UK - The D1 Live, a compact version of the D5 Live digital mixing system at what DiGiCo calls an "Access All Areas price", made its debut at PLASA 2004, heralding what the company confidently predicts will be its biggest selling product to date.

Aimed at the midrange rental company and installation markets, a brand new MADI card is largely responsible for the dramatic price reduction, by providing a fully digital link from stage to FOH for up to 100m of coax cable, where previously 50m was the maximum run -dispensing with the need for expensive optical fibre.

The worksurface has the D5's instantly familiar and distinctive look - although there is slightly less of it, as the new console provides two (rather than three) input fader sections, each with eight faders, and offers a maximum of 224 inputs and 224 outputs. It shares the D5's built-in dynamics, EQ, matrix, effects, snapshot memories and more.

The system comes in different flavours to suit the user, with four main feature configurations plus a variety of I/O configurations and other options - creating, says the company, a direct replacement for an analogue console.

Standard features include a 25 layered fader work surface, grouped in blocks of eight user definable banks per section, with a meter-bridge and 40 buss DSP engine; configurability for stereo, LCR(S) and 5.1 operations, 64 to 160 input processing channels and 8 fully user configurable macro buttons.

The D1 Live 40 provides 40 mic/line inputs plus 24 line outputs, full D5 input EQ and dynamics processing software, onboard effects, 38 x 8 matrix and 16 VCA control groups. It's supplied with a single FOH DiGiRack, enabling the use of existing copper multicore from stage.

The D1 Live 48DP (Dual Purpose) shares the D1 Live 40's feature set and adds a total of 48 mic/line inputs and 16 IPCs (insertable processing channels) which allow the console to work in both FOH and monitor roles. The D1 Live 48DR (Dual Rack) package adds a second, stage-end DiGiRack to this, providing a fully digital link from stage to FOH by way of 100m BNC coax cables running MADI.

Finally, the D1 Live 56EX is a fully enabled D1 Live system, providing 56 physical inputs on stage and is supplied with local and stage DiGiRacks plus 150m of fibre optic cable.

(Mike Lethby)


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