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Author Topic: Digidesign D-Show Profile Mix Rack System  (Read 55588 times)

Michael 'Bink' Knowles

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Re: Things I Haven't Liked That Much So Far
« Reply #30 on: October 02, 2008, 03:50:30 AM »

Robert Scovill wrote on Mon, 29 September 2008 12:47

...or the Serato Parametric by RANE.

   http://www.digidesign.com/index.cfm?navid=22&langid=100& amp; amp; amp; amp;itemid=4821



I put a Serato 10-band PEQ on my problem  subgroups, and a Digirack 7-band PEQ on each output going to loudspeakers. when I was roadtesting the full Profile, the one with a digital snake. The Serato works and sounds good, though I had trouble with its interface from time to time.

Super sound quality.

-Bink
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Michael 'Bink' Knowles
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Jamie Taylor

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Re: Digidesign D-Show Profile Mix Rack System
« Reply #31 on: November 29, 2008, 07:42:45 PM »

I had the opportunity to have a quick play on the Profile last night.  It was only a BE job for a tap group (5 lapel mics, 1 handheld rx and a cd player), but from my brief job with it it sounded great.  The whole desk gave me a really good 'vibe' about it.  I;m now much more interested in taking a further look at one.
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Duncan McLennan

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Re: Digidesign D-Show Profile Mix Rack System
« Reply #32 on: December 15, 2008, 11:10:32 AM »

I was just having a look over the digidesign website, and according to the specs of the mix rack, the maximum length of the control cable between the mix rack and the control surface is 11 feet.  Does this mean you can't actually put the mix rack on stage, and the control surface at FOH?  I know you could do it with the separate FOH/stage racks, but that sort of eliminates the whole point of having the processing with the I/O (never having audio leave the stage).

Also, does the profile control surface have any I/O for monitors, iPods, CD players, etc.?  Again, I know the FOH rack does.  I guess if you can't put the mix rack on stage anyway, it doesn't really matter.
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dcm
Waterloo & London, Ontario

Bennett Prescott

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Re: Digidesign D-Show Profile Mix Rack System
« Reply #33 on: December 15, 2008, 03:03:26 PM »

The Profile MixRack is the least expensive surface/rack combo that Digi offers. If you want the features you're talking about, you need to step up.
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Duncan McLennan

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Re: Digidesign D-Show Profile Mix Rack System
« Reply #34 on: December 15, 2008, 03:27:03 PM »

Bennett Prescott wrote on Mon, 15 December 2008 15:03

The Profile MixRack is the least expensive surface/rack combo that Digi offers. If you want the features you're talking about, you need to step up.


Yes, I realize those features are available on the FOH/stage rack system.  But what I don't understand is: if you're going to go to the trouble of separating the mix engine and the I/O from a control surface, why would you implement it in such a way that the mix engine must be set up with the control surface anyway?

To me the obvious advantage of mix engine and I/O being separate from the console is the ability to avoid interference to the show through possible damage to the snake.  All inputs, mixing, and processing take place on the stage and are simply controlled by the CONTROL surface.  As you pointed out earlier, a loss of power to the profile surface doesn't interfere with the show.  Wouldn't it make sense to have a system in which damage to the snake would let the show continue too?

If the FOH rack has to be deployed with the control surface, what's the point of separating it into a different physical chassis?  And with the mix rack system, why not just integrate the whole thing into the control surface (which would basically make it a 5D) since you're going to have to have an analog snake anyway?  I seriously doubt anyone would use anything other than the profile surface with the mix rack.

Maybe I'm missing something, but the whole concept doesn't really make sense to me.  iLive looks like it's on the right track.
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dcm
Waterloo & London, Ontario

Steve Bunting

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Re: Digidesign D-Show Profile Mix Rack System
« Reply #35 on: December 16, 2008, 06:57:00 PM »

Duncan McLennan wrote on Mon, 15 December 2008 20:27

If the FOH rack has to be deployed with the control surface, what's the point of separating it into a different physical chassis?  And with the mix rack system, why not just integrate the whole thing into the control surface (which would basically make it a 5D) since you're going to have to have an analog snake anyway


Because the system is modular. A D-Show Profile can be used with either the Mix Rack or the FOH/Stage Rack system. If the Mix Rack was built into the control surface, this flexibility would not be possible without unnecessary redundancy.

Nicolas Lowman

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Re: Digidesign D-Show Profile Mix Rack System
« Reply #36 on: December 20, 2008, 01:26:08 PM »

Hi Duncan,

The Mixrack system was not designed to to operate with a digital snake. If you want a digital snake system you have to step up to the full two rack system which is excellent.
Nicolas
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Duncan McLennan

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Re: Digidesign D-Show Profile Mix Rack System
« Reply #37 on: December 20, 2008, 06:29:59 PM »

That's exactly my point.  I understand that the mix rack is not a digital snake.  What I am saying is that the mix rack - a unit that contains both the preamps and the mix engine for the system as a whole - is a superior system to a digital snake, in that it is completely immune from physical damage that might occur to the snake during a show.

IMO, the concept of a digital snake as a whole is a side step, as we should be working toward having the 'mixer' on stage, controlled by a surface at FOH, but that could continue should something happen to the connection to the control surface.  This is how iLive works.

All I was saying is that's it's silly to design the mix rack in such a way that it cannot be placed on the stage, when it really is a superior system (perhaps not in features, but in ideology).
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dcm
Waterloo & London, Ontario

Andy Peters

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Re: Digidesign D-Show Profile Mix Rack System
« Reply #38 on: January 01, 2009, 06:14:56 PM »

Dunno whether this should be in the Road Test or in regular Product Reviews, but seeing as how there's a thread here already, I'll chime in.

I was on a Profile for the first time last night. I spent part of my flight RTFM, so I was familiar with the layout. I also downloaded the offline software and played with it and set up my show on it. Of course, I left my USB flash drive at home, so I couldn't save the setting to flash and bring it up on the console.

Which leads to complaint #1: Where's the Mac version of the software? Yeah, I know there's Windows Embedded down there somewhere but phooey.

The dry run on the offline software was very useful. After the headline act's soundcheck, their settings were stored and I created my own set-up from (what I thought was a) zero configuration. It's pretty easy, point and click and type in input names, then go through and select each channel and enable phantom where necessary, dial in high-pass, enable dynamics and so forth. I then set up VCA grouping.

So some basic comments: call me old fashioned, say I'm over the hill, but ya know, I like the vertical channel-strip orientation of analog console EQs. Similarly, having the input level meters near the faders might be more user friendly (and add some more meter resolution around 0 dB). Yes, a high-res input meter appears on the display when the channel is selected.

And having the effects returns on faders 1 through 8 on a separate layer isn't all that user friendly. I would've cared more if I actually used any reverb but I'm sure our set is still rattling around the room a day after the show. Perhaps flipping the center masters to returns would be fine, or make room for four more faders.

I know there are several presets one can select for dynamics, but it might be nice if the gate's default attenuation was "as much as possible," and not 20 dB. Perhaps there's already a default preset like that? I dunno.

The LCD scribble strip should really be right above the faders and not as high up by the encoders. I understand why it's where it is, but those of us with bifocals might have a hard time looking at both the stage and the scribble strip. (I left my computer glasses at home.)

As for how it sounded: ya know, with the acoustics of the venue (an ornately-refurbed historic theatre with no acoustic treatments), I couldn't tell whether it was good, bad or indifferent. I know that I was slower on it than on a console I've actually used before, but you've gotta start somewhere.

I understand there's a Profile at the 9:30 in DC, and I'll be there in March, so I'll get another crack at this. And as we all know, the 9:30 Club is like the best club in the country with the best install, so I'll be able to tell whether the default compressors actually do anything.

-a
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