Soundcraft GigRac 600 Powered Mixer

The GigRac 600 incorporates two 300 Watt internal amplifiers. With the front panel amplifier assignment switch in the Up position, the Main mix is sent to both amplifiers. Each speaker connector can be used to power a single 8ohm speaker, or two 8ohm speakers in parallel - a total of four speakers. The GigRac 600 can be switched from the front panel to deliver full power to the Main mix, or split the power between the Main and Monitor mixes to power both main and monitor speakers.

Professional Sound - No experience necessary
Even if you've never touched a PA system before, you'll be creating a great live sound for you and your band in minutes with GigRac. Packed with professional features like combined jack/XLR inputs, precision mic preamps, superbly musical equalisation, studio quality digital effects, graphic EQ and independent Main and Monitor mixes, GigRac is also refreshingly easy to set up, leaving you free to concentrate on your performance. With GigRac, the amplifier is built-in, with both 300 and 2 x 300 Watt versions available. Just plug in your mics, instruments, speakers and monitors, and you're ready to go. And while you're waiting to make it big, you can relax in the knowledge that GigRac comes from Soundcraft, the name behind the live sound mixing consoles used on many of the world's major tours and festivals.

Professionally equipped input channels
Soundcraft equalisation (EQ) is a legend amongst professional sound engineers and renowned the world over for its precision and musicality. At the top of all 8 GigRac input channels you'll find a classic Soundcraft 2-band EQ section comprising of treble and bass rotary controls, allowing sophisticated tone shaping of the microphone or instrument connected. Next comes an FX control, used to set the signal level sent from each channel to the GigRac's digital effects processor (see Studio Quality Effects). The higher the FX send level, the more of the effect is added to the sound of that channel. For example, you may want a lot of reverb on the vocal mics plugged into channels 1 and 2, less on the vocal mics plugged into 3 and 4, and less still on the instruments plugged into the remaining channels. With GigRac, you're in control. Beneath the FX controls are the blue and red Monitor and Main channel level controls. These control the individual volume levels of all eight channels in 2 separate overall mixes: Monitor being what you and the band hear on stage via your monitor speakers and Main being what the audience hears via the main speakers. It's important to have independent Monitor and Main mixes as performers often need to hear certain elements of the mix louder (for example a keyboard or main instrument for reference), whereas the audience would require a balanced mix. The overall volume level of the Monitor and Main mixes is controlled via the master volume controls to the right of the channel strips.

All 8 GigRac input channels have combined balanced jack/XLR input sockets to accommodate the widest possible range of microphones and instruments, and to minimise distortion and noise. The Pad switch at the bottom of channels 1 to 4 is used to reduce the level of particularly high input signals which could cause distortion by overloading the input. Channels 5 and 6 of the GigRac feature alternative stereo RCA/phono inputs beneath the combined XLR/jack connector, making it easy to plug in a CD, MD, MP3 or MIDI file player. Perfect for playing pre-recorded backing tracks or music before and after your performance, this facility also makes GigRac ideal for use in a wide variety of other applications including fitness clubs, hotels, outdoor events, etc. Channels 7 and 8 have an additional single jack input designed to be used in conjunction with the combined XLR/jack connector. This allows direct connection of stereo keyboards, samplers and other audio devices.

7-band graphic EQ
Even with the same setup, a performance can sound very different from one venue to the next. The way in which sound waves reflect and interact with surfaces and objects within a room (the acoustics) change the tonal quality of the overall sound, boosting some frequencies (sometimes to the point of feedback) and reducing others. That's why the GigRac is equipped with a graphic equaliser, designed by the Soundcraft sister-company and world leaders in professional signal processing, BSS Audio. The graphic EQ enables the operator to boost and cut frequencies at 7 points to 'tune' the overall sound to suit the acoustics of the particular venue. It's a process that professional sound engineers are familiar with as they tour from venue to venue. And because GigRac's so easy to use, a little practise is all you'll need to achieve professional results too.

Studio quality effects
GigRac has a total of 8 studio-quality digital effects built-in, adding a professional finish to your performance. You can select from 5 reverbs, a chorus/reverb and 2 echo/delays, used to 'thicken' vocal performances. Crucially, GigRac allows the digital effects to be added individually to the Main and the Monitor mixes, so you can hear the mix 'dry' on headphones and via monitors, while the audience hears the Main mix complete with stunning digital effects. And by connecting a footswitch, it's possible to turn the effects On and Off during a performance. If you want to use an external effects processor, it's easy to connect via the FX outputs on the front panel. The FX send level controls on the channel strips can then be used in the usual way and the output of the external processor can be plugged into either a channel or the submix input.

Sophisticated monitoring
To help achieve optimum volume levels, the GigRac uses a precision, 10-segment, front panel LED meter display, just as you'd find on a professional live sound mixing console. And a further indication that the volume level is too high is provided by an amplifier overload warning LED(s). A pair of RCA/phono outputs are perfect for recording the Main mix onto an external DAT or CD recorder, or for recording your performance on computer using an appropriately-equipped soundcard. GigRac is packed with a comprehensive and flexible range of monitoring options. You can plug in a pair of headphones for precisionlistening during soundchecks and there are independent outputs for both the Main and Monitor mixes for the connection of additional 'powered' speaker cabinets.