Soundcraft may have changed a lot since Graham Blyth and Phil Dudderidge established the brand in 1973, but their mission has remained steadfastly the same. They originally launched with the Series 1, an industry-redefining portable mixing console built directly into a flight case. Not only did the Series 1 practically establish the concept of the modern portable mixer, but touring bands throughout the UK quickly adopted it, and this mixer (along with its immediate successors) was instrumental in establishing the "British sound."
It wasn’t long before Soundcraft mixing desks started showing up in theaters, churches, performance venues, and even recording studios. While Soundcraft is still responsible for creating many of the world’s most popular portable analog mixers, they’ve long since expanded into the realm of affordable digital mixing desks, bringing a whole new level of mixing flexibility to a broader market than ever. What's more, their innovation has extended down to the personal mixing level, providing low-cost options for small bands and recording artists as well.
The fact that Soundcraft cut their teeth in the era of analog mixers has certainly played a major role in the success of their cutting-edge digital mixers. As opposed to completely reinventing the wheel, Soundcraft's approach to digital mixing is remarkably simple. Instead of completely redefining the standard mixing workflow, they merely enhanced it with the power of digital flexibility and processing.
One great example of this philosophy in action is Soundcraft's highly successful Si series. These consoles include a master control section that's arranged in an easy-to-follow, color-coded configuration that anyone from a new volunteer sound tech to a lifelong analog engineer can instantly follow. This same priority for straightforward operation also extends to grouping and send configurations, which benefit from FaderGlow backlighting. With FaderGlow, it's next to impossible to get lost when switching fader layers, a major source of confusion common to digital mixers.
An additional convenience Si series mixers offer is integration with Soundcraft's Mini Stageboxes. For large setups, where long cable runs require massive snakes and result in noticeable signal degradation, digital stageboxes like these are extremely handy. They reduce up to 32-channel snakes to single Cat 5 cables and ensure lossless 24-bit/48kHz digital audio connectivity.
A final note about Soundcraft's novel approach to digital mixing concerns their Ui series. These rackmount mixers feature none of the traditional hardware mixing controls, yet their app-based remote control is so intuitive that anyone with a tablet or a computer will have no trouble using one as a live mixer. This is no small accomplishment for a mixer in a format that often comes with a steep learning curve and many concessions.
Of course, Soundcraft is still a domination force in the world of affordable large-format analog mixing boards. Their GB and LX7ii series consoles are among the top full-size analog consoles on the market. These mixers deliver everything an old-school engineer could ask for: dozens of discrete channels with premium mic pres, full in-line EQs, and hands-on routing controls. Everything is laid out in a classic, logical fashion you can survey at a glance. That makes Soundcraft a top choice for large churches, mid-sized venues, touring companies, and monitor-mix engineers.
Today, Soundcraft mixers are also an A-list choice for smaller venues, gigging bands, and even recording artists. For example, the larger Signature series models are extremely popular house of worship mixers, providing enough channels for a whole worship team and speakers, plus it includes enough grouping options to make it all manageable. Smaller Signature and EFX series mixers are ideal for clubs and local bands, and when you get down to the Notepad series, which includes USB recording, you have excellent options for home recording too.
One final aspect of Soundcraft you can't overlook is their inclusion in the Harman International group. This has afforded Soundcraft the opportunity to incorporate a lot of technology from several other manufacturers that are highly respected at Sweetwater. That means you'll find Soundcraft mixers with Studer preamps and dbx processing such as dynamics and feedback suppression. Even the most affordable Soundcraft mixers typically come with Lexicon digital effects onboard. In other words, when it comes to sheer value, Soundcraft mixers bring a lot to the table.
