| October 2007 | |
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INVESTING FOR THE FUTURE WITH CS-D5 |
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As he was nearing his twentieth year in the industry, Bradley Johnson decided that he should start looking at a practical investment that would benefit him and his family for the future. He began thinking of what an audio engineer could invest in that would make sound financial sense… “Aerosmith was gearing up for a world tour and the audio provider was going to have to sub-rent a digital console,” says Bradley. “It just seemed logical to take the plunge.” And in April this year, that is just what he did. Bradley is a seasoned DiGiCo user; he’s been using the consoles since the company started out. But when it came down to actually buying a console himself, he says, he looked at and test-drove just about every digital console available. After all, one has to be absolutely sure when investing hard earned cash! “It was all very overwhelming,” he says. “Lots and lots of bells and whistles, reminding me of the current line array wars on the PA side of things.” In the end I just asked myself, what would I spec as an engineer not as a console owner? Originally, Bradley was going to purchase a D1. “It made more sense for me financially,” he explains. “I spoke with Taidus [Vallandi at DiGiCo] about it and he suggested the CS-D5, which ended up being a better choice for my application [Aerosmith monitors]. It has everything a standard D5 has without the optical option - and I have no need for the optical stuff for now.” “When I went looking I had several criteria that a console had to meet: first and foremost, it had to be a digital platform that sounded very good; the layout of the board had to have an analog console feel; the snapshot function had to be as detailed as the D5; there had to be a very good digital multi-track recording solution; and the company had to have an excellent background and technical support. “As far as sonic quality goes, I believe that the CS-D5 is excellent, the digital realm of consoles seem a bit sterile to me.” It is very comforting to know that the D5 was designed and built by people who mix live audio. What are Bradley’s favorite features? “Snapshots, snapshots, snapshots... I can’t say enough about how well DiGiCo nailed this one. And one MADI cable = 56 channels of recording, without spending $30k on recording gear. That’s a nice one. The channel comps and gates are very good, eliminating a big rack of outboard inserts. “That's the whole idea I think. More room at FOH for the punters, hmmm.” He has also found the ability to record and playback invaluable. “I record and playback 56 tracks every day. It is extremely important in my current position. We use snapshots for every song in the set, sometimes two to three snapshots per song. If the artist wants to change something, it is as simple as playing back the show (all 56 channels), making adjustments and then playing them back again for the artist to sign off on. Things tend to get a bit complicated, so, it is very helpful to be able to ‘hear’ a change made to a snapshot before it’s actually done live.” “I use a home built rack mount PC running a RME MADI card, a Universal Audio UAD-1 card and a TC electronics Powercore firewire device. I use Cubase and Reaper as recording platforms, but am looking at Samplitude 9.0 very closely these days.” Bradley is using everything that he possibly can on the console - and then some. “I use all the available internal FX and have a rack of external FX devices that are midi linked to the console. Everything in the rig tracks with snapshot changes. I use the IPCs for drum groups, overall comp and EQ for in-ear mixes, and as a two track-recording master.” Another advantage of DiGiCo consoles that Bradley has found is their durability. “The construction of this console is extremely robust in my opinion. However, everything breaks, that is a fact, especially electronics, life on the road is particularly grueling. This console has had to endure being thrown in and out of a truck twice a day, indifferent stage hands, extreme heat/cold, rain, wind, dirt and dust, and poor landings in a cargo plane. It hasn’t yet, but one day it’s going to fail. The real question is, how helpful is the manufacturer when it does fail and how quickly can it be fixed? I am an owner/operator and do not have a huge technical department to fix problems. It’s just me. So far I have no complaints. “Taidus has been a wealth of help and knowledge. No one could ask for a more talented techno-geek. He is who I go to when the D5 outsmarts me.” As to PRG, (my audio provider of choice) I got my start in this business at Tasco Sound and Lights ( USA division) nearly 20 years ago. The gear and personnel have gone through many changes since then, but I consider them both old friends and family.”
Press Contacts: Sarah James at Gasoline Media |
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