Fairlight Constellation
Post-production digital mixing console with Crystal Core FPGA engine, integrated DAW and video
Description
Technical
Specifications
Processing
| Mix buses | 72 |
|---|---|
| Aux sends | 12 |
| DSP engine | Crystal Core CC-1 (FPGA) |
| Processing resolution | 36 bits |
| Canaux | Jusqu'à 230 canaux de traitement complets (configurations 96 / 144 / 230). Chaque canal : EQ 6 bandes (bandes 1 et 6 commutables plateau/passe-haut-bas, 4 bandes paramétriques) avec compensation de niveau, filtres passe-haut/bas, dynamique 3 étages (compresseur, expandeur/gate, limiteur) — algorithmes natifs, toujours disponibles. Source : brochure. |
Surface
| Physical faders | 72 |
|---|---|
| Motorized faders | Yes |
| Screens | 1 |
| Touchscreen | No |
| Surface | Surfaces de commande de la Producer Desk mono-baie jusqu'à 5 baies en ligne, avec sections « wedge » pour envelopper les extrémités ; maximum 72 faders par surface, plusieurs surfaces combinables (chacune son moteur). Panneaux au choix : faders motorisés + panpots (12 voies), Xynergi Centre Section, Edit Panel (style Binnacle), Selection Panel, Central Assign Panel, In-Line Panel, Anthem Panel. Source : brochure. |
Recording
| Onboard recording | Yes |
|---|---|
| Recording type | disque_dur |
| Recorder | « Dubber » intégré : enregistreur multipiste avec surface d'édition dédiée, 192 pistes par moteur (jusqu'à 96 en enregistrement simultané) ; moteurs combinables jusqu'à 1200 pistes en verrouillage échantillon pour le cinéma. Système vidéo Pyxis Track intégré (HD non compressé 4:2:2). Source : brochure. |
Networking
| Networking & protocols | MADI / AES/EBU / Network |
|---|---|
| Redundant PSU | No |
| Redundant networking | No |
Other
| Moteur | Moteur Crystal Core CC-1 : architecture de grande console de mixage implémentée sur une seule puce FPGA, traitement natif 36 bits virgule flottante. Capable de mixer jusqu'à 230 canaux vers 72 destinations. Router interne 2000×2000. Latence très faible (solution mono-puce). Source : brochure Fairlight Product Family. |
|---|---|
| Bus | 72 destinations (« bus elements ») réparties entre bus principal, 8 sous-groupes et 12 auxiliaires, chacun configurable de 0 à 7.1 (formats 3D 22.2 supportés), plus 24 bus mono multipiste (groupes d'enregistrement). Dynamique 2 étages (comp + limiteur) + EQ/filtres sur les bus. Source : brochure. |
| Panning | Panoramique L-R et F-B, contrôle joystick ou champ graphique à la souris, axe 3D haut-bas ; contrôles Divergence, Spread et Rotate, canal sub-bass/boom à niveau et pré/post individuels. Source : brochure. |
| Io | Base CC-1 + SX-20 : 64 entrées / 64 sorties MADI, entrées micro/ligne XLR/TRS commutables, S/PDIF ; synchro vidéo (BNC, bi/tri-niveau), Word Clock, timecode, RS-422 maître/esclave, MIDI. Extensible via SX-48 Signal Exchange (jusqu'à 264 entrées / 284 sorties physiques sur configuration Xynergi). Surface reliée au rack moteur par Ethernet TCP/IP (Cat-5). Support VST et ReWire via l'hôte Windows XP. Source : brochure. |
Strip & details
Rotate your phone to landscape for a better view of the strip.
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Rotate your phone to landscape for a better view of the strip.
Rotate your phone to landscape for a better view of the strip.
Rotate your phone to landscape for a better view of the strip.
Software
- Fairlight Media Toolkit (Xynergi / Constellation)Constellation's integrated software suite: multitrack recording/editing (Dubber), plug-in management, Pyxis Track video, session management and monitoring, with VST and ReWire support.
Other screenshots
Accessories
I/O card
- CC-1 Crystal Core
PCIe accelerator card implementing the Crystal Core mixing/processing engine on FPGA. Source: brochure.
Stagebox / rack
- SX-48 MADI Signal Exchange
MADI signal-exchange unit converting to many standard analogue and digital I/O formats. Source: brochure.
Fader extension
- Xynergi 12-Fader Sidecar
12 motorised-fader extension (with joystick, automation switches, status LEDs, OLED displays and panning) for Xynergi configurations. Source: brochure.
Documents
Editorial & artists
Our take
History & design
The Fairlight Constellation (Constellation XCS family) is a high-end digital mixing console for audio post-production, introduced in 2008 by Australian maker Fairlight. It succeeds the QDC-powered DREAM Constellation (2003), from which it inherits most of the control surface: with this generation Fairlight dropped the "DREAM" prefix and marketed the machine simply as the Constellation. It is built around the "Crystal Core" CC-1 engine, which implements a large-console architecture on a single FPGA chip and natively processes up to 230 channels into 72 destinations in 36-bit floating point.
Each channel has a 6-band equaliser, filters and three-stage dynamics, permanently available without taxing the host PC, which stays free for third-party VST plug-ins. Routing rests on a 2000×2000 internal router and 72 "bus elements" (main bus, 8 sub-groups, 12 auxes configurable up to 7.1 and beyond, plus 24 multitrack buses). The console integrates a "Dubber" multitrack recorder (192 tracks per engine, up to 96 simultaneous record, combinable up to 1200 tracks) and a Pyxis Track video system (uncompressed HD). The highly modular surface runs from the single-bay Producer Desk to five bays in one line with wedge corner sections, with a maximum of 72 motorised faders per surface and a choice of panels (faders, Xynergi Centre Section, Edit, Selection, Central Assign, In-Line, Anthem). Base connectivity offers 64 MADI inputs/outputs, expandable to several hundred physical channels.
Notable users
Links
Related consoles
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Documents are archived locally for preservation. Source credited. Takedown requests: [email protected]