Cadac CM-J50 - 96-Channel Digital Audio Mixing Console with 48 Busses and 23.5-inch Touchscreen

The Cadac CM-J50 is a self-powered live sound digital audio mixing console with 96 input channels and 48 busses. Based on Cadac's "touch, turn and swipe" operating system with a 23.5" 16:9 touch screen, with encoders to the right and bottom of the screen, plus twenty 100mm motorised faders and a 6.5" control screen. Local I/O consists of 16 Cadac mic-amps and 8 analogue outputs plus 8 AES3 inputs and 8 AES3 outputs with remote stage options connected via Cadac's MegaCOMMS network protocol on either coax cable or optical fibre.

The CM-J50 can be used as a stand-alone unit and as part of a larger system comprising of multiple units: console and remote MegaCOMMS I/O device(s). The control surface provides local analogue and digital inputs and outputs, which can be expanded via a number of remote stage rack(es) options. All connections to the surface (apart from headphones and three USB ports) are on the rear panel of the control surface: these include PSU connectors, MegaCOMMS ports, local analogue and digital audio I/O, Waves SoundGrid card, MIDI, Word Clock IN and Out, USB and Network ports. In addition to the I/O provided by the CM-SR Series of remote I/O devices, the control surface is configured with sixteen analogue mic/line inputs, eight analogue line outputs (all balanced), four balanced AES/EBU inputs and four balanced AES/EBU outputs. The routing of this local I/O may be configured via the CM-J50's software.

The CM-J50 employs the now-familiar concept of "layering" to reduce the size of the control surface, with 16 motorised faders able to control a maximum console configuration of 96 input channels mixing into 48 assignable mix busses, plus 4 faders for left, centre and right master busses, and three monitor busses (however, in Monitor mode LCR and Monitors become assignable busses making the console a 56 assignable mix bus console) are for PFL and AFL plus headphones.

The graphical interface on the 23.5" touchscreen screen has been designed to present as familiar a layout as possible, using large, initiative controls with visual feedback. This is complemented by a further a 6.5" Control Screen LCD touchscreen, which by default, shows the Cue List, but it can also display the console configuration options, show file management and provides access to numerous other user features.

The rotary encoders at the edges of the screen map to the graphical interface on the screen and are used to make all parameter adjustments (levels, EQ parameters etc.).

An important feature of the CM-J50 is that there is very little distinction between input channels and output channels in terms of features and facilities. The 48 mix busses are freely assignable as groups, auxiliary sends, matrix sends or FX sends: all of these have fundamentally the same facilities as the input channels and are displayed and controlled in the same way.

The CM-J50 control surface includes a Waves SoundGrid interface. This allows 64 channels in and out of the Waves SoundGrid eco-system, which allows both the use of Waves studio grade plugins to run simultaneously alongside the console's native audio processing, as well the ability to use Waves as a recording and playback interface for multi-channel audio. These require additional hardware and appropriate licenses, all available from Waves.

Features

• Up to 96 simultaneous channels in the mix
• 48 mix busses, freely assignable as groups, aux sends or matrix sends, plus LCR main busses and monitor LCR
• 16 local analogue and 8 local AES3 inputs
• 8 local analogue and 8 local AES3 outputs
• MegaCOMMS audio protocol available on 4 x BNC coax and 2 x duplex optical LC ports
• Waves interface card providing 64ch. multitrack recording, or for connection to a Waves SoundGrid server to access the full range of Waves plug-in processing. Note: Requires the relevant Waves Licenses
• Unrestricted allocation of physical I/O to input channels and group/aux/matrix outputs
• 16 VCA groups
• 8 dual layer user assignable buttons, with OLED displays (e.g., Mute group masters), giving a total of 16 user assignable functions
• Input channels may be linked or paired for stereo operation, plus one talkback pair
• 20 x 100 mm motorised faders with OLED displays of current assignments
• All output types - groups, auxes or matrices - either as mono or stereo
• Channel sends to outputs may be pre-EQ, pre-fade or post-fade (switchable pre or post VCA) and post-Mute
• Default display of all primary channel parameters
• Two physical inputs per input channel
• 4-band fully parametric EQ on all inputs and outputs
• Cadac EQ
• One Dynamic EQ on each input and output
• Variable-frequency hi and lo-pass filters on all inputs and outputs
• 1/3-octave graphic equaliser available on all outputs
• Compressor / limiter with sidechain filter, plus gate on all input channels
• Compressor / limiter with sidechain filter on all outputs
• Adjustable delay on all inputs and outputs
• 16 stereo (or 32 mono) FX processors - freely assignable
• Each FX processor provides reverb, delay and modulation, in any series/parallel combination
• Switchable inserts on all channels
• Switchable LR and LCR panning
• Channel copy and isolate functions
• Full Monitor, PFL and Talkback facilities
• 1 x 23.5" 16:9 touchscreen display
• 1 x 6.5" control touchscreen screen
• Scene automation with fast keypad access
• 96 kHz, 24-bit Delta-Sigma A/D and D/A converters
• Low-noise, wide dynamic-range analogue mic pre-amps with remote gain control
• All channel functions immediately accessible by single touch
• Stereo bar graph meters, integrated in fader bays
• Gooseneck console lamp XLR socket

Specifications

General Specifications

• Faders: 20 x 100mm motorised faders
• Screens: 1 x 23.5″ 16:9 HD / 1 x 6.5"
• PSU: 2 x internal PSUs
• Inputs: Up to 192 (inc local I/O)
• Channels: 96 with full processing
• Busses: 48 configurable in pairs as group / aux/ st aux plus dedicated LCR, monitor LR, headphones LR and talkback
• Matrix: Up to 67 x 48 with full processing
• Outputs: Up to 192 (inc. local I/O)
• Graphic EQ: 32 band +/-16 dB on all 55 outputs
• Internal FX: 16 high-resolution 96 kHz stereo effects processors
• Local IO
  • 16 x XLR Mic Inputs (inc 48 V, PAD and 1 dB gain steps)
  • 8 x XLR Balanced outputs
  • 4 x XLR AES/EBU inputs and 4 x XLR AES/EBU outputs
• Comms: 2 x Cadac MegaCOMMS on:
  • 4 x BNC
  • 2 x Duplex optical LC ports

Audio Specifications

• Sample Rate: 96 kHz
• Processing Delay: Sub 0.4 millisecond latency through complete signal chain
• Internal Processing: 40-bit floating point
• ADC/DAC: 24-bit
• Frequency Response: 20 Hz to 44 kHz + 0.5 / -1.5 dB
• THD+N: better than 0.005% @unity gain, 10 dB input at 1 kHz
• Channel Separation: better than 90 dB
• Residual Output Noise: < -90 dBu (20 Hz - 20 kHz)
• MIC EIN: < -127 dB with 200 Ohm source impedance
• Maximum Output: 21 dBu