Highly anticipated, a decade after the launch of the D5 Live dgital mixing console, British manufacturer DiGiCo launched its new incarnation, the SD5, at Prolight+Sound 2012 in Frankfurt. The SD5 fits directly into the D5’s shoes, but benefits from the advancements made possible by DiGiCo’s Stealth Digital Processing. “We’ve evolved a lot over the past decade, both in terms of the way we use the available technology and our understanding of what our customers really want and need,” says DiGiCo’s managing director, James Gordon. “SD5 is the culmination of that combined knowledge, so we want to make it the next generation D5 Live.” Digico also highlighted the SD5 Mixing at InfoComm 2012, along with the complete SD Range of Racks and Surfaces, the new UB-MADI and all Digico Solutions products including the new Purple Box. Winter NAMM 2013 and ISE 2013 again saw a focus on the whole range as well as the launch of DiGiGrid which was developed together with sister company Sountracs and Waves Audio.
The SD5’s worksurface is a low noise, heat dissipation worksurface benefiting from Hidden-til-lit (HTL) technology, yet its five digitally driven full colour TFT LCD screens, three of which are touch sensitive, have a new configuration that allows easy access to single or multiple users. There are also two interactive dynamic metering displays (IDM) and quick access buttons are positioned down the left side of the channel screens for fast and easy navigation.
Incorporating the master screen into the worksurface design has allowed for complete user feedback, but maintained a lower profile meter bridge. This still allows clear visibility of those on stage for the user, with everything in close reach to the mix position.
As standard, the SD5 comes with a 2Gb fibre optic system, which is capable of running 448 channels of I/O at 96kHz, plus 56 console-to-console tie lines, allowing connection to up to 14 of the SD variant racks. There are three redundant MADI ports and local I/O includes eight microphone inputs, eight line outputs and eight AES I/O (mono).
The SD5 has 124 input channels; 56 configurable busses, plus up to 5.1 master; a 24 x 24 fixed matrix; DiGiTubes on every channel, buss and output; 24 assignable Dynamic EQ; 24 multiband compressors; 24 stereo effects; 32 Graphic EQ; 10 x 4 (40) RGB backlit macro buttons; plus the ability to add a Waves upgrade.
“The SD5 has some DiGiCo added extras as well,” adds Gordon. “The D5 Live was the first ever console to have an integrated light bar, so of course, the SD5 has that as well. We’ve also included keyboard illumination and convenient headphone hooks to save you having to borrow a drumstick to hang up your headphones. The D5 was at the forefront of the live world moving over to digital mixing and SD5 is the perfect way of taking that pioneering spirit to the next level.” |
