Control24 or Pro Control for Post???

[Chris Coleman]

I've got an interesting situation here:
The post house I work for is moving to a new building and in the move, us audio engineers get to fit our new rooms/gear to our specs (to an extent). The two other guys already have Pro Controls and I work with them (the PCs) everyday and there's nothing not to like about them in general. We've already bought another used Pro Control to put in my room (I came on a few months after some decisions had already been made), BUT I'm considering the Control24 instead for a few reasons:
1) Mic Pre's. We are primarily post right now, but want to keep an open mind for music/more mic pre's in the future (we've got a house composer that would like to do more in-house recording, etc.)
2) Expandability-limitation of the C24 is not an issue for us.
3) The C24 seems to have a more comprehensive monitoring section than the Pro Control.
4) A few other reasons I can't think of right now (good argument for a C24, eh?)

HOWEVER!!!!!!
With all the reliability issues I've read about, I'm having reservations about jumping on board with the C24 instead of just sticking with the Pro Control. Are the newer runs of the product more reliable? I have to imagine that there are a good number of success stories out there...

Any ideas/info/suggestions are greatly appreciated...

I should also throw in the fact that the idea for the new studios is a minimalistic look - the owner doesn't want racks and racks of mic pre's, effects, etc. and also only wants one main controller/console built into the furniture, which is why I'm considering what seems to be an "all-in-one" package in the Control24. Thanks again!

[David Chen]

I feel that the reliability of the C24 is pretty good. The only problem I had with the one I sent back was that the paint was peeling. To me, that's just a cosmetic issue and Digi took care of it right away. I believe all the new units do not have this problem.

[joestudio]

I wouldn't want to mix in PT without mine. Very useful and quite the bargain.

J

[filmixer]

Hi,
If your doing post, the Pro Control is the way to go.
1. Low profile. When you're mixing to picture, it's much better to have the computer monitors just below your view of the screen. The C-24 is so tall you have to put your monitors far to the left or right, out of your field of vision.
2. I find the faders much smoother and more accuate.
3. This is a personal preference, but I like the plugin parameter controls in the more traditional vertical alignment instead of stretched horizontaly across the console.
4. You can add an Edit Pack. This alone makes the Pro Control a true re-recording console. Being able to target panners by just dialing them in and having touch sensative joysticks is so much faster than the C-24 it's not even funny. Not to mention you have a full editing keyboard and trackball right on the console.
5. The monitor section handles 5.1 monitoring fine, although there are some great external systems you can buy if you need more external returns, i.e. the Martinsound MultiMax. Some monitor speaker packages also have very good monitor systems that are tailored for them, i.e Dynaudio AIR or the Blue Sky systems.
6. The Pro Control can be expanded to 48 faders. I find though that more than 32 faders don't gain you much since they just become out of reach. I prefer to do Show/Hide layouts to bring the channels I want to work on right in front of me.
7. The Pro Control displays 8 characters on the modules. Doesn't seem like much but when you're moving fast, cryptic abbreviations aren't very helpful.
So that's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

[Riad]

I totally agree, for post work I would stick with the Pro Control, this becomes more evident if you are doing 5.1 suround sound mixing

As for the mic pres, you can check out the post below for my opinion.

[Adamsound]

I own both, and use them both a lot, but for post, I would have to agree that the PC is the way to go. I do wish that both of them had the same 5.1 layout, because going back and forth is a hassle. I think the C24 mic pres are equivalent to the Focusrite Platinum series, which is not bad, especially if that is all you have. However, for me, the biggest difference is the ergonomic layout. On the PC, the edit function, edit mode, and window selection buttons are right above the transport. On the C24, they are about 8 to 10 inches away, so I end up using the keyboard a lot more. I actually like the C24 a lot, but even though they are a lot more expensive, I still prefer the Pro Control.

[dr sound]

Filmmixer,
You’re in the wrong Forum. The Pro Control is in another column. I've got 2 Control 24's and I feel they are vastly superior in layout and ergonomics than the Pro Control. Yes it's missing the automated joysticks, but having been mixing on some very busy big and wide movies; the Control 24 is no slouch! I do like the low profile of the Pro Control, but I hate the spacing of the faders. On a Control 24 you can sit in one place and have 24 faders in front of you and not have to move one inch.

[filmixer]

Yes, I've mixed extensively on both and I agree that the C-24 is very handy to work on. Nice and compact for the power it has, everything's in easy reach. However, the Edit Pack is such a joy (stick ) to use when you're doing surround work, I have to give the PC the nod, for me at least. Of course what we really need is a console with the compactness of the C24 and the features of the PC. WHY DO THEY ALWAYS DO THAT. Can someone PLEASE make the perfect work surface!

[Digitrove]

I really like the faders on the PC, but we've got the C24 here and I really don't miss the PC that much. It's all a matter of getting comfortable. I heard about some weirdness with the C24, but it's been nothing but a pleasure to work with. I've become more and more intimate with it as time goes by and I've become very comfortable moving around.

I also like the integrated aspect, the fact that it has an input section makes me feel as though I'm using an actual console. Along the same lines, I've been really treating this as a console by having all templates open with Oxford Dynamics and EQ in place. With EQ on each strip, I just call it up as if it was an EQ section on a board. Well, not JUST like it, but you get my drift. I stick to one type of EQ and that is the EQ of the console. Weird psychological thing, yes, but it works for me.

Having said all that, the angle does create problems in our room. We've got a custom desk and the 5.1 DynAudios we use have to sit at 42". As a result, I can't see our projection screen at all. We're still trying to figure out how to design our room to accommodate this. It's fine for me to work with QT on monitors and TV, but for clients, we're going to have to get bar-style high chairs around a high table or have them sit in front of me.

There are also some quirks with working in surround. When you have pan windows open, in order to move elements around, you can't do left and right simultaneously. You have to switch the little L/R button and do one pass of each (unless I'm missing something).

But overall I love it. Fader noise was a concern initially, but has not been a problem.

[dr sound]

Poster: Digitrove
Subject: Re: Control24 or Pro Control for Post???


SNIP

Having said all that, the angle does create problems in our room. We've got a custom desk and the 5.1 DynAudios we use have to sit at 42". As a result, I can't see our projection screen at all. We're still trying to figure out how to design our room to accommodate this. It's fine for me to work with QT on monitors and TV, but for clients, we're going to have to get bar-style high chairs around a high table or have them sit in front of me.

dr.sound replies,
How about putting your speakers behind the perforated screen? Sounds like your room is a big compromise.