AllenHeath ALLEN & HEATH dLive UltraFX Expander

dLive V2.0 Description

Introduction
dLive V2.0 ushers in a new era of creative live processing and FX, and advanced workflow features, redefining what is possible in the console.
The RackUltra FX suite, powered by the new RackUltra FX card, brings together a collection of 10 new algorithms, encompassing pitch correction and shifting, intelligent vocal harmonisers, studio-grade reverbs, saturation, and distortion that rival the most advanced plug-ins on the market.

Features
RackUltra FX Suite:

https://www.allen-heath.com/hardware/dlive-series/rackultra-fx/card/

Reverbs
- Spaces
- Plate Designer

Pitch
- Vocal Tuner
- Vocal Gridder
- Vocal Shifter

Harmonisers
- Quad Voice Harmoniser
- Dual Auto Key Harmoniser
- MIDI Harmoniser

Distortion
- Saturation
- Amp+Cab Distortion

RackUltra FX Card:
- 8 RackUltra FX Slots
- PEQ and Dynamics on Input and Output of Each Slot
- 8 Stereo Sends and Returns

Firmware V2.0:
- Cue List Updates
- Actions
- Director Scene Preview
- Channel Library Updates
- CSV Bulk Import/Export
- Dyn8 Ganging

RackUltra FX Suite

Reverbs
Two new reverbs utilise the power of the RackUltra FX card to bring previously unimaginable realism to in-console reverberation.
Spaces Reverb Designer is an algorithmic reverb dedicated to recreating physical spaces with the stunning realism usually associated with high-end hardware units. Spaces lets the engineer design their own space, from short ambiences and small rooms through to chambers, halls and - with over 60 seconds of decay - well beyond.
Plate Reverb Designer is dedicated to replicating the characterful build-up and tail of a plate reverb, with the ability to choose from several plate materials to suit the source material.

Vocal Processing: Pitch
For the first time ever on a professional live console, studio quality pitch correction, shifting, and gridding can be achieved without the need for external software or hardware.
Vocal Tuner is designed for natural sounding pitch correction, with minimal audible artefacts, suitable for all genres of music, and any situation where the performer may need a gentle helping hand.
Vocal Gridder produces faster, less natural-sounding pitch correction - as heard on countless hip-hop, pop, trap, and modern country productions - where notes "snap" to the target pitch almost instantly.
Both Vocal Tuner and Vocal Gridder can be set to follow a global key or a local key with options for major, minor and chromatic scales, and scales can be customised using the note editor.
Vocal Shifter radically alters vocals with a formant control and the ability to shift the vocal up or down by up to 12 semitones. Vocal Shifter can produce anything from pitch doubling to the unreal robotic and ageing effects heard in EDM and other electronic genres.

Vocal Processing: Harmonisers
dLive's vocal processing is further enhanced by the addition of three harmonisers.
Quad Voice Harmoniser generates up to 4 voices of natural-sounding vocal harmony, specified in musical intervals for simplicity, which follow either the global key, a local key, or a MIDI input.
Dual Auto Key Harmoniser adds up to 2 voices of harmony, utilising the same core engine as the Quad-Voice Harmoniser, but with the addition of the intelligent Auto-Key mode, where a polyphonic source such as guitar or piano can be used to automatically determine the key of the performance in real-time.
MIDI Harmoniser creates harmonies based on an external MIDI input, from a DAW or played live, and includes a monophonic mode with a glide parameter to provide portamento between notes, plus a polyphonic mode for up to 4 voices of controllable harmony.

Distortion
A pair of distortion effects complete the V2.0 RackUltra FX collection.
Saturation delivers 5 analogue saturation models, covering everything from smooth and subtle tape drive through to germanium and valve crunch, with simple-to-use tone shaping options including Tilt EQ and LPF/HPF controls. Saturation can be used on individual sources or busses to warm them up, add a dirty edge, or carve them out for a thinner, narrowband effect.
Amp+Cab Distortion models the harmonically complex characteristics of guitar and bass amplifiers and emulates various classic cabinet responses, right inside your dLive. Any cabinet can be used with any amp to maximise sonic possibilities.

RackUltra FX Card
The RackUltra FX Card, fitted as standard to all new MixRacks and available as an upgrade for existing MixRacks, adds 8 RackUltra FX engines - including dedicated stereo send and return channels plus PEQ and dynamics on each FX engine's input and output - to any dLive system without consuming any of the platform's 64 busses, 128 channels, or 16 RackExtra FX slots.
Combining Allen & Heath's renowned FPGA technology with ARM processing, the card opens the platform up to the next generation of onboard processing and effects.

Powerful Workflow Improvements
It's not just about FX. dLive V2.0 also equips engineers with the tools to supercharge their workflow and improve the mixing experience.
The Cue List system has been overhauled to simplify cue list creation via manual and auto renumbering options and custom MIDI recall, designed for fast-moving performances, heavily automated shows, and theatre applications.
The powerful new Actions feature makes complex automation easy for the engineer, enabling functions across multiple channels, such as routing assignments and levels, ABCD inputs, processing in/out, strip layout, and insert in/out, to be triggered via a single SoftKey press.
The Channel Library has been extended to include Mix contributions, meaning channels can now be saved with all sends, processing and name/colour data included.