Ever since Midas introduced the VENICE range, it has transferred design cues from its big sisters to automated manufacturing, kept features down to the essentials and, in short, given a strong boost in quality to the mid-range sector. Bringing out a popularly priced series with quality far above what was available at the time seemed a risky business idea, since it could hurt sales of the company's established products, and there was a chance it wouldn't thrive in the market, given that the price was only "popular" relative to its quality. What's more, the competition offered similar features at a much lower cost. The gamble paid off handsomely, and the success was unprecedented for the brand: it became the best-selling console in the company's history and a market standard.

  • The next evolution of the concept has come in the form of the VERONA and SIENA, which greatly expand the possibilities already seen in the VENICE series, giving us high-level consoles with a truly exceptional sound, mid-to-high-end features and a versatility that had become necessary.

    While the VERONA series is a FOH console that can also serve as a monitor console thanks to its number of auxes, the SIENA series is a monitor console that can also work as a main console. The biggest advance in this evolution comes from the redesigned bus send, reflected directly in its sonic quality, so that once you're at the controls you feel you're working with a first-class desk. Many engineers will find in the SIENA a high-level solution at a competitive price, and on top of that, they will thoroughly enjoy working with it. I assure you.

    Description
    The SIENA is a mixing console available in versions from twenty-four to sixty-four mic inputs, with a sixteen-bus-plus-stereo structure. Of the sixteen auxes, eight (nine through sixteen) are designed to be assigned to the master, thus functioning as subgroups.
    Each channel has phantom power, phase reverse, pad, a high-pass filter with frequency selection, an insert switchable from the surface, and four-band semi-parametric EQ with frequency and gain selection on every band. The EQ not only has a bypass but can also be assigned only to the pre-fader auxes.

    The sixteen aux sends can be configured pre or post and as stereo pairs, which is so necessary with new in-ear monitoring systems. The spacing between the controls is fairly tight, but once you get a little used to it you'll find it comfortable enough.

    In each channel's fader section we find the pan control, a direct assignment to stereo, a three-LED-plus-peak meter, five mute automation assignments and the solo button. The 20-millimeter fader is very smooth and precise, very much in the style of ALPS PLASTIC CARBON faders. I can't say for sure whether that's what they are, since they still haven't let me take one apart...

    Construction is semi-modular in groups of eight, with a well-finished look, the trim already seen on the VENICE series and a color layout that is by now a classic on all Midas consoles.

    Each of the sixteen aux mixes has its own dedicated meter, arranged in pairs for when we work with stereo sends. Each also has an insert, a mute, a solo and a mute automation assignment. Mixes nine through sixteen can work as subgroups, with their own stereo assignment and pan control.

    It includes sixteen line-level direct-to-stereo inputs, which are very useful for effects returns. Each has its own input level, solo and mute.

    In the master section, the meters are dedicated to the stereo output, with others for the solo function. A tone generator with a frequency selector helps us test the system. It sits next to the talkback section, which has direct assignment to both the master and the sixteen auxes, with its own volume control and mic input.

    Mute automation is simple and is activated with five buttons. The fifth also controls the outputs. The monitor listening section is complete and very fast to work with, with controls for solo and PFL, a dedicated submute and a mono sum. A dedicated local monitor listen makes life easier for the monitor engineer, since we can have our own monitor apart from the PFL. A specific fader that lets us control our monitor is located at the far right of the console, next to the master volume, for the fastest possible control.

    The SIENA has a special solo selection system that transmits data via an RS-232 output to KLARK TEKNIK DN9340 (HELIX) equalizers. Each time we select solo on one of our aux masters, the dedicated equalizer appears on the Helix's main screen.

    This console comes with a dual internal power supply (except for the smallest model, which has only one), and you can also add a redundant external power supply, which shows that a tight price doesn't mean giving up full-fledged reliability.

    In operation
    The famous XL-style preamps make themselves felt, as in all of Midas's "budget" series. They sound big, with very little channel crosstalk, and can be compared with almost all of the competition's first-class preamps. We had already had a taste of this since the first VENICE that came our way.

    On the SIENA, the bus summing circuits also crush any doubts about the quality of its design. When we saw a HERITAGE "shrunk" down to this size, we didn't expect it to keep such magnificent proportion in its output, with a response of great presence and clarity.

    You quickly forget that the power supply is internal, which shows that the grounding structure is really well done, something that also goes unnoticed when we switch channels, EQs or subgroups on and off.

    The work surface looks very Midas, that is, sprinkled with colors and smaller than you always expect. The ergonomics are very well planned and access is quick and intuitive.

    Surface lighting is handled with XLR outputs for the classic Littlites, with small slots in the top profile of the connection panel to guide them.

    Since there are no dual concentric knobs, access to the EQ and auxes is also very quick, perhaps with the only drawback being the spacing between them. If you have big hands (size-wise only), you may find it slightly uncomfortable. Being on the small side, I felt right at home.

    The meters seem quite accurate, but since they're LEDs we'll have to make sure there are no reflections from the Littlites. Maybe it's just a quirk of mine, but I'll always prefer needle meters. The speed and hold of the meters are better than expected but, in keeping with its price, you can't expect the same quality in this area as on its big sisters.

    The EQ is one of the things that will make us choose the SIENA. For a long time I've been seeing equalizers with bland, noncommittal filters that seem like toys. That's not the case here, where the plus fifteen on each gain pot is real. The high-pass filter is a gift from God, radical yet progressive, with a very linear slope that makes it easy to cut without losing signal, so it feels natural to go beyond eighty or a hundred Hz without fear. Then boosting the lows near the cutoff point can give incredible results. Using this EQ reminded me of the classic British consoles in the best John Oram style, my beloved Soundcraft Series Three and that huge DDA at Box studios. I don't say this because it's an extremely comprehensive EQ, but because of its effectiveness and sweetness, which may not be to the liking of many newer engineers who learned on consoles that needed excessively radical settings for effective EQ.

    The famous "dual purpose" use isn't as clear-cut as on other consoles. The new Altair Electra and some Yamahas are more geared toward mixed use, but having a fantastic monitor console that also works more than adequately as a front-of-house desk is a great temptation for any rental company, which is always short of onstage gear. The SIENA combines the possibility of having gear for those gigs where you work with a single engineer with being able to complement a large rig with a good monitor console.

    The finish and presentation from Auprosa include both fixed-installation and "road" packs, in both cases with cases suited to their purpose. The touring version comes with a fantastic flight case, which is also reflected in the price of that version.

Versions and suggested prices

Touring pack:

  • SIENA-240/TP24 mic/line inputs. 1 internal PSU.15,480.00 €
  • SIENA-320/TP32 mic/line inputs. 2 internal PSUs.18,633.00 €
  • SIENA-400/TP40 mic/line inputs. 2 internal PSUs.20,813.00 €
  • SIENA-480/TP48 mic/line inputs. 2 internal PSUs.23,095.00 €
  • SIENA-560/TP56 mic/line inputs. 2 internal PSUs.26,903.00 €
  • SIENA-640/TP64 mic/line inputs. 2 internal PSUs + external PSU.32,152.00 €
    Install pack:
  • SIENA-240/IP24 mic/line inputs. 1 internal PSU.13,641.00 €
  • SIENA-320/IP32 mic/line inputs. 2 internal PSUs.16,523.00 €
  • SIENA-400/IP40 mic/line inputs. 2 internal PSUs.18,666.00 €
  • SIENA-480/IP48 mic/line inputs. 2 internal PSUs.21,022.00 €
  • SIENA-560/IP56 mic/line inputs. 2 internal PSUs.24,331.00 €
  • SIENA-640/IP64 mic/line inputs. 2 internal PSUs + external PSU.29,511.00 €