Allen & Heath GLD console – Hands-On Review
The compressor controls are next up giving you on-surface control of the threshold, as well as the ratio and output gain when the knob is pressed down similarly to the Q access on the parametric EQ. Channel routing is accessable by the select button at the end of the channel strip which brings up an on-screen menu allowing you to access controls to route that specific channel to any group, aux, fx, DCA and also features a direct out level control as well as a selector for you to control where you would like the Direct Out to be fed from (option are: Post pre, post gate, post insert return, post PEQ, post Comp, or post Delay). You can also select whether you would like the Direct out to follow the fader (post fade function) or follow mute or a combination of both. That’s a ton of flexibility for a small format digital console all packed into each of the 48 channel maximum! On-screen menus are extremely easy and self-explanatory because you simply touch the option you’d like to access and if it has a value in that parameter it’s automatically controllable by the encoder to the bottom right of the screen.
Channel Strips
The channel strips are similar to the iLive if you’ve mixed on one of those before and are easy to figure out if you’re a “first timer”. The function of the channel is on the top of the LCD. IP is input, DCA is DCA, FX is effects…you get the picture. The strips can be named under the “Control” tab of the Setup screen. It has eight colors available as well. iLive users will notice that white is now a channel strip color…cool!
Each channel strip has a mute button with a DCA mute light next to it letting you know quickly if you’ve “double-muted” something on a channel and a DCA assignment. Select, mix, and PAFL buttons are on each strip as well. In the center of the console, it gets a bit interesting. You have the ability to select the function of the rotary faders. It has a button for gain and pan as well as two custom options which allow you to set up a specific aux or effects send.
An interesting option to note is that in the console configuration, it does not have a LR + Sub option. Obviously, that’s easily remedied by creating a post fade aux and setting it to a custom rotary function on the console but, I just found it odd that since the iLive series comes configured in a LR + Sub set up by default. Not a problem, just an observation…take that how you want.
The center of the console also includes Bank 1 layer controls as well as Copy, Paste, and Reset functions which can be held down while you press the select button of any parameter on the console to reset to its default.
The right side of the console has 10 user assignable soft buttons as well as layer selections for Bank 2. It also has a scene safe button, freeze in layers, and GEQ fader flip for flipping the graphic EQ parameters to the console faders for extremely easy control while tuning room or ringing out a monitor send.
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