Behind The Mixer

Learn Church Audio Artistry | Church Sound

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With the coloring and lighting, it looks like a console the Doctor would use (sonic screwdriver not included).

Want to buy a DiGiCo console? Grab your neighbor’s wallet because they are EX-PENSIVE! I’m all for paying up for a quality console but what comes with the lower-priced ($7k) DiGiCo S21?

I don’t assume it’s because they are going after a larger market. Oh, it’s entirely possible that someone at the company said, “hey, there is a huge market for sub-$10k consoles – we could make some good dough.” Ok, maybe I do assume that. After all, Digico’s Managing Director, James Gordon said, “We wanted to design an entry level console that retained all the features and values Digico is known for…that allows even more audio engineers to join the Digico family.”  That’s not a bad thing, just like Yamaha going for the sub-$5k market with their new TF series.

So what can you get for the $7k investment? A lot.

  • 24 mic line inputs
  • 12 analog outs
  • 2 AES I/O (mono)
  • Word clock I/O
  • DVI out (for an external monitor)
  • 2 DMI slots (up to 64 I/O slot)
  • 2 Ethernet connections for networking
  • 2 x 24 segment master / solo meters
  • 4 layers of banks of 10
  • Customizable bank and channel layout
  • Snapshots
  • 46 buses: 16 x stereo (32), stereo Master (2), solo buses (2 stereo, 4 total), and 10 x 8 matrix (8)
  • 40 flexi-channels mono/stereo (equivalent of 80 DSP channels)
  • 16 flexi buses mono/stereo (equivalent of 32 DSP buses)
  • 16 assignable 32 band graphic EQs
  • 8 FX engines (reverbs, delays, w/modulation and enhancer)
  • 4 assignable DiGiTubes
  • 4 assignable Multiband comps
  • User definable macros

Here’s a good video review:

 

You can find out more here. (Notice they dropped the D – it’s S21, not SD21).

Also, see the other new console releases this month with the new Yamaha TF series and the StudioLive control surface.

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  1. There are sooo many problems with this console. We have a pair of S21’s and they are still not 100%.
    1 – software is glitchy still
    2 – can’t run 96K (they say you can but still cannot)
    3 – set up for a small event and it takes forever to set up console, even for a basic podium gig.
    4 – technical support is not at where it should be. It could take weeks for a reply back.
    5 – if you have to wear a walkie-talkie around the console it could affect the screen by blacking it out.

    there are a few other issues but i wouldn’t recommend this console for anyone.

    if anyone has any console updates on this one please share.

    Reply

  2. I’ve recently ordered one for a church I do contract work for. We were able to pair the S21 console with a DMI Cat5e card and a D-Rack to add to it’s capability. We will have a total of 40 flexi channels of control between the mixing and matching of the 32 inputs on the D-Rack and the 24 inputs on the console itself. 16 outputs between the rack and board, 8 on the rack and 12 on the console. All processing at 96hz. I can’t wait to get this board in and see what it can do and how good it actually sounds. My expectations are fairly high just having the DiGiCo name stamped on it. Coming in at under $15000 for the set up, it puts it at half the price of the equivalent SD9 set up.

    Big thanks to Alex Zents at Greater Than Entertainment for helping us with this order.

    Reply

      • Hi Josh,

        We got the first of the two consoles we ordered in this week. I personally have not had an opportunity to make it over to the campus and get hands on yet, I know our head of audio has been setting it up and getting it ready to go.

        I have been told that the user interface is extremely easy to read and the touch screens are extremely responsive to single and multi-touch. This weekend will be be the first weekend with it and we’ll get to see how it sounds and works for weekend services.

        I’ll post another update later.

        Thanks!

        Reply

      • We got the board partially integrated this past weekend. We are waiting on some additional pieces to the puzzle before fully integrating including a new Sound Web London and BOB unit that will be used with the D-Rack for system processing. Mapping the inputs and assigning labels is easy as pie. The board sounds great! was easy to operate, very responsive to touch and multi-touch operations. The level of control is awesome. I personally played guitar this weekend and through my IEM’s noticed an extreme clarity coming direct from one of the outs on the D-Rack that was set up as an Aux.

        There was a little bit of struggle at various places due to the fact it’s still version one software and we are told some of these small bugs will be worked out on the update that is coming soon. Also there were a few things we had to figure out on our own as there isn’t a full user manual as of yet, it only has a 27 page quick start guide.

        Overall, we are thrilled with the board and can’t wait to get the second one we ordered in next month. If you are a medium sized church that expects extreme quality out of your audio, doesn’t have quite the budget for a higher end console such as an SD9, this is a fantastic board and would be a great fit for pretty much anyone!

        Reply