DiGiCo SD9 launched at Frankfurt

25 March 2010

Germany - DiGiCo unveiled its SD9 console at ProLight+Sound in Frankfurt yesterday. The SD9 is a complete, integrated system, which includes the mixing surface, a D-Rack digital stage interface and CAT5E digital multicore, with the additional ability to simultaneously record 56 channels direct to multitrack software or DAW. And it all comes at a price "which makes the SD9 the perfect solution for touring bands, schools, conference centres, smaller theatres, houses of worship and a host of other applications where exceptional performance and flexibility need to be realised on a tight budget".

The SD9's work surface features a giant full-colour digital TFT LCD touch sensitive screen, 24 full-length motorised faders with touch-sensitive fader caps, high resolution bar graph meters, quick access encoders and buttons plus user defined RGB backlit LCD scribble strips to ensure that all functions of the system are available to users in a split second, with no hunting through multiple menus.

Featuring the third generation Stealth Digital Processing software, its Super FPGA technology incorporates floating point processing for "superior headroom, dynamic range and audio quality". The SD9 also features many of DiGiCo's other innovations, including snapshots, global scope, channel specific recall scope per snapshot, and a global crossfade for each console section, plus eight user Macros for fast access to presets.

The new D-Rack, which is an integral part of the SD9 system and connected to the work surface by a digital CAT5E cable (included), features 32 microphone inputs, eight line outputs and eight modular outputs that can be selected as either analogue or AES, providing a capacity of 32 ins and 16 outs.

The system is expandable, allowing a second D Rack to be connected via an additional CAT5E, doubling the number of inputs and outputs. The D-Rack can either be floor or rack mounted with the option of a standard single power supply or dual redundant supplies. A further option provides a fibre optic connection, allowing full compatibility with any DiGiCo SD Series console fitted with Optics, making the D Rack appropriate as a stage or orchestral compact remote rack, giving access to a maximum of 64 inputs and 32 outputs on stage.

The console also provides a standard MADI connection, which allows 56 channels of studio-quality multitrack recording output to a computer running Logic, Cubase, Nuendo, Samplitude, Reaper, Pro Tools or any other leading multitrack recording software as well as to any other DiGiCo console or rack.

(Jim Evans)