RPM 88 Programmable Multiprocessor

BillESC

Well-Known Member
For those of you who do installs, the RPM 22, 44 or 88 might be the answer to your prayers.

We're currently working on a difficult installation in a private country club. They have three rooms and one veranda. Each room must be able to have multiple independent music sources or be ganged with any other combination of rooms. A plugged in mic in each room must also be able to be routed to any combination of the four rooms. Each room also needs its' own volume control.

The really hard part of the specifications is it must be idiot proof.

Enter the Rane RPM 88. 8 analog inputs (switchable from mic to line level) and 8 balanced analog outputs is just the start. A two-channel AES3 digital input and two-channel AES3 digital output are also provided on each, making the RPM 88 a true 10-input, 10-output device. All I/O, including the AES3 I/O, has its own, 100% user-defined signal processing path. The RPM's analog inputs feature software-controllable mic preamps with an equivalent input noise (EIN) of -128 dBu.

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Each room gets a Smart Remote that mounts in a single gang Decora box and offers 31 preset combinations of routing and volume control.

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Multiple sources - multiple zones - simple control . . . priceless.
 
For line level routing and signal processing, I love the Yamaha DME Sattellite Series. The editor software is amazing, and the remotes are rather nice. Cobranet is a great thing to run long distances - not applicable in your install here Bill, but in many others, it works wonders. And in case y'all were wondering, I should get that Cobranet article that I was working on done in a few weeks - I'm just kinda the ME for a 350-light, close to 750 channel dance concert rig right now...
 
I pm'd a reply - I'm talking to the TD tomorrow, so I should call shortly after lunch.
 
The Rane RPM series are nice units, but to keep from appearing like an advertisement, it should be noted that there are similar products available from Ashly, Biamp, BSS/London Architect, ClearOne, Lectrosonics, Peavey/MediaMatrix, Polycom/ASPI, QSC, Shure, Symetrix, Yamaha and others. Several offer similar remote controls and most of these can also tie in to AMX or Crestron type control systems. Each unit has their own specific benefits and limitations but for many applications any number of them might work. Over the years I think I've used units from every one of the manufacturers I listed, I even had a project that used units from three different manufacturers for three different applications within the same building.

Do be aware that programming most of these devices does take some familiarity and possibly training.
 
What do you think about using an RPM88 in lieu of a a loudspeaker DSP such as a DriveRack 480? It seems to offer all of the features, plus more inputs and greater routing flexibility. In some cases (such as the FOH and monitor applications I have) it can take the place of two 480s!
 
The really hard part of the specifications is it must be idiot proof.

Just when you think is idiot proof somebody comes along who is a bigger idiot.
 
What do you think about using an RPM88 in lieu of a a loudspeaker DSP such as a DriveRack 480? It seems to offer all of the features, plus more inputs and greater routing flexibility. In some cases (such as the FOH and monitor applications I have) it can take the place of two 480s!
Sure, most any of the matrix processor units could serve as a system/speaker processor, in fact this is often how I use them. However, most of the 8x8 type processors are probably 1-1/2 to 2 times the cost of the DriveRack 480 and while more flexible, are essentially blank form the manufacturer, so you have to know how to use the software and coonfigure the porcessing to use them.

Different DSP units have different advantages. Some are flexible configuration, they might be configurable as 12x4 or 8x8 or 4x12. Some have multiple input and output options, in a few cases including AES I/O or inputs with dedicated Acoustic Echo Cancellation for conferencing applications. Some devices are fixed at the size of the box while other units can be extended across multiple units for larger I/O counts, some of the latter have specific expansion boxes that have no internal DSP but that can add additional inputs and/or outputs at a lower cost. Some processors are directly compatible with CobraNet or EtherSound.

The processing algortihms can also differ. For example, most matrix DSP units provide some for of automixer algorithms, but they may differ in the type(s) offered (simple threshold gating, adaptive threshold gating, gain sharing, etc.). You also find that some units have more fixed processing while others are more flexible. For example, one unit may provide algorithms for 4x4, 8x8 and 16x16 matrix mixers while another may have the same, but alo let you define custom sizes, minimizing the DSP resources used if you need a 12x8 matrix. You might even find that some units allow only matrix routers while others support matrix mixers.

So it is really a matter of defining the inputs, outputs and processing required for the application, then selecting a device that works. I've had system processors that didn't require extreme signal processing, but that between mains, subs, fills and surround required over 20 outputs. Using one of the expandable DSPs made sense there, but the same system would not have been the most cost effective if there had only been 8 outputs required.
 

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