DiGiCo’s mixing consoles have long been praised for many reasons, including their pristine sound, intuitive operation, and paramount reliability. Perhaps less obvious, but equally important, is the fact the company designs its products with upgradability and longevity in mind, a point firmly underscored by the new release of Software Version 20 for all Quantum and SD-Range consoles.
The new V20 software update, available for download from the dedicated support section of www.DiGiCo.biz in early April, is equipped with a host of invaluable new features, notably including direct Fourier Audio integration for all Quantum console worksurfaces. Users can simply connect their desk to the transform.engine’s control network to synchronise session files and snapshots as well as see and control plugins on their console touchscreen.
Soloing a channel with a Fourier chain inserted displays the plugin chain on the master screen of the console. All of the visual processing is done within the transform.engine, taking no processing power from the console. From this panel, parameters can now be controlled using the touchscreen and the touch turn dial, where this functionality has been enabled by the plugin manufacturer.
There is also an option for session and snapshot – aka “Cuelist” – control of the transform.engine. When this is enabled, loading a session on the console will load the session of the same name on the Fourier device. And the transform.engine can also follow commands, including saving a session. On the snapshot side, inserting, firing, updating, snapshot auto-update state, deleting, and reordering snapshots is all copied to the engine, ensuring that snapshots stay in sync with the console.
In Version 20, DiGiCo has added further support for Sound Devices transmitters. With the new Astral External control device, Macros can be programmed to be triggered directly from the transmitter, when using the A20-Nexus and A20-SuperNexus receivers. Potential use cases for this control could be a simple push-to-talk, unmuting a separate feed to a director in a broadcast scenario, or allowing a vocalist to turn on or off a particular effect send for their microphone during a performance.
The latest software update also introduces the Mustard Source Expander (MSE), a new dynamics option to the Mustard processing strips found on Quantum consoles. Requested by many customers, the MSE reduces the level of a signal by a given amount when it is under a threshold. This works a bit like a gate but is better for non-transient signals, like vocals or brass. By reducing the level when a singer stops singing, the MSE can minimize the chance of feedback and generally reduce the level of stage noise spilling onto open mics. Its controls include threshold, depth (which can go to 40dB), and release rate. A sidechain is also available.
Software V20 is also a necessary update in bringing DiGiCo’s optional Theatre-software suite to the company’s most compact Quantum console, the Quantum225, which is ideal for small-to-mid-sized theatrical venues and productions. The “T” package modifies how console cue lists operate, tailored specifically for theatrical applications, and provides a way to manage cast and costume changes through Players and Aliases. Upgrading to the Theatre software on a Quantum225 offers the same additional channel count and processing as the company’s Pulse upgrade, with 96 input channels, 48 busses, 36 Mustard Processes, and 48 Nodal processes. It also expands the matrix past even the Pulse count, increasing to 24 by 24.
“When someone invests in a DiGiCo console, it’s with the understanding that their product will be an exceptionally enduring solution – not something that will be quickly outdated and in need of replacement in just a few short years,” said DiGiCo Managing Director Austin Freshwater. “Our R&D team is continually asking the question, ‘How can we bring more performance and value to what our customers already own?’ As DiGiCo always sources the fastest, most powerful DSP that the electronics industry has to offer, that answer lies in software updates that increase channel counts, streamline processing efficiencies, and add new functions and features. With our new V20 software, even SD7 and SD8 users who may have had their consoles for 15-plus years are still able to take advantage of new advancements that will keep their productions very much on the leading edge.”
Additional new V20 features include: Moving an EQ band on the Quantum852 via the hardware channel strip will select that band in the golden channel; Subnet Mask is now displayed in Diagnostics; A confirmation message will pop up when clearing a bank from the fader banks panel; Various errors from the previous software version have now been fixed.
