates the fatigue of mentally mapping each control to its corresponding function when channels are moved freely around the control surface, or re-assigned to other layers. of three main elements: the control surface; a local rack containing the SCore Live processing engine; and a stage box that connects to the local rack via reel-mounted CAT5/7 cable for dramatically simplified system hookup. Amphenol RJF connectors are standard for enhanced reliability. The mixing control surface can be located up to 300 feet from the stage box; in fixed installations, the use of CAT7 cable increases that distance by 100 feet. (The optional fiber-optic interface enables cable runs up to 1.25 miles/2 km between stage box and the local rack/DSP engine.) The stage box houses 64 mic/line analog inputs (with 48V phantom power) and 32 analog line outputs. As is to be expected, mic-amp gain is controllable remotely from the Vi6 control surface. The local rack offers 16 analog line inputs, three analog mic/line inputs, a talkback mic mounted on the surface, plus eight pairs of AES/EBU-format inputs. Outputs include 16 analog line-level, eight pairs of AES/EBU-format digital, three LCR local monitor A lines, two LR local monitor B lines and talkback. For added flexibility, the 64channel MADI I/O with optical SC connectors is standard but can be replaced with a variety of optional I/O cards, including CobraNet, The color-coded, context-sensitive graphics around the assignable and relabeled rotary controls make it clear which type of function is being adjusted, while a high-contrast, white highlight provides a reminder of which specific channel is being controlled. To move to another area of the channel strip, or to close down the control area, simply requires a touch on the TFT screen. Color-coding also streamlines system setup and mixing. For example, the Blue input stage and routing screen provides adjustment of input delay, mic gain, digital trim, HP/LP filter frequency, channel patching, channel naming and stereo pairing. MAIN ELEMENTS The Vi6 Digital Live Console system consists Ethersound or Aviom A-Net 16. A total of 16 GPIO contact-closure inputs and outputs are available at the local rack, plus eight inputs and outputs on the stage box. Finally, the control surface features a single MIDI input and two MIDI outputs. Soundcraft considers the Vi6 to be a thirdgeneration design that abandons the layering and assignability of earlier offerings in favor of the more intuitive Vistonics II configuration. The dedicated Vistonics II panel controls eight input channels, with a TFT touch screen that contains 16 processing rotary encoders and companion switches. Sections of the screen around each control are relabeled to indicate what each control and switch currently is hanSOUNDCRAFT continues on page 60 ➤ 58 | ProAudio Review | April 2008 Subscribe to the Digital Edition of Pro Audio Review http://www.myparmag.com www.proaudioreview.com http://www.proaudioreview.com http://www.myparmag.com

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ProAudio Review - April 2008 Contents A Little More Recognition Please Studio News and New Products API 1608 16-Channel Analog Console TASCAM X-48 Digital Audio Workstation SSL Matrix Super Analogue Console Toft Audio Design Series ATB Analog Console KRK Systems Exposé E8B Powered Monitor Broadcast News and New Products ZOOM H2 Portable Digital Recorder Producing Surround Sound at 50th Grammy Awards JBL LSR4312SP Linear Spatial Reference Powered Subwoofer Audio Production For Gaming Euphonix S5 Fusion Digital Post Production Console NAB Hot Gear Soundcraft Vi6 Digital Live Production Console Go To A Show! Contracting News and New Products Studio Consoles Studio Wireless Microphones Alicia Keys “Superwoman”

ProAudio Review - April 2008

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