ResonantLive Sound Archive

Equipment file · Live mixing console

Soundcraft Series 1

Soundcraft · 1974

Evidence status · documented

Identity and core specifications are documented; some historical fields remain unavailable.

Soundcraft was founded in 1973 by sound engineer Phil Dudderidge (Led Zeppelin's first dedicated live engineer) and designer Graham Blyth, who had previously worked at PA/console builder Kelsey Morris. Their first product, the Series 1, offered 12 or 16 input channels feeding a stereo main bus plus monitor and echo sends, with four-band fixed-frequency EQ per channel, and was the first mixing console sold already built into its own flight case. An optional 19-pair multicore cable with stagebox let touring crews run a complete snake-and-console package, a format that became standard for rock touring PA through the rest of the decade. The upgraded Series 1S followed in 1975.

Introduced
1974
Category
Live mixing console
Intended use
Front-of-house live mixing for touring rock and roadshow PA systems
Production
Manufactured by Soundcraft from the company's 1973 founding; followed in 1975 by the upgraded Series 1S

Why it mattered

  1. 01

    The first console factory-built into a flight case, establishing the flight-cased touring console as an industry standard.

  2. 02

    Co-founder Phil Dudderidge's background as Led Zeppelin's live sound engineer directly links the console's design brief to 1970s stadium rock touring needs.

Engineering record

Configuration
12 or 16 input channels, 4 outputs: main stereo plus post-fader echo send and pre-fader foldback[1]
Touring package
Optional 19-pair multicore snake with stagebox connector integrated into the console design[1]

Original pricing

No reliable period price located

2026 equivalent

Not calculated without a reliable original price.

Public price evidence was not sufficient to publish a defensible original figure.

Use in the field

Co-founder Phil Dudderidge had been Led Zeppelin's first dedicated live sound engineer before starting Soundcraft[2]

A Series 1S owned by engineer Ian Croxall remained in regular touring and PA service for over 25 years before being retired to Soundcraft's own collection[3]

Manuals & original documents

No authoritative manual or original document has been located for this profile.

Sources

  1. 1Driven By Demand: A Golden Era Of Mixing Console DevelopmentProSoundWeb · reference · 2023-03-24
  2. 2Soundcraft: the working engineer's favourite consoleHappy Mag · reference · 2020-03-10
  3. 3Original Soundcraft Desk Comes HomeMix · case study · 2005-07-07

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