Soundcraft Extends Digital Console Range with Si Compact 16 at NAMM

Positioned as the digital mixing solution for all sizes of sound company or user, the new Soundcraft Si Compact Series is a range of digital consoles that brings all the experience of Soundcraft's digital mixing platforms to an affordable price level for tour sound, corporate event, house of worship, and theatre applications, among others.

At the NAMM show Keith Watson, Harman's marketing director for mixers, said, "We've had a fantastic reaction to the 24-fader model launched at PLASA in September. Being 19" rack-mounted, the 16 is our response to massive demand from our clients in live sound including houses of worship, installed systems, theatres, and corporate events."

With full DSP functionality built-in to a small-footprint chassis, the Si Compact range provides up to 40 inputs to mix in three frame sizes. Motorized faders with patented Soundcraft FaderGlow operate on two layers, but the main difference from similarly priced mixers is the provision of a full encoder set for all the functions on a channel, from input gain through EQ and dynamics to bus controls. Drawing on its bigger brothers; Soundcraft's Si Series, the new Si Compact packs powerful digital mixing facilities along with Lexicon effects into a trio of small footprint consoles available in 16, 24, or 32 mic/line input formats, withfour stereo returns.

No layering of the audio controls makes operation fast and simple, the company says, adding that,, with four separate Lexicon FX processors with dedicated FX busses in addition to the main mixes, and BSS Graphic EQ for every bus, you'll never find yourself wishing you had more processing power.

Speaking of the launch, Andy Trott, Harman's vice president and general manager for mixing, microphones, and headphones said, "Whilst over the past two years we've expanded our digital range with high- and mid-range extensions to the Vista, OnAir, Vi and Si Series, we've been determined to drive our product portfolio down into the sub $10,000 price points. Our strategy has always been to integrate no-compromise audio quality together with innovative, feature-rich specifications and an easy-to-use-and-learn, highly intuitive user interface. Si Compact is the result of 18 months of extremely focused and creative development and is particularly exciting as it's so unique; it brings together so many professional features and technologies from across Harman Professional brands into a highly specified but yet super compact mixing platform at an unbelievably low price point."

Soundcraft's audio quality comes courtesy of EMMA Lite, the same DSP platform that has helped propel the larger Si Series to industry standard status and riders on events all around the world. Features like dedicated FX busses, 16 line outputs plus AES, an option card slot for MADI or other connectivity, a Global Mode for instant access to Pan, Gain and Filters, a color touchscreen interface and FaderGlow equip Si Compact to easily handle a range of live sound mixing applications including bands, theatres, and houses of worship.

Trott adds, "I'm confident that the user community will be delighted with the Si Compact and the wide choice we now provide with Soundcraft and Studer mixing consoles. We now have the widest price-range of digital consoles in our history -- that's got to be good for engineers and audio companies!"