News
INFOCOMM 09: QSC unveils Q-Sys
Rob Hughes Jun 19 2009, 11:21am
New DSP platform claimed to be the most powerful available
QSC has unveiled its new Q-Sys DSP platform at the InfoComm show in Orlando, Florida
Q-Sys provides digital audio signal routing and processing technology combined with complete system monitoring and control and is able to meet the needs of applications ranging from the modest project to the largest imaginable. Using premium converters and Gigabit Ethernet, the fundamental Q-Sys architecture produces a total system latency of less than 2.5 milliseconds between any input and output, with up to ten network switch hops and audiophile quality processing throughout.
Central to the system's inner strength is the Q-Sys Core, a processing engine that QSC claims is unlikely to be tested by any current application. Available in three sizes ranging from 64 inputs by 64 outputs to 256 inputs by 256 outputs, the Q-Sys Core works in tandem with Q-Sys I/O Frames: 1U rack modules that accommodate up to 16 channels of audio using factory-configured, four-channel Q-Sys cards, supplying a variety of input and output options. The use of AES cards can permit up to 32 channels of audio in a single Q-Sys Node. Just like the Q-Sys Core, I/O Frames are equipped with dual Ethernet ports to support network and system redundancy.
“From concept to finished product, Q-Sys was developed every step of the way by some of the brightest minds in professional audio,” said QSC director of marketing Evan McKenzie.
“Known for its development of CobraNet and other groundbreaking products and technologies, the team of engineers from Peak Audio in Boulder, Colorado joined QSC in 2006, and has been working since that time alongside engineers from QSC’s System Development Group in Costa Mesa, California to re-architect system integration and bring Q-Sys to life.”
“This platform is incredible,” added QSC’s Q-Sys product manager Dale Sandberg. “It provides an unrivalled amount of integration capability and processing power. A system of almost any size can be designed from microphone, line-level, or digital input all the way to amplifier or loudspeaker output without requiring any sub-segmentation due to processor constraints. While it supports the use of third party control products, it is designed to enable whole system control and monitoring without additional products or applications. At the same time, it’s simpler and easier to use than any other audio package I’ve ever seen.”
As of this date, Q-Sys is available from authorised QSC dealers and distributors around the globe.
