In Broadcast - August 2017 - 56

www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 7 - Issue 8 | August 2017

InStudio

Broadcast Audio
Production Mixers
The application of broadcast audio production mixers depends on the
use case, Contributing Editor David Kirk looks at what is new...

udio mixers come in many
formats and sizes, ranging from
battery-powered portables to desk
sized consoles. In between these are
rack-mounting audio mixer/routers,
desktop software control surfaces,
USB mixers, general purpose desktop
mixers and a variety of multi-channel
recorders with enough front-end
faders to justify potential inclusion.
The question of What's Good depends
on the intended application, on the
production team's ears and the budget.
An easier aspect to handle is What's
New? Quite a lot:
Aaton Digital's CantarMini is a
portable audio mixer/recorder based
on the CantarX3. The Mini uses the
same preamplifiers, limiters, faders
and components as the CantarX3 but
has 16 tracks instead of 24, making its
weight just 2.8 kg including batteries
on board. That is about half the weight
of the X3. The software comes across
also from the X3. The Mini has a large
tilting display, uses the same batteries
and is compatible with the Cantarem2
add-on mixer/fader panel.
Allen & Heath's dLive C Class is
based on the same 96 kHz FPGA
core which drives Allen & Heath's
dLive S Class mixers, and shares
the same processing architecture
allowing compressors and processing
emulations to be embedded directly
within the inputs and mix channels.
The new range includes the C1500
19-inch rack mountable dLive surface.
There are three new MixRacks in the
series (CDM32, CDM48 and CDM64)

Allen & Heath's
dLive C Class

plus three new control surfaces, the
19-inch rack mountable C1500, C2500
and twin-screen C3500. The MixRacks
house the XCVI Core, providing
capacity for 128 inputs with full
processing and 16 dedicated stereo
FX returns, plus a fully configurable
64 mix bus with full processing on
all mix channels. Each surface and
rack has a 128 channel input/output
port, supported by a wide array of
networking cards, including Dante,
Waves, MADI, and fibreACE optical.
The dLive C Class is also compatible
with S Class hardware and the ME
personal mixing system.
Alto's Live Series mixers feature
24-bit USB audio in/out enabling the
stereo main or monitor mix to be
recorded to a computer. It also allows
playback from a laptop or other USB
audio source. An integral USB jack
can be used to power lamps or charge
mobile devices. A foot switch can be
used to toggle effects on and off. LED
12-step metering and an easy-access
headphone out with independent level
control are included.
AMS Neve's DAW-Sync plug-in
provides instant lock from the Avid
Pro Tools timeline to DFC3D mixer.
DAW-Sync also provides a virtual
9-pin interface for transport
commands,
track
arming, and PEC/
direct
switching
from the DFC3D to the
digital audio workstation.
The plug-in connects to the DFC3D
via Ethernet.

Avid's Venue S6L mixing control surface

Avid's Venue S6L mixing control
surface can handle over 300
processing channels. Like all products
in the Venue series, S6L comes with
a variety of plug-ins and Pro Tools
integration plus an array of network
and I/O offerings.

time. It features 72 input channels, 36
aux/group buses, a 12 x 8 matrix, and
LR/LCR bus, all with full processing
capability. The SD12 has a more
compact body than the SD7B plus dual
15-inch touch screens and is the first
console in the SD range with built-in
recording interfaces. DiGiCo will also
show the SD11B and S31 consoles for
small footprint OB, flypack and venue
requirements. The SD11B is an ultracompact broadcast console with 80
channel capability, full processing and
routing, including LCRS and 5.1 mixes
as well as stereo and LCR.
Lawo's
AutoMix
allows
microphones,
phone
callers,
remote guests and music playout
to be mixed automatically. When
guest microphones are not active,
AutoMix reduces the gain on those
inputs to eliminate room noise and
reverberation.

Mackie's
Axis
modular digital audio
mixer
combines
the features of the
32-channel
DL32R
digital mixer and
DC16 control surface,
including Dante audio
over IP. The DC16
V8 software integrates Brio onto Calrec's Hydra2 network
uses TFT screens with
Calrec Audio introduced at NAB variable brightness control to deliver
this year Version 8 software for its channel information plus touchBrio console. V8 integrates Brio onto sensitive screen space of up to three
Calrec's Hydra2 network, making the Apple iPads.
console's on-board resources available
to other networked devices. A second
QSC's TouchMix series ranges
compressor/limiter is included with from the compact TouchMix-8 to
single-band or three-band options the TouchMix-30 Pro, the TouchMix
on all channels, groups, and mains. Series is claimed to offer the features,
The expander/gate in the dynamics capabilities and sound quality of largesection now includes a ducker plus format consoles in a package small
a selectable side chain source that enough to be carry-on luggage.
allows the gain reduction to be keyed
Mackie's Axis
from audio on any other mono path
modular digital
audio mixer
on the surface. Brio can now operate
at multiple sample rates with options
of 44.1, 48, 88.2 or 96 kHz. Brio's
processing capacity remains the same
at any sample rate.
DiGiCo's latest console, the SD12,
will be on show at IBC for the first

http://www.inbroadcast.com http://www.avid.com/products/venue-s6l-system http://calrec.com/ http://www.allen-heath.com http://mackie.com/products/mackie-axis

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of In Broadcast - August 2017