DHD’s New MX3 Consoles: Modular to the Core

  • 15 September, 2026

 


DHD's new MX3 modular audio mixing console, seen in large configuration.

GER: DHD.audio chose IBC2026 as the launch venue for a major new addition to its broadcast sound production platform: the MX3 console range. MX3 retains the modularity, operational versatility and expandability of DHD's established Series 52 models while adding new capabilities to support the
fast-changing production workflows in what the EBU has termed the Dynamic Media Facility.

Programme formats evolve, and studio staff shrink in number or are assigned wider roles, but the supporting technology is expected to meet increasingly creative requirements without frequent financial outlay. The DHD approach to system design allows new features to be added through gradual investment in specific modules rather than total system replacement. DHD's third generation of Series 52 control surfaces, MX3, demonstrates this strategy by combining the industry-proven robust construction of
DHD products with the freedom to add new features when required: built to last, built to change.

MX3 consoles are fully compatible with the external digital processing cores which have long been a feature of DHD systems. This design coherence gives users the freedom to enhance their DHD production infrastructure to match new workflow demands or industry standards without having to re-invest in an entirely new system at frequent intervals. DHD installations have surpassed 10,000 units and continue
to increase in number.

Audio-over-IP has long been a central aspect of DHD's Series 52 range, including compatibility with
AES67, Dante, Ravenna and SMPTE 2110 protocols, if required, to handle very large channel capacities.
MX3 retains that versatility, supplemented by secure standard IP networking between desktop control
panels and local or remote signal processing cores; this replaces the DHD APC (audio/power/control)
protocol used in current Series 52 systems.

Every MX3 module is a self-contained network device, linked via standard Ethernet with PoE+ along a single cable per console column. Consoles are assembled from these building blocks: typically a central module with six-fader expansion modules in a frame supplied with or without over-bridge modules, plus optional displays mounted above the over-bridge. Modules can be added, exchanged, or repaired in operation, and the assignment between console and processing core is no longer fixed. The operating concept is guided by a simple principle: what you see is what you control. Displays throughout the
surface show what the adjacent controls currently do, following the selected view.

"DHD this year celebrates the 30th anniversary of its foundation and has been building modular systems right from the start," summarises Marc Herrmann, DHD Managing Director. "Control surfaces, processing cores, analog and digital connectivity, software and APIs, all unite into a single system which can be upgraded or expanded to any desired extent at any time as new standards are adopted or studios are repurposed. What remains are the system and the existing investment."


DHD audio GmbH develops and produces digital audio studio equipment and systems for professional
applications in broadcast control rooms, DJ-operated radio studios, OB trucks, SNG vans, ingest stations,
and edit suites. DHD also produces routing and talkback matrices, audio-over-IP interfaces, and supporting
software. DHD devices can be operated directly or under IP networked control. Designed and manufactured
in Germany, DHD products are used successfully by broadcasters around the globe. DHD engineers and
trained local partners together offer onsite assistance and remote support, working closely with
DHD's development team when deeper technical insight is needed.

DHD.audio


© InBroadcast 2026 - All rights reserved.

DHD’s New MX3 Consoles: Modular to the Core