Minneapolis-based production company, rental house and systems integrator REACH Communications recently became the first company in North America to take delivery of a new DiGiCo Quantum225 console, which was quickly put into play for a livestreamed show by up-and-coming regional act Yam Haus at the famed First Avenue music venue.
“I’ve been using DiGiCo consoles for a dozen years, including the SD12, SD7, SD5 and Quantum338, and I have to say that while the Q225 incorporates a lot of what I’ve always loved about DiGiCo, it’s also a serious game-changer,” says REACH’s former longtime lead audio engineer, Adam Bufis, now an independent FOH engineer and production manager for The Revolution, SAINt JHN, and other artists. “After using the Q338 on a few shows, I knew that Quantum was the way to go in the future. So when I found out that REACH had gotten a Q225 into their rental inventory, I requested it for the Yam Haus show, and want it for whatever other shows happen this year as live music returns.”
Bufis first noticed that the Q225 upgraded the sonic quality of his existing show files. “I had to double-check that it wasn’t just in my mind, but everything really does sound better,” he laughs. “What DiGiCo has done with the summing engine and algorithms is spectacular, making it sound even clearer and more vivid,” adding, “The tube compression and EQ are also spectacular. Waves is still great processing, but now that I have this as part of the Q225 package, I have less and less need for outboard processing. Now, it’s Mustard for all compression and EQ.”
Bufis also notes that the 100 mm touch-sensitive faders, arrayed in two banks of 12 with an extra dedicated user-assignable master fader, have a “great feel” to them: “The resolution on them is excellent, and the same goes for the screens; I don’t have to squint. The angle the screen is set at is perfect, and the move to LCD metering is great. It’s helpful to be able to look down and see the channel name and meter next to each other, especially in a darkened room. It gives you an enhanced sense of control.”
Dan Brown, REACH Communications’ co-owner and event services manager, says that his company had recently sold its DiGiCo SD9 and felt the time was right to move further into Quantum territory, with the Q225 now joining REACH’s Quantum7, SD5, SD12, and two SD10 desks. “The Quantum desks are so flexible,” he concludes. “Adam came in here with tracks and did pre-production for the Yam Haus show at First Avenue, then took the files back to the club and was ready to go. We’re excited to have another Quantum console in our inventory and we appreciate what DiGiCo has done with updates to the software. They’ve always taken great care of customers like us.”
