"By software controlling the panels, one panel can be used for many different jobs"

"The range of panels, plus the software control, makes upgrades and additions very easy"

Crookwood Products: igloo Controllers

This page details the controllers involved in an igloo. To find more details on the igloo, check out:

igloo Navigation

Overview. A thorough overview of the igloo concept.
Hardware. All about the processing cards and rack framework.
Software. An insight into the integration power of the system.
Specifying. How to specify your ideal desk.
Clients. Who's bought igloo's and what did they specify.

Overview

Like the modular rack hardware, the igloo has a range of modular control panels.

The control panels are how you control your desk, although the actual audio processing is performed in the remote racks. The control panels are very flexible, and the actual functions and operations of the buttons, pots and displays on each panel is defined in software held in a chip in the system Brain rack.

This chip decides how the panels operate and what buttons do what mastering functions. By simply changing the chip, or uploading new code onto it, the way you operate the desk and what functions it has, can be radically altered to suit the way you want to work.

In addition, the majority of buttons on a panel are labelled not with a painted silkscreen, but a backlit film legend. This makes it easy to display exactly what the function of each button is on a client by client basis.

Up to 16 control panels can be provided to control your desk, and we have many different types to suit various jobs. A single 8 way oval wire joins the panels to the audio rack, making the installation of the panels very easy.

Mechanically the panels can be mounted into studio furniture, a 19" space, or in a free standing keyboard type box.

Software Control

Each panel has a local processor that looks after the panel's buttons, LEDs and displays, but the way a panel works is defined by software in the Brain rack. The sort of things that can be controlled are:

Whether a button will respond to being pressed, or ignore your actions (locked out)
Whether a button is momentary, latched, or intercancelling
Whether a button's LED lights when the button's pushed
Whether a backlit legend is on or not
What is displayed on the LCD
Whether a pot acts like a level control, a trim control or a pan control.

This software power allows us to use standard panels (so keeping the cost down to you) but operate them in a completely unique way, customised to your requirements.

Physical

The panels are build around a standard size, of 173mm high by 35mm wide. Most panels are in fact 3 units wide (106mm), but a few like meter panels and fader panels are standard width. 173mm is 4U, and several panels may be mounted together into a 4U 19" space.

Because the panels don't have any audio processing in them, they are also very thin, only 40mm deep, and so they can be mounted into studio furniture directly above your knees, or even mounted into a wooden pod that can be moved around the desk as suits, like a keyboard.

The panels are made with a black, hardened plastic perspex, with backlighting, which has a hidden til lit, "Star Trek" type look. We can also provide different finished panels to order if these do not suit.

Panel Types

There are 8 different panel types. The panels all have different functions as follows:

Selector Panel: 16 buttons laid out in 2 banks of 8 for selecting things (monitor sources, inserts etc).
Monitor Panel: 16 buttons laid out in 2 banks of 8 for selecting things, plus a level controller and a master Cut and Dim button. Used for monitor or trim controls.
Trim Panel: 16 buttons laid out in 2 banks of 8 for selecting things, plus 2 level controllers. Used for trim controls.
Fader Panel: a 105mm P&G fader mounted into a panel for continuous fading in real time.
VU Meter Panel: 2 large precision Sifam VU's with a 6 position, 3dB per step precision meter attenuator.
Bargraph Meter Panel: a 40 segment bargraph meter that can produce VU or PPM responses, plus peak hold features. This meter is driven by our digitising meter card.
Talkback Panel: a local mic pre with switched talkback feeds, cue mix feeds, compressor and relay closures.
Blank Panels: Cosmetic blank panels for filling holes in 19" mounting kits.

Putting it together

Once you know what you want your igloo to do, you can design the front panel layout. Typically for a mastering application, you'll have a monitor panel for controlling speaker levels, a selector panel for selecting monitor and transfer sources, and a trim panel for selecting inserts and trim levels pre- AD. The flexibility in the way the panels work means that every application can use the same panels, but use them in a completely different way. Look at the client pages for examples of what people have done with the panels.

So what do I do next?

Look around the igloo site. The links at the top of the page will take you around. When you've had a look and think you're ready to move forwards, call us, and we'll speak further. Your life will never be the same again!