Following its purchase of Cadac CDC four digital and Live1 analogue consoles, South East London sales and hire company RSH Audio has been using both with large-scale Funktion-One and Martin Audio loudspeaker rigs. In recent months, the company has used the CDC four and Funktion-One rig with Maceo Plex for London Warehouse Events.
‘The sound quality of the desk becomes all the more apparent with larger, especially bass heavy, sound systems,’ says company director and systems engineer, Joe Haycocks. ‘Low end is an area I feel a number of other digital consoles have fallen down on. Compression on the outputs is also extremely smooth, which provides nice gentle limiting. The overall sound is warm and extremely analogue – and it’s also a piece of cake to use.’
The set-up for Maceo Plax at London’s Factory 7 comprised four Resolution 4 over F218mkII stacks, with flown F101 fills for ancillary areas. The EQ and processing of the CDC four was instrumental in achieving a good sound: ‘The open-plan layout makes it a challenging venue for sound,’ Haycocks explains. ‘The extremely musical EQ on the desk really helped tame problem frequencies without compromising the overall sound quality.’
With much larger rigs, such as The ‘Original’ Pure Science at Leas Cliff Hall in Folkestone – 12 Funktion-One F221, ten Funktion-One Resolution 5, Funktion-One F101 front fills and a Martin Audio monitor system – the CDC four proved its capabilities as a monitor desk, while Haycocks maintained the sound at FOH with the Live1: ‘I have found the sound quality of both desks to be brilliant. One system tech expressed it as sounding like a new system when we first used a Live1 in a venue we’ve regularly worked in. It’s something we’ve confirmed A/Bing the Live1 with other manufacturers’ similarly sized consoles.’
During the recent Easter weekend, the CDC four went out again with Funktion-One. This time at North West London’s Loft Studios with Greg Wilson and Kenny Carpenter. Haycocks used the CDC four as a submixer for the two DJ set-ups: ‘With the extra control I had with the desk over the system configuration, it was a far superior result to any other system I’ve heard in that room. In addition, the Cadac helps put something back into the sound of modern digital DJ mixers.’
The client, DJ/promoter Stuart Patterson, was also impressed: ‘It takes a few attempts to get a room right, especially when you are bringing sound in and out for each event but I don’t think you’ll ever attain a better sound upstairs at Loft Studios than we achieved last Sunday courtesy of RSH Audio.’
The CDC four is also proving its value on more intimate applications, such as a recent Beverley Knight headlined fundraiser, for London Lesbian & Gay Switchboard, at The Waldorf Hotel in London, and on corporate A/V presentation hires: ‘In a corporate environment, where multiple channels of lapel microphones regularly provide a challenge, we find the EQ quality a major advantage, it being very very precise,’ says Haycocks.
RSH packages the CDC four with the CDC I/O 3216 stagebox and a 100m VDC loom, providing a total of 56 channels of 96kHz/24-bit Cadac sound. With the new CDC four:m version shipping imminently – featuring a 6 x 4 matrix with 31-band graphic EQ, compressor/limiter and delay on all four matrix channels and 31-band graphic EQ on all outputs – Haycocks is looking to extend RSH’s Cadac inventory: ‘We intend to increase our stock of consoles to help us cope with what is looking to be a very busy summer. With the continued R&D and forthcoming upgrades, the CDC four is going to be even better than it currently is.’
