Digital stagebox hire — Behringer S16, S32 and Midas DL32
Getting every microphone signal from the stage to a mixing desk at the back of the hall used to mean a heavy analogue multicore taped down the aisle. A digital stagebox replaces it with one thin Cat5e network cable. Mics plug into the box on stage; the desk controls it remotely. We hire three — the Behringer S16 at £18 a day, the S32 at £26 and the Midas DL32 at £50 — and all of them talk AES50 to the X32 and M32 desks we hire alongside.
A digital stagebox is the modern answer to the multicore. The box sits on stage, every microphone and DI box plugs into it, and a single Cat5e network cable — the same sort as an office computer lead, but shielded — carries all the channels to the mixing desk, up to 100 metres away. The desk controls the stagebox down the same cable, setting mic gains and phantom power remotely, so once it is plugged in nobody needs to touch it.
The Behringer S16 is the small one: 16 mic inputs and 8 outputs for monitor or PA feeds, in a 2U box weighing 4.7 kg. Sixteen channels covers most plays and smaller musicals. If a show grows, two S16s link together over AES50 to make a 32-in, 16-out system, and the two halves can sit in different places — one in the pit for the band, one at the side of the stage for the radio mic receivers.
The S32 puts 32 inputs and 16 outputs in a single 3U box. That is a full musical: a pit band, a rack of radio mics and playback, with channels to spare. The Midas DL32 carries the same 32-in, 16-out count in the same size of box, but with Midas PRO Series preamps — the design from Midas's touring consoles. Pair it with an M32 desk when the music matters most, or when you are recording the night.
All three speak AES50, the audio networking standard used across the Behringer X32 and Midas M32 families. Conversion is 24-bit, and the round trip from stage to desk and back adds about a millisecond, which no audience or performer can hear. Phantom power switches per channel from the desk, and each box also carries an ULTRANET port for the P16 personal monitoring system.
Choosing is mostly counting. Add up every microphone, radio mic receiver, DI box and playback feed, then allow a few spare channels for the things that turn up at the dress rehearsal. Sixteen or fewer, hire the S16. More than that, the S32 at £26 a day is the sensible default, and the DL32 at £50 is the step up for an M32 rig. Tell us the show and the venue and we will say plainly which one you need.
What you get
The stagebox — S16, S32 or DL32 — with a mains lead
A shielded Cat5e snake cable for the run to the desk: tell us the stage-to-desk distance and we will send the right length
The short AES50 link lead, if you are pairing two S16s into a 32-channel system
Not included as standard: the mixing desk, microphones, stands and XLR leads — we hire all of these, so one booking can cover the whole system
A technician to plug up, set the gains and mix the show, if you would rather not run it yourselves
Good for
School musicals where the band and the radio mic rack are on stage and the desk is at the back of the hall
Village halls with no cable route: one thin Cat5e line replaces a multicore taped across the floor
Am-dram pit bands — mic the pit once and send everything to front of house down a single cable
Dance school showcases running playback, presenter mics and a rack of radio channels from the side of stage
Adding stage inputs to an X32 Rack or M32 system a school or church already owns
Hall-to-hall youth theatre shows, where the rig has to go in quickly and the same way every time
What you need to know
What it does
Puts the microphone sockets on the stage and sends every channel to the mixing desk down one thin network cable, in place of a heavy analogue multicore.
Which one
Count your channels. Up to 16 mics, the S16. Up to 32, the S32. The DL32 has the same 32 channels with Midas PRO Series preamps — the match for an M32 desk.
Control
The desk sets mic gain and phantom power remotely over the same cable. Works with the Behringer X32 and Midas M32 families.
Power
A normal 13A socket at the stage end. Each box draws 45 to 55 watts.
Where it goes
A 19-inch rack unit between 4.7 and 5.7 kg. Sits at the side of the stage, in the pit, or in a rack with your radio mic receivers.
Hire rates
Item
Rate
Behringer S16 Digital Stage Box
£18 / day
Behringer S32 Digital Stage Box
£26 / day
Midas DL32 Digital Stage Box
£50 / day
Rates are per day and exclude VAT. Ask us about multi-day and show-week rates, delivery, and hiring with a technician.
Check availability
See whether this is free for your dates. This is an indication from our current bookings, not a reservation.
S16 and S32: Midas-designed; DL32: Midas PRO Series
Analogue outputs (XLR)
S16: 8; S32: 16; DL32: 16
AES50 ports
2 on each box (Klark Teknik SuperMAC, Neutrik etherCON)
Cable to desk
Shielded Cat5e, up to 100 m
Conversion
24-bit at 44.1 or 48 kHz
Network latency
1.1 ms, stagebox in to stagebox out, including console processing
Phantom power
48 V, switchable per input from the desk
Other digital I/O
ADAT out on all three; AES3 (AES/EBU) out on S32 and DL32; MIDI in/out
Personal monitoring
ULTRANET port on all three for the P16 monitor system
Headphone output
S16 only (quarter-inch jack for line checks on stage)
Rack size
S16: 2U; S32 and DL32: 3U
Dimensions
S16: 482 x 225 x 89 mm; S32 and DL32: 483 x 242 x 138 mm
Weight
S16: 4.7 kg; S32: 5.6 kg; DL32: 5.7 kg
Power
100-240 V switch-mode supply; S16: 45 W; S32 and DL32: 55 W
Common questions
They need a desk with AES50 ports. In practice that means the Behringer X32 family — including the X32 Rack, Compact and Producer — and the Midas M32 family. An ordinary analogue desk, or a digital desk from another maker, cannot talk to them. Tell us what you have and we will say straight away whether it will work; if not, we hire the desks as well.
One S32 is cheaper — £26 a day against £36 for a pair of S16s — and simpler if everything plugs in at one point. Two S16s win when the inputs are split: one box in the pit for the band, the other at the far side of the stage for the radio mic receivers, linked by a single network lead. Sketch where your inputs live and the answer usually falls out.
The channel counts are identical; the difference is the preamps, the amplifier stage each microphone plugs into. The DL32 uses Midas PRO Series preamps, the design from Midas's touring consoles, and it is the natural partner to an M32 desk, especially if you are recording the show. For most school and community productions the S32 is honestly all you need.
Up to 100 metres on the shielded Cat5e we supply, which reaches the back of any school hall with plenty to spare. The round trip from stage to desk and back adds about a millisecond — far less than the time the sound takes to cross the front row — so nobody will hear it. If your desk position is unusual, tell us the route and we will send a run to suit.
