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48-channel live digital mixing console Roland Systems M-480 BEN BURNS says it’s not the sound that sets this flagship console of the V-Mixing system apart, it’s the ease of use, footprint, price point, and much more that makes it a difficult package to beat. Roland has been producing the V-Mixing system for some time, incorporating unique features that let you do things like link audio and video systems (via Roland’s V-Link) for flawless synchronised audio and video fades. The heart of the system is REAC (Roland Ethernet Audio Communication), which can carry 40 channels of uncompressed 24-bit audio both ways down a standard CAT5 cable. In turn, the M-480 console is at the heart of a “The desk boots up quickly and with absolutely no reference to the manual I was listening to audio in minutes. ” number of components that can make up an extensive REAC system. This console features a newly designed mix engine, which can handle up to 60 audio channels with a fixed buss architecture including main (LCR), 16 aux busses, and eight matrices. If you want more inputs, why not take advantage of the new cascade function? Then you can mix up to 96 inputs and up to 90 outputs using two consoles and one simple CAT5e/6 cable. The main features of the console are: • 48 mixing channels plus six stereo returns for a total of 60 channels • Main (LCR) outputs, 16 AUX buses, eight matrices • Four-band advanced parametric EQ, and delays on all inputs and outputs • Compressors and gates on all mixing channels • Six built-in stereo (dual-mono) multi-effects and twelve graphic EQs (switchable to eight-band PEQs) First Impressions The review model arrived in a flight case with wheels – if you were feeling like it you could get the 20kg desk into a smaller lighter case and carry it about. The M-480 reminds me of a PM5D in a few ways – the user interface is basically cursor keys and a data wheel, when you call up one of the graphic EQ modules for editing, an RTA pops up showing the frequency plot for the adjusted signal. Like the PM5, the M-480 has a central display and buttons, but where it differs are the function keys – more like an ATM screen with buttons. This is the part of the interface that speeds up the whole process of working with channels, as each button changes its function depending on the selection. The desk boots up quickly and with absolutely no reference to the manual I was listening to audio in minutes. Patching an input to a fader strip is super easy and quite intuitive, thanks to some ergonomic design ideas utilising the function buttons. Memory slots for desk settings are stored the usual way, on a USB stick – Roland recommends that a dedicated USB device be used exclusively for the M-480 mixer. As far as snapshots go, there is an extensive 300 scene memory with global scope, recall filter, and lock functions. Almost everything on the desk is recallable, exclusions being the talkback section, USB recorder playback state, and user settings. In Use Bronzehead is an 11-piece afro beat band, and I thought I could try out the desk to mix a small gig for them – at the terrible mercy of the house PA system, acoustics, and monitors. I set the desk up for dual FOH and monitors – using the same channel for FOH and monitors. Usually I would run a second ‘layer of channels’ with different EQ and compression settings for monitors. This technique gives you more to do however, and as I didn’t know the desk at all I went for the simple option this time. Running two layers is perfectly possible with this board – in fact, the first two user layers default to mirror the input layers, making this a default desk state – very handy as this set-up can take a > THE REVIEWER BEN BURNS is a London-based freelance engineer- both live and studio- with credits including Blur, Dido, Embrace, Happy Mondays, and more. 34 AUDIO MEDIA JUNE 2011
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