Soundcraft Folio And Spirit Live 16 channel

[David Hauer]

We are getting ready to replace our church's two sound boards. We use the folio for music feed to one channel of the spirit (16 channels). The board is showing age with channels starting to have issues. We plan on going with one board with 24-32 channels. The stage is fed with an analog snake
Can someone recommend an equivalent modern board for replacements. Budget is around 2-3 grand or higher if needed. Would like to add compression on board if it makes sense to have it internal on board. Reverb would be nice as well!
Thanks!
Dave

 

[JohnD]

Welcome to CB. The mods may move this to the "Sound, Music and Intercom" section where it will be seen by more people.
Your church is in the perfect position to switch from analog consoles to a digital console. The main advantage is that there is a lot of built in capability that would require outboard gear for an analog console. Take a look at Behringer X32 family, the Soundcraft Expression range and the Allen and Heath QU series. I don't know what you have available locally in the form of music stores, sound companies and such. It is sometimes best to buy locally if at all possible so that when you need help it is available. You can learn a lot by window shopping at online sources such as Sweetwater.com and FullCompass.com.

 

[Dionysus]

Welcome to Control Booth!
I'd also suggest a separate post in the audio area. It's difficult to replace on 2-3 grand and really get where you likely would like to be but not impossible. Since you would like Reverb and Compression as well I'd say you really want to go digital. There are some analog mixers with reverb and SOME compression built in, but really I would never recommend them myself for most purposes. They are okay for certain situations, but not a good idea for a venue like a church or theatre.
Window Shopping at Sweetwater and FullCompass will of course help but you may want to contact some local-ish companies. You might even be able to swing a deal for a used console or such.

The Behringer X32, Roland M-200i, Allen & Heath QU series and others will be your best bet on budget. You don't need to go crazy, and it really depends on what you are doing. The M-200i isn't really good at doing a whole lot from scratch on the fly, but once its set up its a good cheap console.

Since you already have an analog snake you really don't have to worry about digital snake boxes and the like, but you'll want a console with sufficient hardware inputs available on it (because without it you'd have to buy more hardware).

Haha I have a Soundcraft Spirit Live, the thing sits in my apartment for the most part as it is HUGE for what it is. Still works fine, but I just hate having to move it around these days.

 

[TimmyP1955]

You can get an X32 for $2300 + shipping. If you think that the learning curve might be too much for the staff, get a clean used GL2200, 2400, or 3300 - there's bound to be someone local who's looking to unload one, or something higher-end, for cheap (or even "just make it go away").

 

[David Hauer]

Thanks for all your inputs! I will report back on the board that we purchase!