Bring on the revolution! Ideal for install or portable applications, here’s a snapshot look at some digital consoles capable of 24 or more channels, while having a fairly compact footprint and — at under 60 pounds each — could be moved by an average person. In terms of size, portability is an obvious asset; however in theater and small club applications, where seating real estate is at a premium, the console’s physical size becomes a major consideration.
Meanwhile, the feature set of the typical mid-sized console has expanded exponentially over the years. When you add in integrated digital recording capability — typically with support of virtual sound checking — along with other perks, such as expandable DSP/effects, Wi-Fi tablet-based remote control, digital snaking options, touch screen control, moving faders, onboard automation and session recall, these powerhouses offer a cost-to-features ratio that would have been unimaginable (or certainly unattainable) just a decade ago.
With major leaps in channel counts, onboard DSP, sonic performance, vastly improved preamps, increased flexibility/versatility — and affordable pricing, so other than size and weight, there’s nothing “small” about any of the consoles profiled here. Sometimes, technology can be a wonderful thing.
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