Installs DSP's for a small/medium sized install.

[lakota651]

Greetings All,

Alright, I am upgrading a sound, because, well, frankly it is in need of fixing. Currently there is ONLY a cross-over managing the main cluster (4 cabinets), side fills, and front fills.... (I Know), all being fed off of the Mono output of the board. Subs are currently off an AUX send.

There is not a whole lot of money to throw at this right now, but it is something that needs to be taken care off.

After reading a review in FOH Magazine (Nov. 2008) I am seriously looking at the Electro-Voice DC-One Processor.

What I am looking for is to hear from people who have used (or know people who use) this particular unit, or any recommendations for similar products known to be reliable and of good quality (best bang for the buck sort of things).

I look forward to your replies.

 

[museav]

Here's what I normally do. Start with the specifics on the quantity and type of inputs and outputs, that may eliminate some options. Then consider the processing desired, that may eliminate some of the remaining options. Finally, consider the people programming it and their skill level and experience.

On the latter, an example might be that unless someone has the tools and knowledge to determine the settings then it may be a distinct advantage to have factory presets for the speakers involved.

On the programming, there is a difference between a system processor and a speaker processor. If you require flexible routing, processing such as automixers, control logic and so on then that will eliminate most devices that are primarily speaker processors.

Anyways, the overall point is that comparing alternatives in any detail typically requires knowing more about the specifics of the application. It is not unusual for me to lay out a system in the software for several of these just to see which can best support that particular application.

Some other options that I commonly see are the BSS London Architect series, the Biamp Audia and Nexia series, the Symetrix Symnet series and the Ashly Protea series. Less common but gaining some are Alto and Xilica.

 

[lakota651]

You make some valid points. What I am looking for is along the lines of a speaker controlle, with at least 2x6 (configurable) however a 4x8 would be nice. What I need out of a unit is to be able to place a limiter on the the imputs, and EQ and Delay on the outputs. If I can get a 4x8 unit I will also use it to handle the subs, so it will need to have a crosser (which I don't really know of one that doen't)

As far a who is setting it up, it will be self and a buddy mine. We will be shooting the room and analysing the room using SMART.

The London series would be nice, however it is out of the price range and over kill for the system. We are just looking for somethings to compliment the existing equipment. The space is basically a cafitorium with carpet.

 

[TimmyP1955]

We are using Rane RPM88s for monitors and house, and are very pleased with the performance and capabilities. The only thing that bugs me it is that with the exception of compressors, nothing is stereo, so making changes on L/R (for instance) takes a little more work (though you can copy and past an entire EQ from one to another). (I ended up with a third one that I may end up selling ;-) RPM 88 Programmable Multiprocessor

 

[museav]

As far as 4x8 processors, in the $1,000 to $2,000 range are the Ashly 4.24D or 4.24C, Shure P4800, Sabine NAV480 or NAV4802 or the Xilica XP-4080 or XD-4080. These are definitely not a BSS London or Lake processor, but they are a fraction of the price as well.

 

[lakota651]

Thank you guys for your input. After doing some research I have decided to go with Ashly 4.24D, mainly for two reasons. One being that I can order it through a local reseller at very reasonable rate, and the other being that I have been seeing more Ashly DSPs around as of late.

The Rane look really appealing and I am a fan of the analogue products. However the price is more than I can justify at the moment.

The Xilica seems like a really nice unit and I would love to see one. While specs and price were right, I have a few concerns about going with this unit. First, no one I personally know knows little to nothing of the company or their products. And I could only find a few US resellers, and no one local (to my knowledge) is a reseller, which concerns me about being able to get support should I need it later down the road. Have said that, I am extremely intrigued by the unit, and if anyone happens to use one in the Phoenix area let me know.