Falcon
Digital Mixer
General Music
Sometimes you come across an instrument that jumps out at you and screams, “Check me out!” Such is the case with the new Falcon Digital Mixer from General Music. The Falcon is a new low-cost ($1,395) digital mixer designed by General Music’s LEM division and targeted for recording studios and broadcast facilities. The Falcon manages to pack a lot of design features into its smallish frame. While the control surface of the Falcon retains the look and feel of a traditional console, the design and layout of user controls are anything but conventional. Recessed areas are contrasted against raised sections along the mixer’s slanted front panel, creating a sleek space-age feeling. But of course, all this eye-candy is worth nothing if it doesn’t sound good and perform well. Fortunately the Falcon does that too.
The Falcon is designed around a proprietary RED208 digital signal processing chip and features 20-bit A/Ds and D/As as well as 40-bit internal processing. It’s equipped with six mono mic/line inputs and two stereo line inputs, along with a single standard digital AES/EBU input. A “Virtual Strip” is located on the extreme right side providing the user with motorized data entry, which can be assigned to any channel in real time. This strip, in conjunction with a complete complement of real-time knobs for EQ, aux sends/returns, volume, cue and mute, allow for total operation of all parameters at any given moment. The Falcon comes standard with a complete effects section including 3D ambiance, multi-band dynamics, noise reduction, reverbs, a variety of equalization types, delays and special effects. Each processor type can be connected with up to four other types, which can then be assigned to a channel. As expected, full remote control of all of the mixer’s internal operations can be achieved through an external MIDI sequencer or other MIDI controller. General Music Corporation, 1164 Tower Lane, Bensenville, IL 60106
