Midas are launching their brand new PRO X digital live sounds console at the Prolight and Sound exhibition in Frankfurt this week. The Pro X console is the first outing for the company's new Neutron audio processing engine, that can handle up to 800 channels.
Here's more from Metallica front of house engineer Mick Hughes, and further info from Midas...
Press Release: Building on the rock-solid legacy of their award-winning PRO3, PRO6 and PRO9 digital consoles, Midas today announced the new PRO X – the touring engineer’s dream console. The revolutionary Neutron engine, capable of up to 800 audio channels, which can be routed on a point-to-point basis – and that routing can be changed, even on individual automation scenes.
Midas Pro X digital live-sound consoleAES50 and HyperMAC audio networking combine deterministic and ultra-low latency performance with true ‘Plug and Play’ connectivity, minimising set-up and configuration times – essential when playing a different venue every night.
On its own, the PRO X provides 168 inputs and 99 mix or 103 output channels simultaneously on a control surface that measures less than 1.5 metres, or 60″ wide. This compact form-factor is ideal where space comes at a premium, but high I/O counts are a must. AES50 digital audio connectivity allows scalability for up to a total of 288 network inputs and 294 network outputs. Seamless integration comes via IP-compliant third party audio networks, such as Audinate Dante* and Cirrus Logic CobraNet*, using the Klark Teknik DN9650 Network Bridge.
The console of choice for touring monitor engineers, PRO X features 99 mix buses that can be simultaneously displayed as 24 mono or stereo mixes on the console surface. Each of the displayed mixes has its own LCD select switch with RGB colour coding and scribble strips – plus 11-segment LED bargraph metering. This output-centric approach redefines monitor mix workflows, allowing for even the most demanding stage monitoring applications.
The powerhouse behind the PRO X system is the new Neutron Audio System Engine, which is the result of a three-year research and development program that pushed Midas engineers far beyond the edge of the proverbial envelope. Advanced FPGA and MIMD (Multiple Instruction, Multiple Data) architecture delivers more than 100 gigaflops of real-time audio processing performance, translating into 271 simultaneous processing channels at 96 kHz and 40-bit floating point operation.
“The PRO X brings mind-blowing I/O channel counts and seamless integration, while maintaining easy and cross platform operation – all at a price point that allows even the budget conscious to own Midas,” stated Music Group Professional Division Sales VP Shawn Watts. “Another amazing feature; existing PRO 3, 6, and 9 owners can easily upgrade those systems to the new PRO X. They need only replace certain sections of their control surface, upgrade to the new Neutron DSP engine, and use their existing remote I/O – that’s it! The PRO X is the first of its kind, and a prime example of why Midas is the digital and analogue mixing console industry leader.”
Visiting engineers can prepare shows in advance of their arrival, either using another Midas console or the Apple Mac* OS X Offline Editor software, saving valuable time during show set-up. Show files are forward and backward compatible, so shows created on the user’s Midas PRO Series console work exactly the same on any other Midas PRO console.
The soon-to-be legendary Midas PRO X will be available before the end of 2014, at an approximate U.S. MAP of $41,999. As with all Midas products, the PRO X Digital Mixing Console and Neutron Audio System Engine is backed by a generous Warranty Program.
