SAN FRANCISCO - Australia's Fairlight (www.fairlightau.com) made a number of announcements at this year's AES show, including the introduction of a new version of its Constellation console. Constellation XT is powered by a 240-channel, 72-bus QDC engine and can be configured with either a 48- or 96-track recorder.
Most notable for the XT is Fairlight's decision to incorporate OLED (organic light emitting diode) displays, which are a new technology from Osram. The displays are higher resolution than normal LED displays, use less power and are viewable from almost any angle. In a side-by-side comparison of LED and OLED displays, the difference was dramatic.
Also announced at the show was a new turnkey studio package the company has dubbed "Dream Suite." Pros can purchase an entire suite of tools, including a 48-track DAW, the StationPlus 56-channel mixer, an 80 plug-in collection from Creamware and the Pyxis nonlinear video system.
Pricing for the package starts at around $1,600 a month for a 48-month lease and represents a significant savings over buying the components individually.