Advice on Sound Board for Theater - TheatreFace

I think you need to make some…

2011-06-20T18:24:35.566Z

I think you need to make some decisions on need. Analog or digital? Can the people that are running it learn to use digital? As someone that doesn't do a lot of sound and had to learn by doing, I really like the console I have now which is analog. It's a Soundcraft GB-8 with 32 channels. It might be kind of a large frame if you are a small theatre with not much room, although it is a bit more compact than the Yamaha PM-1800 32 frame I used to have.

Do you use it with a computer?

2011-06-07T02:25:40.723Z

Do you use it with a computer?

I personally own a 16.4.2 and…

2011-06-06T20:36:09.868Z

I personally own a 16.4.2 and can tell you that this is by far one of the best purchases I have made. The only drawback, in my opinion, is the lack of motorized faders. However, you can store fader positions in a scene and recall them via a 'Locate' mode which uses each channel's individual level meters to manually recall the saved fader position. But the sound, the features, the learning curve - all excellent!

We, a receptive theatre with…

2011-06-06T10:39:09.268Z

We, a receptive theatre with about 500 different shows/year in 3 auditoria, kicked out all the advanced soundboards. When a show needs a specific board, we rent it. The only soundboards that are left are some simple analogue boards max. 12 in/ 4 out, for the activities in our lobby. Advantage: you always have the board the show needs, no big investments, it is very transparant where the money goes, no storage problems. Disadvantage: you need to do good preparations per show, if you miss it here, you have a challange.

The software is downloaded fr…

2011-05-19T19:14:42.668Z

The software is downloaded from the Presonus site and is free. The app for the iPad is available at the apple app store and is also free. It include a demo mode that you can fiddle with without owning a Presonus Studio Live. It does run on a PC, but it is a little picky about the firewire implementation and chipset. There are lots of videos on utube and directly from the Presonus site.

David -Not laughing! interest…

2011-05-18T13:39:07.420Z

David -Not laughing! interesting contribution, great option. I will look into this. When you say "a computer" - Mac only? Is the software on board or do you download it? Do you know if PC software is available too?

All right, nobody laugh. We h…

2011-05-17T20:27:38.920Z

All right, nobody laugh. We have been using a Presonus 16-4-2 for the last couple of productions and I've fallen in love. You can buy a 24 track version, or a 2 16 track versions and link them together to get 32 channels.

By itself it doesn't seem that special, but when you tie a computer to it, it becomes a whole different machine. There are gates/compression/limiter/EQ on every channel, every buss, every aux send, pretty much everything has access to the fat channel. If you add a computer you have graphic access to everything. You can store presets of everything with a base unit, but it is nicer by far when a computer is hooked up to it. it will also record every channel plus the stereo output to the hard drive on the computer.

Still not impressed? If you have an ipad, there is a special app for the Presonus that takes it to the next level by allowing you to wander around the room and have full control of nearly everything. You can go up on the stage and do 6 custom aux mixes for monitors or whatever. The price for the 16 channel version is only $2000. plus a computer (I bought last year's Mac Mini server for $700) an my wife lets me use her ipad.

We are in the same shape - ou…

2011-05-16T18:16:27.733Z

We are in the same shape - our old board's functions are failing, and we are looking for new options. We are a concert hall with a lot of different kinds of shows with inevitable last-minute adaptations. The times being as they are, the M7CL -which we have in another venue - may be way too expensive for us. It is also probably too big for the space available in our production booth. I am looking for a board with 24-32 channels and a minimal footprint, as well as an affordable price. I appreciate the above suggestions!

Also check out Gear Source fo…

2010-10-06T20:55:29.977Z

Also check out Gear Source for some really good deals on audio and other production equipment.

Are they on a small budget? I…

2010-10-06T20:48:09.357Z

Are they on a small budget? I have had a good experience with the Mackie TT24 digital console. While it may not have the best sounding effects, ect., it was a more affordable purchase for its intended use (intimate acoustic music series performed onstage with the audience) and has plenty of flexibility.
A better purchase would be the Yamaha LS9, again, if the budget is a concern. Similar programming to the M7, just a little more "work" to get to all of the functions (no touch screen capability) and some features are buried a little deeper.
My 2 cents... Good Luck!