Most Yamaha Commercial Audio digital consoles can host WSG Y-16 I/O cards (up to four) in mini-YGDAI slots to incorporate MultiRack and SoundGrid, as can Allen & Heath iLive and GLD consoles via M-Waves I/O cards.
Several Midas models, including the PRO Series also link to both via an MGB or MBO interface, while the SSL Live simply integrates via an MBO interface. And naturally, it also accommodates SSL plug-ins.
Soundcraft Vi Series consoles can also utilize MultiRack and SoundGrid via an MBO interface, in addition to the previously noted Realtime Rack hardware/software package that integrates Universal Audio UAD plug-ins, along with others from Neve, Studer, Lexicon, Manley, and more.
All DiGiCo SD Series consoles accommodate SoundGrid with a Waves I/O card as well as MultiRack Native with an MGB I/0 interface. And just a FireWire cable between computer and console is required for PreSonus StudioLive, Mackie Onyx and Behringer X32 Series models to interface directly with MultiRack Native.
Avid was one of the first console manufacturers (if not the first) to integrate plug-ins for live usage, a natural transition from the company’s tremendously popular Pro Tools DAW. All Avid consoles ship with a collection of plug-ins. VENUE consoles use the VENUE TDM format, while the new S3L console uses the AAX format that was introduced a few years and supports third-party plug-ins as well.
For example, McDSP has qualified all of its AAX plug-ins to operate on the S3L systems, while earlier this year Avid expanded the AAX live sound platform further to offer choices from providers such as Crane Song and Sonnox. Waves Audio also supports the AAX Native platform.
Field Applications
Engineers are increasingly utilizing plug-ins, and sound companies are working to support them. For example, Madrid, Spain-based Fluge has been steadily outfitting more of its consoles with MultiRack and SoundGrid servers.
Recent applications include consoles for the musicals Hoy No Me Puedo Levantar and Grease and for artist tours by Melendi (DiGiCo D5), Pablo Alborán (Avid D-Show), Alejandro Sanz (DiGiCo SD7), Dani (Yamaha CL5), and Violetta (DiGiCo SD5).
“In the past few years, we’ve been investing in Waves tools with the objective of having Waves plug-ins available for our range of Avid Venue consoles,” notes Fluge technical director Raú;l Méndez. “Now with SoundGrid technology and the ability to run Waves plug-ins in low latency with MultiRack on all consoles, we’ve decided to equip our stock of Yamaha and DiGiCo consoles with Waves tools as well.”