AMSR - Audio Media

AMSR 09|08
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Even though Innovason is able to draw on past
experience and technologies, this is a completely
new desk. There are new control panels, fader
blocks, software including plug-ins, a multi-track
recording system, a touch screen, and of course
the new compact layout. Eclipse does however
have some current Innovason technology such
as the same mic pre-amps as the Sy80 due to
Innovason having had nothing but praise for its
very translucent mic pres. The desk also draws
on Innovason’s original SmartFAD concept which
allows better grouping and layering of faders
than conventional layers and groups on other
digital desks giving the Eclipse ‘virtually’ 96 faders.
Fit For Use
The desk can mix 104 inputs, and has 48 mix
busses at any one time. However it has a 320
I/O capability so it can switch between different
stages or acts at festivals for example. This is
possible through five racks each delivering 64 I/O.
The Eclipse is compatible with many digital audio
networks, unlike some digital desks on the market
at the moment. This is something I wish would
be standardised in the future as it would allow
much more patching capability for engineers, and
save time and money. These digital audio looms/
snakes are great only when you stick to one
system. Innovason however has tried to bridge
that gap and offer the following with Eclipse: their
own Muxipaire format, which gives 64 channels
travelling distances up to 500m down coax cable,
EtherSound which also offers 64 channels but
with distances up to 100m down CAT5 cable,
A-Net16 for AVIOM 16 channel personal mixers
or MADI with an optional DioMadiES converter.
This desk is also compatible with all other
Innovason racks and modules.
On the surface of the control unit are touch
sensitive faders and a touch screen to capture
the creative element of working on a mixing
desk. When digital desks first arrived, engineers
found it hard to ‘feel’ their way around because
sound engineering is mainly ‘building a picture’
and digital desks were originally constraining.
Innovason have delivered something that fits
with natural instinct; if you want to change a
parameter then you just dive in and do so by
following your nose. There is no need to get hung
up with the mouse or keyboard.
You can imagine this desk as a control
surface that you program to use how you like.
Any parameter can be altered from any control,
its all up to you. If you want to assign the EQ
high-shelf to a channel’s pan pot, then you can
within seconds. You can
build the desk around
your mix and make it
work for you in a very
creative way. I think
this will add a new feel
for engineers from the
ground up, and may
develop new methods
or even sonic ideas.
Eclipse also offers LED
IDs on each fader so you
can easily see what’s
what from a glance. The
LEDs on each channel
are dependant on what you have assigned to
it, whether it be an input, an output, a group, a
master, an FX, or an Aux, and so on.
As well as the LED IDs above each fader there
is a user definable rotary knob to which any
function can be assigned, such as pan, gain, or
trim. There is also a low cut direct access that
gives speed during line checking, and this is new
to Innovason desks. On-top of the 48 faders there
is a Smart Panel with 12 rotary knobs which again
is all completely user definable. You could use this
section for more channels or maybe as a more
conventional method for your Aux returns.
There is also a smart gain control, which is
another new feature of the Eclipse. According to
Innovason’s research, some engineers commented
that one problem with digital network looms
is that the gain is set for each channel by the
master module, and any other modules on
the network set to slave were unable to alter the
gain. When two Eclipse consoles share the same
distant rack, only one (the master) has access to
the preamp’s gain, and that has always been a
problem. With the new SmartGain feature, the
master console sets the gain of the preamps once
for all, and then both engineers switch to 'trim'
which is a digital gain and gives each engineer a
range of +/- 16dB completely independently.
Other on-board features are gate and
compressor VU meters, direct delay adjustment
and a user defined section with six assignable
VU meters, four assignable rotary knobs, and
four assignable switches. The computer’s mouse
is found as a rotary ball which sits comfortably
near the screen and glows an attractive blue.
Underneath the desk there is also a tray for the
PC’s keyboard. Innovason has also installed two
power supplies making it fit for the road and
those unpredictable festival power supplies.
There will be two versions of the Eclipse,
the standard straight mixing unit and a more
expensive version with a second PC inside with a
second piece of software ‘MARS’ (Multitrack Audio
Recording System). As well as offering a complete
recording solution the second PC acts as an all
important back-up. Innovason are offering two
versions of the Eclipse, as the recording PC needs
to be of a much higher power to cope with multitrack
recording, so the straight mixing unit is
therefore reasonably cheaper.
There is a bay on the back of the console for
a removable hard drive where the MARS will
record to. This then allows the files to be taken
off and worked on in a studio. An observation
at this point is that the software for recording is
only designed to record a live show, conveniently
without the need for a separate rig and engineer,
but it doesn’t have any editing facilities.
You have to take the files out to work on
elsewhere. There are plus points to having the
built in recorder such as being able to record
sound check. This would mean you can do a
relatively short sound check with the band/act
and then work on the sound as long as you like
while you play the recording back.
The effects inside the console have been taken
from the Sy48 and Sy80, with a few updates to
the plug-ins. There are some nice features, like the
EQ of the reverb return can be found next to the
FX plug-in itself rather than having to physically
go to the return and apply an EQ. The quality
of the plug-ins is expected to be good, as the
gentleman who has designed them used to work
on the Pyramix algorithms.
The software on the two PCs in the Eclipse runs
off a Windows XP platform. Mixes and sessions can
be saved to any USB mass storage device, which
makes this a great desk for engineers to tour with,
and for PA hire companies to offer. It also benefits
in house installations as venues can save band/
act settings for each visit, so shortening sound
check times. The desk also proves to be efficient
out and about as mixes/patching can be edited
on a PC or laptop before being loaded onto the
desk. For example, an engineer touring with a
band on the road may be warned that the band
want something slightly different one night as
there might be a guest on stage. The engineer
can then prepare for this before they even reach
the venue. It is a shame, however, that there is no
auto-save function on the desk, and so if there is
a power cut, the last manually saved mix will load
once power has been restored.
Conclusion
The Eclipse’s extra functions will help it stand
out in today’s market. The user definable control
surface is very well thought through, and I am
sure it will help nurture the creative element
of mixing. I feel the recording function and the
partnership with Lawo is just the start of some
very exciting products to look out for in the
future. Only time will tell if the desk operates and
sounds as good as it is set out to. With so much
being built into digital consoles now, I think it will
have an effect on live show costing in the future
as tour managers realise technical crew don’t
need to carry as much weight to each concert,
and soon engineers will be asked to spec small.
∫
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£ €59,000-70,000
INFORMATION
A Innovason – France, Zone du Kenyah Nord,
56400 Plougoumelen, France
T +33 297 24 34 34
F +33 297 24 34 30
W www.innovason.com
E info@innovason.com
AUDIO MEDIA september 2008 77