S21 : Overview

DiGiCo’s world-renowned innovation, deep feature-set and flagship audio quality of our high-end digital consoles is within reach of everyone. How? Meet the S21 – a world-class DiGiCo mixing console at an astonishing price.

• 48 Flexi Input Channels
• 16 Flexi Aux / Sub-Group Busses
• LR Master Buss
• 10 x 8 Full Processing Matrix
• 21 Dynamic Equalizers
• 96kHz Sample Rate

Step up to the S21’s worksurface, complete with dual P-CAP multi-touch screens, 48 flexi-channels, the equivalent of 46 buses and benchmark 96kHz performance, and this console’s heritage is clear – the S21 is every inch a DiGiCo desk. It’s also a revelation in terms of what an introductory digital console can deliver.

Based on the same pioneering design approach as the industry-leading SD series, the S21 boasts the same proprietary audio algorithms plus a new ARM QuadCore RISC processor which runs in harmony with the FPGA core. The result is faster processing with lower power consumption, all packaged in the workflow that the industry’s most respected engineers rely upon – now available to everyone.

Under the Hood

Familiar to the touch and built for the road, the S21 offers mixing without limits. The integration of a high power QuadCore SoC with high bandwidth memory, a low power 484-ball array FPGA and a fourth-generation control SHARC DSP offers unprecedented power today as well as the potential for a future processing upgrade path. The compact footprint of the S21 has no relationship to the scale of processing power going on under the polycarbonate worksurface.

The two touchscreens each provide 10 channel strips, giving not only clear visual feedback and control of 20 simultaneous channels for a single user, but also the possibility when mixing large shows for more than one operator to take advantage of the newly designed drag, swipe and drop feature that simplifies custom fader layouts.

Visual feedback is further reinforced by the HTL (Hidden Till Lit) functionality of the encoder rings, while parameters currently not in use are automatically greyed out, always drawing your attention to the right controls.

The dual screen concept aims to aid the new user learning curve and remove distractions by not only giving you more channels to view at any one time, but also allowing one screen to be used as a setup or master whilst the other is utilised for operation. Both touchscreens are responsive to EQ shaping, with fine-tuning available via the tactile and intuitive rotary encoders.

Altering the Channel Bank layout, and mixing and matching any channel, aux, group, control group, or matrix within a bank, is easily accomplished by drag and drop at the touch of a screen.

I/O

The S21’s local I/O section includes 24 mic/line inputs, 12 line outs, two mono AES/EBU, and two DMI (DiGiCo Multichannel Interface) card slots which interface to standard industry formats such as Analogue, MADI, Dante, Waves SoundGrid, or Calrec’s Hydra 2 Network.

The console connects seamlessly with the DiGiCo remote I/O D-Rack providing an additional 32 inputs and up to 16 outputs.

*SPECIFICATIONS*

General Specifications

48 x Input flex-channels Mono/Stereo (equivalent of 96 DSP channels)

46 busses: 16 x flexi-busses Mono/Stereo (equivalent of 32 DSP busses), Stereo Master (2), Solo busses (2 stereo, 4 total), and 10 x 8 Matrix (8)

10 x Control Groups

1 x Compressor per channel and buss

1 x Gate per channel and buss (switchable to ducker, or compressor with side chain access)

16 x assignable 32 band Graphic EQs

8 x FX engines (reverbs, delays, w/modulation and enhancer)

21 x assignable DiGiTuBes

21 x assignable Multiband Compressors

21 x assignable Dynamic EQ’s

User definable Macros

An extremely high power headphone amplifier with 1/4 inch and mini jack socket

96kHz as standard

24 mic/line inputs

12 analogue outs

2 AES/EBU I/O (mono)

Word Clock I/O

1 GPI and 1 GPO

DVI out (for an external monitor)

2 DMI Card slots (up to 64 I/O per slot)

2 Ethernet connections for Networking

2 x 24 segment master/solo meters

Touch sensitive rotaries with integrated switch & HTL

2 x multi-touch screens

21 x touch sensitive moving faders

4 x layers of banks of 10 faders

Customisable bank and channel layout

Snapshots

Integrated USB2 Audio I/O interface for recording and playback of up to 48 channels

Audio Specification

Sample Rate 48kHz, 96kHz

Processing Delay 2ms Typical @ 48k (48 Stereo Channels, Stage Input Through L-R Buss to Stage Output) 1.1ms @ 96kHz

Internal Processing Up to 40-bit, Floating Point

A>D & D>A 24-bit Converter Bit Depth

Frequency Response +/- 0.6dB (20Hz – 20kHz)

THD <0.05% @ Unity Gain, 10dB Input @ 1kHz

Channel Separation Better Than 90dB (40Hz – 15kHz)

Residual Output <90dBu Typical

Noise (20Hz – 20kHz)

Microphone Input Better Than -126dB Equivalent Noise

Maximum Output Level +22dBu

Maximum Input Level +22dBu

Processing Channel Specification

Input Channel

Input Name: User-Defined

Channel Selection: Mono / Stereo

Input Routing: Main Input

Analogue Gain: -20 to +60dB

Phase: Normal / Reverse

Digital Trim: 40 to +40dB

Delay: 0 – 682ms

DiGiTuBe Drive: 0.01 – 50.0

Bias: 0 – 6

LPF: 20 – 20kHz, 24dB/Oct

HPF: 20 – 20kHz, 24dB/Oct

Insert A: (Pre EQ/Dyn) On/Off

Equalisation 4 Band EQ: Parametric or Dynamic (Low/Lowshelf, Lower-Mid/Lowshelf, Upper-Mid/Hishelf, Hi/Hishelf)

On/Off

Freq; 20 – 20kHz

Gain; +/- 18dB

Q: 0.1 -20 (Parametric) / 0.10-0.90 (Shelf)

Dynamics 1: Single or 4 x Multiband (3-Band)

Compressor; On/Off

Threshold; -60 – 0dB

Attack; 500us – 100ms

Release; 5ms – 5s

Ratio; 1:1 – 50:1

Gain; 0 to +40dB

Hi Crossover; 20Hz – 20kHz

Lo Crossover; 20Hz – 20kHz

Knee; Hard, Med, Soft

Dynamics 2: On/Off

Gate / Ducker Threshold; -60 – 0dB

Attack; 50us – 100ms

Hold; 2ms – 2s

Release; 5ms – 5s

Range; 0 – 90dB

Key; Any Source

Key Listen

Freq/Width; 20 – 20kHz

Compressor; On/Off

Threshold; -60 – 0dB

Attack; 500us – 100ms

Release; 5ms – 5s

Ratio; 1:1 – 50:1

Gain; 0 to +40dB

Link; Any Channel / Buss

S/C Source : Any Source

S/C Listen : On/Off

S/C Filter Freq/Width: 20Hz – 20kHz

Insert B: (Post EQ/Dyn) On/Off

Mute: Channel Mute

Solo: Solo Buss 1 / Solo Buss 2 / Both,

Channel Safe: Socket Properties, Input Route, Mono/Stereo, Label, Filters, Trim, Delay, Tube, Insert A, EQ, Dyn1, Dyn2, Insert B, Aux, Group Assigns, Pan, Fade, Mute, Direct Outs, Full Safe

Output: Routing Buss,

Insert A, Insert B,

Direct: Post-Fade

Fader: 100mm Motorised Fader 8 to +10dB

Processing Channel Specification

Aux / Group / Matrix Output

Name: User-Defined

Phase: Normal / Reverse

Digital Trim: -40 to +40dB

Delay: 0 – 682ms

DiGiTuBe Drive: 0.01 – 50.0 Bias 0 – 6

LPF: 20 – 20kHz, 24dB / Oct

HPF: 20 – 20kHz, 24dB / Oct

Insert A: (Pre EQ/Dyn) On/Off

Equalisation 4 Band EQ: Parametric or Dynamic (Low/Lowshelf, Lower-Mid/Lowshelf, Upper-Mid/Hishelf, Hi/Hishelf)

On/Off

Freq; 20 – 20kHz

Gain; +/- 18dB

Q: 0.1 -20 (Parametric) / 0.10-0.90 (Shelf)

Dynamics 1: Single or 4 x Multiband (3-band)

Compressor; On/Off

Threshold; -60 – 0dB

Attack; 500us – 100ms

Release; 5ms – 5s

Ratio; 1:1 – 50:1

Gain; 0 to +40dB

Hi Crossover; 20Hz – 20kHz

Lo Crossover; 20Hz – 20kHz

Knee; Hard, Med, Soft

Gate / Ducker Threshold; -60 – 0dB

Attack; 50us – 100ms

Hold; 2ms – 2s

Release; 5ms – 5s

Range; 0 – 90dB

Key; Any Source

Key Listen

Freq/Width; 20 – 20kHz

Compressor On/Off

Threshold; -60 – 0dB

Attack; 500us – 100ms

Release; 5ms – 5s

Ratio; 1:1 – 50:1

Gain; 0 to +40dB

Link; Any Channel/Buss

S/C Source: Any source

S/C Listen: On/Off

S/C Filter Freq/Width: 20Hz – 20kHz

Insert B: (Post EQ/Dyn) On/Off

Mute: Channel Mute

Solo: Solo Buss 1 / Solo Buss 2 / Both,

Channel Safe: Mono/Stereo, Bus Mode, Label, Filters, Trim, Delay, Tube, Insert A, EQ, Dyn1, Dyn2, Insert B, Group Assigns, Fade, Mute, Direct Outs, Full Safe

Output Routing: Outputs, Insert A, Insert B