GAMBLE Boards

[lxhipster]

Hi all!

 

I was reccommended by my friends to purchase a Gamble DCX600 to add to my rental inventory since, they told me it's great for doing musicals and theatrical shows so, I was just wondering are they any good. I had a look at their website which is quite outdated and doesn't provide any informations at all.Please give me advice.

[london sound]

Hi

 

Gamble was a company set up by Jim Gamble ( a well respected desk designer), it was incorporated into Crest which is now part of Peavy.

 

Gamble desks have a very good reputation within the USA but are not widely known elsewhere.

 

The DCX600 I believe is the new digital desk, and if I remember correctly has quite a different layout and style to other digital desks.

 

 

Ian

[Simon Lewis]

As Ian has said, Gamble is a respected name in mixing desks, and you will find them advertsing in the US audio press.

 

However, might I suggest you consider (alongside the possibility of a Gamble digital desk) the standard digital offerings from Yamaha, Innovason, DiGiCo, etc. Soundcraft and Allen & Heath also have new digital products, and Cadac (very popular with theatres in the UK) are releasing their digital desk very soon.

 

With so much choice and so many well known makes out there, perhaps taking a "gamble" isn't such a good idea?!

 

Simon

[Bobbsy]

I'll chime in and agree with Simon. The Gamble boards may be well thought of in the US, but they're almost unknown in the UK and, without a distributor network you'd be on you own in terms of support.

 

You mention this is for rental inventory...you'd likely be better of with boards that people know and know how to use.

 

Bob

[djw1981]

I'll chime in and agree with Simon. The Gamble boards may be well thought of in the US, but they're almost unknown in the UK and, without a distributor network you'd be on you own in terms of support.

 

The OP's profile says they are in Thailand, and I'm not sure if they would be UK or USA influenced in termns of kit availability / reputation! BNot forgetting the fact that a fair bit of the kit may be made more locally to Thailand than to the UK!

[Simon Lewis]

The OP's profile says they are in Thailand, and I'm not sure if they would be UK or USA influenced in termns of kit availability / reputation!

 

Yes, I did take note of that and would stand by my comment. The likes of the Yamaha and DiGiCo offerings are becoming pretty much a standard in high end tours, events and ceremonies world wide.

 

Furthermore, the support network, and the number of sound engineers who will have undergone training or have driven these desks is likely to be far higher.

 

I would suspect that a Taiwanese hire company will need to service both national and international acts, and a "world class" mixer will represent a greater return on investment. Hire companies have to stock what people will hire, not what they think is cool ;-)

 

 

Simon

[Bobbsy]

I must admit that I hadn't noticed that the OP was from Thailand rather than the UK. I really must start looking more at profiles since the BR is certainly moving from a UK board to an international one!

 

However, unless there's something very different going on the the Thai rental market, I think my original advice stands. Even in the USA, Gamble make, at best, a niche product. As Simon says, rental houses make money by have the commonly-reqested range of gear, not what they think is "cool". Lots of people will request Yamha or DiGiCo boards; they'll have to be talked into trying the Gamble.

 

Bob

[StevieR]

...might I suggest you consider (alongside the possibility of a Gamble digital desk) the standard digital offerings from Yamaha, Innovason, DiGiCo, etc. Soundcraft and Allen & Heath also have new digital products...

 

I would stay clear of the new Soundcraft Digital offering at present - at least until they have got the bugs out of it. I know of two companies who have had problems with them crashing rather frequently. Additionally, soundcraft don't seem to have sorted their technical support out for these new consoles - by comparison, Yamaha have a 24-hour support line and have remarkably few recorded crashes...

 

Steve

[mackerr]

You mention this is for rental inventory...you'd likely be better of with boards that people know and know how to use.

 

Bob

While Gamble analog consoles have been highly respected and heavily used in the US for many years, the Gamble digital console is more of a mix engine than a console. There is no control surface, it is controlled from a standard computer. There are recommended aftermarket fader bays, and encoders that you can use to assemble a physical mixing environment, but there is no control surface in the sense we are used to. I would think it was not the right console for a company looking to move up into a bigger market. As others have said, buy what your clients want. Chances are if they want a large format digital console, they would be happy with a Yamaha or Digico. If you want to mortgage the company, the Midas would probably attract clients.

 

Mac

[lxhipster]

Hi all!

 

Now, I already have a pair of PM5Ds working in the fleet but, It's not suitable for handling lots of cues when we're doing theatrical shows or shows with lots of cues which tends to happens most of the time. I am also recommended to purchase a CueConsole as well with all the Wild Tracks and the SpaceMap but, that is a bit complicated to use for the local operators. People who I have talked to says that GAMBLE are easy to use but, I'm still not quite sure. The majority of the thai rental market uses PM5D for concerts and other kinds of events but, our company handle almost 60% of the high-end theatrical shows these days so, we need things to be capable of running the show perfectly and as seamless as possible. Currently, I'm looking into the CueConsole, GAMBLE DCX, STUDER's Vista and the MIDAS XL8. The cons of the CueConsole to me now is that It's too complicated with lots of hardware involved which is not suitable for touring. The XL8 is still in BETA as I've heard from the distributor here and is not that perfect for theatrical shows as I was told.

[lifeisacabaret]

How on earth is a PM5D not suitable for a theatrical show with lots of cues? There are LOADS of shows in the UK and US with PM5D's out front, and they seem very suited to this function.

[Bobbsy]

Indeed. Pretty well the ONLY consoles you'll find doing theatre work in London's West End, on Broadway or on big tours are Cadac for analogue and Digico or Yamaha PM1D/PM5D in the digital realm.

 

Edit to mention that the Studer Vista is very much aimed at Studio work, not live reinforcement. The Soundcraft Vi6 is related technology for live use, though (as mentioned above) may still have some flaws. The Midas digital offering is also too new to have a track record yet...and (of course) the Cadac digital may well be just round the corner.

 

Bob

[Simon Lewis]

Is not the PM1d worth considering?

 

Also, CADAC are unveiling their new digital offering at PLASA

[lifeisacabaret]

If your going to be getting international theatrical shows coming to Thailand (and there are more and more productions of big 'Western' musicals being mounted in Asia), then you are going to HAVE to be able to offer the sound designers what they want. For example, Martin Levan (or whoever is looking after POTO sound-wise in asia) is no way going to accept a Gamble board, in the same way Mick Potter wouldnt accept one for the loads of shows he has/is designed/designing (just this year, Whistle Down the Wind, Evita, Phantom in Vegas, The Sound of Music, Cabaret in the West End).

 

I may be wrong on the complete details here, but considering what big theatrical shows are designed for should be something you look at. For example, heres a brief list of desks out on West-End musicals-

 

Lion King- Cadac J

Phantom- Cadac A (automated version)

Les Mis- Digico D5T

Evita- PM1D

Whiste Down the Wind- PM1D

Blood Brothers- PM5D

We Will Rock You- Cadac J

Footloose- Digidesign Venue

Avenue Q- Cadac J

Billy Elliot- Cadac J

Mary Poppins- Digico D5T

Mamma Mia- Digico D5T

Blue Man Group- PM1D

Guys and Dolls- Cadac J

Spamalot- Digico D5T

Sunday in the Park with George- M7CL

 

 

Also on tour in the UK...

 

Joseph- PM1D

Blood Brothers- Cadac J

Anything Goes- Digidesign Venue

 

 

I have never seen or heard of a GAMBLE board being used in the UK, let alone in a theatrical production. On the subject of the PM5D, it really is perfect for small to medium scale (and even some large scale shows) theatrical shows, and the cue-list facilities and snapshots are very well spec'd.

[mackerr]

I already have a pair of PM5Ds working in the fleet but, It's not suitable for handling lots of cues when we're doing theatrical shows or shows with lots of cues which tends to happens most of the time. I am also recommended to purchase a CueConsole as well with all the Wild Tracks and the SpaceMap but, that is a bit complicated to use for the local operators. People who I have talked to says that GAMBLE are easy to use

You really need to take a look at what a Gamble DCX is before you talk about ease of use. As almost everyone else has already said, the only large format digital consoles that are readily accepted for theatre use are the PM1D and Digico D5T. There are some users of the LCS Cue Console, but it is quite complicated.

 

Mac