Harman’s Soundcraft in Potters Bar, UK, is introducing the Vi3000 digital live sound console, offering state-of-the-art features including internal DSP Soundcraft SpiderCore, a new industrial design, 96 channels to mix, Dante compatibility and more.
The Vi3000 uses the new internal DSP SpiderCore based on the company’s Vista 1 engine, with Soundcraft’s Vi Version 4.8 operating software, while adding a fourth 24-channel fader layer to improve access to the console’s 96 input channels. The surface operation and layout is similar to other Vi Series consoles, providing a familiar feel while offering expanded functionality. The Vi3000 features upgraded microphone preamps and 40-bit floating point DSP processing.
The Soundcraft Vi3000 features an all-new appearance with a more efficiently designed control surface, 36 faders, 24 mono/stereo busses and a sweeping black screen panel with four Vistonics II touchscreen interfaces with updated 3-D graphics. Because the Vi3000 has four touchscreens, it’s said to be the only console in its class that can be used by two engineers at the same time.
The Soundcraft Vi3000 rear panel offers a full complement of analog and digital inputs and outputs. The console provides MIDI, USB, Ethernet, DVI out, Dante/MADI record feed outputs, redundant power supply and other connections.
The Vi3000 has two expansion bays that can be fitted with MADI Stagebox cards to connect multiple Soundcraft Stagebox input expander modules.
The Vi3000 can also accommodate the new Soundcraft Realtime Rack, a hardware/software unit designed in collaboration with plug-in manufacturer Universal Audio that provides access to 74 industry-standard UAD plug-ins. The Vi3000 is the first Soundcraft console to incorporate a Dante interface as standard, for seamless digital audio networking with Dante-enabled devices.
Along with its greatly expanded functionality, the Vi3000 retains all the features that have made the Soundcraft Vi Series the consoles of choice for live sound engineers worldwide, such as FaderGlow illuminated faders that display different colors according to function, the ability to store and recall snapshots and cues, compatibility with Soundcraft’s ViSi app that allows remote control from an iPad, built-in Lexicon reverb/delays, dbx compression, effects and more.
