| The Analogue Console that talks digital
You know how it is. The
band walks up just before the gig with a DAT machine, and asks if you can make
a recording of the performance.
Or the band wants to take
away a CD of their rehearsal so they can work on their performance.
Or you may be struggling
with the soundcard in your computer, which is adding irritating noise and buzz
to the recording you're trying to make.
A small feature, but what
power it offers.
That's why we've put an
S/PDIF output on the M Series. Record your mix directly to a digital recorder
without degradation in quality, without having to disturb existing analogue
cabling, and without any fuss or haste.
Just by adding a 75-Ohm
S/PDIF RCA cable to the S/PDIF output, you can:
- Send a digital mix of
a live performance to portable DAT, Minidisk, or other digital recorder. This
means your mix output to the PA is intact and uninterrupted.
- Record microphone and
instrument signals onto your computer. If your computer's soundcard has an
S/PDIF input, you can keep your signals in the digital domain as long as possible
so that they are unaffected by the hostile noise environment of the computer.
- Connect to various hard-disk
recorders and workstations to provide a high-quality mic preamp and EQ feed
direct to the digital inputs.
Users of the M Series already
know of the legendary Soundcraft analogue performance, which includes a precision
mic preamplifier and classic British equalisation.
Recording feed options
The S/PDIF output from the
M Series can be switched to operate in one of two ways.
- In MIX mode, the S/PDIF
output sends a digital copy of the stereo mix output to whatever device you
connect it. This enables a second mix feed to be instantly created without
the need for cable y-splits or adapters, or compromising output impedances
and levels.
- In AUX mode, the S/PDIF output is a mono sum of aux sends 1&2. This mode can be
changed using a switch on the rear panel next to the S/PDIF output socket.
- On early consoles which do not have this switch, this mode can be adopted by
changing a header position inside the console - instructions for changing these links
can be found in the User Guide in the download.
Using the Aux sends as a
digital output feed satisfies many requirements. For example, set up a different
mix on the auxes to record a song without vocals as a backing track, or just
record a vocal track. Similarly, the aux bus can be used to directly feed a
digital effects unit and so bypass the conversion stages in the effects device.
The M Series is available in three models. The M4 has four mono inputs and 4
stereo inputs, the M8 has eight mono inputs and 4 stereo inputs, while the M12
has twelve mono and 4 stereo inputs. The M12 easily converts from a desktop
model to a rackmount version by sidecheek removal.
All M Series consoles utilise
100mm faders for precision signal control, and have peak LEDs on the aux returns
for easy signal checking.
Mixing and recording has
never been easier, or more sonically accurate. |