DIGICO'S D1 SCORES A HIT IN GREECE
Open air concerts, television shows and long seasons at music clubs meant that a digital audio mixing console became a must for the complex productions Sound Engineer Aris Koudouris was involved in. DiGiCo's D1 Live provided the perfect solution.
"Ypsilon Live, the rental company I usually work with, and I decided that time had come to switch from an analogue to a digital mixing console," said Koudouris (right). "We chose the DiGiCo D1 Live primarily because of the way it sounds. We'd tested other mixers, but they didn't completely satisfy us."
At the moment, Koudouris is using his D1 for a 60-show season with well-known Greek artist Yiannis Kotsiras who is playing large clubs in Salonica and Athens. "I'm using the D1 at FOH with an SLS RLA-2 line array system," continued Koudouris. "Just because this is the first time I've used the console, I have two D1s mirroring each other. Besides the safety issue, the mirroring configuration gives me the added advantage of doubling the working surface. The sound is better than the analogue mixers I've used before and after mixing on the D1 for a few shows, I felt as safe and comfortable as with any analogue desk.
"The EQ and dynamics are great, which means that I don't really need external processing. I use a Focusrite compressor just because I'm used to doing that, and inserting processors is a very simple thing to do. The internal effects on the D1 are also great. It's a good feeling to have EQ and dynamics on all inputs just a finger (and a glance) away. The touch screens are a very quick and efficient way to work. Every move I make takes less time than on any analogue desk.
"The snapshot system is perfect - I don't have to concentrate on routine changes for various songs which allows me to be much more creative. And the different configurations you can do for the output busses are also a great help. You can set auxes or groups (mono, stereo or surround) depending on your needs.
"One of my main concerns when I first thought about digital consoles was the speed of reaction if a problem occurred, but the D1 is quicker at sorting out problems than anything I've used to date. Changing a layer is easier and quicker than moving the distance of one or two metres that you have to with larger analogue consoles and DiGiCo's technical support is quick and friendly.
"Apart from all that, one of the main advantages of DiGiCo's mixers is that you can prepare the show at home, gaining a lot of precious rehearsal time, and afterwards you can take your session anywhere, anytime, in a USB key."