Uli Behringer seems to enjoy making the headlines, and he
surpassed himself at this year’s InfoComm. First, it was revealed on the eve of the Las Vegas show that Behringer’s Music Group had acquired Turbosound from Proel, then both Midas and Behringer brands revealed a significant digital console offering. The new, super-lightweight (21.5kg), multi-application PRO1 becomes the most affordable of Midas’s PRO range, and follows the successful release of the PRO2 and PRO2C at last year’s PLASA show. Packed with all the features of those two boards, PRO1 has a smaller footprint, and thanks to its newly-designed aluminium frame, can be picked up and thrown into the back of the car (as Midas’s brand development manager, Richard Ferriday, demonstrated). It’s also the first Midas PRO board that works independently of its stage boxes,
as all its 24 inputs and outputs are right there on the backplate; alternatively, when connected to any Midas I/O digital stage boxes, it’s possible to mix up to 48 inputs simultaneously. Bigger news arguably – and
surely enough to get the attention of all console manufacturers – is the release of Behringer’s X32: a 128-input/output, 32-channel digital board that boasts Midas-designed preamps, and a staggering $3,000 price-point. A game changer? Well, according to Behringer, it’s already a case of “game changed”. Watch this space. Although the AVnu Alliance took a stand (in both senses) to raise AVB awareness in the heart of the audio hall with a series of seminars, it was also evident that Dante is continuing to make a significant impact. Lectrosonics, for example, launched its Aspen DNT Dante 32 I/O network processor, which is the follow-up to the manufacturer’s original
More than 34,250 visitors descended on the Las Vegas Convention Centre for InfoComm 2012 last month – up 4% on last year – and it had a bit of everything: announcements, new products and some very cool demonstrations, writes Paul Watson
Aspen system. This ultra-low latency unit (typically 1.5ms for a 48-input system) utilises the protocol to transform Aspen from an isolated system into a network system. “We chose Dante because it’s
Richard Ferriday and the super-lightweight Midas PRO1
gathered momentum in recent years – it’s working now, and it also runs off standard off- the-shelf network hardware,” reveals Karl Winkler, Lectrosonics’ director of business development. “Audio needs to be real-time, and Dante adds very little latency to route audio to a room; also, you don’t need any expensive switchers or routers.” A fair point from Winkler – and considering Cisco (although a member of AVnu Alliance) still hasn’t introduced any AVB-compliant products at this point, the fact that it is responsible for more than 75% of the installed sound market certainly raises the question as to when exactly AVB will really get off the ground.