Sometimes it is hard to figure out how to write about a company even when they make a really good product.
KSC Industries has been around for a long time, but chances are that while you have used their stuff, you have never heard of them. That’s because they are an OEM company. They make stuff that other companies put their names on and sell as their own. In fact, we are using stock photos here because I had to take care not to shoot someone else’s box while working with this new system. Again, OEM companies are very discrete about who their customers are or they don’t last long, and KSC has been around for 37 years.
What It Is
The Digmoda system is a line of plate amps — made for installing directly into a speaker cabinet — with a powerful DSP engine that can be purchased separately. In other words, Digmoda is the active part of an active speaker system. And they are good amps, but nothing you can’t get from somewhere else. They use the same ICEpower modules from B&O that power lots of active systems. The thing that makes this system special is the Digmoda software engine and its DSP hardware — and the Digmoda DSP just flat-out rocks.
The real difference between this and most everything else out there is ease of use. Trying to adjust the crossover or delay on an active speaker is all but impossible on most models and most mfgs would go ballistic at the thought of anyone trying to do so. But what is “ideal” as far as settings go for one gig or soundco may not be right for another.
When first talking with the guys at KSC and trying to figure out how to really check out their product, we were coming up blank at first. Then I remembered that way back in the dark recesses of my garage was a set of three-way active speakers gathering dust. I offered to truck them down from Vegas to Chula Vista (outside of San Diego), and KSC offered to supply the truck. The idea was to measure the speakers with the stock amps and settings and then switch them out with a Digmoda plate amp and compare.
The Digmoda plate amps come in sizes from 250 to 2,000 watts at four ohms and the software is the same for all systems. What you get are all of the tools you need to voice — and protect — speakers. This includes dual-threshold compressor/limiters and 16 configurable filters per channel.
How We Used It
I dropped the cabinets off in the late afternoon and checked into my hotel. I had some dinner with the guys and got some sleep. By the time I arrived at about 10 a.m. the next morning, they had already measured the speaker with the stock amp, switched it out, corrected it via the software and were ready to show me the results.
But first they sat me down at the computer and let me play with the program. I was able to start tweaking the tuning of the box within five minutes. You read that right — the learning curve is almost zero. If you know how to use a compressor and an EQ you will master the Digmoda software in minutes.
Later, we took the two cabinets — one still stock and the other with the Digmoda corrected settings — outside for a side-by-side comparison. The Digmoda wiped the floor with the stock amp. In fact, it made these high-level MI but not really pro boxes sound good enough to take out on a real gig.
And here is the part I really liked. You can create and save different setting for the software and “flash” it to the boxes in seconds via a straight USB connection. This means that if you are a rental company and are sending boxes out on a hip-hop or metal show where you know they are going to get pushed really hard, you can put a nondefeatable limiter IN THE BOX and protect your drivers no matter what anyone tries to do with the system. If you are sending the same boxes out on an acoustic gig, you can change them over for a less-restricted response and make the change in just minutes.
If you build your own active boxes, these are worth a look. If you are a manufacturer who is looking for an OEM solution, the DSP and software of the Digmoda system will give you something that no one else is offering — total control and flexibility in an active box. The Digmoda DSP engine can be purchased separately and used with any amplifier system. The Digmoda plate amps in 2- and 3-channel configurations are available from stock and the subwoofer version is ready for production and will be available shortly in limited supply.
