DigiDesign VENUE?

[Chris Chapman]

Has anyone had any experience with a Venue Rig? Has it taken off, or is it still born?

[Eboy87]

Has it taken off, or is it still born?

Beg pardon?

[museav]

In the live sound market the Venue, in either the D-Show Main and D-Show Profile versions, is about the hottest thing going. Still probably not as common as the Yamaha PM5D-RH but gaining on it. For live sound applications it is proving very popular on tour, for rental and staging, in venues and even in churches.

[Gretsch]

From what I have seen it is becoming one of the more requested boards for the larger tours right now. I got to check one out durring the Sundance Film Festival and it seems like a killer board if you can afford it.

T

[TimmyP1955]

Look into the new baby Digi when it's announced. I'm told it's very nice.

[Stookeybrd]

Look into the new baby Digi when it's announced. I'm told it's very nice.

Is this confirmed? I've heard a bunch of rumors of a new release from a number of sources regarding different companies(Baby Digi, PM2D, Vi2) so a small Digi would be exciting.

[Dillon]

Features are on-par with a PM5D-RH... much prettier interface, ability to use ProTools plug-ins and remote mic preamps make it stand out. I mixed on a Profile on tour last summer and had a blast with it. I felt a bit limited by the automation (I'm used to LCS) but found work-arounds for most of what I wanted to do.

[museav]

The plug-ins aspect seems to be mixed blessings in general. If it is your console, it's really nice to be able to have the specific effects that you like available. The flip side is that you don't necessarily know what effects a console has, which can be a problem when you use someone else's console. So for people it in their studio or taking their console on tour with them using plug-ins for processing is a really nice option. However, if you are installing one in a venue that will be used by outside operators or if you are an outside operator, then you almost have to plan on the most basic processing options, which are often more limited than what is provided on most digital consoles with integrated processing.

[TimmyP1955]

Is this confirmed? I've heard a bunch of rumors of a new release from a number of sources regarding different companies(Baby Digi, PM2D, Vi2) so a small Digi would be exciting.

There is at least one in existence - a friend has had his hands on it and likes it a lot.

[Koombyeya]

We upgraded to the digi D-show Profile system a little over a year ago. The dedicated PQ monitor system is fantastic. We're still finding things about this sytem that amaze us. I highly rec it.

[Morpheus]

There is at least one in existence - a friend has had his hands on it and likes it a lot.

Is the 'Baby Digi' the SC48? Or is that something else?

[pmolsonmus]

I don't want to start a DIGI bashing war - I've been a Pro Tools user for years (different version of LE). But the whole upgrade plan that AVID is currently undertaking would make me VERY cautious when investing large amounts of money on hardware that may or may not be compatabile with future versions of anything.

Buyer beware. Quality has always been fairly solid from DIGI, but as an example - I purchase an 003r over a year and a half ago and despite numerous bug fixes, I have no S/PDdif outputs.

The Venue isn't PT, but....be aware that changes are taking place at AVID and no one is speaking with absolute certainty as to what will happen.

[lakota651]

So here is the Digidesign/ Avid lineup, as compared to the Yamaha line.

Venue D-Show = (sort of) PM1D
Venue Profile = PM5D RH
Venue SC48 = M7CL

Personally I have seen a demo of the SC48, which does has some advantage over it's bigger brother. I have mixed on the Profile, and sonically speaking it does sound better than the PM5D, but it is not my first board of choice for a numerous reasons. Also I have been at an event with another engineer where he was on the house's Profile, and after 4 hours of trying to chase a ground loop 'hum' in the system the problem ended up being the software graphic EQ that was inserted on the main outs, seriously.

Most people I know are sold on the fact that it integrates (in fact comes with) Pro Tools, and has the live rehearsal feature. But on the same token I have friends who have sworn off AVID/Digidesign because of the upgrade structure and pro customer service (Avid actually considers going from say 8.1 to 8.2 as a new software release FYI). Also, I know for a fact other consoles, such as the Digico SD8 natively can do "sound check" and multi-track out as well.

I will say this for Avid though. They do have a killer marketing strategy, are defiantly making wave. But if you are considering one, all I ask is do your home work. Try different boards out if you can. Why, because the brochures for just about any of them are 80% the same thing. And you really want to be sure that you are spending your money on something you are comfortable on, and can train others on, and will serve you needs well into the future.

[FortMacTech]

I have played around on a Venue but presently run an A&H iLive and absolutely love it. If you don't absolutely need ProTools, the iLive line has lots of bang for the bucks.

[museav]

So here is the Digidesign/ Avid lineup, as compared to the Yamaha line.

Venue D-Show = (sort of) PM1D
Venue Profile = PM5D RH
Venue SC48 = M7CL.

So where does the Venue Mix Rack fit in? And since it uses layers and has no integrated touch panel, one could argue that the SC48 is more directly comparable in general form and user interface to the LS9 than to the M7CL.

At least for installed systems, I typically find that one major consideration the overall console approach. Is it an integrated unit with the work surface, processor and I/O all in one device? Is it a combination work surface and processor with remote I/O boxes? Is it a combination I/O and processor box with a separate work surface? How can you expand the I/O? Can it support multiple work surfaces? When you start looking at what has to run where and what is needed to connect one device to another you can find significant differences that affect how the console fits into the rest of the system and can be physically wired. Before one can really worry about a console being rider friendly or cool, you first need to consider how it can integrate into the overall audio system and the physical facility and infrastructure.

[lakota651]

Hi Brad,

As far as I understand it, and someone please correct me if I am wrong, is the Mix Rack is the same as buying with Profile, only without an addition input rack. It has it own outputs (32 I think), so you would buy this in addition to one of the other consoles, say for monitors, remote location, etc. The SC48 when it first can out was being hailed as the M7 killer, at least in my market, so that is why I compared it to that. Also, I think it still cost a little more than the M7.

I like your questions to consider when choosing a house console. I can only hope the Audio Engineers everywhere will learn to put as much forethought into making such decisions if they do not already do so.

[metti]

Since a profile uses layers and has no built in touch panel, by your logic it too is on par with an M7. Anyway, the SC48 is clearly targeted at the M7 market both in price and functionality and IMHO it is a superior product. It sounds better and it has some really sweet features.

[museav]

Since a profile uses layers and has no built in touch panel, by your logic it too is on par with an M7. Anyway, the SC48 is clearly targeted at the M7 market both in price and functionality and IMHO it is a superior product. It sounds better and it has some really sweet features.

This is the problem when comparing digital consoles as it can depend greatly on what you are comparing. If somebody wanted a digital consoles with no layers then the SC48 is not comparable to the M7CL. If somebody wants a console that uses plug-ins or has direct ProTools integration, then the M7CL is not comparable to the SC48. If someone wanted AES, ADAT, Cobranet or EtherSound I/O, then the LS9 is probably more comparable to the M7CL than is the SC48. There are so many potential factors that can be involved that each situation almost has to be looked at uniquely as far as what products might be 'comparable' in any particular application.