Behringer’s new digital mixer and snake system are impressive on paper, but how do they fare under real-life gigging conditions?
The newly released
X32 digital mixing console from Behringer has generated enormous amounts
of interest in the live-sound world, mainly because of its incorporated
technology from Midas and Klark Teknik, and its low launch price
compared to rival products from other manufacturers.
Technical
Editor Hugh Robjohns reviewed the console in last month’s SOS, but
I was asked to take the X32 out on a real-life gig and report back from
a user’s point of view. What you are about to read is therefore very
much my own take on using the X32 live, rather than any kind of
technical commentary — for that, you can read Hugh’s review at www.soundonsound.com/sos/aug12/articles/behringer-x32.htm.
As
well as the desk itself, I was given the new Behringer S16,
a 16-in/8-out digital snake based on Klark Teknik technology, and
Powerplay P16M personal monitor mixer.
Desk Job
I
didn’t have much time to find my way around the X32 before taking it
out for real, but I thought I’d better sit with it for an hour or so,
get the feel of the controls, and set up the channels I was going to
need for an outboor band gig the next day.
It
was a little bigger than I’d expected, although still nice and compact
considering its functionality. It’s easy to pick up, as there are good
deep handles built in on either side (which also contain the headphone
output sockets, one on each side), and it’s a manageable 20.6kg, so by
no means a heavyweight.
In practical terms, the
most noticeable feature of the X32 is that it has a full complement of
32 local XLR inputs and 16 outputs on the rear panel, so it can be used
as a live desk without the need for a digital snake, which would be
a good option if your venue already has stage feeds and returns plumbed
in. In many cases, you could simply put this in place of an existing
analogue desk without replacing a single plug or lead.
Digital Snake
The
Behringer X32 and its accompanying digital snake system, the S16, were
put to use at an outdoor gig, where the requirement was to mix a total
of 13 channels, with four independent monitor mixes going back to the
stage wedges.
One of the most appealing aspects of a portable
digital live-sound mixer such as this is the ability to use a digital
stage box and Cat 5 cable instead of a traditional multicore. The X32 is
intended to be partnered with the S16, which has 16 analogue ins and
eight analogue outs, built into a 2U metal rackmount enclosure. Two S16
units can be connected together by a local data cable, allowing 32
inputs and 16 returns to be carried over only a single Cat 5 connection —
which is a blessing compared to having to roll out a heavy analogue
snake and painstakingly plug in all the tails and returns. This feature
alone should be enough to make anyone turn to digital! The S16 has
a pair of standard ADAT optical outputs, which can be used for
connecting suitable external devices, and which also allow the S16 to
work as a stand-alone digital snake in conjunction with an
analogue-to-ADAT converter. Input parameters such as the head-amp trim
and phantom-power switching can be controlled either from the S16 or
from the X32 surface, and there’s also a dedicated Ultranet connection
for use with the Powerplay 16 personal mixing system (see ‘Powerplay
Monitoring’ box).
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