Mid-Sized Digital Consoles

Bring on the revolution! Ideal for install or portable applications, here’s a snapshot look at some digital consoles capable of 32 or more channels and 24 or more onboard preamps, 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 venue 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.

These feature major leaps in channel counts, onboard DSP, sonic performance, 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.

Allen & Heath SQ-7

Input Channels/Local Pre’s: 48/32
Max Sampling Rate: 96 kHz
Faders: 33
Onboard I/O: 32 XLR in/16 XLR out; AES out
Remote I/O: DX168; DT168, AR2412, AB168; DX164-W, DT-164W
Other Frame Sizes: SQ-6, SQ-5
Network Interfacing: Dante, SQ Link and Waves expansion cards
Footprint/Weight: 32 x 20”; 48 pounds
Notes: 32×32 USB interface; optional ME Personal Mixing

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DiGiCo S31

Input Channels/Local Pre’s: 48/24
Max Sampling Rate: 96 kHz
Faders: 31 faders
Onboard I/O: 24 XLR in; 12 XLR out; AES in/out
Remote I/O: D-Rack, D2-Rack, STAGE 48, Dante STAGE 48, A168 STAGE, A168D STAGE
Other Frame Sizes: S21
Network Interfacing: MADI, Dante, Waves, KLANG, AES, USB, Ethernet
Footprint/Weight: 40 x 23”; 55 pounds
Notes: (3) 10” multi-touch screens, (2) DMI expansion slots (up to 64 I/O per slot)