Venue (sound system)
Encyclopedia
Venue is a brand of live sound digital mixing console
s introduced by Digidesign
in February 2005. The system now includes three different consoles and a number of ways they can be configured. They can all be connected to Pro Tools
, the audio editing software also created by Avid/Digidesign, to provide recording and 'Virtual Soundcheck' facilities. One of the system's key marketing points is its use of the same TDM plugins as Pro Tools, an industry standard digital audio workstation
(DAW). This is designed to enable the sounds recorded by the artist in the studio to be easily recreated on stage, and to allow for greater flexibility in signal processing without heavy and mechanical-shock-sensitive racks of external processors. There is also a PC-based offline editor for creation and editing of show files, although there is no audio processing in the editor.
Digidesign was owned by Avid for several years. Following the rebranding of Digidesign as a division of Avid, the Venue line was sold under the Avid name, with the elimination of the Digidesign logo.
The console can either be connected to the Mix Rack, which contains all FOH
I/O
, DSP
and stage I/O in one rack, or to the combination of an FOH rack and a Stage Rack. The FOH rack contains the DSP and a small amount of inputs and outputs, and the Stage Rack contains the main stage I/O. They are linked using a digital snake cable, with an option to use a redundant cable in parallel. There can be a maximum of two Stage Racks linked to one FOH rack.
This smaller console contains all of the features of the larger console, but is non-expandable and is smaller. Though it has fewer input faders, it can still run the same show, as it can be connected to the same combinations of inputs and outputs described above.
The Profile carries 33 motorized faders: 24 to address banks of inputs and effects returns, eight to address banks of outputs and VCAs, and one to control the master Left–Center–Right output, also configurable as Left–Right plus Mono.
As with its larger predecessors, the SC48's master output section can be configured as Left–Center–Right or Left–Right plus Mono. The control surface has 26 motorized faders: 16 to address banks of inputs and effects returns, one to link to any desired input, eight to address banks of outputs and VCAs, and one to control master output. An expansion slot at the rear panel allows one of several options: 16 analog outputs can be added; eight analog and eight AES3 digital outputs can be added; or A-Net connectivity can be achieved with external Aviom
Pro16 personal monitor mixers.
Digital mixing console
In professional audio, a Digital Mixing Console , is an electronic device for combining, routing, and changing the dynamics of digital audio samples. The digital audio samples are summed to produce a combined output. A professional digital mixing console is a dedicated desk or control surface...
s introduced by Digidesign
Digidesign
Avid Audio is an American digital audio technology company. It was founded in 1984 by Peter Gotcher and Evan Brooks. The company began as a project to raise money for the founders' band, selling EPROM chips for drum machines. It is a subsidiary of Avid Technology, and during 2010 the Digidesign...
in February 2005. The system now includes three different consoles and a number of ways they can be configured. They can all be connected to Pro Tools
Pro Tools
Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation platform for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, developed and manufactured by Avid Technology. It is widely used by professionals throughout the audio industries for recording and editing in music production, film scoring, film, and television...
, the audio editing software also created by Avid/Digidesign, to provide recording and 'Virtual Soundcheck' facilities. One of the system's key marketing points is its use of the same TDM plugins as Pro Tools, an industry standard digital audio workstation
Digital audio workstation
A digital audio workstation is an electronic system designed solely or primarily for recording, editing and playing back digital audio. DAWs were originally tape-less, microprocessor-based systems such as the Synclavier and Fairlight CMI...
(DAW). This is designed to enable the sounds recorded by the artist in the studio to be easily recreated on stage, and to allow for greater flexibility in signal processing without heavy and mechanical-shock-sensitive racks of external processors. There is also a PC-based offline editor for creation and editing of show files, although there is no audio processing in the editor.
Digidesign was owned by Avid for several years. Following the rebranding of Digidesign as a division of Avid, the Venue line was sold under the Avid name, with the elimination of the Digidesign logo.
Console Range
There are three control surfaces or consoles currently in the range, which each can be used with different configurations of DSP cards, inputs and outputs, and stage racks.D-Show
This is the largest and also the only expandable console in the range. The main unit, which includes a trackball, master controls, faders and meters, can be expanded with up to three sidecars to give a maximum of 56 faders. One sidecar is included in the standard package.The console can either be connected to the Mix Rack, which contains all FOH
Front of House
Front of house is primarily a theatrical term, referring to the portion of the building that is open to the public. In theatre and live music venues, it typically refers to the auditorium and foyer, as opposed to the stage and backstage areas...
I/O
Input/output
In computing, input/output, or I/O, refers to the communication between an information processing system , and the outside world, possibly a human, or another information processing system. Inputs are the signals or data received by the system, and outputs are the signals or data sent from it...
, DSP
Digital signal processing
Digital signal processing is concerned with the representation of discrete time signals by a sequence of numbers or symbols and the processing of these signals. Digital signal processing and analog signal processing are subfields of signal processing...
and stage I/O in one rack, or to the combination of an FOH rack and a Stage Rack. The FOH rack contains the DSP and a small amount of inputs and outputs, and the Stage Rack contains the main stage I/O. They are linked using a digital snake cable, with an option to use a redundant cable in parallel. There can be a maximum of two Stage Racks linked to one FOH rack.
D-Show Profile
The Profile carries 33 motorized faders: 24 to address banks of inputs and effects returns, eight to address banks of outputs and VCAs, and one to control the master Left–Center–Right output, also configurable as Left–Right plus Mono.
SC48
The SC48, the smallest console in the range, does not use the Stage/Mix/FOH Racks for DSP and I/O, but instead has all its connections on the back of the console. This feature allows it to 'drop in' to existing wiring systems where an analogue console had been used. Outwardly it appears quite similar to a smaller version of the D-Show Profile, and is aimed as the 'starter' console in the range.As with its larger predecessors, the SC48's master output section can be configured as Left–Center–Right or Left–Right plus Mono. The control surface has 26 motorized faders: 16 to address banks of inputs and effects returns, one to link to any desired input, eight to address banks of outputs and VCAs, and one to control master output. An expansion slot at the rear panel allows one of several options: 16 analog outputs can be added; eight analog and eight AES3 digital outputs can be added; or A-Net connectivity can be achieved with external Aviom
Aviom
Aviom is a pro audio equipment manufacturer of personal monitoring systems. Headquartered in West Chester, Pennsylvania, Aviom produces distributed audio networking gear which uses a proprietary digital audio transport system called A-Net, based on the physical layer of Ethernet and carried over...
Pro16 personal monitor mixers.