Real World: Large Frame Consoles 2003
New or used, analog or digital, here’s the state of the market
Welcome to Live Sound’s exclusive Real World Gear Large-Frame Console
report for 2003. Due to space limitations, we’re intentionally painting
a general overview of what’s happening in regard to market acceptance
and perception for new and older large-frame consoles. The primary goal
is providing you with a point of reference that blends historical perspective
with current offerings, as well as a look at some very new models.
Current production consoles are usually reasonably reliable, feature sets
are constantly improving, and power supply problems are rare.
Sonic quality between models still differs more than many realize, and
is by nature somewhat subjective. Advancements in technology have made
new, lower cost consoles very competitive against older models that occupied
the upper tier at an earlier time. The advent of incredibly flexible,
fully digital consoles is opening another frontier, currently being pioneered
by Yamaha, InnovaSON and DiGiCo.
Whether it’s new, used, analog or digital, choices are numerous and many
are pretty darn good considering the relatively small size of the live
audio industry.
ALLEN & HEATH
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This British manufacturer has successfully focused on the middle segment of the pro console market. The flagship ML5000 is suited for almost any pro application and comes in at a very reasonable price for a fully featured product. It looks good and gives off an air of confidence when one walks up to it, somewhat of a rarity for a console of moderate cost. The ML5000 offers a lot of “bang for the buck”. |
Its little brother, the ML4000, is fine for those on a more limited budget and with less need. Although not listed on our console chart, the ML3000 deserves a look from low-budget buyers needing VCA control. And even though it’s been around for a while, the non-VCA GL4000 continues to perform well and can be found in churches and small sound companies everywhere. The new North American distributor, NAPA, has turned excellent sales numbers since taking on the line in mid-2002.
AMEK
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Harman is no longer producing the AMEK Recall RN and has additionally stopped providing the entire line of AMEK live consoles. This is really a shame because for a time, the Recall and AMEK design team was the leader in software-based console technology. |
Although we have listed the Recall RN (RN = Rupert Neve) with advanced equalization as appearing in 1998, the first Recall units were available starting around 1993. However, they weren’t fully functional or reliable until about 1995. Reasonable amounts were sold and floated AMEK until the company was sold to Harman a few years ago. The used price will continue to drop and tech support is gradually dwindling due to the dropping of the line.
AUDIO TOYS INC (ATI)
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ATI has steadily produced high-quality console and signal processing products for the past 13 years. The original Paragon P40 was quite stunning and offered many great features, but was rather expensive. Its biggest drawbacks are large size and big weight, and it doesn’t usually fare well if dropped. And it is expensive to repair, although ATI is very fair and conscientious in this regard. |
The newer, more advanced Paragon II-Production and II-Monitor offer lots of in-ear monitor (IEM) flexibility and are for serious live event “heavy hitters”. Sonic quality is excellent and production has steadily increased the last several years. Paragon consoles are starting to appear in some Broadway-type productions as well.
AUDIENT
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There is a certain fascination when first viewing the new Audient Aztec. The impressive steel tube frame design, which saves a lot of weight, is a first and sets the unit apart from all others in appearance. Audient’s British design team comes from the core of the original DDA console company and continues their track record of offering a wide range of features. ATI is the distributor in the U.S. and feels that the Aztec’s medium price point is a nice fit with the more expensive Paragon series. We haven’t heard one yet and are just as curious as everyone else. |
DIGICO
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Out of nowhere DiGiCo has emerged as the hot ticket buzz for high-end consoles. In May 2002, DiGiCo purchased the assets of Soundtracs, significant because Soundtracs has developed a fabulous digital post production console and had prototyped a version for live use. At the same time, key players who helped Midas become extremely successful joined the DiGiCo management team and orchestrated the launch of the new, fully digital D5 Live. DiGiCo is now selling D5s as fast as they can make them. |
Operating the D5 Live is like driving a really fast luxury car. It is intuitively easy to operate, takes only minutes to master and has just about every feature one could want. The four touchscreens, brushed aluminum knobs, fully redundant operating system and nice layout combine with a convenient fiber optic snake system to make this sexy model the leading contender for style points and the prized big console crown. DiGiCo has earmarked 2003 sales at 124 units and is currently back-ordered through July. All the D5 models have the standard work surface and out board DigiRacks. There are several variations for added inputs and features. The complete FM total system package has FOH and monitor consoles with independently controlled mic preamps as well as a remarkable fully redundant fiber optic snake system.
CADAC
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In the world of theater, Cadac has been the unquestioned leader for years. Cadac has always been expensive and somewhat withdrawn in their marketing, although we’re now seeing more products being developed for additional price points and markets. All of the Cadac models have the same quality preamps and components. Lower cost new generation digital consoles may soon loosen Cadac’s hold on the theater market. |
The J-Type is still the dominant theater console on Broadway and West End productions due to its fabulous sonic quality and flexible design. Every unit is built to order, so cost and module quantity vary greatly. Each main frame has 62 slots for input and output modules, with a maximum of four frames. Any module can go anywhere in the frames, which gives the J-Type premium flexibility. The 16 x 32 output section has always been a key feature for theater production designers. The interconnect is fairly complex by console standards. Most J-Types are in fixed installs, although some travel with touring theater productions that always carry spare modules for ease of repair.
Note that older Cadac linear power supplies units (PSU) aren’t very roadworthy. About 95 percent of old- and new-style Cadac PSU failures are due to dirt accumulation. Be sure to clean these periodically for reliable performance.
Designed as a lower cost and smaller alternative to the J-Type, the F-Type has fewer busses but almost all of the features, including multiple frames. An optional (and more expensive and extensive) input module is offered, and is usually specified by sound designers. The F-Type never really caught on like the J-Type, and only a few are on Broadway. This is primarily due to the fact that F-types with the optional inputs are close to the price point of its bigger brother.
The M-Type is basically the monitor version of the F-Type, and is being phased out. It never really caught on, so don’t expect to find many used ones. The more affordable R-Type (compared to J- and F-Types) is fairly new and seeing duty at cruise ship theaters and performing arts centers. It’s also featured on monitors for the current Rolling Stones tour, personally selected by monitor mixer Chris Wade-Evans. He cited sonic quality and the IEM-friendly output section as his primary factors. One negative design flaw, although relatively minor, is that the console’s fans push warm air towards the front, drying out the operator, which can be a nuisance. Wade-Evans jokingly says, “ It keeps me warm at night.”
In order to target corporate users and smaller high-end theater installations, Cadac just released the S-Type in March 2003. There are three (17, 25 and 33) inter-connectable frame sizes to give buyers a broad configuration choice.
CREST
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Sadly the end of the flagship Crest V12 might be very near. This fully featured model never sold as well as expected because of strong price point competition, although end users really stand behind it. With sales running around 12 per year it’s rumored to be discontinued soon. Crest enjoyed a great deal of success in the mid ‘90s with the Century Series. |
The VX and the LMx (monitors) sold well and performed well for the price.
These were, and still are, very popular for mid-level applications, reflected
in the current used pricing. Some users feel Crest should have kept producing
the popular LMx. Still floating Crest’s boat are the very economical
X-VCA and the lower-cost, non-VCA X-8. Both of these do reasonably well
and should be considered for budget driven installs, small sound companies
or clubs.
GAMBLE
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There was a time when the Gamble brand was a serious consideration for those seeking high-quality audio performance. The excellent EX56 units are still some of the best-sounding consoles around although they lack the vital VCA feature. Crest took over manufacturing of the EX56 in 1988 and their service technicians still say that they have had very few problems, even though these consoles are old by most standards. For the past 10 years, Jim Gamble has been working on the digitally controlled analog DCX Event 40 and 60 models that run off a PC. Each console has over 13,000 ICs in VME-type card cages that are mounted in racks. There are several working daily and none have reported technical problems. The DCX is sonically probably the best console around, but suffers from several significant |
blemishes. First of all it is very expensive, few have been sold, and control is through keystrokes, touchscreen and an optional 12-stereo fader box. This console will really fly if it comes in at a third of the price and offers a more comfortable tactile interface. However, it is a very interesting and exotic piece of console art.
InnovaSON
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Over the last two years, France-based InnovaSON grabbed a good slice of the digital console market with the launch of the fully digital Essential, Grand Live and Compact models. These units are relatively easy to learn and use, and can be had at a fairly reasonable price. Part of the success of the line in the U.S. is directly due to the fact that the U.S. distributor, Sennheiser Electronic Corp. offers excellent product service and support. End-user acceptance continues to rise. |
New generations of InnovaSON consoles are on the way with the introduction of the Sy40 and the recently released Sy80. Just like the Compact it is replacing, the Sy40 ought to be very popular with A/V providers and those with small footprint requirements. The Sy80 features 80 faders that can be set up in any configuration a user desires. It’s designed to counter the expected heavy pressure from the DiGiCo D5 Live and the Yamaha PM1D by coming in at a lower price point. The fact that the operator will be able to easily customize the Sy80 for any use will be a treat for serious power users, festival setups and theater applications. All InnovaSON platforms are modular and may be augmented with optional I/O modules and a remote stage box setup.
RAMSA
http://panasonic.co.jp/pss/ramsa/en/index.html
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Panasonic has basically dropped all Ramsa sales, even though they say that’s not the case. Guess we’ll have to respectfully agree to disagree. Their last console release, the WR-SX1, was a failure mainly due to lack of service, sales and support. Sound quality is very good due to an EQ section designed by John Windt that features 22 op amps. The well-traveled and well-sold WR-S840 was the journeyman pro monitor console that dominated in the late ‘80s and early 90’s. |
One of the big problems that plague the 840 is gain pots that consistently go bad. There is no fix other than replacement. Ordering parts can be difficult because they’re lumped into the consumer Panasonic parts department. Ramsa’s FOH WR-S852 never made the big time like the 840. Sales were always low because it suffered from the absence of VCAs and standard scene mutes. There is no multi-pin connector option for a snake system.
MIDAS
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This company offers a complete line of consoles and enjoys a good reputation overall. Midas rose from the ashes in the late ‘80s with the success of the universal XL3 and once again became a major player in the console marketplace. The XL3 is a great-sounding desk that maintains good resale value. Keep in mind the XL3 is very heavy and because of a lack of handles, is difficult to move outside of a case and demands fairly high maintenance. |
The high-priced, high-end XL4 can still be seen on Broadway/West End shows, out on tour with major artists, and in prominent installations as well as broadcast stations. The XL4 may be the best-sounding live console ever built in any significant quantity. This high-end automated console is very sophisticated and is also incredibly heavy - requiring eight strong crew members minimum (or a forklift) to move it. Incredibly, sales are up even though it first came out in 1995.
Midas has a winner in the Heritage 3000. Over 500 units were sold in the first three years, which makes it one of the most successful selling big consoles ever. The Heritage 3000 has become the benchmark large-frame analog console of the new century and is extremely tech rider friendly.
Just below the 3000 in cost is the closely related Heritage 2000, essentially a 3000 with less aux sends. As with its bigger sibling, every input is a VCA so that all fader positions are recallable.
The Heritage 1000 isn’t as similar to the 3000 as one might think. Sales remain fairly high and it is used approximately 75 percent of the time for FOH applications, appealing to regional sound companies and theater users due to its small footprint and versatility.
The newer Legend 3000 has a completely different feature set than the Heritage Series. The price is less due to a modular design and more efficient labor-build cost. It still has the high-quality XL4 preamps, XL3 equalization and computer architecture of the Heritage series.
There are still plenty of 200 and 250 models available in the used marketplace. The 200 is a straightforward FOH desk popular with regional sound companies while the 250 is a good match for monitors.
SOUNDCRAFT
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We are happy to say that they're now producing reliable good-quality models and the market is much better for it because Soundcraft has always had some very good ideas to go along with commensurate sound quality. Their large console reputation suffered mightily in the early '90s with several problematic units. First the Europa was plagued from the onset with power supplies that routinely blew up and a frame length that made it too long to be put sideways in a U.S. truck pack. Sound quality was good but the Europa never quite caught on due to the problems. |
The expensive and widely proclaimed Broadway looked good on paper but was not successful in the real world for too many reasons to go into. The Vienna has a VCA feature that’s simply hard to fathom - a VCA thumbnail assignment on the input channel. No dice. Soundcraft tried to compensate by adding two grandmaster VCAs on the Vienna II, but this didn’t meet with acclaim either. This console sounds fairly good, just don’t expect VCA mix-style performance.
Soundcraft subsequently came out with the very steady Series Five that has performed as well as advertised. This was the beginning of a new Soundcraft mentality where reliability was a primary feature. Series Five is a little long in the tooth now for the price, but end users still like it because it performs. The smaller Series Four (don’t confuse it with the much older Series 4) hasn’t really ever taken off and few are around.
Soundcraft has made a fine move with the introduction of the truly universal MH4. It sounds excellent - no doubt the newly designed preamp has something to do with this. The MH4 is also versatile for most pro applications, dependable and the cost is very reasonable. This is a solid choice for regional sound companies who can’t step up to the higher priced models. Churches, theaters and clubs will find the MH4 a good fit. If budgets are tight, the good-selling MH3 should be considered. It is very similar to the MH4 but has a more efficient build design that manages to keep most of the MH4’s important features.
Overall, Soundcraft is a company that has shown it not only listens to the market, but takes this valuable input and makes it a reality.
YAMAHA
www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/CDA/Home/YamahaHome/
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Soon after the Yamaha PM3000 was released in1986, it became a huge hit due to the 8-group VCA feature that took the art of live mixing another step forward for many engineers. Although it wasn’t really the first console to employ VCAs, it was the first widely sold 40-channel VCA console that was reliable and well supported. |
Yamaha also made sure that the PM3000 could withstand the rigors of the road. The now famous “drop it off the loading dock and make sure it still works” edict really did make a difference to working live sound pros. VCA technology was not nearly as developed by today’s standards, and this resulted in a significant thermal drift of up to +/- 10 dB as the console heated up from the electronics and/or in hot ambient environments. Levels at soundcheck often were different at show time. Some experienced engineers consider the sonic quality weak. If you purchase a used one, be prepared to replace all the switches, many pots, some faders and also be sure to re-solder the entire back panel every three years or so. If VCAs are your reason to buy a used PM3000, be smart and go with a new, lower cost model instead.
The industry standard PM4000 was first delivered in ‘92 and is still standard fare for many tour tech riders. Very few problems are encountered with the PM4000 line. Even though many English- and American-made consoles are believed to exhibit superior sound quality, the PM4000’s reliable reputation and feature-laden design have secured it a prominent leading position in the concert and permanent installation market. The monitor version PM4000M comes in 44- and 52-input configurations and 18 group mixing busses plus two stereo outputs. These stereo outputs can be used as dual mono for a total of 22 mixes from each input channel.
Originally situated below the PM4000s are the PM3500 and the matching PM3500M. End users report few problems and generally seem happy with these products. Be aware that stereo inputs are line level only and that they can only be moved or installed in groups of four. Input module movement is a somewhat complicated, not as simple as the PM4000.
The best news about the soon-to-be-released PM5000 is that Yamaha has put in a newly designed pre-amp. At first look, one will notice an overall color scheme that departs from the more recent PM models. This analog console is relatively large and will require four strong or six average crew members to move it. This console has substantial recall automation, 35 output busses for heavy ear monitor action and a few nice feature refinements. It will be shipping soon, and as of this printing, price is TBA.
Yamaha’s flagship console is the fully digital PM1D that comes with a 48-fader interface work surface and user-configurable hardware. The work surface communicates with a rack mounted ‘engine’ that accesses layers of inputs. Dual inputs on each channel provide up to 96 inputs for the 48-channel system and up to 192 inputs on the 96-channel version. If more channels are required, adding a second digital engine (DSP1DEX) can expand the PM1D system to 384 inputs on 192 channels with 96 mix busses, 48 matrices and 24 DCAs. The mic preamp is identical to that of the PM4000.
The PM1D is a complete package for FOH and monitors with built-in dynamics, EFX, output delays and output EQ for system tuning. The learning curve is steeper than that of the InnovaSon or DiGiCo models but when mastered this console is fairly easy to move around on. Now that it has been out for a few years, engineers are showing up at gigs with the compact flash card that has stored presets. The PM1D is the darling of the big award shows and certain performing art centers as well as some tours. Monitor engineers like the large number of outputs needed for IEM. Getting a price on a PM1D is a challenging experience because of all the variable configurations.
THE FINALE
Contact the manufacturer or local dealer for more complete details on the different configurations, specifications, features and options available for each console. Surf the Internet and attend a trade show for more information as well. Most of the configurations, specifications and feature
sets are usually spelled out fairly clearly on each manufacturer’s web site.
Mark Herman is publisher of Live Sound and keeps a growing stack of console brochures on his bedside table. He can be reached at mherman@livesoundint.com
May 2003 Live Sound International