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Many manufacturers skimp on quality and performance when designing smaller, mobile mixers in order to offer the most affordable product possible. Midas, on the other hand, stays true to its reputation with the VeniceF compact mixer series and manufactures its compact mixers in uncompromising quality and with all the high-class components that have defined the infallible MIDAS sound for decades.
The chassis of the mixers is a MIDAS typical extremely resilient steel construction, which delivers the proven stability that is required in the hard touring and event everyday life. All potentiometers have a metal shaft and each one is fixed to the steel panel by a nut. Of course, the VeniceF also features high-quality 100mm MIDAS faders. MIDAS-specific protective corners have been fitted around the VeniceF's frame, giving the VeniceF mixers that all-too-familiar MIDAS look. The F16 is also offered in a rack variant (F16R), which can be mounted directly in a 19" rack with the same features.
Even if the VeniceF was primarily designed for live use - the audio performance is, thanks to the high-quality MIDAS MicPreamps and Channel Strips, on the highest level, and is therefore equally convincing for recording, mastering or remix applications. Not least thanks to the integrated FireWire audio interface, the Midas VeniceF is the ideal control center for any project studio.
Test report by Christian Boche from the issue tools4music 01/2012
The "Venice F" is a lavishly equipped analog mixer, designed in the English parent company and built in China. The Firewire interface matches the respective console size in terms of channel count. Thus, the "Venice F-16" has 16 inputs and outputs via Firewire, the "VeniceF-24" has 24 inputs/outputs.
Even though the "Venice F" series is de facto the new entry-level series in the Midas world, the quality demands on products bearing the Midas label are particularly high. To ensure that nothing goes amiss in terms of quality, the manufacturer has fallen back on tried and tested recipes. Thus, the newly developed microphone preamplifier has a high-quality discrete design and the tone control is even identical in layout to the XL-3 classic from their own house. Fully parametric mids and two semi-parametric highs plus bass equalizer, that should be trend-setting for a console with these compact dimensions. In addition, there is a switchable low cut (80 Hz) and the pleasant surprise that next to the gain potentiometer there is also a PAD button, a polarity switch and a button for the phantom circuit. In the predecessor, the latter was placed between the XLR input jacks on the rear, which was a less practical solution. A "thumbs up" is given for the insert point that can be switched per channel.
As far as the faders are concerned, Midas leaves nothing to be desired; only the professional 100 mm version is used. The four subgroups, the summing fader and the additional monobus are also operated via 100 mm faders. Cleverly solved is the use of the four stereo channels, which every "Venice F" model has. First of all, the stereo channels are ideal for connecting players (CD player, iPod, etc.) or external effect returns. But microphone signals can also be fed into the stereo channels. For this purpose there is a gain double potentiometer per channel. The reason for the double potentiometer is that the left and right sides can be levelled separately. If necessary, these signals can be summed mono and, as a treat, even used simultaneously with the line-in signals (which can also be routed directly to the sum). In case of acute channel distress, the stereo channels are therefore a powerful weapon in the battle for mixing sovereignty. There are two headphone outputs, one on the surface including a volume potentiometer and another one under the armrest. A big plus is also the 7 in 2 matrix, which provides additional playout paths.
The setup is simple. You install the Firewire driver on your computer (preferably the latest version from the Midas website) and connect the console to the computer with a Firewire cable. Whether a computer is generally suitable for audio processing can be checked quite well with the freeware "DPC Latency Checker". Midas "Venice F owners" don't need this software, because it is already integrated in the software's control panel.
Usually, a so-called safety buffer is added to the total latency on the Firewire output side. With the Midas driver, four security levels (normal, level 1, 2, 3) can be selected. If artifacts occur during audio processing, you can try to bypass them by using a higher safety buffer.
The big advantage of the "Venice F" is of course its fast and intuitive operation through the analog interface. This is joined by the connection of personal favorite plug-ins via the Firewire interface. The combination of analog hardware and the ultra-flexible virtual siderack definitely has its charm. Besides the storage, flexibility and choice of plugins, I especially like the fact that such a compact yet well-equipped FoH space can be configured.
In 2012, the Midas name is still one of the big ones in the live industry, but the new "Venice F" series also opens the door towards "studio & recording". The analog mixer part is simply great in terms of sound. It is additionally upgraded by the Firewire interface, and the candidate also shakes the dogma that an analog siderack necessarily belongs to an analog mixer. In the live test, the outsourcing of the dynamics and FX section to a computer was feasible and represents a further added value. In short: The Midas "Venice F" series has properly blown the dust off the subject of "analog mixing" from the faders.
Midas Venice F24 16 Mono- and 4 Stereo, Firewire
