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The Discerning Choice
For The Audio Professional
Designed and Made in the UK
FAQs
This is an online repository of FAQs, in-depth "how to" Knowledge Base guides and Technical Bulletins regarding Cadac CM-Series products
General FAQs
Technical FAQs
Knowledge Base
Technical Bulletins
Cadac Consoles' heritage spans more than five decades across recording studios, theatre and live sound. From the late 1960s, Cadac consoles were installed in prestigious recording studios worldwide, shaping the sound of countless iconic albums. In 1984, Cadac entered the world of theatre, supplying a bespoke console for the West End production of Little Shop of Horrors at the request of sound designer Martin Levan. This began decades of Cadac consoles at the heart of major productions including Wicked, Billy Elliot, The Lion King, Jersey Boys and The Phantom of the Opera. Today, Cadac continues that legacy with the CM Series, designed for the demands of modern live audio production.
Cadac’s current product range is fully digital. The CM Series, comprising the CM-J50 digital mixing console, CM-SR stage racks, network bridges, the CM-RT12 MegaCOMMS Router and the CM software apps, represents the company’s focus today.Cadac’s analogue heritage, including the legendary J-Type theatre console, remains part of the brand’s identity and forms the audio character of the CM Series. The Cadac mic preamps newly designed for the CM system carry that lineage directly into the digital domain.
The CM-J50 has a through-system latency of under 0.4 milliseconds. Cadac treats latency as a first-order engineering concern. Differences of less than 0.1ms affect audio quality, and the CM-J50’s automatic latency management system synchronises all internal routing and processing before summing to ensure absolute phase coherency at every output.
The CM-J50 has 96 input channels and 56 output busses, which are configurable as auxiliaries, groups, stereo auxes or matrix outputs. In Monitor Mode, 54 busses are available; in FoH Mode, 48 busses are configurable. Local I/O on the rear panel consists of 16 analogue mic inputs, 8 analogue outputs, and 8 AES3 inputs and outputs. Additional I/O is available via CM-SR remote stage racks connected over MegaCOMMS.
The CM-J50 provides full processing on every one of its 96 input channels; there is no shared DSP pool and no channel count reduction at higher sample rates. Each input channel includes a six-band parametric EQ with selectable dynamic EQ function, a gate, a dual-mode compressor with side chain filter, and full routing to all 56 output buses. Every output bus has its own 1/3-octave graphic EQ and compressor/limiter.
In addition, the console provides 16 stereo effects slots, each with reverb, modulation and delay elements, plus an integrated 64×64 Waves SoundGrid interface for plug-ins and recording.
Yes. The CM-J50 includes 16 stereo effects slots as standard. Each slot provides reverb, modulation and delay elements, all accessible directly from the touchscreen and assignable to any input or bus.
For engineers who want to extend the console’s effects capability further, the integrated 64×64 Waves SoundGrid interface allows up to 64 channels of Waves plug-ins to run simultaneously alongside the native effects.
MegaCOMMS is Cadac’s proprietary high-speed audio network protocol. It carries 128 channels of 24-bit, 96kHz audio plus control data and clock, bi-directionally, between the CM-J50 console and connected CM-SR stage racks or network bridges. MegaCOMMS connections are made via RG6 BNC coaxial cable or duplex LC optical fibre, with optical connections supporting distances of up to 2,000 metres from the console.
Yes. The CM-J50 includes an integrated 64×64 Waves SoundGrid interface as standard, providing connectivity to Waves SuperRack. Up to 64 channels of Waves plug-ins can run simultaneously alongside the console’s own native effects. The Waves interface can also be used for multitrack recording and playback via the Waves QRec App on PC or Mac, enabling a full virtual soundcheck workflow. Waves licences are required and available separately from Waves.
Yes. Multitrack recording and playback is handled via the integrated 64×64 Waves SoundGrid interface using the Waves QRec App on PC or Mac. Up to 64 channels can be recorded at 96 kHz, and the same interface supports virtual soundcheck, playing recorded tracks back through the console as if they were live inputs, allowing engineers to refine mixes without the band on stage.
A Waves licence is required for QRec and is available separately from Waves.
Sidecar Mode allows the CM-J50’s control surface to be extended across up to three consoles simultaneously. This gives engineers significantly more hands-on physical fader control without any change to the underlying mix architecture, useful for large-scale productions requiring access to a high number of channels at once.
The CM-J50 is designed to be instinctive, like an analogue console, rather than having to be studied. The interface centres on a 23.5-inch optically bonded touchscreen with an intuitive GUI, without complex menu layers to navigate, where faders and encoders map directly to whatever channel or bus is on screen, so the workflow stays immediate and direct.Engineers familiar with other professional digital consoles consistently report a short adjustment period. For first-time users, Cadac and its distributors offer training and product demonstrations on request.
CM-SR stage racks connect to the CM-J50 via MegaCOMMS. Using RG6 BNC coaxial cable, the maximum connection distance is 150 metres. Using duplex LC optical fibre, stage racks can be placed up to 2,000 metres from the console, making the CM-SR series suitable for large-scale venues, festival stages and complex multi-stage environments.
All three are 4U or 7U remote stage racks that connect to the CM-J50 via MegaCOMMS, using the same high-performance I/O cards as the console itself. The differences are in I/O configuration:
CM-SR24 (4U) — 16 analogue mic inputs, 24 analogue outputs, 8 AES3 in/out
CM-SR40 (4U) — 32 analogue mic inputs, 8 analogue outputs, 8 AES3 in/out
CM-SR64 (7U) — 56 analogue mic inputs, 32 analogue outputs, 8 AES3 in/out
All three include a 2.4-inch colour local display, headphone monitoring, OSC implementation, MegaCOMMS on coax and fibre, and dual internal redundant PSUs.
The CM system includes three software applications for remote and offline control and monitoring: The CM-Remote iPad app provides wireless control of key CM-J50 functions from an iPad, suited to both fine-tuning and monitor mixing.
The CM-Monitor app for iPhone and iPad gives individual performers real-time wireless control of their personal monitor mix, with support for an unlimited number of iOS devices.
The CM-Meters app for iPad and Mac provides console metering in real time, with a choice of views, including a user customisable view of the channels and busses, either pre or post fader.
Yes. The CM-J50 has 16 fully programmable local mic inputs built in, alongside 8 analogue outputs, 8 AES3 inputs and 8 AES3 outputs, allowing it to operate as a standalone console without a remote stage rack. For larger productions requiring additional I/O, CM-SR stage racks can be connected via the two MegaCOMMS ports on the rear of the console.
Yes. The CM-J50 includes a dedicated Monitor Mode, Cadac's unique operating mode designed specifically for the monitor engineer. It provides access to 54 user-assignable busses in sends-on-fader mode, with Mix Focus to reduce screen clutter, Channel Flip for routing a single input to multiple destinations simultaneously, and Bus VCAs for full VCA mixing within each bus.
The console's sub-0.4ms latency is particularly well suited to in-ear monitoring, where timing is critical to performer comfort and confidence on stage.
For personal monitor mixes, the CM-Monitor App allows performers to control their own mix from an iPhone or iPad, with real-time wireless control and support for an unlimited number of devices.
Start with the channel count you need at the desk and at the stage, then work outward. The questions that matter most are how many inputs and outputs the system has to carry, how far the stage is from the mix position, whether you need redundancy, what audio network the rest of the venue or tour uses, and how quickly an engineer unfamiliar with the desk can work on it.Latency matters more in some applications than others. In-ear monitor mixing and live theatre with radio microphones are the least forgiving. Look for a figure measured from stage rack input to stage rack output, not just the console's internal processing time, because that is what a performer actually hears.Support and longevity are easy to overlook. A console is a long term purchase, so ask how long the manufacturer supports a product after it is discontinued and whether parts and service are available locally.The Cadac CM-J50 is designed around these priorities, with MegaCOMMS transport for high channel counts over long distances and low latency across the whole signal path. See the CM Ecosystem for the full system.
Cadac Consoles designs and manufactures the CM-Series in the UK. Cadac has built professional audio consoles since 1968 and the CM-J50, the CM-SR stage racks and the CM Network Bridge range are all designed and built in the UK.A small number of other British manufacturers also build professional consoles. If UK manufacture matters to your purchase, ask specifically whether design, assembly and support are all carried out in the UK, since some products are designed in one country and assembled elsewhere.
Theatre places different demands on a console than a concert or festival. The most important are:• Cue based automation. A theatre show runs to a script, so the console needs reliable scene or cue recall with fine control over what each cue changes.• Redundancy. A show cannot stop. A mirrored backup console that takes over without interruption is standard practice in professional theatre.• Low latency. Radio microphones, in-ear monitors and foldback all compound delay, and performers notice it before the audience does.• Channel count at the stage. Musical theatre uses high radio microphone counts and large pit orchestras, often with several stage racks in different positions.• Long cable runs. The mix position may be a considerable distance from the stage, sometimes at the back of a circle or in a separate control room.• Noise from equipment. Silence in a theatre is as important as audio. Noisy cooling fans in consoles and stage racks can be very intrusive and disturb the audience during what could be a dramatic silence.Cadac has a long history in theatre sound and the CM-J50 is built around these requirements. Automation uses a Project, Show and Cue structure, console mirroring provides redundancy, and MegaCOMMS carries high channel counts to multiple stage racks over long distances. Cooling is temperature controlled across the CM range. The CM-J50 uses fans selected for low noise, with fan control written specifically for them, so they ramp up only when needed and back down automatically. The CM-SR racks add a manual override for situations where noise matters most, with a built-in safeguard that returns the fans to automatic control if the rack gets too hot.
A stage rack, sometimes called a stage box or I/O rack, sits near the performers and converts microphone and line signals to digital at the source. It connects to the mixing console over a single cable instead of a multicore, carrying all inputs and outputs in both directions.You need one if the mix position is any real distance from the stage, if you have more inputs than the console's local connections can handle, or if you want inputs in more than one physical location. Small systems where everything plugs into the console directly do not need one (the CM-J50 has 16 analogue inputs and 8 analogue outputs plus 8 AES inputs / outputs on the rear).The main things to compare are how many stage racks a console supports, how far they can be placed from the console, whether the connection is redundant, and what preamplifiers are fitted.Cadac's CM-SR range offers up to 56 analogue inputs and 32 analogue outputs plus 8 AES3 inputs and outputs and connects up to 2,000 metres over optical fibre, or 150 metres over coaxial cable from the CM-J50 over MegaCOMMS.
All three carry multiple channels of digital audio over a single cable, but they work differently.MADI is an established point to point standard carrying 64 channels over coaxial cable or optical fibre. It is simple, well understood and does not need network configuration, but it connects one device to one device.Dante is a networked protocol running over standard Ethernet. Many devices share the same network and any device can send audio to any other, which makes it flexible for installations. It requires network configuration and switches that are set up correctly.AES67 is an interoperability standard rather than a product. It defines how different audio over IP systems can exchange audio with each other. Dante devices can usually be put into an AES67 mode to talk to other systems.Which you need depends on what else is in the venue or on the truck. Many systems use more than one. The Cadac CM-J50 connects to Dante and MADI networks through the CM Network Bridge range, and uses MegaCOMMS for its own console to stage rack transport.
No. Dante is widely used but it is one option among several. A console and stage rack from the same manufacturer will normally use the manufacturer's own transport between them, which is often faster and simpler to set up than a general purpose network.Dante becomes useful when you need to share audio between equipment from different manufacturers, distribute audio around a building, or connect to a recording system or broadcast truck. Many systems use a manufacturer's own transport for the console to stage connection and Dante for everything else.The CM-J50 works this way. MegaCOMMS carries audio between the console and the CM-SR stage racks, and the CM-DT64 network bridge connects the system to a Dante or AES67 network when one is needed.
Redundancy means the system keeps working when something fails. In live sound this usually covers three things: a backup console that mirrors the main one and can take over, dual power supplies so a single supply failure does not stop the show, and redundant cabling so a damaged cable between the console and the stage does not silence the system.It matters most where a show cannot be stopped and restarted. Theatre, broadcast and large scale touring all treat redundancy as a requirement rather than an option. For smaller events the cost may not be justified.The CM-J50 offers console mirroring and dual internal power supplies. Every product in the CM ecosystem has dual internal supplies, and either one will run the unit on its own, so a single supply failure will not stop a show. The supplies used in the CM-J50 and the CM-SR racks are the same part, so a single spare covers both. They are not hot swappable, but they are designed to be removed and replaced quickly once the unit is powered down.The CM-J50 and the CM-SR racks each have two MegaCOMMS ports, which can be used as a redundant pair so that a damaged cable does not interrupt the signal path. Running a redundant connection uses both ports at the console, so a fully redundant system is limited to a single stage rack. Systems using more than one rack run a single connection to each.
Yes, on most modern digital systems. The console sends each performer's mix to an app on their own device, and they adjust their own levels without the monitor engineer doing it for them. It saves considerable time at soundcheck and lets performers make changes during a show.Things to check are how many devices can connect at once, whether performers can only access their own mix, and how reliable the wireless connection is in a real venue.Cadac's CM-Monitor app for iPhone and iPad gives performers real time control of their own mix, with support for an unlimited number of devices.
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