Soundcraft announces more new features and facilities for the Soundcraft Vi Series digital console. Starting in March, the desks will support multiple stageboxes. This means that a digital patchbay can be created where the engineer can select the 64 inputs to a Soundcraft Vi6 (or 48 on the Soundcraft Vi4) from a selection of inputs available on any of the connected stageboxes. For example, with two stageboxes connected, there are 128 inputs to select from; with three, there would be 172, and so on.
The Vi Series stagebox is the main input/output interface for the system, with up to 64 mic/line inputs and 32 line outputs available, or AES/EBU digital cards can take the place of mic/line I/Os.
Also beginning in March, the Vi Series will have the ability to set up shows and configurations offline on a PC, which can then be downloaded to the desk from a USB memory drive.
The Vi Offline Editor software will be downloadable for free from www.soundcraftdigital.com starting in March, and can run stand-alone in any location and transfer the file at any time. All routing, naming, EQ and dynamic settings, and so on, can be pre-configured offline. This also provides new engineers with an opportunity to “test” the console on their laptops before trying them hands-on. The editor can also be configured to control the DSP core in the absence of the desk control surface, and thus control the audio in an emergency.
For more information, visit www.soundcraft.com.
