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Smart AV Presents Radical New Approach to Mixing Console Control-Surface Design at NAB 2005 (13/5/2005)

Touch-Sensitive ARC Is Key to Dramatic Ergonomic Improvements

Smart AV will present its range of Smart Consoles, the Elite Series, for the first time to the U.S. broadcast industry at NAB2005 in Las Vegas. Smart AV has created a new breed of console that sets a new standard of ergonomic efficiency associated with mixing and editing large numbers of channels. The technology will appeal to broadcasters, recording studios, film-dubbing stages, post-production environments, and those involved with live sound.

Elite Series consoles are available in 48-, 72-, and 96-channel variants that can accommodate most professional sound applications. The unique design features a physical arc that spans the console within easy reach of the operator. Fitted with touch sensors, it allows easy and intuitive access to any channel.

With a simple touch to the strip, the desired channel and the channels surrounding it immediately appear at the operator's fingertips, as though the operator had physically and instantaneously moved in front of those channels on the traditional long console. With this single touch, as many as 800 previously out-of-reach controls are conveniently placed within the operator's reach. As a further aid, the handwritten channel descriptions are electronically transferred to the strips in front of the operator. Ergonomic studies reveal that the ARC design delivers fivefold improvement in ergonomic efficiency.

The Smart Console is a control surface that can be configured via an open protocol over Ethernet with a growing range of signal processing engines. At NAB2005 Smart AV will demonstrate a 96-channel E96 console with a Logic Pro 7(tm) system from Apple and a 48-channel E48 console with the Pyramix Virtual Studio(tm) from Merging Technology. Other engines that can be interfaced include the VADIS System(tm) from KLOTZ DIGITAL, the DME64N and DME24N(tm) from Yamaha, and Series 5 engines from SADiE including the PCM-H64.

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