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The Radial SW4 Festival Switcher is a unique 19" rackmount device
designed to allow several mixing consoles, a CD player, a stereo
recorder, an i-Pod and a microphone to share the same PA system.
According to Radial President Peter Janis: "We have noticed a
growing demand from the touring market for a product that would allow
multiple consoles and sources to connect to the same PA system. This
demand is driven from several perspectives: First and foremost, when
multiple bands share the same stage, each artist prefers to have their
own mixing console. Even with programmable digital desks, there are tie
lines to outboard effects and specific plug-ins that the main act may
have that they do not want to share with the other acts. This is
further heightened in festival situations where several A-level acts
share the same stage. In clubs, one may wish to share the PA between
the DJ and the visiting band. The Radial SW4 features four discreet
stereo inputs to address these needs."
"Furthermore, major touring companies that fully embrace digital
consoles are well aware of the down-side whereby when a system crashes,
it takes several minutes to reboot. Today, many bands carry a small
backup mixer that enables the sound engineer to quickly reroute the
system so that primary microphones such as vocals, bass drums and
guitars can be switched on-line instantly while the techs sort out the
problem. It is also customary to record the show from the main mixing
console output and the SW4 is equipped with a monitor out that can be
used for this task. Finally, a key element is cost saving. This is most
appreciated during tear down. Normally, after the band has finished the
3rd encore, the front-of-house must then wait 30 minutes to an hour
before it can be dismantled as it must supply walk-out music and be 'on
the ready' with a paging microphone. With an SW4, the engineer can
simply connect a CD player or iPod to the SW4 for playback and have a
dynamic mic connected should it be needed. This allows the FOH zone to
be dismantled which can often save anywhere from 30 minutes or more of
overtime labor costs which can amount to thousands of dollars depending
on how many stage hands and security staff are being retained."
The Radial SW4 features three 'hardwired' stereo input sets that are
selected via front panel selector switches. These control a series of
air-sealed gold contact relays. A safety button requires two-hand
operation to eliminate switching errors and each relay is duplicated
for redundant backup thus ensuring the show will go on. Should power be
disconnected, the SW4 will revert to 'default mode' with input-1
connected to output-A. To ensure the most pristine audio path, the only
'electronics' in between the input and output are two of Jensen's very
best nickel core JT-11BMCF transformers. These are capable of handling
+28dB from 20Hz to 20kHz which is more headroom than any console is
capable of generating.
To address 'unknown variables such as signal levels from CD players,
ipods, and computer sound cards, input-4 is buffered like a mixing
console to allow these devices to be 'controlled'. It features A or B
stereo input select, a DIM control for level adjustments, and redundant
front & rear panel RCAs plus a handy stereo 3.5mm (1/8") inputs for
i-pods and other mini recorders. All input channels feature high pass
filtering to reduce excessive bass and a monitor bus to allow
pre-switch listening via the built-in headphone amplifier. In
situations where the DJ may be driving the PA too hard, an insert buss
allows the house tech to introduce a limiter into the signal path and
discretely control the dynamics. The SW4 may also be remotely switched
using a contact closure and multiple units may be ganged together for
larger system requirements following a master-slave configuration. | 
