hey guys, i will get straight into it. i know quite a bit about pro audio equipment, but the other day this guy i know tells me that apparently his brother-in-law is a freelance show technician and he just bought himself a digital scanner and apparently it scans the sound board every 10 seconds (apparently you can set the time too) and tells you what problems are there with the system, what channels needs to be fixed and so on and so on. This piece of equipment costs something around $20000..thats right twenty thousand dollars..so just want to know what exactly is this scanner, and what is it really called because i already did a research online and cant find anything like this..
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I mix for a regional jazz artist when he does outdoor shows. One
I mix for a regional jazz artist when he does outdoor shows. One of those shows had an Innovason digital console. The console developed some issues the night before the show. That board was able to run a fairly short diagnostics program that could display the various power supply legs' voltage values, check operating software, and trouble-shoot to "card-slot level". That was it. And this was actually built into the unit. I would think that this function could be readily integrated into a digital audio device (after all, if the French can do it...) but, as for an analog board....that's a horse of a different color. BTW, the desk could not be fixed in time, so they brought out a Paragon ( :) ) that was an absolute joy to mix on...
Your description is rather uninformed and vague. There are many
Your description is rather uninformed and vague.
There are many, many pieces of test and evaluation equipment on the market. If it is scanning a console, you may be referring to an aftermarket piece of console automation equipment? I once designed a console automation snapshot system that utilized a burst of pink noise. The outputs of the console were then monitored and switched quickly through a sequence of events that could evaluate level, equalization and stereo placement. This was going to be an add-on to a console that did not have an automation system with "snapshot" capabilities. I never followed through with this project but what you are describing sounds similar to what I had envisioned over 15 years ago.
So many things are computerized these days including PA consoles, just like our automobiles, they are all under some kind of hardware/software integrated circuit computert chip control and so, parameters can be monitored with a "digital scanner", which is connected to another computer chip and/or program that can then evaluate the operation of the system and inform you of any technical failures. Pretty cool if you are in that kind of business.
So if you were to know the name of this particular device, what difference would this make in your life? You don't even know what kind of console this gizmo was integrated into? Analog? Digital? Hybrid? A proprietary device made for a specific console or a generic piece designed for all? I can't imagine that you are ready to go out and purchase something for $20,000 when you don't fully understand any of this stuff yet?
Ms. Remy Ann David
Former quality-control manager and final test technician Scully Corp.