Pro-Music-News |
Sound
|
Shure Incorporated announced the availability of
the P4800 System Processor with Soundplex digital signal processing in
the United States and Canada. The versatile device employs an intuitive,
drag-and-drop graphical user interface (GUI) offering control over just
about any processing function imaginable between the mixers and amplifiers
within installed systems.
"The Shure P4800 System Processor should have a good following from users that need the ability to custom configure their signal processing chain at a lower cost, " said Pat Brown, president of Syn-Aud-Con and one of the P4800's beta testers. "It strikes a nice balance between power, customization, and ease-of-use. The intuitive user interface combines the feel of analog control with informative graphical representations of control settings, allowing the user to have the best of both worlds." Capable of being dragged and dropped in any order to inputs and outputs, each processing block can also be copied and pasted to duplicate processing across multiple channels. To better meet the demands of eleventh-hour design changes and other unexpected revisions to the sound system or architecture, adjustments can be made on the fly, with all changes heard in real time. "The true test of good software is that you don't need to spend a lot of time getting up to speed, " said Jim Brown, a consultant for Audio Systems Group. "Even the beta product met this test with flying colors, and the Shure engineers were looking over my shoulder to think of ways to make it even better. It was a snap to configure, and just as easy to tune. I'll be specifying the P4800 for a lot of projects." "We believe this product will be a huge breakthrough for system contractors, since it brings much of the power and flexibility of high-end DSP units to installations with more limited budgets," said Bob Rieder, Shure Category Director of Audio Processing Products. Visual indicators provided with the system include LED signal metering on the unit's front panel which allows signals passing through the device to be monitored without the use of a PC. Onscreen, full input and output metering is supplied when the software is in live mode. Resource meters at the bottom of the main window keep tabs on available DSP power and delay memory. Compatible with both Panja/AMX and Crestron control systems, the unit is equipped with RS232 and RS422 ports, and additionally supports simple controls such as potentiometers and switches. The product is anticipated to be available internationally in fall 2001. |