Soundcraft Ui24R

S
oundcraft’s Ui
mixers combine a
wi-fi equipped
hardware interface
with remote
software control.
The Ui24R marks a
bit of an upgrade over previous
models (the Ui12 and Ui16), and
not only in terms of scale but also in
terms of spec – key improvements
include 20 quiet Studer-designed
mic preamps, 22 track audio
recording and playback via onboard
USB stick (USB A), and full
32-channel USB DAW I/O (USB B).
The Ui24R also has considerably
more connectivity, with ten combi
mic/line inputs (two switchable to
Hi-Z), ten further XLR mic inputs,
two line level phono inputs and eight
XLR auxiliary outputs, as well as
main outputs (XLR and 1/4 inch
jack) and two headphone outputs.
Making the connection
The Ui24R feels very solidly made
and is housed in a rugged 4U rack
which is equally at home rack
mounted or simply sat on the fl oor.
In addition to the USB recording and
playback mentioned above, another
USB slot provides audio playback of
stereo fi les (WAV, AIFF, MP3, OGG,
FLAC, AAC). Two further USB slots
can be found on the side (for
keyboard, mouse and touchscreens)
alongside an assignable footswitch
jack and an HDMI port for wired
screen connection. Two wi-fi
antennas help achieve stable
wireless performance either using
its own hotspot or connecting to
an existing wireless network
(2.4GHz and 5GHz are both
supported), and there are also two
regular Ethernet ports.
can be done via the 8 auxiliaries and
the stereo master output, which feed
the remaining 10 USB I/O channels.
One fi nal feature worth mentioning is
‘More Me’. This allows quick balance
between specifi ed (Me) and
non-specifi ed (Band) channels routed
to the same physical auxiliary, and is
ideal if you’re using said auxiliaries
to feed stage monitors, for example.
Ultimately, my only real gripe
with the Ui24R is the onboard
headphone outputs, which can
only be sourced from the main
outputs. This point aside, it’s a
great unit that’s fl exible, easy to
use, and given the spec, is priced
pretty competitively.
At the heart of the Ui24R is a
24-channel mixer with six VCA
groups, six subgroups and four
onboard FX busses. Two mixer
channels are dedicated to the stereo
USB stick playback, however the
other 22 can be freely patched from
the physical inputs, multitrack USB
stick or USB DAW I/O.
The mixer and all onboard
processing is controlled from a
browser-based app available in one
of two styles (desktop or tablet) and
the browser-based implementation
means it’s identical cross platform.
Features include EQ and dbx
dynamics on channels, subgroups,
auxiliaries and FX busses, Lexicon
reverb and delay processors on the
four FX busses, and Digitech amp
modeling on inputs 1 and 2 (which
are Hi-Z capable). Processing
options do vary slightly across
channel types (there’s a de-esser on
the main channels and graphic EQ
on the auxiliaries for example). Even
so, the processing and effects are
easy to use and sound excellent.
On the routing front, the channels
are hardwired to send pre-processed
signals simultaneously to the
multitrack USB stick and USB I/O.
However, if you want to process or
group signals prior to recording this
THE PROS & CONS
+
Universal browser-
based software control
Plenty of hardware
connectivity
Flexible
communication
via Ethernet or
dual-band wi-fi
Premium dbx,
Lexicon and
Digitech processing
Well spec’d routing
and auxiliary bussing
-
Would benefi t
from more
fl exible onboard
headphone options
FM VERDICT
8.7
The Ui24R is a decent
upgrade on their previous
Ui mixers and is equally
at home handling
recording and live setups
It’s a great unit that’s
fl exible, easy to use, and
given the spec, is priced
pretty competitively
Soundcraft Ui24R | Reviews
97
FMU323.rev_soundcraft.indd 97 9/6/17 11:53 AM