FREMONT, CA — Blackmagic Design (www.blackmagicdesign.com) has announced the new Fairlight Desktop Console, a portable audio control surface that will be available in December for $3,495. The Fairlight Desktop Console now gives a tactile worksurface - much like the company’s higher-end consoles - to users working on projects on their laptop or desktop.
The Fairlight Desktop Console features 12 high-quality, touch-sensitive, flying faders; built in LCDs above each channel strip for pan and effects control; and full automation control. An HDMI interface allow users to connect a monitor, expanding the graphical interface with audio status and metering.
As a complete audio mixing control surface, the unit allows users to mixing multiple tracks at once, automate a variety of parameters and plug-in settings, control channel functions, record, monitor and navigate within their project. Illuminated buttons help to quickly identify channels. Knobs and buttons provide control of channel parameters, EQ, dynamics and plug-ins.
Each channel strip has a motorized fader for adjusting levels; a series of buttons for solo, mute and other parameters; a multifunction pan knob; and an LCD that shows customers information about the channel or track on which they are working. Channel strips can be used to control an individual track and any strip can be assigned to any track in the project. Customers can also use a single strip to control multiple tracks in a group. Transport buttons and a jog shuttle wheel allow users to quickly move around the timeline and navigate clips, scrub, start or stop playback, or jump to a new position.
Fairlight’s automation lets users record parameter changes made over time. The monitoring controls on the Fairlight Desktop Console let users quickly switch between sources, control both their studio and booth levels, or even control talkback if they have a Fairlight Audio Interface installed with their computer. With the addition of an HDMI display, users can view everything happening on the console, including channel strip information, levels, equalization, dynamics processing and plug-in interfaces.
"This is an extremely exciting product because it gives us a high quality audio control surface that’s much better than using a mouse and keyboard, but it’s not as expensive as a full two-bay studio console, which was previously our entry-level point for Fairlight hardware," explains Grant Petty, Blackmagic Design CEO. "Plus it’s also incredibly high quality with the same flying faders as the large Fairlight studio consoles, so we have not reduced quality as many other affordable consoles do. A good example of the quality of the new Fairlight Desktop Console is the HDMI video output, which means customers get the same audio channel status and powerful metering which the Fairlight studio consoles have, simply by plugging in an HD TV!"