TECHNOLOGY REVIEW
Allen & Heath GLD-112
DIGITAL MIXER
Alistair McGhee looks at the latest addition to the GLD range to see if it meets all the demands of a live sound desk.
AUSTIN ALLEGRO or Toyota Corolla, sir? Well, no contest really. Japanese car manufacturers worked out early on what consumers wanted; ultra-reliable machines, regularly refreshed product lines, and a range of options to suit a variety of pockets. This, in a strange reverse kind of way, makes me think of Allen & Heath’s digital desks. The company’s iLive series technology has carved a significant reputation in the live market and the technology has been cleverly packaged to suit a wide range of requirements. The new Qu-16 is making
tremendous waves at a price point under two grand while the GLD series, iLive-T, and of course the iLive product lines have a multitude of stage box and surface options while remaining very affordable. And the latest addition to this extensive family is the GLD-112, a 28-fader surface for the GLD range. GLD launched with the
GLD 80 and a choice of stage boxes using Allen & Heath’s dSNAKE Cat5 technology. The GLD surface offers four layers so using advanced key stage 3 maths, the GLD 80 has 20 faders and by extension the new GLD 112 bumps that up to 28. So what is it you are
looking for in a live sound desk? Channel count, sound quality, and work flow? Or maybe facilities and reliability
40 November 2013
are top of your list? Of course cost is never far from our minds. The GLD series is a serious attempt to tick all these boxes. First the channel count,
well the GLD system maxes out at 48 inputs and eight stereo FX returns giving 64 inputs to the mix, this is what separates it from its big brothers in the iLive stable. But of course in the digital world channel count and
SOUND QUALITY When it comes to sound quality Allen & Heath has established a serious rep for its digital desks. The company’s mic amps across the range are well regarded and you should have no worries about quality on that score. You get four mic inputs as part of the eight analogue inputs on the surface (plus four phono inputs) and beyond that you need to
“Few other products offer that magic blend of features, workflow, sound quality, and expandability that makes the GLD-112 a bit of a bargain.” Alistair McGhee
fader count are both an issue. Who wants a 48-input desk with one fader and 48 layers? Yeah, I should never have launched it. The GLD-112’s main pitch is 28 faders on one surface. Why is that so important? Well think back to your 48 inputs. With a GLD-112 on two layers you get 56 faders, which the eagle-eyed among you will notice is enough to max out your inputs and have eight mix outputs without requiring dropping down to layers three and four. And with all your effects processing available on-board you might not need all the surface inputs so you have 12 or more faders for groups, auxs, and other fun stuff.
reach for the Cat5. The GLDs come ready fitted with an onboard dSNAKE input. The 2412 dSNAKE stage box packages 24 mic inputs with 12 outputs and the option for one I/O expander and personal mixing using Allen & Heath’s new MEmixer series of kit or something from Aviom. You should be able to fit a rock and roll band down 24 channels but if you insist on putting 23 mics on the kit then you can daisy chain an AR84 to the 2412, which gives eight more mic inputs and another four outputs. If that still isn’t enough you
can plug another AR84 expander direct into the GLD surface. I like the fact you can get 24 channels in one hit,
others may prefer the 16 by eight approach offered by other brands. One thing you can’t do which I would like to do is plug in two 2412s. What about workflow? Like many digital desks you access parameters of a ‘selected’ channel with hardware encoders and LED displays of settings. This can be used without reference to the built-in screen which as well as offering a graphic display of your settings as a touchscreen also functions as a control interface. It’s great to have both options and the dual capability offers a lot of flexibility. Each channel and mix output on the surface has a coloured LCD scribble strip. This simple feature is a real lifesaver. Yes, I shouldn’t have to mix by colour, but in the heat of the moment, reaching for a ‘red’ fader can be the difference between getting the lead vocal mic and the drummer’s vocal mic and nobody wants that. Except maybe the drummer’s mother, bless her. Each channel has a
dedicated ‘mix’ button allowing rapid assignments of channels to mixes and also a very quick method of checking a mix backwards. Not where is this channel going, but which channels are assigned to this mix? The onboard effects deserve a special mention, they have
been borrowed from the iLive series and are well tested and deliver professional sounding results across the board.
IN THE MIX So how does the mixer feel? I think very solid – both the hardware and the software feel thoroughly professional. This is not an MI product in wolf ’s clothing but a pro tool designed to do a job night in, night out. Like every Tom, Dick, and Debbie Harry it offers an iPad app. I
understand people wanting to set up the room over wireless, but personally I don’t want to mix over WiFi, bad experience, don’t like to talk about it. However there’s a cut down
version of the app (oneMix), which offers control of just one aux, allowing a musician
THE REVIEWER ALISTAIR McGHEE began audio life in Hi-Fi before joining the BBC as an audio engineer. After 10 years in radio and TV, he moved to production. When BBC Choice started, he pioneered personal digital production in television. Most recently, Alistair was assistant Editor, BBC Radio Wales and has been helping the UN with broadcast operations in Juba.
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