New Console Advice

J

Jon Hoffmann

Freshman
Aug 2, 2012
26
0
0
Philadelphia, PA
Hi all -

This is an awesome group of folks with waaaay more combined experience then I so I am going to post this question to you all - I recently was given the OK to purchase a new audio console for our performance venue - Right now my choices (in no particular order although I am personally partial to the Soundcraft Vi1) are Yamaha CL3, CL5 (and QL5), Midas Pro2/cc/ip with DL251 box, and I also looked at the Avid SC48 although I don't think I can stretch the budget to that one. Forgetting Rider friendliness (I am in Philly, if anyone wants something specific, I will rent it), and purely looking at feature set/ease of use, what experiences do people have here with that selection? I love the soundcraft workflow but am open to others as well as I hate just doing something because it's status quo. I know folks who LOVE Yamaha desks and some who hate them - I know they have native Dante networking which would be awesome for recording, but I can also get cards to accomplish that with the VI1 - I don't have a lot of Shure wireless (Sennheiser shop here) so the Dante from those isn't really a big selling point. Keep in mind iPad mix app friendliness, as well as visiting engineer friendliness as well. This is for everyday use, not big touring acts.

...and go!

Thanks!

Jon
 
Re: New Console Advice

What kind of venue is it? What kind of shows are you doing? Do you need multitrack recording capability?

You say you don't have the budget for an SC48 but are considering the CL5. Iirc, the SC48 comes in at or below the CL5. But, the older Avid consoles are pretty close to EOL now.

I will voice my support for the CL5. That's what we use in my 2,400 seat road house. And the Dante networking alone is worth the cost of entry.

The Soundcraft Vi are worthy consoles. But I'm not enthralled with their MADI over Dante stance.
 
Re: New Console Advice

Sorry I should have brought more info into the thread although not really necessary for the advice I'm looking for - we get about 700 max in here standing, but a few hundred for most shows. I also should have clarified that the Avid desk is much more expensive than the price I get the CL5 at, especially when you look at cost of Yamaha reconditioned B (about 3k less) and C stock (about 4k less) (wouldn't go as far as C, but B is typically flawless - Yamaha has an excellent QA team). Recording is not a priority, sound quality and ease of use are. I am not excited about the Soundcraft MADI stance either, when everyone else is doing Dante, however I think Soundcraft does now have a Dante card, or will have one soon. I love the workflow of the Vi and I like the sound of the soundcraft.
 
Re: New Console Advice

Jon Hoffmann said:
Sorry I should have brought more info into the thread although not really necessary for the advice I'm looking for - we get about 700 max in here standing, but a few hundred for most shows. I also should have clarified that the Avid desk is much more expensive than the price I get the CL5 at, especially when you look at cost of Yamaha reconditioned B (about 3k less) and C stock (about 4k less) (wouldn't go as far as C, but B is typically flawless - Yamaha has an excellent QA team). Recording is not a priority, sound quality and ease of use are. I am not excited about the Soundcraft MADI stance either, when everyone else is doing Dante, however I think Soundcraft does now have a Dante card, or will have one soon. I love the workflow of the Vi and I like the sound of the soundcraft.
Click to expand...

Hi Jon,

You didn't mention Digico, if you're looking for sound quality and ease of use you should also look at the SD9 which should fit your budget. You say that everyone else is doing Dante. AFAIK right now only Yamaha has Dante. IMO Digico and Midas have the best sound quality, but the Digico has a much better workflow and has a lot of features and possibilities that others don't have.
 
Re: New Console Advice

Almost everyone is jumping on the Dante bandwagon - including MOTU having a bunch of new Dante stuff...I stand corrected, Yamaha is the only one with it built in not as an option...
Digico - Dante DMI
Soundcraft - VI1 card addition
Yamaha - built in
Avid does not seem to have a native option - they do have MADI though...

I hadn't considered Digico - I will have to look at that though. Thanks for the suggestion!
 
Re: New Console Advice

If you're babysitting guest techs a lot, the Vi1 is much easier in that respect. Bigger screen so you can see and track their movements, figure out what your guest is doing/doing wrong in an instant and help him/her much faster.

This concept is often overlooked in purchase decisions. If I'm babysitting, I prefer a Vi1 any day. If I'm mixing, I'm fine with it and a lot of other desks as well :)
 
Re: New Console Advice

Helge Dr. Bentsen said:
If you're babysitting guest techs a lot, the Vi1 is much easier in that respect. Bigger screen so you can see and track their movements, figure out what your guest is doing/doing wrong in an instant and help him/her much faster.

This concept is often overlooked in purchase decisions. If I'm babysitting, I prefer a Vi1 any day. If I'm mixing, I'm fine with it and a lot of other desks as well :)
Click to expand...

In the US, if babysitting is a major consideration then Yamaha wins hands down. By now everyone has mixed on a Yamaha digital console and knows the workflow.

For fun, I'd go with Midas or Digico.
 
Re: New Console Advice

Yes exactly. Hence why my comment was tongue in cheek :). If it's operational then let's do the show.


Sent from my iPhone
 
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