After nearly two months of mixing James Taylor shows on DiGiCo’s SD5 console, I have evolved from an awkward neophyte to an experienced user. During this time I have also become a devoted DiGiCo believer. My appreciation for the audio output I am able to create with the SD5 grows each day.
As I have written previously, the DiGiCo system does not present the user with an intuitive interface. Operating a SD console requires one to develop skills and augment comprehension through study and repetition. Throughout the necessary period of discovery and assimilation, I have benefited from knowledge imparted to me by many teachers/advisors. Additionally, I have also read much of the user manual. I am now well past the point of hesitating (thinking) before I act, and each day the process of mixing flows more smoothly and organically.
At this time, I thought I would share my top 10 reasons for loving my SD5.
1: Simplified Control Surface Layout
In my limited experience with other DiGiCo models, I have often found the work surface to be somewhat inaccessible and confusing. While the SD5 runs on the same engine as the larger, denser SD7, it presents a cut-down, sleeker physical interface than its bigger brother. Like the SD7, the SD5 has three large touch screen displays, but the SD5 has its center screen tipped back toward the operator, providing a far better viewing angle for the Master Screen functions. The SD5 also has only two rows of variable encoder knobs below each of the side screens instead of the one row above and three rows below on the SD7 and SD10. I have dedicated the bottom row of encoders to Input Gain/Line Trim; the upper row is assignable by selecting the desired purpose from a vertical column of Quick Action Function Buttons that were added to the SD5 surface. My default setting for this upper row is Pan, but a press of a button can easily change that row to Hi Pass, Lo Pass, Aux Buses or Dynamics control. I find this particular feature to offer greater facility than other DiGiCo models, and my work routine is vastly accelerated by the simplicity of design.
2: Three Banks of 12
I had grown accustomed to a control surface with 36 faders, but the SD5’s three groups of 12 accommodate the band I am mixing far better than groups of 8 or 16. Beneath the left-hand screen, Layer One contains Steve Gadd’s drums on one bank while Luis Conte’s percussion inputs comprise another. Jimmy Johnson’s bass guitar DI, Michael Landau’s guitar amps and Larry Goldings’ various keyboard inputs create a third bank. The final bank on Layer 1 contains Lou Marini’s flute and sax inputs plus Walt Fowler’s trumpet and keyboard inputs. Layer 1 beneath the right-hand screen has three separate banks with all the vocals and effects returns, all of James Taylor’s guitar inputs and all the instrument effects returns and playback channels. The center section is two Layers deep, and each contains four banks of 12 Control Groups, Aux Outputs, Group Outputs or Matrix outputs. Layer 1 of the center section is mirrored on Layer 2 under the left screen. Layer 2 of the center section is mirrored on Layer 2 under the right screen. At the time of this writing, I can access any input or output on the console with incredible speed and ease.
3: Smart Keys
The 10 Smart Keys below the center screen are assignable to any user-defined action created using the Macro function. I have employed nine of the first 10 Smart Keys as multi-layer programmable mutes. For example, I use one to mute vocal effects between songs. Others are used to key on/off individual instruments or vocals that are only occasionally used during the show but need to be off when not in use. As an example, Larry Goldings plays accordion twice during the show. On those two songs, not only does the accordion mic need to be toggled on but the piano, organ and keyboard inputs needs to be switched off. I have written a macro that mutes all the keys when the accordion is on and opens those inputs when the accordion is turned off. The combination of intelligent and accessible fader layouts and the power of Smart Keys allowed me to abandon using snapshots for individual songs. I now only use an All Off, a Walk-in, an Intermission and a Walkout snapshot, plus one snapshot for each first song of the two sets in the show. Simpler is better, and I really enjoy the more hands-on mixing style.
4: Mic Preamps/Converters
The microphone preamps, line amps and A to D converters in the SD5 continually astound me by providing not only total accuracy and immense power, but they also impart warm musicality that rivals the input stages contained in the best analog consoles I have used. DiGiCo’s 24-bit converters and 40-bit floating point internal processing produce a sound that I can only describe as luxuriant. Instruments retain their nuance, and none of their individuality is obscured within the complexity of the overall mix. The days of wistfully recalling the sound of the great consoles of the past are definitely over. I honestly feel I am creating a completely pleasing sound night after night on the SD5.
5: Tube Emulation
This section goes hand-in-hand with the input stage. Having the ability to add tube-driven warmth to certain sounds is an incredibly powerful tool. There are obvious uses such as adding amplifier characteristics to a direct box input from the bass guitar. But there are not-so-obvious uses, such as warming up Steve Gadd’s hi-hat mic, because his preferred miking position tends to remove much of the natural body from those cymbals. Having this option available on every input channel is a great addition to an engineer’s toolbox.
6: Channel Equalizer
The four-band parametric equalizer has two operating modes, Precision and Classic. The SD5 user guide describes them in the following manner:
“Pressing the precision or classic buttons above the EQ controls will switch all four visible bands to that shape: ‘prec’ (precision, where the Q is narrower on the cut curve than the boost curve), and ‘class’ (classic, where the cut and boost Q curves are identical in width).”
Additionally, each of the four parametric bands can individually be toggled between Precision and Classic. I have chosen to make my default channel equalizer run in the Classic mode on the high and low bands while the two mid bands are used in Precision mode.
7: Dynamic Equalization
Any of the four EQ bands can also be used in dynamic equalization mode. I have found this most useful on our two horn players and the electric guitar inputs. I have turned the hi-mid EQ band on these inputs into a dynamic equalizer so that a predetermined cut only kicks in when the instrument gets louder and consequently a bit shriller. At lower volumes, the sound is unaltered. The SD5 will support 24 instances of dynamic equalization. I am mixing veteran, expert players who produced amazingly consistent sounds every night. I don’t often need dynamic equalization, but I am very pleased to have this powerful, minimally invasive sound shaping function among the many indispensible features the SD5 provides.
8: Dynamics Section
Three compressor modes (broadband, multiband and de-esser) in the Dynamics 1 section and two gate modes (gate and duck) in the Dynamics 2 section provide the engineer with incredible versatility in signal control. It’s also possible to convert the Dynamics 2 section into a broadband compressor if one chooses to use a de-esser in Dynamics 1, followed by a broadband compressor. This entire section further demonstrates DiGiCo’s comprehension of a mix engineer’s need to be both flexible and adaptive.
9: Connectivity and Networking
On this tour, I am employing Optocore for input connections from the two SD Racks, MADI outputs from the SD Racks to the inputs of my Pro Tools recording computer, SoundGrid two-way connection to the Waves Extreme Server via an Ethernet port on the SD5, AES connections to our Lake processors via the SD Racks and the rear panel of the console and analog outputs from the rear panel for press and dressing room necessities. And I still have an entire 64-channel MADI sound port available for further external connections! Whew!
10: Waves
Just as our tour began, DiGiCo and Waves released new software that doubled the SD5’s Waves rack capacity from 16 to 32. This development matches the capability of the SD7 and has allowed me to employ many of my favorite Waves processing devices and IR reverb algorithms. This creates a continuity with past tours that has appreciably helped me with the mental transition to the new console format.
Safe travels!
