As well as the planning and production of small to medium sized events for up to 2,500 people, the company also operates a PA rental service, produces CDs, CDRs and DVDs and has its own recording studio which is amongst the most up-to-date recording studios in Switzerland and being one of the first 5.1 audio surround studios complying to the ITU775 standard in Europe.

Markus Zehnder, DreamSound business manager, is very happy with the new acquisition. “We have had a Soundtracs DPC2 in our studio for almost 10 years,” he says. “The application software is consistent to a greater or lesser extent and that’s half the battle. Our old MADI 19” I/O racks are still compatible with the SD8 and can be used if absolutely necessary. The compact form of the console and its technical configuration are a good fit for our range of equipment. This is why we were completely confident in DiGiCo’s new development when it came to the decision to buy a live console.

“DiGiCo is now able to go head to head with the manufacturers that are at the lower end of the price range and the SD8 has taken over as our favourite digital console for live applications. We needed a digital console that is reliable for rock´n roll and folk productions and is also applicable for musicals, theatre and live recording. So, the ‘GO’ button for the SD8 was quickly pressed once we’d had a chance to assess both the SD8 and the offer from atlantic audio, DiGiCo´s German distributor.

”The user interface of the SD8 differs from our previously used live consoles. But after a short period of on-the-job training, our engineers were enthusiastic about the sound quality – at last we have found a digital console that sounds like an analogue console!”

What has helped DreamSound to make its final decision? “Because of the SD8’s second MADI interface we can connect our Pyramix Mass Core MADI hard disc recording system directly to the console and can record up to 56 tracks. Our recording system is absolutely compatible - it doesn’t matter if we do it in the studio on the DPC2 or during a live recording on the SD8. Also, the price/performance ratio is unique in the market. We love the versatility, the robustness, the sound quality, the innovative ideas, especially the snapshots and the large touchscreen display. The fact that the digital multicore is included is of particular importance. A further advantage is the optical characteristic. And the gold frame of the SD8 is unmistakeable. The cool design makes it stand out from other consoles and appear both valuable and significant. This is an often-underestimated selection critera for bands, engineers and other customers we work with. None of them have seen a console like this before and they think it has a high price tag. But the difference with DiGiCo is quality – and that has helped it to get a high degree of acceptance in the market.”

DreamSound first used its SD8 for the Schindellegi Dorffest (Schindellegi is a Swiss village that has an annual festival ) in May. The event lasts several days with a wide range of music from rock´n roll to brass bands to pop to folk interspersed with speeches. Famous Swiss band Tempesta, also well-known by Switzerland’s neighbouring countries, made a successful appearance. May and June saw the SD8 working hard, with more than 10 events already under its belt and Markus Zehnder expects a profitable future for this investment.

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