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Behringer Powerplay P16-M Personal Monitor
The POWERPLAY P16 system gives musicians/vocalists their own mix during recording. The P16-M Personal Mixer lets each performer take control of his/her own monitor mix in the studio. It is fast and easy to set up. A basic system can be installed and configured in a matter of minutes.
The P16-M’s simple user interface makes it easy for even non-techies to dial-in the perfect monitor mix. One can not only adjust the Volume for each of 16 input signals, but also set the Pan (left to right mix), EQ (Bass, Mid with sweepable Freq control and Treble) – and more. These adjustments can all be made without affecting anyone else’s personal mix. After one has dialed-in the perfect mix, it can be stored in one of 16 presets for instant recall at a next session.
See my post about Cubase routing to read how I use this with Cubase recording sessions.
Image: Behringer Powerplay P16-M 16-channel Digital Personal Monitor
ULTRANET – Seamless Integration
The P16-M is directly connected to my X32 digital mixer using ULTRANET. The ULTRANET technology seamlessly transmits up to 16 independent channels of 24-bit digital audio and control data via a single CAT5 cable between compatible digital devices – including mixers, I/O stage boxes, powered loudspeakers and personal monitoring systems. Advantages realized through ULTRANET digital networking, versus traditional analog methods: audio signals are impervious to Radio Frequency Interference (RFI); signal crosstalk is eliminated; and ease of setup translates directly into significant time saved during installation.
What is Ultranet?
Ultranet is a protocol created by audio manufacturer Behringer to transmit up to 16 channels of 24-bit sound over a Cat-5 cable. It’s not an open standard, though: Behringer doesn’t offer an API or protocol description to build your own Ultranet devices. Ultranet runs over Cat-5 ethernet cables but isn’t an ethernet-based protocol. The electrical protocols of Ultranet are identical to Ethernet, but the signaling is different, making it a Level 1 protocol. So, you can use any Cat-5 cable for Ultranet, but you can’t just plug an Ultranet device into an Ethernet one. Or rather, you can (and neither device should explode), but you won’t get anything out of it. Instead, Ultranet is based on another standard: AES/EBU, the bigger professional brother of the SPD/IF socket on HiFi systems. This was designed to carry digital audio over an XLR cable, and Behringer has taken AES/EBU and tweaked it to run over a single twisted pair. With two twisted pairs in the cable carrying a 192 kbps signal, you get sixteen channels of 24-bit audio in total over two twisted pairs inside the Cat-5 cable [Reference]. See also [here].
Specifications
- 16-channel digital stereo mixer to create your personal monitor mix
- Ultra-intuitive “analog” operation with total recall and 16 presets for custom mixes
- 24-bit D/A converters for premium audio quality
- 16 Channel Select buttons with dual LEDs for perfect overview
- Level and Pan/Spread control per channel with LED meter
- 3-band EQ per channel with mid-band frequency control
- Solo and Mute functions per channel
- Global Level and EQ controls plus Panic Mute function
- High power headphones output
- Fully adjustable limiter protects your ears and headphones
- Additional mono/stereo line output to connect your powered monitor
- MIDI IN port for real-time remote control of all channels by external MIDI device.
- Standard CAT5e connection delivers power and 16 signals to each Personal Mixers
- ULTRANET connector to daisy-chain up to forty-eight P16-M mixers for large systems (in conjunction with P16-D)
- Ultra-low system latency of less than 1 millisecond
- Powered via external power supply (included) or P16-I / P16-D
- Mounts easily on a mic stand with the P16-MB mic stand mount
Video
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