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small scale speaker management - future almost here but not quite?

Posted by BofService (A) on November 22, 2011 at 11:05:22

Or maybe it is here but costs too much? My apologies in advance, as I am somewhat new to pro sound and could easily be misunderstanding something, or have missed a prior discussion...

My son DJs dances and we are trying to get a better system for him together. Source is a laptop PC which is by far the norm in the DJ biz. Output uses two commercial amps, a pair of subs and a pair of EV tops. Typical venue with 50-100 people. He specializes in electro-house and dubstep.

It is between the source and the output where the problem lies. This realm was historically handled by discreet EQs, crossovers and limiters (and whatever other processing devices one cared to use) one device daisy chained to the next. These days there are still analog options, but many products have moved to the digital domain where well implemented software can do all those things cleanly with low noise, all functions performed by a single "speaker management" device, with minimal introduction of hum/grounding problems, etc. These devices hold a lot of promise for the small to midrange sound system, improving performance and reducing the size and weight of the rack.

Except not quite. Granted, I have not looked at the products that sell for over $1,000 because they are not an option. But what I am surprised to find is that the inexpensive options out there all have a significant shortcoming. Namely, they do not natively interface with a PC. All laptops come these days with USB ports. Macbook pros also come with firewire, but very few Windows PCs support firewire any more. There are no laptops I am aware of that output AES/EBU format (similar to S/PDIF).

Of the moderately priced speaker management systems, a few support digital input via AES/EBU, but I am not aware of any that offer a USB interface for the program data. This means an outboard sound card must be purchased and cabled up between the PC and the speaker management device, adding to complication, and providing a new opportunity for incompatibility and failure (plus the bulk and cords, etc). One would think that Behringer, DBX, BBE, Ashly, Peavey, or somebody would add a USB port (sound card function) to their device.

Is anyone aware of a "speaker management" device with a built in USB interface for program input? I believe there is one out there that supports a USB connection, but it is for the user interface not the program data. How about new systems in the pipeline to be released soon?

Thanks,

Gary

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