The last few years have been especially prolific for Soundcraft. The British brand has kept launching new and interesting mixer models aimed at different applications and users.
The latest big wave of launches is made up of the Vi2000, Vi5000 and Vi7000 live digital models.
The Vi2000 comes in a compact, cost-effective format and offers unmatched mixing power to the installation, touring and corporate markets. It combines the exclusive control surface concepts based on the Vistonics interface (also found on the Vi3000, Vi5000 and Vi7000) with the Soundcraft SpiderCore: a powerful integrated DSP and I/O core based on Studer technology, compact enough to be housed inside the control surface itself.
With the brand-new V6.1 mixing console software, the Vi2000 benefits from BSS's renowned DPR901ii dynamic EQ through an insertable processing module that also includes a Lexicon multi-effects unit, as well as the ability to insert any external device.
In addition to a full set of built-in mic/line inputs and outputs, configurable for up to 48 mic/line inputs and 16 line outputs using combinations of 16-channel XLR modules in 4 slots on the rear, the Vi2000 includes 2 64-channel expansion slots, allowing up to 2 MADI-based stageboxes to be connected.
Alternatively, these 2 slots give access to the extensive range of optional D21m I/O cards, supporting all industry-standard audio formats. The Vi2000's total I/O count is 246 inputs and 246 outputs.
As with other Vi series consoles, a built-in 64x64-channel Dante interface offers a direct recording/playback connection via Ethernet to any PC- or Mac-based recording software, or allows the Vi2000 to be integrated into an existing Dante network.
The Dante interface is complemented by an additional optical MADI interface, designed for recording signals or for connecting the Soundcraft Realtime Rack Plug-in core, adding the power of Universal Audio's UAD plug-ins to the Vi2000's crystal-clear sound quality.
This excellent list of features is rounded out by an ultra-compact design just 1.15 meters wide, with 16 input faders and 8 output faders, allowing the console to fit applications with space and budget constraints. Patented features such as FaderGlow, VM2 mic monitoring and Vistonics offer an extremely intuitive mixing experience. The mixer's excellent sound quality is ensured by a 40-bit floating-point DSP environment running algorithms from Studer, BSS, Lexicon and dbx. Meanwhile, the Vi5000 and Vi7000 replace the acclaimed Vi4 and Vi6. They offer substantial improvements in technology and features, while keeping and improving the user interface and features that made their predecessors favorites on many riders over the past eight years. They also offer compact control surfaces with innovative external hardware elements, allowing simultaneous mixing of up to 128 inputs and 32 mono/stereo buses, with up to 384 inputs and outputs in the I/O system, enabling unlimited recording lines from all channels.
Crystal-clear sound quality is ensured by the ultra-low-noise mic preamp designs and 96kHz, 40-bit floating-point digital audio processing. Also worth highlighting is the digital implementation of the classic BSS DPR901ii dynamic EQ in the per-channel processing, the eight independent Lexicon multi-effects units and the BSS graphic EQ on every bus output. Both consoles also feature an additional dedicated 64-channel MADI interface for the Realtime Rack: a collaboration with Universal Audio that gives users access to studio plug-ins that have become an industry standard. Quick setup through new encoder assignment functions and shortcut keys is joined by an extended wireless mic status monitoring function compatible with Shure ULXD mics, among others. The Vi5000 and Vi7000 feature the most configurable hardware in their class, both local and in stageboxes with inputs and outputs, with extensive ViSi Connect I/O expansion options (EtherSound™, CobraNet™, Dante™, MADI, etc.) plus the option of connecting stageboxes via optical fiber or Cat5 to suit different budgets and cable lengths.
The Vi5000 and Vi7000 also feature the latest 3D Vistonics II™ and FaderGlow™ interfaces, along with an improved ViSi Remote iPad control interface that completes the package. The launch of these three Soundcraft models revolutionizes the market once again, thanks to the British manufacturer's collaboration with its sister brands in the Harman group. The Vi2000, Vi5000 and Vi7000 are, once again, the result of integrating Harman excellence across different disciplines of professional audio.
