MIDAS PRO6 LIVE AUDIO SYSTEM – DIGITAL, WITH HERITAGE
LONDON, SEPTEMBER 2008: Midas is delighted to announce the worldwide public unveiling of its second networked digital audio system, the Midas PRO6 Live Audio System at PLASA 2008. Anticipating the interest this launch will generate, four systems are available for demonstration throughout the show.
Employing technologies developed from the groundbreaking XL8, the PRO6 offers the same exemplary sample-synchronised audio performance in a compact package.
Although the PRO6 standard system comprises a Control Centre with a footprint comparable to a 32 channel Verona and only two 7U 19” rack units, its diminutive size belies an ability to provide up to 80 simultaneous input processing channels and up to 32 (+3) discrete mixes, all of which feature EQ and dynamics processing options. By adding additional I/O hardware the PRO6’s network can be expanded up to 264 inputs and 264 outputs. These connections can be patched and routed on a scene-by-scene basis, by use of the PRO6’s powerful snapshot automation.
The PRO6’s FX and dynamics algorithms are more than high quality, easy-to-use Linux-based FX processing. They are incorporated within the PRO6’s automatic delay management system, so that wherever they are patched, the audio will be absolutely phase-coherent when summed into the mix.
The Midas microphone pre amp has become the benchmark throughout the audio world, and its current expression in the PRO6 sounds better than ever. Still built from discrete components, and based on the designs which were so successful in Midas analogue consoles such as the XL3, XL4 and Heritage, the PRO6’s dual (analogue and digital) gain stages enables users to shape the mic amps’ character according to preference.
The PRO6’s Control Centre has been designed as the optimum size for its function. All controls are within easy reach, and the concept of “bringing the console to the engineer” is fully exploited, freeing the mix engineer from thinking in terms of “layers” or “pages”. Instead, the PRO6 uses configurable colour-coded VCA and POPulation groups, which are deployed onto the control surface at the push of a button. This method was pioneered on the Midas XL8 Live Performance System, which is acclaimed by live sound engineers worldwide as making console navigation faster and more intuitive. Midas has designed the PRO6 Control Centre entirely around this concept, using different colours to navigate input channels in the same way that engineers have traditionally used coloured tape and fader knobs to aid in console navigation.
The Midas PRO6 is the world’s second live audio console to feature a unique and comprehensive automatic latency management system which, in addition to managing all internal routing and processing delay, also includes compensation for external analogue inserts. This means that all audio samples are synchronised before summing, resulting in absolute phase coherency at all outputs.
The Midas PRO6 feels, as well as sounds superb. All variable controls on the console are genuine potentiometers, not encoders. These access the FPGA engine through A-D converters and Midas’ custom interpolation algorithms ensuring a linear, analogue-style, silky smooth “feel” to the mix.
Reliability is a key concern with all Midas products, and all PRO6 hardware elements feature redundant power supplies as standard. The FPGA processing engine is of modular construction, with the option of a spare module which will automatically deploy in the event of an engine module failure (n+1 model). Digital audio transport uses the international AES50 standard, featuring feed-forward error correction which provides superior protection against lost data packets and synchronisation issues when compared to Ethernet-based systems. All links between hardware elements support redundant cables for both copper and optical options. The Control Centre houses dual-redundant Linux master control computers (MCs), both running full versions of the PRO6 Linux software. Either one is capable of running the entire system on its own, and operation can be switched between the two MCs without any loss of audio.
Requiring only mics, amps and speakers to provide a complete audio system, the Midas PRO6 networked audio system is compact enough for minimal environments, yet can be easily expanded for more demanding applications.
UNIQUE FEATURES
In addition to placing engineers in a familiar comfort zone which allows them to get on with the job of making great audio without worrying about the rigours of new technology, PRO6 also comes complete with a range of features unique invaluable in the world of live mixing.
These fall into six main categories:
• Sound quality
• User interface
• System design and network
• Reliability
• Service and support
• Return on investment
Sound quality
• Midas mic pre on all mic inputs
• Analogue and digital gain controls for optimisation of preamp performance and channel gain structure
• Midas EQ sound quality and “control feel”
• Midas dynamics with multiple styles
• Midas quality input and output CMRR and drive capability
User interface
• VCA (Variable Control Associations) centric mixing – input paging by musical function, rather than by numbers
• POP (population) Groups - input paging by musical function, rather than by numbers but without VCA gain control
• Muscle memory friendly E-Zone layout for EQ
• Muscle memory friendly D-Zone layout for dynamics
• Fast Zone for instant access to key channel parameters
• Electronic colour coding of control groupings for instant understanding without having to read
• Silky smooth, high accuracy rotary controls
• Optional dedicated discrete hardware remote control for onboard Graphic EQs (KT Rapide)
Status Visibility:
• Daylight visible display screens
• 25 discrete 20-segment LED meters
• Discrete LED meters for dynamics processing
• “All the meters all the time” master status screen
• Simple, visible hardware routing to master outputs
Dual Operators:
• Modular control surface with dul input areas – easily accommodates two operators
• Area A and area B free assignment
• Discrete dual solo systems
Automation:
• Full capability theatre style scene automation
• Snapshot scene automation has cross-scene global edit capability
• System can operate with showfiles written on earlier and later versions of firmware
• Separate scope settings for both scene store and recall
System design and network
• Optional Integrated analogue mic splits with local control and monitoring
• Integrated open-architecture AES50 digital audio distribution
• Dual or N+1 connections for cable redundancy
• Up to 100 metres of dual redundant connectivity between hardware elements (copper); up to 500m using optional optical fibre (where applicable)
• Automatic integral delay management system - audio outputs time and phase coherent
• Flexible, expandable hardware system
• Ethernet TCP-IP tunneling for third parties
• KVM (keyboard, video and mouse) switching on control surface
Reliability
• Proven, stable, Linux operating system
• Duplicated master control computers
• Control surface and processing engine have dual-redundant power supplies as standard
• Stage box has integral dual power supplies
Service and support
• 24/7 global telephone support
• Midas customer service and support centres in US, UK, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore
Return on Investment: Midas consoles depreciate slowly because of
• High demand
• Long term customer support and service
• Three year factory warranty
• Rugged design, tolerant of physical abuse!
• 10 year life before replacement policy (XL3,XL4)
L to R: Midas’ Richard Ferriday, Simon Harrison, David Cooper, John Oakley and Jason Kelly at the Midas PRO6 launch at PLASA 2008
ENDS
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Editors' information:
Midas live performance mixing consoles have been used by the world's most demanding sound engineers, performers and rental companies for three decades. The company strives to raise the standards of sonic quality through its programme of continual research and development, implementing new control functionality and user-friendly desk operation to anticipate and accommodate the ever-evolving needs of audio professionals who specify Midas consoles for their major tours, festivals, international events, broadcast projects and prestigious fixed installations.