|
You've been considering one of the new digital mixing consoles, but you might be concerned about the steep learning curve. When you read the feature list on these babies, it's easy to assume they're going to be formidable machines. Relax. You can have digital power without shutting your studio down for a few weeks to learn an entirely new user interface. Introducing the Panasonic DA7, a board with all the really important bells and whistles (and truly impressive specs!), but one that you'll feel right at home with. Oh, and a price that you'll feel pretty good about, too: Under $5,000 — and that's list!
For those of you who may have been vacationing in some remote area of the Amazon for the last six months or so, the DA7 is a 32-input, eight-bus, six Aux mixer that offers Internally, the DA7 reflects Ramsa's expertise in digital consoles (Ramsa's DX-1000 digital console has been critically acclaimed in Japan for years, though it has been unavailable in the US) and Panasonic's powerful influence in digital audio recording environments — Ramsa is the pro audio division of Panasonic, just in case you were wondering why there are two names on the board. Ergonomically, the console has the look and comfortable feel of a familiar analog friend, and houses an "LED Farm" display: A series of LEDs providing a quick look at the routing status, automation modes, Channel On/Off status, EQ On/Off, Dynamics On/Off, Panning In/Out, and Aux Send On/Off. Additionally, quick access to the console's current configuration is accessible via a large screen graphic display, designed to eliminate having to dig deep into layers of screens to view routing configuration information. As a matter of fact, Ramsa engineers took the "time is money" reality of studio and broadcast environments seriously when designing the graphics display routing feature. The displays of channel settings and parameters are all quickly accessible via a quick touch of the assignable control buttons. The type or amount of data to be displayed on the screen can be user defined, while certain indicators, such as a SMPTE Time Code readout, are present on all screens. All mix, processing, routing, and surround sound parameters are accessible via the graphics display. Built-in parametric EQ and dynamic controllers are assignable on all inputs and Aux Returns. Via the unit's MIDI ports, a variety of external automation operations are possible, including control of external effects and other MIDI compatible instruments. In addition, up to 50 each of EQ, Dynamics and Channel Status settings can be stored, as well as 50 Global settings of the entire console for instant recall. Industry experts are already singing the praises of the Panasonic DA7. In the July issue of EQ, Craig Anderton wrote, "The (user) interface is, in a word, marvelous. I was able to get quite far without looking at the manual. I hesitate to say that, though, because you can't use the DA7 to its full advantage unless you do read the manual — there are many shortcuts and nifty little features." Put together all the features and user-friendly interface with the DA7's rather breathtakingly low list price, and you have to admit — I mean have to! — that this is one of the most impressive price-to-performance items to come along in quite some time. Yes, you can spend more on a digital mixer, but most of us would rather pay less and get all the functionality and sonic performance we need (personally, I don't need that integrated digital bun warmer) in one package that's ready to plug in and use to make great music.
Master Index | Sweet Notes Index | Home | Back Page | Next Page |
true 24-bit I/O capability (and let's face it, the future is 24-bit, so you might as well get with the program now), 5.1 surround sound mixing mode, extensive dynamic and snapshot automation and one function/one step screen layer operation, to name just a few features.