DiGiCo SD7 Digital Mixing Console

The DiGiCo SD7 is the next generation plus one of digital sound engineering. In the five-year gestation period between original idea and finished console, countless discussions, technical debates, painstaking research and a dedicated, inspired team with open minds all contributed to the SD7's design.

Part of the inspiration came not only from studying where pro audio had been and was leading, but where other pioneering industries saw their own paths to technological development.

Among the most fascinating were the aviation, marine and automotive industries' use of new materials and techniques in challenging environments. Just one of these was the growing use of polycarbonates in high-tech boat building, where its remarkable combination of durability, light weight, temperature and impact resistance and optical transparency has proved invaluable.

As a console work surface material it has allowed us to transform the user experience in subtle and unexpected ways - as a few minutes exploring the SD7 will show you.

Taking audio processing by Stealth

DiGiCo SD7 Digital Mixing Console Controls

Powering the SD7 is our latest in high density digital processing, the all-new Stealth mixing and routing engine, exclusive to DiGiCo.

Based on the latest incarnation of FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) technology, known as Super FPGA, it's a core component of the SD7's quantum leap in console design.

Allied to three of the latest generation of SHARC® effects and control processors, it endows the console with a staggering eight times the overall processing power of a D5 Live.

The benefits are to be found not only in the high resolution audio processing that makes 128 simultaneous 192kHz signal paths readily achievable, or 256 at 48kHz/96kHz, but limitless flexibility too.

Make the most of 448 simultaneous optical and 224 MADI and 24 analogue and AES/EBU connections, plus 128 busses, 32 matrix busses and 32 graphic equalisers, to build the biggest and most complex shows.

While two new-generation Tiger SHARC® chips (each representing the power of almost a whole D5) provide an awesome array of quality reverbs and effects.

And in packing all this power into just four chips against the D Series' 39, the SD7's efficiency is dramatically increased, while space has been freed up to allow two complete redundant processing engines to be accommodated within the console.

Features

Faders:	38 x 100mm touch-sensitive, motorised 14 x 60mm touch sensitive, motorised
Screens:	3 x 15" LCD high - resolution touch screens
Meterbridge:	3 x Custom Mounted LCD high-resolution TFT-LCD screens
Redundancy:	Internal removable engine x 2, Internal hot-swappable PSU x 2
Processing Channels:	Up to 256 (combination of Input Channels / Aux / Solo Group Busses)
Busses:	Up to 128 Aux / Group busses with full processing Mono / Stereo / LCR / 5.1 / 7.1
Matrix:	Up to 32 Input / 32 Outputs with full processing
Control Groups:	Up to 36, selectable for VCA-style, Moving fader, Mute Group
Graphic Eq:	32 x 32-band, Gain +/- 12dB
Internal FX:	A multitude of Reverbs / Delays / Other Effects to be detailed in future issues of Especs
Local I/O:	12 x mic/line I/O, 12 x AES I/O
MADI interface:	4 redundant interfaces, BNC connectivity
Optic interface:	HMA optic
Sampling rates:	48kHz / 96kHz / 192kHz (processing capabilities halved at 192kHz)
GPI/GPO:	16 as standard, expandable to 32
Video:	Inputs x 2, Outputs x 2
Ext Sync:	Wordclock, AES, Video, MADI, Optics
Dimensions:	1496mm (w) x 875mm (d) x 503mm (h)

Processing Channel Specifications Aux / Group / Matrix Output

Name:	User-defined / Presets
Phase:	Normal / Reverse
Digital Trim:	-20 to +60dB
Delay:	>1 sec (coarse & fine control)
LPF:	20 - 20kHz, 24dB / Oct
HPF:	20 - 20kHz, 24dB / Oct
Insert A:	(pre eq/dyn) On/off
Insert B:	(post eq/dyn) On/off
Equalisation:	4 band PEQ (low/lowshelf, lower-mid/lowshelf, upper-mid/hishelf, hi/hishelf), Freq; 20 - 20kHz, Gain; +/- 18dB, Q; 0.1 - 20 (parametric) / 0.10 - 0.85 (shelf), Dynamic Eq option
Compressor:	on / off, Threshold; -60 - 0dB, Attack; 500us - 100ms, Release; 10ms - 10s, Ratio; 1:1 - 50:1, Gain; 0 - 40dB with Autogain option, Link; any channel / buss, Multi-band Compressor option
Gate:	on/off, Threshold; -60 - 0dB, Attack; 50us - 100ms, Hold; 2ms - 2s, Release; 5ms - 5s, Range; 0 - 90dB, Key; Any source, Key listen, Freq/width; 20 - 20kHz
Insert B:	(post eq/dyn) On/off
EQ/Dyn order:	EQ/Dyn or Dyn/EQ
Mute:	Channel mute / hard mute
Solo:	Solo Buss 1 / Solo Buss 2 / Both, Auto solo
Channel Safe:	trim, eq, dyn, fade/mute, inserts, outputs, fwull safe
Output Routing:	Outputs, Insert A, Insert B, FX
Fader:	100mm motorised fader, ∞ to + 10dB

Processing Channel Specifications Input Channel

Name:	User-defined / Presets
Channel Selection:	Mono/Stereo/Multi
Input Routing:	Main & Alternate Input
Analogue Gain:	-20 to +60dB
Phase:	Normal / Reverse
Digital Trim:	-40 to +40dB
Delay:	>1 sec (coarse & fine control)
LPF:	20 - 20kHz, 24dB / Oct
HPF:	20 - 20kHz, 24dB / Oct
Insert A:	(pre eq/dyn) On/off
Insert B:	(post eq/dyn) On/off
EQ:	4 band PEQ (low/lowshelf, lower-mid/lowshelf, upper-mid/hishelf, hi/hishelf), Freq; 20 - 20kHz, Gain; +/- 18dB, Q: 0.1 -20 (parametric) / 0.10-0.85 (shelf), Dynamic Eq option
Compressor:	on / off, Threshold; -60 - 0dB, Attack; 500us - 100ms, Release; 10ms - 10s, Ratio; 1:1 - 50: 1, Gain; 0 to +40dB with Autogain option, Link; any channel / buss, Multi-band Compressor option
Gate:	on/off, Threshold; -60 - 0dB, Attack; 50us - 100ms, Hold; 2ms - 2s, Release; 5ms - 5s, Range; 0 - 90dB, Key; Any source, Key listen, Freq/width; 20 - 20kHz
EQ/Dyn order:	EQ/Dyn or Dyn/EQ
Mute:	Channel mute / hard mute
Solo:	Solo Buss 1 / Solo Buss 2 / Both, Auto solo
Channel Safe:	Input, eq, dyn, aux, pan, fade/mute, inserts, buss, directs, full safe
Output Routing:	Buss, Insert A, Insert B, FX, Direct: on/off, pre-mute / pre-fade / post-fade, level +/- 18dB
Fader:	100mm motorised fader, ∞ to +10dB