VULCAN ERUPTS: DIGICO SD12 LAUNCH
19 January 2017
Group Tech HQ was abuzz this morning. It was 9:30am and coffees and croissants were being brewed and devoured to wake Australia’s who’s who of live sound. They were convened thanks to the promise of a big worldwide product launch.
And it was. Big.
As you can see from our Facebook Live footage, Digico MD James Gordon chimed in with his ‘Minority Report’-style presentation of the big idea behind Project Vulcan. There’s plenty of familiar Digico trademarks. Two 15-inch touchscreens, 72 full channels, 36 freely assignable busses, a 12 x 8 output matrix, LR/LCR buss with full processing, 12 stereo effects units, 16 graphic EQs, 119 dynamic EQs, 119 multiband compressors and 119 Digi-Tubes, 12 Control Groups (VCA), and SD Series Stealth Core 2 software, for compatibility with all other SD Series sessions. They’ve also done something different under the bonnet with a range of optional cards that will accommodate any I/O eventuality.
Metering feedback has been improved — the Dynamics controls are exactly where you’d expect them to be, but with the addition of gain reduction meters normally only seen on the SD7 and SD5, and metering to show the action of the gates. The level of feedback from the work surface is hard to find at this price point (which will be made public shortly).
On the back of the console is a standard local I/O format. There are eight local mic/line inputs, eight local line outputs and eight AES/EBU in/out for local digital sources, as well as two MADI ports, plus a UB MADI connection for recording at 48kHz; 48 tracks of recording are possible with the console clocking at 48kHz and 24 tracks if it is clocking at 96kHz.
Digico MD James Gordon: “The SD12 takes all the true DiGiCo values and installs them into a compact, cost effective surface with unrivalled feedback and control. It is ideal for operators that demand the best audio quality, combined with an intuitive and fast multi-screen worksurface.”
With its worldwide premiere kicking off in Melbourne, traversing the globe and ending up at NAMM in Cali, the big Vulcan reveal will undoubtedly be the talk of the Anaheim show.
Digico: www.digico.biz
Group Technologies: www.gtaust.com
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