Soundcraft have made a welcome return to the analogue mixer market with the launch of their Signature Series small‑format desks. All the models in the range offer 2‑in/2‑out USB playback and recording (24‑bit/48kHz), but two are also optionally available with low‑latency multitrack USB connections, allowing them to function as DAW audio interfaces in a studio environment, as well as facilitating easy multitrack live recording.
The range encompasses 10‑, 12‑, 16‑ and 22‑input formats, and the mixers’ robust metal construction, integral PSU, high‑quality signal paths and onboard Lexicon effects belie their affordable pricing. The highly regarded preamp design found in Soundcraft’s Ghost desks is used on all models, while the EQ circuitry comes from the Sapphyre console, with a three‑band, single swept‑mid format on the 10‑ and 12‑channel models, and a four‑band EQ with dual swept mids on the 16‑ and 22‑channel desks.
All mic channels feature high‑pass (low‑cut) filters and 48V phantom power, and some also incorporate Dbx limiters, to help control excessive dynamics. The aux configurations range from two aux buses plus an aux/effects bus on the Signature 10, to three aux buses and two aux/effects buses on the Signature 22, all with flexible pre/post switching. While the flagship Signature 22 and the Signature 16 offer 100mm faders, the smaller models have 60mm units. However, all feature a small number of switchable high‑impedance inputs for passive guitars, basses, and other instruments.
The Sapphyre EQ is ‘asymmetric’, with the low- and high-frequency shelves exhibiting a slight cut at the nominal frequency value when boosting, and a similar slight boost when cutting. This arrangement can help to prevent muddiness creeping in when low shelving boosts are applied, while the boost around the shelving frequency means a low‑end cut will clean up the bass region without taking too much body out of the signal. At the top end, the same shelving behaviour can prevent things becoming too harsh in the mid-range when boosting the highs, or too dull when the overall amount of top end is reduced.
The mid‑range bands have a wide bandwidth (low Q value) when boosting and a narrow bandwidth (high Q value) when cutting, reflecting the fact that mid-range boost would normally be used to apply broad tonal changes, while cuts are often employed to address specific problem frequencies.
The limiter is an analogue VCA type with a fixed 7:1 ratio and fixed attack, release and threshold settings. It acts just after the gain pot, so if you want to drive the limiter hard to impart some tonal characteristics as well as gain reduction, you can push the gain up and trim the level with the fader.
On the Signature 12MTK and 22MTK (which feature 14‑in/12‑out and 24‑in/22‑out USB interfaces), all input channels always send their post‑gain, pre‑EQ signal to their respective USB recording channel. The last pair of USB audio channels carries the main stereo mix. To play back multitrack audio, you just activate the USB RTN button below each channel’s gain pot.
In the studio, a Signature-series MTK model could potentially replace your audio interface, monitor controller, mic amps and dynamics all in one box. In a live-sound context, the bi‑directional multitrack interface makes it easy to simultaneously mix a show and capture the performance for mixing later, or you could use the return paths to integrate playback channels with live performances.
There’s a whole lot more, but that will have to wait until we’ve had our hands on one for testing. We look forward to letting you know the results. The Signature 10 is projected to list at €309$349; the Signature 12 at €359$409; the Signature 16 at €599$689; the Signature 22 at €769$869; the Signature 12MTK at €449$499; and the Signature 22MTK at €875$999.
