Back at the NAMM show in 2012, Mackie kicked off a not-too-quiet revolution with its DL1608 iPad-enabled digital live mixer, which had 16 mic/line inputs and eight outputs (six aux sends plus L/R master outs) and a $999 street price. With its touch screen control; full-on snapshot automation/recall; onboard dynamics and 4-band parametric EQ’s; 31-band output graphic EQ’s; onboard reverb and tap delay; and wireless iPad control, the DL1608 was cool.
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Allen & Heath, the company, was founded in 1969, but first rocked the audio world when they built a custom quadraphonic mixing console for Pink Floyd. The MOD1 board was used by Alan Parsons to mix the band’s live shows. British-built Allen & Heath boards were also used by The Who and Genesis, not to mention countless other groups. Since then, the company has earned an enviable reputation for delivering great sounding, rock-solid analog consoles for both studio and live applications.
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The QLX-D is Shure’s latest addition to its growing line of digital wireless microphone systems and utilizes some of the technology developed for the company’s higher-end Axient products and ULX-D Series to good effect. Shure has successfully been able to package the QLX-D system in an economical version with user-friendly controls.
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Cerwin-Vega has introduced a new line of powered portable speakers for use in professional sound reinforcement. The P-Series consists of the full range P1000X, a bi-amped two-way speaker with a 10-inch woofer and a hemi-conical horn. The larger P1500X is a 15-inch version. The series also includes the P1800SX 18-inch subwoofer. All are covered by a three-year warranty — a nice touch.
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Headworn and lavalier mics continue to gain popularity in applications that go well beyond the typical — i.e., a CEO giving a welcome address at an industrial or corporate presentation or freeing a minister from the pulpit mic for invocations using a wireless system. With the rise of quality in modern miniature capsules, some of these transducers are capable of delivering performance specs that meet or exceed those of a hardwired handheld. At the same time, capsules have gotten smaller, offering near-invisibility from just a few feet away.
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I think it’s safe to say that the Mackie SRM450 qualifies as an industry standard. I certainly have encountered my share of them over the past 15 years and often still use some original 450’s that I got circa 1999. But Mackie’s latest revisions to this venerable speaker bring it more in line with modern diversified sound needs. Though at first glance the new 450 may look similar to the previous models, Mackie’s version 3 updates of the SRM450 contain many significant changes.
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On first look, the new Peavey PVXp 12 seems like just another entry into a scene crowded with molded speaker enclosures. But don’t let first impressions fool you. Upon closer inspection, the PVXp 12 has a lot of good things going for it.
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From a user standpoint, one of the downsides of reading reviews is perusing a discourse on some state of the art, megabuck 96-channel digital console when you’re getting by on a 16-channel desk for the shows you mix at your church, community center or Elk’s Lodge. “If only I could afford something cool that I just read about,” you might be thinking. Well, now you can.
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Well, it took a while, but PreSonus is finally shipping its much-anticipated StudioLive AI-series live sound speakers. The line includes three 3-way top cabinets and an optional single-18 subwoofer. The top cabinets have LF response extending well below 60 Hz, making them well suited for use without the subwoofer. They are fitted with 12 M10 rigging points and dual (flat and -10° downward) 35mm pole mount sockets, except the larger SLS315AI, which has one socket.
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It has to be at least 15 years since dbx introduced the first DriveRack, and there is no doubt that since then, the DriveRack family has improved sound systems across the globe. That may sound like a huge, sweeping statement, but it’s probably true. A few years ago, I got a dbx DriveRack PA+ to go with my self-powered speaker rig. In a very short time, the DriveRack became my favorite piece of outboard gear. Mainly because dbx has skillfully crammed so many useful functions into a single rackspace package. Well, now there is the DriveRack PA2. After my experience with the PA+, I decided I had to get my hands on a PA2. However, it occurred to me that some of you may not know exactly what a DriveRack PA2 is, or what kind of magic it can do. So, here we go…
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Two years ago, Yamaha unveiled its popular CL series mixers to much fanfare. Here was a solid digital console with a great feature set, including Dante interfacing, onboard preamps, Dan Dugan automixing, Rupert Neve-designed signal processing and the fast GUI of Centralogic control. The CL Series was an immediate hit.
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A year ago, QSC debuted its PLD (for portable/live sound applications) and CXD Series (contracting/installed sound) amplifiers. Available in several power configurations, all are 2-rackspace, Class-D multi-channel amps with slight feature set variations catering to their intended use, but sharing a radical new channel-combining methodology, with flexible onboard signal processing as well.
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