The Midas touch

Midas PRO6 console: S&S Pro Audio Technology of the Year.
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Despite being launched less than 12 months ago, Midas’ PRO6 live audio production desk has proven one of the company’s greatest commercial success stories.

With more than 100 delivered worldwide including two in the Middle East, the PRO6 takes the best aspects of Midas’ full-scale XL8 console and condenses them into a relatively compact desk suitable for touring and permanent installation duties.

Its diminutive size belies an ability to provide up to 80 simultaneous input processing channels and up to 32 (+3) discrete mixes, all of which feature EQ and dynamics processing options.

By adding additional I/O hardware, the PRO6’s network can be expanded up to 264 inputs and 264 outputs. These connections can be patched and routed on a scene-by-scene basis, by use of the PRO6’s snapshot automation functionality.

The PRO6’s FX and dynamics algorithms are incorporated within its automatic delay management system, so that wherever they are patched, the audio will be absolutely phase-coherent when summed into the mix.

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Other key features include configurable colour-coded VCA and POPulation groups; a comprehensive automatic latency management system; fully redundant power supplies; and Linux software control.

All in all, the compact console is a great addition to the market and a worthy winner of this year’s Sound & Stage Award for Pro Audio Technology of the Year.

Midas brand development manager Richard Ferriday says winning the award is testament to the company’s commitment to excellence and its ability to punch above its weight against better-resourced rivals.

“We’re only a small manufacturer and we know we’re never going to sell hundreds of consoles, but we’ve had a pretty good start in the Middle East and winning the Sound & Stage award will really help to boost our profile in the region,” he says.

“Internationally, we’re fortunate that we’ve got a hot new product which is selling very well in key territories. The Middle East is essentially a new market for us, and it’s not an easy market to crack 

“It’s relatively easy to sell consoles in Europe because we have a strong profile there, but it’s something we have to work on in the Middle East. As a result, we have to compete a lot harder in this region for business.”