Photo Courtesy of Music Tribe IP Ltd
The WING is the newest digital mixer from Behringer and like the X32 has some interesting and useful features at a interesting price point. There will be an article later comparing and contrasting the X32 and WING, but this is about the features and specs of the WING itself.
The WING is posed to incorporate nicely for users of the X32 or M32’s. You can use the same stage boxes that you already have, and keep the X/M32 for Monitor or Broadcast duty working in the same environment or network if you want to think of it like that. An operator that already has an X32 and one or more Behringer or Midas stage boxes could add the WING to their inventory and deploy it with or without the inventory they already have. Even just an X32 could operate as both a monitor console and a stage box for a WING at FOH. This seems like a straight-forward upgrade for a venue that already has an X32 mixing monitors and FOH to bring on the WING and have a dedicated monitor console and some major mixing improvements at FOH.
This article, however, is about the features and specifications of the WING. Stand out features include the ability for all buses and channels to be stereo or mono. This will give the WING’s 40 input channels and 28 buses a lot of flexibility to handle more than those numbers may seem to allow. Stereo overheads or keyboards or effects will no longer take two linked channels but can be one stereo channel. Another stand out feature is the touch screen, which speeds up workflow and drastically cuts setup time and will be a welcome feature that operators have become used to on other more expensive consoles. The actual channel and bus processing seems like a giant leap forward from the X32 and I think users are going to appreciate and enjoy working with the new processors and plugins available on every channel and bus without having to decide which channels or buses get to use the limited insert effects of the X32.
The WING looks like it will make an excellent monitor console, the ability to have all buses as stereo buses alone will make a night and day difference for anyone mixing in ear monitors and the dual solo/monitor bus is a nice touch that many higher end pro consoles have.
Behringer WING Digital Mixer Features:
- 48-stereo-channel digital mixer with 40 stereo input processing channels, as well as 8 stereo aux channels
- 28 stereo buses — 16 stereo aux buses, 8 stereo matrixes, and 4 stereo mains
- 24 smooth-feeling motorized 100mm faders in 3 separate, configurable sections
- 10.1” capacitive touchscreen, adjustable display wheel, and rotary controls provide touch-sensitive channel editing
- 8 MIDAS Pro mic preamps and MIDAS outputs ensure that you capture high-quality sound
- 3 AES50 ports provide plug-and-play remote I/O connectivity for up to 144 input and output signals
- AES50 networks are compatible with MIDAS M32 and Behringer X32 mixers
- 32-channel StageCONNECT interface for personal monitoring or analog I/O boxes
- Includes AES/EBU stereo digital I/O, 2 headphone connectors, MIDI I/O, and 4 GPIO ports
- Compatible with Behringer and MIDAS digital snakes, including the S16, S32, SD8, SD16, DL16, and DL32
- WING-LIVE card captures up to 64 channels of 32-bit/48kHz audio to a pair of SD or SDHC cards
- Optional expansion cards supply Dante, SoundGrid, or MADI support
- Built-in 48-in/48-out USB audio interface with HUI and Mackie Control DAW remote functionality
- Sources put the emphasis on your source audio rather than on your inputs and channels
- Apply names, icons, and colors to each Source for at-a-glance identification
- Each channel can be either mono, stereo, or mid-side — no channel linking required
- 16 true-stereo processors with effects from Pultec, SSL, SPL, Neve, Focusrite, dbx, Universal Audio, Elysia, and Empirical Labs
- Auto Pilot supplies fast and dependable automixing with 2 groups of gain sharing
- Dual solo/monitor buses per channel for monitoring over phones/IEM and/or floor wedges
- Support for binary and OSC communication for remote operation
- WING Co-Pilot tablet app enables you to label or set parameters while patching from the stage
Behringer WING Tech Specifications
- Channels:48 Stereo (40 x channel, 8 x aux)
- Inputs – Mic Preamps:8 x XLR-1/4″ combo (mic/line)
- Phantom Power:Yes
- Outputs – Main:8 x XLR
- Inputs – Digital:1 x XLR (AES/EBU), 3 x EtherCON (AES50 SuperMAC), 1 x XLR (StageCONNECT)
- Outputs – Digital:1 x XLR (AES/EBU), 3 x EtherCON (AES50 SuperMAC), 1 x XLR (StageCONNECT)
- Send/Return I/O:8 x 1/4″ TRS (aux in), 8 x 1/4″ TRS (aux out)
- Busses/Groups:8 x Stereo Matrix, 4 x Stereo Mains, 16 x Aux Stereo Bus
- Inserts:Dual Inserts per Bus, FX Insert Slot
- MIDI I/O:In/Out
- Data I/O:2 x Ethernet (control/audio network)
- Remote:1 x 1/4″ (GPIO 1-2), 1 x 1/4″ (GPIO 3-4)
- USB:1 x Type B, 1 x Type A
- Computer Connectivity:USB 2.0, 24-bit/48kHz (48 x 48)
- I/O Expansion Slots:1 x Expansion Port (24-bit/48kHz)
- Headphones:2 x 1/4″
- Faders:24 x 100mm Motorized
- A/D Resolution:Up to 24-bit/192kHz
- EQ Bands:6-band Parametric EQ (channel), 8-band Parametric EQ (bus), Additional EQs and Configurations
- Effects:8 x Premium FX Stereo Processors, 8 x Standard FX Stereo Processors, 5 x Variable Plug-in Slots
- Signal Processing:Full Dynamics Processing
- DAW Control:Yes (HUI, Mackie)
- Screen:10″ Capacitive Touchscreen, Adjustable Swivel
- Storage:2 x SD Card Slot (dual 32 track max)
- Power Source:Standard IEC AC cable
- Height:7.9″
- Depth:22.6″
- Width:34.3″
- Weight:52.8 lbs.
- Manufacturer Part Number:Wing
What features are you most looking forward to using?
WING MIXER input gain adjustment is -2.5dB to 45dB
M32 is -12dB to 60dB
What is the difference in their design?
I don’t know what differences there may be in the pre-amps, I assume they are similar. The WING has a pre-amp gain of -2.5dB to 45dB but also an additional digital trim of -18 to +18 so the total input gain range would actually be -20.5dB to +63dB.
With the WING hooked up to a DL32 I had an input range of -3.0dB to +45dB. I don’t know if this accounts for a difference on the Pre-amp or possibly a software issue but I don’t imagine the WING preamps being too different from the X32/M32.
I also found a statement from the Behringer Design team:
“The X32 uses a digitally controlled precision A/D-Gain stage at the front end of every mic preamp to condition the signal . Just as on a standard analog mixer, the purpose of this A/D-Gain is to attenuate strong or amplify weak signals and thereby provide an optimal match to the preamp. Proper gain staging at this point results in enhanced signal to noise performance and prevents saturation or overdrive of the preamp or subsequent A/D converter. The analog A/D-Gain provides 2 dB of attenuation and 45.5 dB of gain in 2.5 dB steps.
This is further augmented by a digital trim that interpolates and expands the range to -12…+60 dB in steps of 0.5 dB each, for a total of 72 dB across 145 steps. The two attenuators work together to render a smooth and quiet range of gain that has the added benefit of being fully recallable. This is what the Gain control does whenever an analog preamp (of X32 or S16) is patched to an input channel. Compare this to preamps like e.g. the Neve Portico 5015, which has a Gain control with discrete 6 dB steps and 60 dB Range, plus a continuous Trim of +/-6 dB.”
Based on the quote above it sounds like the numbers you came up with on the M32 are incorporating the Analog and Digital trim to get to -12 to +60dB.
Thank you for your patient answer. Now I know that their noise floor is lower, under the digital architecture.^_^