Calrec has introduced a reduced height variant of its Argo-S scalable IP-native mixer control surface, which combines the meter-bridge and touch UI into a single row of displays, with users able to switch between Calrec Assist full Web UI and full meters on any section, on-the-fly.
Argo-S maintains the ‘everything-from-everywhere’ approach adopted by the Argo surface and support for multi-user workflows in a form factor tailored to tight working environments, and it remains a drop-in replacement for smaller consoles. It’s also suitable for applications where low-profile or better line-of-sight over the surface is required.
Like its larger Argo siblings, each 12-fader wide section on the Argo-S surface is fully independent in processing capability, path control access, power supplies and connectivity. Able to adapt to changing production needs, Calrec’s Argo Q and the Argo S model claim to represent a new approach to audio mixing, with a flexible control philosophy that breaks the traditional geographic tie lines between processing and control.
Argo is fully modular with interchangeable hardware panels and uses Calrec’s time-served Assist UI at its core. This means that whether using physical hardware panels or a remote GUI, user’s interface is both familiar and easy to navigate. The modular panel system encourages broadcasters to adapt surface hardware to meet their specific requirements, with two mid-level rows of interchangeable panels on the larger Argo Q model, and a single mid-level row on the Argo S model.
Argo’s architecture offers system resilience, with the surface protected from a single point of failure with each self-contained, 12-fader section having from a redundant power supply and dedicated processor. This system flexibility also means these self-contained sections can be connected together using either local or wide area networks for distributed productions – a user can might a 48-fader main console in London and a 12-fader FX surface in New York connected to a core in Paris.
Calrec has also introduced a comprehensive system of user templates to instantly change the hardware user interface to meet changing requirements or user preferences. Argo’s physical control surface is also more streamlined, using optically bonded touchscreens to provide visual feedback and speed of access. Soft panels determine the user experience, while hardware panels allow definable functions to be designed and applied as templates. Argo’s panels are also interchangeable and can be placed wherever needed, allowing a console to grow and be readily adapted to individual requirements, as well as being split for sub mixing or mixing in other locations.
More: http://calrec.com
