Review: Soundcraft Si Impact

We first saw the Si series as we know it in the Compact, then Performer and Expression ranges. The Impact is not so much the latest iteration of the console, but the latest addition to the line. An important distinction is that whereas models such as the Si Compact are available in several frame sizes, the Si Impact is available in exactly one configuration.

The configuration is that of a 40 input console with 31 output busses (LR/Mono, 20 sub-group/aux busses, and 4 mono/stereo matrix busses. The surface operates in four configurable layers, with any channel, buss master or VCA assignable to any of the 24 flying faders. The remaining two faders are masters for LR and Mono (or the selected mix buss). The 40 input channels include 32 mono channels, and four stereos onto which the effect engines return.

The console supports up to 32 mic inputs on XLR, the last bank of eight inputs on combo jacks to provide a TRS option as well. 16 XLRs provide analogue outputs, with AES on a dedicated XLR of its own. Included with every console is a USB/MADI combo card which supports up to 64 channels across the two connectors – so you can connect 32 inputs via a Soundcraft stagebox and use the remaining allocation to support the 32in/32out USB interface. Or you can plug all your mics directly into the console and share the preamp outputs with another console via one cat6 crossover cable. If all that connectivity isn’t enough for you, there’s an additional card slot to give you even more options.

The whole console is a light grey colour, not dis-similar to other consoles on the market. Previous iterations in the Si line have used large slabs of metal in their construction, and the Impact basically holds true to this. The plastic end pieces feel a bit naff and cheap, but on the flipside the touch screen looks better, is more centralized, and maybe even a bit bigger than on previous generations of Si console. It’s also more precise in its operation and hence easier to use especially for operations such as typing channel names.

Within its frame size, the Impact is the most affordable Si console to date, and one of the ways this has been achieved is by the omission of rotary encoders for each channel. Thing is that this doesn’t really slow down operation of the console much – it’s certainly no slower to use than anything else of comparable specs. I found the Si Impact quite ‘snappy’ to operate, meaning that I can change pages on screens or layers on faders without having to consciously pause and wait for the action to take place. The Si Impact takes its time (around 46 seconds) to boot up, but once it’s running it works reliably and without any discernable interface lag.