X32userconfigs - NEWS #4              April-2019

         Nature's exploding all around - some of you have been joining us -
         and there are news worth sharing!

         May it be inspiring to you as it is for us.
         Have a good time in growing your sound expertise this year!
         If you have any ideas or comments, leave a note.
         With spring time greetings!
         Gerson

    TOPs:

1.  The most compact functionally extended and safety-oriented Optimized X32 family system
    at most unrivalled price ever!
2.  X32 Rack enhancing existing X32/M32 setup
3.  Using WAVES Multirack with X32 at Gospel Choir Concert

    1. Optimized X32 family system

        They're really existing, so-called "sweetpots" or "optimized combinations"!
        And here we're looking at it from live-sound perspective

        But before telling what it consists of, have a look at the quite impressing functionality this
        simple system is offering:

• Full 2x 32 channel split mix:
  32ch monitor-independent FOH-mix into 5 stereo subgroups. This being a real step forward.
  32ch FOH-independent monitor mix, musicians are handling their own mix with tablets/smartphones
• 10 monitor busses (10 mono monitors or 5 stereo-in-ears, or combinations of both);
  (alternatively even 12 monitor busses (12 mono monitors or 6 stereo-in-ears, or combinations of both)
  if one can do without the one additional insert effect rack from X32-Rack-DSP!)
• 4 additional send-return effect racks from X32-Rack-DSP (one of those two stageboxes) available on FOH
• 1 additional insert effects rack from X32-Rack-DSP available on FOH
• Safety concept: One additional X32 Rack is capable of substituting each of the 3 different units
  (X32 Compact, X32 Rack, SD16 (or DL16 or S16)) in case of emergency (apart from AES/EBU use)!

        Components:

       Actual pricing (April 2019):
       X32 Compact:     1200€
       X32 Rack:            700€
       SD16:                  500€
       total:                 2300€
       safety X32 Rack:  700€

       Functionality and system safety is unrivalled on the market for
       an amount of 3000€!!

       The new SCENES 23c_foh.scn, 23c_rack.scn and 23c_sd16.scn do exactly what is described above.
       Check them out and work at a really optimized X32 level!    

   2. X32 Rack enhancing existing X32/M32 setup

       One of you said, he owned an M32R with a DL32 stagebox.
       (And yes, the more expensive MIDAS Mic preamps are the best you can get for this system.)
       And since he also had an X32 Rack, he asked how to enhance his system with it at FOH position.
       The results are SCENES 23a_foh.scn and 23a_rack:
     

• Full 2x 32 channel split mix:
  32ch (monitor-independent) FOH-mix into 5 stereo subgroups (10 busses)
  32ch (FOH-independent) monitor mix into 8 monitor busses or 4 stereo-in-ears,
  or combinations of both; (musicians volume control with own tablets/smartphones)
• 4 additional send-return effect racks from X32-Rack-DSP available on FOH

     For 45€ for both SCENEs you get functionality improvements with additional value far beyond that!

    3. Using WAVES Multirack with X32 at Gospel Choir Concert

        It was at a 10 week project Gospel Choir final concert performance.
        Having 6 condenser mics put to the different voices, those were mixed together to a choir subgroup.
        Using the AUX send and returns the signal was routed through X-WSG card to a WAVES Impact Server.
        Choir-Mics and many other signals were also routed directly each through Multirack.
        Applied plugins:
        Every choir voice:      X-FDBK - PSE - RVox
                                       With X-FDBK the strongest feedback frequencies were reduced
                                       (automatically through ringing at soundcheck)
                                       PSE reduced channel volume when not singing
                                       RVox did a first unaudible compression
        Choir subgroup:        NLS Buss - C6 - S1 Imager
                                       NLS Buss giving a warm analog feel.
                                       C6 doing multiband compression.
                                       S1 widening the stereo image
        Doubler choir subgr.: NLS Bus - C6 - Reel ADT Live - S1 Imager - TrueVerb
                                       Reel ADT Live simulates a vintage tape machine with variations in left and right
                                       speed, thus generating a natural sounding voice doubling
        Piano:                      PianoCentric: Processing Piano sound clear, with slight delay and doubling.
        Drums-Kick:             Smack Attack - RCompressor - RBass
                                       Smack Attack delivering the desired punchy kick sound
                                       RComp compressing softly
                                       RBass giving a deep stomach felt bass, not to be achieved with EQing
        Drums-Snare:           Smack-Attack - VComp     
        Drums-Overheads:    F6: Dynamic EQ with Analyzer
        Drums-Toms:            Smack Attack - RBass    
        Drums-Subgroup:     NLS Buss - C6         
        Acoustic Guitar:        RenAxx: very suited compressor for (acoustic) guitars
        Solo vocal:               RVox - F6 - Sibilance - VoiceCentric
                                       RVox with first slight compression and Gate - no artefacts
                                       Sibilance: optimized automatic vocals deesser
                                       VoiceCentric: Mono-to-stereo voice compressor-exciter-delay-pitch-reverb
                                                          giving special polishing
       

        Summarizing:
        The available plugins are way beyond what could ever be done with the X32 on its own
        and gave a lot of freedom and polishing tools!
        Guests comments on band sound were very positive. Songs with solo vocals only almost perfect ;).
        PA was FOHHN LX150 with Sub on both sides - excellent vertical beaming for church buildings,
        avoiding unnecessary sound distribution and thus contributing to high intelligibility;
        very fine and powerful sound!
        With our 2 choir subgroups in parallel we could open up and really double the sonic image of the
        choir voices - impressing!
        The only thing we would definitely be doing different next time, since we were not able to put out
        the choir volume we wanted before getting feedback, is definitely using one mic (SM57 or SM58)
        for 2-3 singers each, thus avoiding "far distance choir micing" with all it's monitoring problems!

        For those interested we could be programming SCENES 24a_foh.scn, 24a_rack.scn, combined with the
        suitable WAVES Multirack Session configuration.
        Keep in mind that applying it, additionally to your X32/M32 setup, you would need:
        X-WSG card (599$), WAVES Impact Server (999$), Netgear 8-port switch (90$), Multirack software
        (499$), WAVES plugins (best is to follow their newsletter for all those special offers. In the course
        of one year almost all plugins can be bought as special offer).
        And, mostly it is possible to add a 10% coupon like this one here: 10% OFF WAVES Voucher