In spec’ing out equipment (particularly consoles in this post) I realized that it might be helpful to see some of my thought process. For this particular project that I am working on for my church we have a small but workable budget. The smaller the budget the more difficult decisions become because if you buy something that isn’t of high quality (or can’t be upgraded) it will likely have to be replaced significantly sooner than wanted or would be ideal. As Mike Sessler says in an article about system renovations, “Doing things right the first time will always cost less than doing it wrong a few times first. Always” (Church Sound: A Field Guide To System Renovations). That means that I’m trying to prioritize what is a need, what is a want, how important things are, what is a sufficient level of quality, and what can be added later without much extra cost.
For example, it is easy to buy another couple of microphones in a year or two, it is much harder to add 6 channels to your soundboard. While a 16 channel digital snake is practically a need right now (that point was not a given but took some discussion from multiple parties), a 32 channel digital snake is more of a want at this point in time. However, it is also in the category of being costly to upgrade later and should be seriously considered for future growth. We would love a wireless handheld mic, but it is being put off to purchase later because it is not currently a need and can easily be added at any time.
Regarding soundboards I have recommended a Soundcraft Si Performer 1. So what are some of the reasons for that? There are other consoles I have to consider (lots of them!), some of which include SiExpressions, Allen & Heath’s QU consoles, Behringer’s X32, small analog consoles such as a Mixwizard, and plenty of others.
First of all, this has to be designed to be portable; as in pull out of a trailer and set up every week kind of portable. Now, that doesn’t necessarily exclude larger console sizes, but a small rack-mountable console sure would be easiest and save on valuable trailer space. It can be pre-wired with wireless mics, recorder, etc and roll out of a truck- in fact with the rack that I am spec’ing, you can pull off the front and back lids and attach them to the sides of the case for built in tablespace. That sure is nice to have in a portable situation. The portability and the need for quick setup is also why the digital snake became a necessity (plugging in and running one cat5 cable is a wonderful thing!).
So, why not a small analog console? Well, that certainly could be a cheaper option if you don’t buy racks of fx, compressors, gates, geq’s, delay, etc. Maybe you don’t need all of that extra stuff, yet there still are some good arguments for digital consoles. First and foremost is recallability: being able to push a button and recall a preset. You always have the same starting point. This also adds a lot of flexibility for easily using your console for that outdoor event and then recalling your “normal” settings once done. Or even allowing someone else to use the soundboard (gasp!). There are also the added benefits of being able to copy and paste settings, to have auxes/sends on faders, to use passwords to lock people out, etc. My church will use most of these benefits including the racks of fx, compressors, eq’s for outputs, etc. In fact the features on the console also save us the money of buying a separate system processor, which can easily cost $1,000 for a decent one.
While we may be able to get away with 12 channels now, we could easily use more than 16 for some of our events and would love to be able to grow in the future. This alone rules out small analog consoles, unless you don’t mind replacing your console with a larger one. This also rules out some of the small digital consoles. For example the Qu16 can only mix 16 mic inputs. Yes, it has another layer for fx returns and some line inputs, sure you can buy a digital snake, but it is limited to 16 mics. In contrast the SiPerformer can mix up to 80 inputs! So, while it only has 16 preamps on the back of the console, 16 or 32 input digital snakes can be added to the console for a reasonable cost and all inputs from those snakes and the console can be used at the same time. The digital snake on the SiPerformer would use 1 of 2 available option card slots. There are at least 10 cards available right now (including USB/Firewire/ADAT, Dante, Madi, and Aviom); whereas the Qu consoles don’t even have a card slot.
One of the advantages of the SiPerformer over the SiExpression is the addition of LCD screens for every fader. Having digital names is extremely helpful when using more than one layer of inputs. In addition to this the console also has 8 VCA’s (which I would consider a necessity when using layers and/or more than 16 channels), a second card slot, HF and LF fully parametric eq (in addition to the middle bands), and DMX functionality. Of course both console ranges have faderglow, custom channel layout, and a very intuitive, easy to use layout.
This is starting to sound like a review of the SiPerformer… so moving on, why not the X32? This could easily be an entire post of it’s own; so don’t expect this to be exhaustive or complete. There are a couple of reasons I have stayed away from the X32; one of the main reasons simply being ease of use. To me the user interface is not that simple. And while it does have a lot going for it, this is a major factor when handing a console over to volunteers and expecting a variety of people to be able to use it without too much training, frustration, or mistakes. Of course, there are also questions surrounding the brand name. Yes, it is tied in with Midas now; however, many professionals have reservations about it. It is also essentially a first generation product from Behringer which requires caution. In contrast the SiPerformer is essentially a third generation product of its particular line of consoles and has 15-20 years of R&D before it from many other digital console lines.
In conclusion, it is wise to do research and know what options are available. It is important to understand what is needed versus what is wanted (both by yourself and by other people). It is important to think about future growth and how that could affect any equipment purchases. And of course it is important to stay within budget.