Products

Harman Announces Firmware Update For Soundcraft Notepad Mixers

Free v1.09 upgrade includes new "Ducker" feature, firware updater and control panel to select which inputs feed USB bus

Harman Professional has announced the first major firmware update for Soundcraft Notepad mixers, including the Notepad-5, -8FX and -12FX.

The new and free version 1.09 update includes a “Ducker” feature, a broadcast-style side chain compressor that enables selecting up to four mic preamp channels as threshold triggers to “duck” the USB audio return when someone is speaking.

The update also includes a firmware updater and a control panel providing selection of which inputs feed the USB bus while connected to computer workstation software.

“We’re excited to showcase the first major firmware update for Soundcraft Notepad mixers at NAMM 2018,” says Scott Wood, mixers solutions manager for Harman Professional. “The new firmware includes the ‘Ducker’ feature, which is one of our customers’ most-requested features. Now podcasters and content creators can play music on their computer during interludes or breaks, and when they speak the Notepad automatically ducks the USB audio return.

“This is a professional broadcast feature normally only found on high-end mixing consoles,” Wood continues, “and we’re proud to include it our line of compact desktop surfaces that meet the budget of any musician or content creator.”

Notepad mixers include professional microphone preamps for a variety of uses, XLR combination jack mic/line inputs for connection with professional audio gear, and 1/4-inch balanced inputs for connecting keyboards, playback devices and more.

USB I/O connectivity enables straightforward recording and playback with digital audio workstations or video editing workstations. In addition, users of Notepad-8FX and Notepad-12FX can enhance their audio using Harman Digital Signal Processing (DSP), including Lexicon reverb, chorus and delay with tap tempo control.

Notepad mixers are designed for ease of use, offering a traditional channel strip layout for fast and efficient access to desired channels and sends. Up to three EQ bands per channel facilitate simple audio shaping on incoming audio signals, while an Aux/FX send makes it convenient to feed audio signals to external devices or built-in Lexicon digital processing.

A master fader with LED metering provides XLR stereo output level control, and a rotary headphone level provides simple control for master mix or aux output levels.

The 1.09 update is available here.

Soundcraft