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Cadac CM-J50 digital audio mixing console — front view showing 20 motorised faders and 23.5-inch touchscreen

CM-J50 Digital Audio Console

Overview

The Cadac CM-J50 is a professional digital mixing console with 96 input channels and 56 configurable buses. Designed and built in the UK, it delivers class-leading audio performance, sub-0.4ms through-system latency, and an intuitive touchscreen interface all in a compact, tour-ready form factor.

CM-J50: Welcome
CM-J50: Introduction
Cadac CM-J50 digital audio mixing console — front view showing 20 motorised faders and 23.5-inch touchscreen

CM-J50

Cadac CM logo

Introduction

The CM-J50 brings greater connectivity, control, and flexibility in a form factor that is faster, smaller, and lighter than previous Cadac generations.

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Navigation is built around a 23.5-inch optically bonded touchscreen. Swipe, touch, and turn to scroll through all 96 input channels and 56 buses with faders and encoders map seamlessly to the active screen functions throughout.

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The combination of Cadac's FPGA/DSP processing platform, legendary mic preamps, and sub-0.4ms latency makes the CM-J50 a serious proposition for engineers who won't compromise on audio quality or workflow.

CM-J50: Hardware Oveview
Cadac CM-J50 digital audio mixing console — 96 input channels, FPGA DSP processing, sub-0.4ms latency

Hardware

Overview

  • Intuitive graphical user interface

  • Proprietary FPGA / DSP mix platform

  • 96 kHz, 24-bit Delta-Sigma A/D-D/A converters 

  • 32/40 bit floating point SHARC processors

  • 23.5” flush fit 16:9 hi-def LCD touch screen

  • 6.5” LCD touch screen for system control

  • 64 x 64 Waves card

  • 24 user definable colour OLED displays

  • 20 segment stereo channel metering

  • 20 touch sensitive 100mm motorised faders

  • 16 fully programmable Mic inputs

  • 8 analogue outputs

  • 8 AES3 inputs and 8 AES3 outputs

  • 2 MegaCOMMS ports on coax (4 x BNCs) or optical (2 x duplex optical LC ports)

  • Dual internal auto switching PSUs

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Cadac CM-J50 digital audio mixing console howing MegaCOMMS ports, AES3 connections, analogue I/O and Waves SoundGrid interface

Features

Highlights

  • Sub 0.4 millisecond total system latency

  • 96 input channels

  • 56 busses, 48 are assignable as Groups, Auxes or Matrix in FoH mode

  • Unique Monitor Mode

  • Custom Fader Layers

  • 16 VCA groups including ‘VCA unfold’ navigation

  • 16 assignable buttons with OLED displays

  • 16 stereo (or 32 mono) on-board effects

  • 31 band EQ on outputs plus 4 band fully parametric EQ

  • One Dynamic EQ on each input and output

  • Compressor / limiter plus gate with side chain filter on all inputs

  • Compressor / limiter with side chain filter on all outputs

  • Input and output delays

  • Snapshot automation system with Cue Ripple and Cue Preview

  • Dugan Automixer post fade insert for Waves

  • PC offline editor

  • iPad remote control

  • Console Mirroring

  • Side car mode

CM-J50: Features Overview
CM-J50: Features

The Intuitive Touch

Engineers consistently find the CM-J50 intuitive from the first session. The workflow is designed to be learned through use, without the need for formal training.

GESTURE NAVIGATION

Cadac CM-J50 23.5-inch touchscreen GUI showing EQ screen

​Engineers consistently find the CM-J50 intuitive from the first session. The workflow is designed to be learned through use, touch, turn and swipe gives immediate, instinctive access to Cadac's audio performance without the need for formal training or extended familiarisation.

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  • Flush mounted, optically bonded 23.5-inch 16:9 true HD LCD touchscreen with a clean, intuitive GUI.

  • Large touchscreen combined with traditional encoders results in an instinctive touch, turn and swipe for complete channel control.

  • Faders follow the GUI on screen at all times..

  • No layers to navigate just direct, streamlined workflow from the moment you sit down.

MIC PRE

Cadac CM-J50 mic preamp inputs — 16 fully programmable analogue XLR mic inputs

The CM-J50's character starts at the mic preamp. Cadac's analogue heritage, most closely associated with the legendary J-Type theatre console, is the direct foundation for the sixteen fully programmable preamps designed specifically for the CM series.

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  • The CM-J50's audio character is directly linked to the J-Type, Cadac's legendary analogue theatre console. 16 fully programmable mic inputs, newly designed for the CM series.

  • Wide dynamic range and low noise floor throughout, the CM-J50's digital performance builds on the analogue heritage rather than replacing it.

PHASE COHERENCY

Cadac CM-J50 digital audio mixing console MegaCOMMS and Waves Interface card

In high-end audio, 'close enough' isn't good enough. Most digital consoles introduce small but audible inconsistencies in phase alignment, the kind that make a mix feel processed rather than transparent. The CM-J50 treats latency management as a fundamental engineering discipline, not an afterthought. The result is sound that is phase coherent, dynamically honest, and true to the source.

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  • Latency management is treated as a first-order design priority. Differences of less than 0.1 ms can affect perceived audio quality, the CM-J50 is engineered accordingly.

  • The automatic latency management system synchronises all internal routing and processing before summing, ensuring absolute phase coherency at all outputs, with sub-0.4 ms end-to-end system latency.

EFFECTS

Cadac CM-J50 onboard effects screen showing reverb, modulation and delay slots

  • 16 stereo effect “slots”, each with reverb, modulation and delay elements.

  • The 3 elements within each effect slot can be ‘dragged and dropped’ in either series or parallel, and in any order.

  • Effects can be patched as inserts on any channel, or in-line on an aux send/return basis.

  • All Effects are phase coherent and time aligned.

  • Effects settings can be stored in a User Library.

EQ

Cadac CM-J50 six-band parametric EQ display with dynamic EQ

  • All input and output channels feature 6 band EQ, with a 4 band fully parametric section and variable low/high pass filters.

  • All 6 bands can be independently switched in or out, and the whole EQ bypassed with a master EQ bypass.

  • The LF and HF bands of the EQ feature a Bell/Shelf option.

  • All EQ settings can be stored in a User Library.

  • Output channels feature a 1/3rd octave GEQ in addition to the 6 band EQ.

GEQ

Cadac CM-J50 1/3-octave graphic EQ displayed on touchscreen with 100mm fader control

  • All output busses feature 4-band fully parametric EQ, plus variable HPF and LPF plus a 1/3 octave GEQ.

  • All parametric and graphic EQs can be used simultaneously, without compromise.

  • GEQ parameters displayed as a virtual GEQ on the screen, and adjustments made using the console's 100mm faders.

  • Additional features include GEQ in/out, an “instant flat” switch and a bypass function for individual GEQ filters.

AUTOMATION

Cadac CM-J50 snapshot automation system showing cue list and cue preview mode

  • A cue-based automation system capable of storing hundreds of Cues within a Show file with a number of Show files in a single Project.

  • Cue Preview allows the engineer to recall, amend and store individual scenes during a show in an offline preview mode, allowing changes to be made “on the fly”.

  • Cue Ripple allows a channel’s individual parameters to be “rippled through” any, or all cues, to make global changes to a show file mid show.

LOCAL I/O

Cadac CM-J50 local I/O panel — 16 mic inputs, 8 analogue outputs, 8 AES3 in/out

  • Fixed local I/O: 16 fully programmable Cadac mic inputs, 8 analogue outputs, 8 AES3 inputs and 8 AES3 outputs.

  • Remote stage rack connection via two MegaCOMMS ports - BNC coax or duplex optical LC - using the same high-performance mic preamps as the console.

CONFIGURABLE BUSSES

Cadac CM-J50 configurable bus layout — 54 buses in monitor mode, 48 in FoH mode

  • 54 configurable busses in Monitor Mode or 48 configurable busses in FoH Mode.

  • Assignable as any combination of auxiliaries, groups, stereo auxes, stereo groups or matrix outputs.

  • Bus sends can be individually set as pre EQ, pre fader or post fader, and pre or post VCA.

  • Busses can be renamed from the pre-set library or with user defined names.

CUSTOM FADER LAYERS

Cadac CM-J50 custom fader layers — colour-coded input, bus and VCA groupings

  • Create, name and colour Custom Fader Layers from any mixture of inputs, buses, VCAs and Monitor faders.

  • Built by dragging and dropping from the relevant input, bus, VCA or Monitor page.

  • A custom layer can be assigned to any user assignable buttons.

DUGAN AUTOMIXER

Cadac CM-J50 Dugan Automixer integration via Waves SoundGrid — automatic mic mixing for up to 64 channels

  • A Dugan post fade Insert point, with an auto-patch function, allows easy setup of the Dugan Automixer.

  • Requires a Waves Server connected to the console's integrated Waves card with the addition of the Dugan Automixer Waves plugin.

  • The Dugan plugin allows automatic cueing of multiple live microphones in real time and simultaneous automixing of up to 64 channels.

DYNAMICS

Cadac CM-J50 dynamics processing — gate, dual-mode compressor and side chain filter per input channel

  • Input dynamics consists of a gate and dual-mode compressor with side chain filtering, with a choice of both classic or vintage modes of operation.

  • Output dynamics processing features compression and limiting.

  • Dynamics settings can be stored in a User Library.​

  • All the dynamics are phase coherent and time aligned.

MUTE and VCA GROUPS

Cadac CM-J50 VCA and mute groups — 16 VCA groups and 8 mute groups with OLED displays

  • 16 VCA groups and 8 mute groups, all with OLED displays.

  • Any input can be assigned to any VCA or MUTE group, or to multiple groups simultaneously. Groups and inputs can be named via the console library or on-screen keyboard.

  • VCA Unfolding deploys all members of the selected VCA across the faders, giving instant access to every input's control parameters.

  • While a VCA is unfolded, all 16 VCA select buttons remain visible on screen - direct navigation between groups without returning to the VCA master page.

  • The VCA overview screen shows all members of all 16 groups with post-fade input meters - your entire mix structure at a glance.

MONITOR MODE

Cadac CM-J50 Monitor Mode — sends-on-fader layout with Mix Focus for monitor engineers

  • Monitor Mode is a dedicated operating mode designed specifically for the monitor engineer, unique to Cadac.

  • Gives access to 54 user-assignable buses and their contribution channels in sends-on-fader mode. A single touch to select a mix and immediately see all contributing channels on faders.

  • Mix Focus: when a mix is flipped into sends-on-fader mode, only channels contributing to that mix are shown — eliminating clutter at the critical moment.

  • Channel Flip: select any input and flip its outputs onto the faders, allowing a single channel to be sent to multiple destinations simultaneously.

  • Bus VCAs: each individual bus has 16 VCAs to control member levels within that bus, enabling full VCA mixing while in fader flip.

WAVES

Cadac CM-J50 integrated Waves SoundGrid interface — 64x64 channel connectivity to Waves SuperRack

  • Integrated 64×64 Waves SoundGrid interface with connectivity to Waves SuperRack.

  • Up to 64 channels of Waves plug-ins running simultaneously alongside the console's native effects, so no compromise between internal and external processing.

  • The Waves interface supports multitrack recording and playback via the Waves QRec App on PC or Mac, enabling a full virtual soundcheck workflow.

CM-J50: Rear Panel
Cadac CM-J50 full rear panel — MegaCOMMS, AES3, analogue I/O, Waves SoundGrid and dual PSU connections

REAR PANEL

Cadac CM-J50 Rear Grey.jpg

MegaCOMMS

Coaxial and optical dual ports

Waves

SoundGrid Interface

16

Analogue inputs

PSU

Dual redundant internal supplies

8

Analogue outputs

8

AES3 inputs and outputs

MIDI

In, Thru, Out

Word Clock

In

Network

Port

Lamp

Word Clock

Out

REAR PANEL

CM-J50: Gallery

Gallery

CM-J50 Specification

Specification

General Specification

FADERS

20 x 100mm motorised faders

SCREENS

1 x 23.5″ 16:9 HD + 1 x 6.5″ Touchscreens

PSU

2 x internal redundant auto-switching PSUs

INPUTS

Up to 192 (inc local I/O)

CHANNELS

96 with full processing

BUSSES

48 configurable in pairs as group/aux/st aux plus dedicated LCR, monitor LR,

headphones LR and talkback

MATRIX

Up to 67 x 48 with full processing

OUTPUTS

Up to 192 (inc local I/O)

GRAPHIC EQ

32 band +/-16 dB on all 55 outputs

INTERNAL FX

16 high-resolution 96 kHz stereo effects processors

LOCAL I/O

16 x XLR Mic Inputs (inc 48 V, PAD and 1 dB gain steps)
8 x XLR Balanced outputs, 4 x XLR AES/EBU input
4 x XLR AES/EBU outputs

MegaCOMMS

2 x Cadac MegaCOMMS

DIMENSIONS

904.40mm width x 766mm depth x 259.12mm height

WEIGHT

39.5kgs / 87lbs (approx)

Audio Specification

SAMPLE RATE

96 kHz

PROCESSING DELAY

Sub 0.4 millisecond latency through complete signal chain

INTERNAL PROCESSING

40-bit floating point

ADC/DAC

24-bit

FREQUENCY RESPONSE

10 Hz to 44 kHz + 0.5 / -0.5 dB

THD+N

better than 0.005% @unity gain, 10 dB input at 1 kHz

CHANNEL SEPARATION

better than 95 dB

RESIDUAL OUTPUT NOISE

< -95 dBu (10 Hz – 44 kHz)

MIC EIN

< -127 dB with 200 Ohm source impedance

MAXIMUM OUTPUT

21 dBu

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