(Editor’s Note: This Road Test is in a little different format than what we usually run, but it is not your typical Road Test either. We got this because one of our FOH/PAS loyalists knew the guys on tour with the band Saliva and they were using the board and he got a chance to play with it in a real gig situation. Forcing it into our “standard” format just seemed to suck the life out of it. Open your mind… Oh and if you want to HEAR it, Mical has posted a video of a song from a Saliva show on ProAudioSpace.com.) We’ve all seen Digidesign’s promos and Webinars, and many of us have been to their demos. But when I caught wind from Scott Lillo (Cranesong) that the band, Saliva, had a VENUE SC48 from Allied Audio out with them, I personally wanted to see it in action. From what I’ve heard this is one of the first, if not the first unit, out on tour. So I was curious to hear any of the real dirt on its performance and the quirks they might have encountered. I was surprised by the response I got.
Driving FOH for Saliva is longtime FOH engineer Tim McGugin who in my opinion is one of this industries “frontline generals.” Besides performing FOH duties he’s also TM, PM, SM, travel agent and “entertainment director” for the tour, yet he was gracious enough to spend a couple of hours between duties to discuss the performance of the SC48. Tim does have some help — Ian “Scrubbing Bubbles” Gainer, monitor engineer/drum tech; and Larry Clubb, systems tech/guitar tech.
The entire crew of three makes this show happen, and we’re not talking weekend warrior stuff. They’re averaging five to six shows a week. Not a gig for the faint of heart. As I mentioned earlier, Tim is no lightweight in this industry, and I knew under the budget constraints of recent tours, this SC48 was getting put through the paces in some of the hardest of situations from clubs to festivals.
Take It Out and Try to Break It
Tim was eager to point out this desk doesn’t have the luxury of being hauled around in a nice air-ride trailer. This one is riding in tow behind the bus trailer. He mentioned it’s been in humidity, rain and smoky clubs, and it hasn’t had a single issue.
I was skeptical, because it seems all desks have something that needs tweaking or something has been overlooked at the factory that only surfaces while in the trenches. But Tim was quick to point out the benefits that he likes — the small footprint, consistency, it plays well with any PA, and it sounds better than similar priced desks and its price point. He doesn’t have to handle drive racks, efx racks, and setup is simple — no “console parties” of hands having to tip a larger desk. And “although it has limited amount of plug-ins available, the dynamics section is more than adequate.”
Tim has the latest software update, and he mentioned that his show file can be used in any Digidesign board and he liked the color-coding prompts feature — a quick look, and he can tell where/what changes he last made. They didn’t have their Pro Tools rig on this run, but with a FireWire connection, it’s a simple plug and play.
So I had to ask straightaway — “What don’t you like about this console?” Tims’ reply: “Nothing. I don’t have to reset it daily, it’s user friendly, it sounds good, it does everything I put to it — in short, I’m as happy as a pig in s$%t.”
I tried another angle. “If you could change anything on this desk, what would you like to see improved upon?” Again, “Nothing,” then, “Well, maybe a touch screen and the option of more plug-ins. Other than that, the guys at Digidesign did their homework, and its reliability speaks for itself.”
www.digidesign.com
www.allied-audio.com
