Dcommand12/4/2023 ![]() ![]() ![]() D-Control was meant to entirely replace a conventional mixing console when connected to a ProTools system. ‘Icon’ describes a scaleable and potentially massively powerful system.ĭ-Control is Digidesign’s large-format and pricey control surface. Up until now there’s been the D-Control at the helm, ably assisted by the analogue monitoring unit called the X-Mon, the Mic preamps, and Avid video options all talking to associated 192 or 96 I/O. Icon (first seen in AT Issue 34) is like ProTools HD’s mothership taking you wherever you need to go. At the heart of it all is the Icon concept. Plenty of energy has gone into creating more and more complementary hardware for its flagship product, ProTools. There has been some shifting of tectonic plates at Planet Digidesign in the last few years. The solution? It’s time to revisit all those knobs and faders. This goes for mixing, sampling, recording, Midi and all other functions that you perform in the computer. With a mouse and keyboard you can only adjust one parameter at a time… period. A whole orchestra can now reside and be recorded within the bounds of your typical computer! No wonder it all takes so long to do anything. What I’m suggesting is that what was possible to control with nothing more than a keyboard and a mouse a few years ago is increasingly difficult to do so now. Evil-style plot to divest us of all our hardware only to demand we buy it all again off of them… That’s a wee bit far-fetched. That’s not to say that I’m accusing Digidesign of any grand, Dr. And – here’s where the irony starts to show its face – it was Digidesign leading the charge. For most people they disappeared so completely that we now have a whole generation far more conversant with a mouse than a pan pot. Then with the advent of digital… they disappeared. In years gone by, loads of knobs and controls were obligatory. Whenever the latest DAW controller thuds onto the AT test bench the poignant irony of it all becomes obvious. With studio businesses being temporarily rehoused during the pandemic, the ability to handle big mixes in a makeshift home studio environment came to the fore.įor many, the biggest question was how to provide that level of functionality, transported in a car, without specialist wiring infrastructure being available at the destination.Įliminate the need for a complex stand/frame installation or on-site technical backup, and spend very little for what may only be a short term fix, and it came as no surprise to Resurface that the answer – 15 years after being launched – was very often Icon D Command, the greatest of all time.9 September 2005 New-generation or old school… either way, the new control surface from Digidesign seems set to take command. Incorporate XMon if needed and there’s nothing more to do. When powered up and connected by ethernet, Pro Tools will be able to communicate with the console directly (no EuCon required). Once delivered, the ease of installation is another major plus factor. Even a fully-expanded 40 Fader console can easily be boxed or wrapped on a standard pallet (pictured above), which DHL can collect and deliver. Thankfully, we’re all equipped with a dazzling array of sanitizing and cleaning products these days.Ī significant factor in Icon D Command’s ongoing appeal is that it’s straightforward to ship. The downside of being button-per-function and highly tactile is, well, all that touching. If well maintained, there’s nothing much that can go wrong beyond the usual wear-and-tear you’d expect of a machine with moving parts, faithfully racking up those billable studio hours.Īesthetically – and apologies for getting icky – it’s pretty much wipe-clean. Launched in 2005 (two years before the first iPhone existed), many of those early Icon D Commands are still on active duty, all day every day, at 16 years old and counting. Pound-for-pound, Icon D Command is arguably the best control surface ever created: In sporting terms, it’s the GOAT. Black or blue, 8 Fader or 24 – we’ve even seen 40 Fader and dual-op desks getting snapped up regularly. Icon D Commands are still earning their keep around the world, and still changing hands regularly here on Resurface. ![]() Coming from an era when control surfaces were built to withstand daily punishment – it’s still going strong, it’s everywhere. Many thousands were sold, because it’s great to use, delightfully simple to install and connect, and was priced squarely in the return-on-investment sweet spot for the busy commercial studio. Digidesign’s Icon D Command is ubiquitous. ![]()
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