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Sound Reinforcement - Forums for Live Sound Professionals - Your Displayed Name Must Be Your Real Full Name To Post In The Live Sound Forums => LAB: The Classic Live Audio Board => Topic started by: Samuel Rees on March 06, 2014, 11:33:43 PM

Title: Soundcraft Vi3000
Post by: Samuel Rees on March 06, 2014, 11:33:43 PM
Soundcraft Announced a new desk...

http://www.soundonsound.com/news?NewsID=17047


 
Title: Re: Soundcraft Vi3000
Post by: Chris Johnson [UK] on March 07, 2014, 03:55:00 AM
Looks cool.

The 3D vistonics thing seems a bit pointless. Does this suggest that they haven't addressed the missing features in the Vi software and have just made it prettier to try and win brownie points?

Sonically, I really like the Vi series, and a really like the Vista 1, so I'm very interested in this product...
Title: Re: Soundcraft Vi3000
Post by: Samuel Rees on March 07, 2014, 10:11:15 AM
Someone told me it's priced below Vi4. Maybe more desks coming...
Title: Re: Soundcraft Vi3000
Post by: Tim Weaver on March 07, 2014, 02:55:30 PM
Someone told me it's priced below Vi4. Maybe more desks coming...


It supports UA plug ins. Although exactly how it does that is a little fuzzy from the article. It looks like you might have to have an outboard computer to run the plugs....
Title: Soundcraft Vi3000
Post by: Samuel Rees on March 07, 2014, 03:10:13 PM

It supports UA plug ins. Although exactly how it does that is a little fuzzy from the article. It looks like you might have to have an outboard computer to run the plugs....

I think that's just with their new external "realtime rack" which is compatible with all Soundcraft desks.
Title: Re: Soundcraft Vi3000
Post by: Tim Weaver on March 07, 2014, 03:15:02 PM
I think that's just with their new external "realtime rack" which is compatible with all Soundcraft desks.

Soundcafts webpage on the realtome rack shows a computer hooked up to it. What I don't know is if that's just for setup and it can be disconnected, or does the laptop have to be there all the time?
Title: Re: Soundcraft Vi3000
Post by: Mac Kerr on March 07, 2014, 03:44:02 PM
Soundcafts webpage on the realtome rack shows a computer hooked up to it. What I don't know is if that's just for setup and it can be disconnected, or does the laptop have to be there all the time?

They are not very clear about that, but it sure looks like you need the computer to control the plug ins, which reside on the Realtime rack. Since you can store settings in scenes, you could remove the computer, but it looks like you will be locked into the saved settings at that point.

Mac
Title: Re: Soundcraft Vi3000
Post by: Chris Johnson [UK] on March 07, 2014, 03:50:54 PM
Soundcafts webpage on the realtome rack shows a computer hooked up to it. What I don't know is if that's just for setup and it can be disconnected, or does the laptop have to be there all the time?

You need the computer. The 'Realtime Rack' is basically a re-branded MADI version of a UA Apollo... UAD does waves soundgrid.
Title: Re: Soundcraft Vi3000
Post by: Tim Weaver on March 07, 2014, 07:07:57 PM
You need the computer. The 'Realtime Rack' is basically a re-branded MADI version of a UA Apollo... UAD does waves soundgrid.


See that kind of bumps me.

The Vi surface is a big computer with fancy touchscreens. I should be able to use that for plugin control! Especially since the Vi has knobs to twiddle and the laptop doesn't....

Title: Re: Soundcraft Vi3000
Post by: Samuel Rees on March 07, 2014, 09:06:31 PM
It looks like it operates like waves native (controlled by external computer) but is processed on an the external server (like soundgrid). Maybe more like a rebranded UAD satellite.

It would have been nice to add a Digico style on-console-screen control. Still looks nifty though. Small rack, interfaces directly with existing hardware.
Title: Re: Soundcraft Vi3000
Post by: Bob Leonard on March 07, 2014, 10:14:06 PM
The board has some pretty nice features to say the least, but the one that caught me by surprise was the monitoring functions built in for AKG mics. Nice touch, but a real winner if the function supported other manufacturers as well. It also looks like the one knob one function and color format is spreading across the line in a more standard way.
Title: Re: Soundcraft Vi3000
Post by: Chris Johnson [UK] on March 08, 2014, 11:22:33 AM
Yeah. I'm very interested, depending on price.
Title: Re: Soundcraft Vi3000
Post by: Doug Hammel on March 08, 2014, 03:39:03 PM
Yeah. I'm very interested, depending on price.

Have they said a price yet?
Title: Re: Soundcraft Vi3000
Post by: kristianjohnsen on March 08, 2014, 06:42:15 PM
The board has some pretty nice features to say the least, but the one that caught me by surprise was the monitoring functions built in for AKG mics. Nice touch, but a real winner if the function supported other manufacturers as well. It also looks like the one knob one function and color format is spreading across the line in a more standard way.

I've liked this idea for a long time and welcome it.  I suppose they want the clients to stay under the Harman "umbrella", so only AKG...

One cool thing about the Yamaha CL desks is that one can communicate with Shure ULXD wireless receivers as well as some Nexo amps :)
Title: CL-5 and ULX-D
Post by: Mac Kerr on March 08, 2014, 06:55:03 PM
I've liked this idea for a long time and welcome it.  I suppose they want the clients to stay under the Harman "umbrella", so only AKG...

One cool thing about the Yamaha CL desks is that one can communicate with Shure ULXD wireless receivers as well as some Nexo amps :)

Hopefully someday you'll be able to communicate with the ULX-D from a CL-5 console, but currently what you can do is see it as an available source on the network, and patch it to the Dante inputs of the console. It would be great if Yamaha is able to work with Shure and get access to the RF meter, Battery meter, and receiver gain.

Mac
Title: Re: Soundcraft Vi3000
Post by: Mike Maly on March 08, 2014, 07:21:40 PM
The Realtime Rack is only for VI consoles. This product does not work with SI products.


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Title: Re: Soundcraft Vi3000
Post by: John Sulek on March 08, 2014, 09:06:11 PM
I've liked this idea for a long time and welcome it.  I suppose they want the clients to stay under the Harman "umbrella", so only AKG...

One cool thing about the Yamaha CL desks is that one can communicate with Shure ULXD wireless receivers as well as some Nexo amps :)

The Vi consoles talk to the AKG wireless through the HiQnet network protocol which is Harmon. It would be cool if it could talk with other manufacturers.
Ah well...the new 4.8 software does some nice stuff. Maybe one day all the soft buttons will be enabled.
Title: Re: Soundcraft Vi3000
Post by: Steve Payne on March 08, 2014, 10:58:41 PM
We just installed a Realtime Rack system on our Vi4 console.  It is pretty impressive.  First off, the Realtime Rack can be used with ANY console that has a madi interface available.  It is only with the Vi consoles that you gain the onboard snapshot control via the HiQ network.  This really adds to the control power of the overall system, but has nothing to do with the ability to run the UAD plugins per se.  The components of the Realtime Rack system include: the 1 space processor which does the actual plug in processing and will handle 16 madi streams; a mac computer to run the interface (we are using a mac mini mounted in a 1 space rack enclosure; and a touchscreen monitor.  ( The mac runs software and drivers from touch-base.com which make Mac OS 10.9 and any software it runs fully touchscreen  operative!)  The way we have the system installed in the Vi4 console local rack only requires that the console connect to the rack via ethernet cable and the monitor connect to the rack via hdmi and usb cables.  Turn everything on and they are ready to go.  All plug in controls are done via the touchscreen monitor.  There is no need for a keyboard or mouse.  It is actually very much like operating a traditional piece of outboard rack gear sitting next to the console.  Pretty darn cool actually.  Very easy and natural feeling to use.  I will probably catch flack for saying this, but we also own an SC48 with an extended Waves plug in bundle.  I have years of past studio experience using original pultec, neve, 1176, dbx160, etc.  To my ears, the waves plug ins sound like pretty good representations of the originals, the UAD plugins sound like the originals.  Anyway, very cool stuff.  Our Facebook page has some photos and a short video.

https://www.facebook.com/SOUNDWORKSOFVIRGINIA
Title: Re: Soundcraft Vi3000
Post by: David Sturzenbecher on March 08, 2014, 11:40:08 PM
  Our Facebook page has some photos and a short video.

https://www.facebook.com/SOUNDWORKSOFVIRGINIA

Real cool, thank you for this.