This is kind of like reviewing a tailor-made suit – I may love it but it may not fit you at all. Or vice-versa. But there has been a lot of talk and interest out there, so I am going to give this a go.
The Gear
I am going to give you a lowdown on my personal rig, but this is really about the software. Software Audio Console is the creation of Bob Lentini, who also designed the Software Audio Workstation – a high-end DAW that, despite the plethora of super cheap options and the dominance of Pro Tools in the pro recording sector, still has thousands of die-hard users around the world.
While there are folks out there who will put together turnkey rigs, SAC is essentially a DIY deal. The software itself from RML Labs runs just $500. Yes, you read that right. Then you have to put together your own computer, sound card and I/O. I went with the lowest-cost 32×32 version, which includes four Behringer ADA8000 mic-pre/computer interfaces, a Windows machine assembled by Mr. Lentini specifically to run SAC and an RME soundcard with four ADAT Lightpipe ins and outs. The computer is in a four-space rack by itself and the I/O shares a 6-space rack with a power supply and a BBE Sonic Maximizer that I will get yelled at for admitting I both own and use. Actually, I have not used it since I went to SAC but it is still in the rack just in case.
The system is totally scalable. If you can get by with 24 channels, you can shave off a few bucks with a less expensive sound card (that RME card is one of the priciest parts of the system at about $850). You can go as big as 72×72 by adding additional I/O and soundcards.
But again, this is really all about the software. Lentini is one of the few people left out there who hand-codes almost everything in assembly language. For those non-geeks out there, this means that he is addressing the computer CPU directly without any intermediate layer of code. it also means that there is absolutely no room for error in the coding. None. It has to be perfect. This is why hardly anyone uses this method anymore. But by doing so, Lentini has designed a system that sounds fantastic and has capabilities in terms of features at or above the biggest baddest digital systems out there that will run on a basic Windows machine running XP.
When you boot up the machine, you will – as on any digital system – need to do some setup. The big thing is telling the inputs what software channel they are assigned to and routing inputs to outputs. Pretty standard stuff. But right here is where it starts to get interesting.
Because there is no physical work surface, you are not confined to a single "console." With one full-on SAC system and a wireless laptop, you can have both FOH and Monitor rigs. And each can be set up as a separate work surface. If the FOH guy wants his drums in channels 1-10 but the monitor guy wants his "star" in channel 1, they can both have it "their way" without affecting the other mix position. This includes the "head amps." It is all virtual, so if I am at FOH and I goose the input gain on the kick drum, it will not affect the input gain as the monitor engineer sees it – if tapped that way. It can be set up either way.
Now let's take it one level further. SAC gives you a "main" console, and then as many as 24 more "virtual" consoles. (Okay, they are all virtual, so I guess these ones are "virtual" virtual consoles.). These other consoles are all controllable via a software package called SAC Remote that is FREE. In fact, you can download it from the SAC site if you want to check out the interface. It is control-only and will only actually do audio when hooked to a SAC host rig. But it is a great way to play around with the interface and get a feel for it.
All machines on the network are under the control of the main system. So you can take, say, a wireless netbook that your keyboard player has and assign it as having access only to a "console" that applies to his or her monitor mix. You can set it so that the Main host rig is backstage and run by the MON mixer (sees only all 24 monitor mixers), and the FOH position is on the network and has access to the FOH mix as well as the monitor mixers, if needed. Or many other combinations if desired. Every mix position has a full console with five bands of EQ plus high and low cut filters, comps and gates on every channel, and six stereo aux sends/returns and full control over plug-ins – if you want to set it up that way. Up to 28 remotes can be tied into one SAC host.
This is the thing that initially sold me on the system. I was looking for something I could use with my own band. And the 32×32 with all of the virtual mixes means I can give everyone their own in-ear mix controlled from a complete separate mixer. Any of you who still play and end up doing sound while you play will understand this. The ability to offload monitor mixes to individual players was the Holy Grail for me.
Back to plug-ins… The SAC system is compatible with most VST and DX plug-ins with the exception of plug-ins that cause added latency… there is no look-ahead on a live input console, so plug-ins adding latency are internally bypassed.
The Gigs
For a big gig, I went as an observer. This was a full 66-piece orchestra Michel Legrand show at the MGM in an arena with a full-blown d&b rig. Bob Lentini was running monitors and Lee Pepper was at FOH. The system was backstage with Bob, and Lee was on the network running SAC Remote. It was a great illustration of the flexibility of the system when it comes to adjusting to individual work-flow preferences. Bob mixes entirely with the keyboard and mouse, and used a wireless netbook to adjust monitor mixes from the stage. Lee has a system with several inexpensive MIDI fader packs that he uses for additional control.
Irony. On this gig they needed more than the 72 inputs on a standard SAC rig, so they had an actual analog console backstage taking some individual string and horn and woodwind inputs and sending SAC 16 submixed channels. The irony is that the analog console (a Midas Heritage 4000) was by and away the most expensive part of the system, and it was being used only as a submixer to provide those additional inputs.
The rehearsals and show went close to flawlessly. The network – not SAC itself – went down once during rehearsals, which meant Lee lost FOH control until he rebooted, but no one else in the building knew there was an issue.
A word about crashes. Most of the digital consoles out there, when they crash (not if, when – if it is a computer, it will crash at some point; it is like a law of the universe), will continue to pass audio while they reboot. You lose control, but not audio. SAC works similarly. If the user interface or network crashes for any reason, the main engine will still pass audio. If the main SAC computer itself crashes or hardware fails, you WILL lose audio, similar to what happens when hardware or power supplies fail in standard consoles. But with SAC, the system is inexpensive enough that you can have two full-blown systems running together and still be into it financially for thousands or even tens of thousands less than the cost of a single comparable digital console, which in itself does not include a separate monitor console, let alone 24 of them.
I have used it myself on about a half dozen occasions. I love what it can do. I love how it sounds. I love how, with one button, I can send all of the inputs to SAW (running in the background on the SAC host computer) and record a gig or rehearsal multi-track with no additional gear. But I do have to admit that I am not yet totally comfortable with the interface. Part of it is just me being such a die-hard Mac guy. I have never even owned a two-button mouse until I got SAC, so the idea of ‘right-clicking" on something is totally foreign. But if I spend enough time with it, I can map those functions to an F-key on the keyboard. I just have to get deep enough into it to figure out what I really need to do and the best way to do it.
When I bought the rig, my intention was to remote in using a laptop (yes, a Mac, but running Windows using VMWare), which would also run the VNC app iTeleport Connect, which would allow me to control mixes wirelessly via an iPad. I finally got an iPad a month ago; it should be pretty simple, but I have not tried it yet. Other manufacturers, including Yamaha, Allen & Heath and Presonus, saw their users doing this and put out iPad apps specifically for their systems. I wish we could get Bob to do that, but as of now, I don't think it is in the cards. Too bad, because an iPad interface would make the system a lot more attractive to a lot more people. You can currently use any Windows netbook or laptop or tablet PC and the full power of the SAC Remote interface to have remote control or get a 3M True multitouch screen interface that I believe runs in the $1,200 range for a 22-inch 10-finger touch "work surface."
So, bottom line: It's not for everyone. If you are "rider-bound," then you are going to have to do some selling to clients, but enough mix engineers have heard about the system that I hear that soundcos who own SAC rigs are not having a real hard time getting people to give it a chance. If, like me, you are a complete Mac person, then you will have some steep learning curves to overcome. To be honest, the iPad interface for the Presonus system is so good that if it had more auxes for in-ear sends, I would probably go down that road. But that's just me. If you are not afraid of a learning curve and have a DIY mentality and want to get into a digital system without taking out a second mortgage and you need more than 10 aux sends or more than 24 input channels, then SAC deserves at least a good, hard look.
Software Audio Console
(SAC) by RML Labs
What It Is: "Virtual" digital mixing system
Who Its For: Soundcos, bands, installs, independent sound engineers… any place where you have tech-savvy users who are comfortable working in a virtual environment
Pros: Sounds great. Very scalable. Total control over any part of the system is possible. Up to 25 virtual consoles for separate mixes run on different machines in different places. Price, price, price. It is impossible to get more bang for your buck.
Cons: Its flexibility means complexity. You have to decide on I/O and how to control the system. If you are a "take it out of the box and go to the gig" person, it's not for you.
How Much? Anywhere from about $5K on up. It all depends on how you configure the system. My system as reviewed was less than $4K. Turnkey systems are available from a growing number of system integrators. Check SoftwareAudioConsole.com for details.
