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The Wing, a stage box, a Dante card and a USB drive: a front-of-house package built from gear I use.
Churches moving to the Behringer Wing who want a clear starting package for front of house, from the stage box to backups. Especially helpful if you're coming from an X32.
See what’s in the kitWatch how it’s set upI came to the Behringer Wing from the X32, and the added possibilities have been well worth it. This is the package I'd point you to if you're building a front-of-house system around the Wing: the console, a stage box on AES50, a Dante card, and a USB drive that actually works in the board.
Everything here is gear I use and have walked through on the channel. The console runs the mix, the stage box puts your inputs and outputs on stage over one Ethernet cable, Dante brings in tracks and lets you multitrack record, and the USB drive keeps your board backed up so a bad day doesn't erase your setup.
How it fits together
Mics and instruments plug into the S32 stage box on stage: 32 inputs and 16 outputs.
One Ethernet cable runs from the S32's A port to AES50 port A on the Wing. Add a second box on port B (or cascade it) when you outgrow 32 inputs.
The Wing patches those AES50 sources to its 48 stereo channels. Wireless mics and other local sources can go into the 8 local inputs on the back.
The Dante card replaces the SD card recorder in the card slot and adds 64 channels in and out. Playback tracks come in from a computer, and every channel can go out to a computer for multitrack recording.
Mains and wedges go out the stage box outputs, and the alternate (Ultranet) port can feed P16 personal monitors.
Save a full snapshot to the internal drive and to the USB drive, then copy it to the cloud.
What’s in the kit
Behringer Wing (full size)× 1
The console. It gives you 48 stereo channels and can reach many more inputs across AES50, Dante, USB and its local inputs.
Behringer S32 digital stage box× 1
The stage box I use the most. It puts 32 inputs and 16 outputs on stage over one Ethernet cable to the Wing, plus an alternate port for P16 personal monitors.
Behringer Wing Dante expansion card× 1
Goes in the Wing's card slot in place of the SD card recorder and gives you 64 channels in and out over Dante. I use it for Multitracks playback and multitrack recording.
SanDisk 16GB Ultra Fit (low profile)× 1
A USB drive that works in the Wing. Not every drive does. I use it for board backups, firmware updates and playing WAV files from a show.
Swap-outs
Midas DL32 digital stage boxEssentially the same as the S32, but with better preamps. It connects to the Wing the same way.Behringer Wing (black)The same full-size Wing in black.
Behringer Wing CompactThe smaller Wing. It has 16 custom control buttons but not the rotary knobs the full size has, and it uses its own firmware file.Good add-ons
Behringer S32 digital stage boxA second stage box. Run its own Ethernet line to AES50 port B and you get all 32 inputs and 16 outputs on both boxes, plus separate P16 routing for each.
Behringer P16-M personal monitor mixerPersonal monitors that plug into the stage box's alternate port, so musicians mix 16 channels themselves instead of using a wedge.
Behringer P16-D distribution hubThe distribution hub for the P16s. It connects up to 8 monitors and powers them over Ethernet, no daisy chaining.
Apple iPad ProRuns the free Wing Copilot app so you can walk the room and control the whole board remotely.
Audinate Dante AVIO analog input adapterConverts an XLR source to Dante, so you can bring a source in over Dante and free up a local input.Watch me set it up
Tips from my setup
- If you need more than 32 inputs, run a separate Ethernet line from AES50 B to a second stage box instead of cascading. Cascading only adds 16 inputs and mirrors the outputs.
- Out of local inputs at front of house? Move a computer's stereo pair onto USB or Dante instead of buying another stage box.
- Keep your backup in three places: on the Wing, on the USB drive, and in the cloud.
- Back up the whole console before any firmware update.
Questions people ask
Do I need the Dante card?
No. Dante isn't built into the Wing, it's a card you buy. Without it you still have 48 channels over USB and your AES50 stage boxes. With it, you get 64 more channels in and out, which is how I bring in Multitracks playback and do multitrack recording.
S32 or DL32?
The DL32 is essentially the same as the S32, but with better preamps. Both work with the Wing, the X32 and the Midas M32. The S32 is the snake I use the most.
How many inputs can the Wing actually use?
48 stereo channels at once. Across three AES50 stage boxes, 64 Dante channels, 48 USB channels and the 8 local inputs, you can have up to 144 actual inputs connected. You just can't use more than 48 channels at the same time.
Does any USB drive work?
Not all drives work. The SanDisk 16GB Ultra Fit is the one I list as working with the Wing.
Other kits
ProPresenter Computer Setup
The Mac Mini, DeckLink Duo 2 and Sonnet setup I run ProPresenter on at every one of our locations.
See the kit →
Personal In-Ear Monitor Kit
P16 personal mixers on a Wing: 16 channels per musician, mixed by the musician, instead of a stage wedge.
See the kit →
Multitrack Recording & Virtual Soundcheck Kit
Record every channel off your Wing, then play it back in for a virtual soundcheck when the band's gone.
See the kit →Not sure what you need?
Ask me in the chat (bottom right) and I’ll point you to the video where I cover it, or book a session and we’ll work through your setup together. Or start from one of my gear kits.