Fairlight EVO

The EVO range is Fairlight's last generation of hardware consoles before the Blackmagic acquisition. It comes in two models: EVO Post (launched 2010), an integrated mixing and audio-editing workstation (mixer + DAW) widely used in post-production, and EVO.Live (introduced at NAB 2014), the broadcast and live/on-air variant.

The heart of the system is the Crystal Core audio processor, an FPGA architecture housed in a 2U unit, offering very high channel and bus counts with sub-millisecond latency. A second hot-swappable Crystal Core engine with redundant power supplies ensures live reliability. On the EVO.Live, the configuration reaches 104 input channels and 128 bus elements (main bus up to 5.1, 24 subs, 24 auxes, 16 mix-minus, 24 multitrack), with a built-in audio recorder up to 192 simultaneous tracks and R128 metering.

The modular surface scales from 12 to 60 faders (panels of 6 or 12 motorised 100 mm faders with encoders and displays). Picture Keys re-label themselves automatically for each task, iCAN (Integrated Control across Network) technology lets operators design custom layouts, and a Dual-Operator mode lets two engineers work independently. I/O runs through 4U remote racks (up to 21 modules: 64-channel MADI fibre, AES/EBU, analogue, mic preamp, SDI-to-MADI conversion).