DiGiCo showcases SD8 digital audio console at prolight+sound 2009

Digico's new SD8 digital mixing console was launched at the PLASA 2008 show. The SD8 was also hightlighted at LDI, Las Vegas, and at Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2009. It will be also be showcased at prolight+sound show 2009, Frankfurt, Germany. Hot on the heels of the SD7 which debuted at PLASA 2007, the SD8 has a fixed architecture and employs a smaller Super FPGA than the SD7, yet it benefits from all the major features and versatility of the DiGiCo D Series, plus the advances already made in the SD7. This gives a performance to price ratio that allows DiGiCo to offer an entry-level console with remote preamps at a very competitive price point. The SD8 incorporates the innovative Stealth Digital Processing, based on the single Super FPGA and combined with Analogue Devices Tiger Sharcs effects engine. The SD8’s control surface has 37 motorised faders, dedicated and multi-function control knobs and electronic labelling. It also has a 15”, high resolution, touch sensitive TFT LCD backlit display. This is the SD8’s primary command centre and works in harmony with every other control of the console, automatically displaying functions that are relevant to what is being done at any moment in time. A physical fader, knob or backlit, electronically labelled button is either provided as standard for every major mix function, or can be programmed onto one of the user macro buttons. The SD8 has 24 main channel faders and 12 assignable aux and touch sensitive master faders. Each bank of 12 faders can be instantly assigned as channels or masters, allowing all 36 main faders to control inputs if desired, while any bank of 12 can be assigned to the touch screen for fine-tuning. The SD8 provides, as standard, a 12 x 12 output matrix, its 12 busses being additional to the console’s 24 stereo, solo and master busses. 60 mono or stereo channels – the equivalent of 120 channels of full DSP processing - and the combined power of the SD8’s technologies means that the number and quality of effects, dynamics or other functions is available to all channels simultaneously, no matter how the console is set up. The SD8 supplies engineers with a wealth of features, some of which will be familiar to D Series users, whilst others, the high resolution, 20-LED bargraph meters, right beside each channel fader, will not be. The console comes with a 48/8 stage rack with 100m Digital MADI snake. Other features include 24 mono or stereo busses plus Stereo Master with full processing (equal to 50 busses of DSP processing); on board local I/O with eight mic/line inputs, eight line outputs and eight AES I/O; open format and platform recording; six stereo floating point FX processors; two independent solo busses for monitoring; Snapshot cue control with crossfade; 37 touch sensitive faders for instant control; full worksurface precision metering; networking and remote control; floating point processing; future proofed FPGA audio core; remote studio grade microphone preamps; MADI connection; USB connection for session saving and transfer; and offine and online session control.