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[peter dakin]

On most desks, I drop a spare pack over a matrix, dial every IEM 'AUX send' into that matrix and switch sends off. Then if anyone's pack dies/get interference, quick switch of matrix "on" and hey presto, downed mix is now being sent to a new pack on a new frequency.
Common practise.

Now i'm just setting up an SD8 on the "offline" editor and I was trying to work out a more elegant option.

Obviously going to matrix setup and settings inputs to the 'Aux Sends', job done. However this eats up matrix inputs, especially if doing FOH as well. With only 16 mono input options, that's only 8 IEM's.

Is there a clever way of doing this? I tried setting up a IEM group, but quickly realised you can't send a Aux to a group.
Is the best way simply switching outputs of the aux onto outputs of the spare pack?
I guess you could do a snazzy snapshot/scope option, but you'd need to that for each IEM.

Advice appreciated..

[Jens Palm Bacher]

On most desks, I drop a spare pack over a matrix, dial every IEM 'AUX send' into that matrix and switch sends off. Then if anyone's pack dies/get interference, quick switch of matrix "on" and hey presto, downed mix is now being sent to a new pack on a new frequency.
Common practise.

Now i'm just setting up an SD8 on the "offline" editor and I was trying to work out a more elegant option.

Obviously going to matrix setup and settings inputs to the 'Aux Sends', job done. However this eats up matrix inputs, especially if doing FOH as well. With only 16 mono input options, that's only 8 IEM's.

Is there a clever way of doing this? I tried setting up a IEM group, but quickly realised you can't send a Aux to a group.
Is the best way simply switching outputs of the aux onto outputs of the spare pack?
I guess you could do a snazzy snapshot/scope option, but you'd need to that for each IEM.

Advice appreciated..

Make a macro for each person/send that assigns the spare transmitter to the aux output of that send. You can assign the macro to the "F" keys on the keyboard if you want to keep the real macro butttons for other stuff. Remember to take the aux output out of the recall scope.

[Mark Rombouts]

On most desks, I drop a spare pack over a matrix, dial every IEM 'AUX send' into that matrix and switch sends off. Then if anyone's pack dies/get interference, quick switch of matrix "on" and hey presto, downed mix is now being sent to a new pack on a new frequency.
Common practise.

Now i'm just setting up an SD8 on the "offline" editor and I was trying to work out a more elegant option.

Obviously going to matrix setup and settings inputs to the 'Aux Sends', job done. However this eats up matrix inputs, especially if doing FOH as well. With only 16 mono input options, that's only 8 IEM's.

Is there a clever way of doing this? I tried setting up a IEM group, but quickly realised you can't send a Aux to a group.
Is the best way simply switching outputs of the aux onto outputs of the spare pack?
I guess you could do a snazzy snapshot/scope option, but you'd need to that for each IEM.

Advice appreciated..

Put the spare IEM system on a free output en connect it to the rack. If you want to use it for a specific Aux send, just add the output ports to the patch of that Aux send and you're ready to go. More easy than changing things in the matrix mixer I think.

[Samuel Rees]

Put the spare IEM system on a free output en connect it to the rack. If you want to use it for a specific Aux send, just add the output ports to the patch of that Aux send and you're ready to go. More easy than changing things in the matrix mixer I think.

That's what I've done on an SD8, just like that.  Output assignments are very easy to get to, one tap from the output bank screen. Matrix you'd have to bank, assign, turn on.

Macro thing could work if this was mission critical money channel needs-to-be-instant, but even then it seems like you'd just want to macro the output assigns if thats an available parameter. Macros get crowded real fast though, and I'd be worried my clumsy fingers would reassign someone's IEMs try to hit an FX macro....

[Jim Roach]

On most desks, I drop a spare pack over a matrix, dial every IEM 'AUX send' into that matrix and switch sends off. Then if anyone's pack dies/get interference, quick switch of matrix "on" and hey presto, downed mix is now being sent to a new pack on a new frequency.
Common practise.

This is exactly how I do it on an SD7. I also use macros to turn on/off (blue for off, green for on) each mix to the spare system. That way I can send a mix to the spare system with one button on the surface and have visual verification that its on without opening the matrix window on the master screen.

This doesn't help much on the SD8 with the limited matrix inputs and macro buttons.

Make a macro for each person/send that assigns the spare transmitter to the aux output of that send. You can assign the macro to the "F" keys on the keyboard if you want to keep the real macro butttons for other stuff. Remember to take the aux output out of the recall scope.

This is probably how I would handle your situation.


How many mixes are you doing?

[Jonathan Daly]

im currently touring with an SD10 but i think the 8 has the same feature. create a mix called spare and then tap the top of the output strip and the copy mix from box should pop up. We always copy the artist mic into it after souncheck to keep it current but at any point in the show if you lose an iem just tap the top copy from the mix with the issue and your good to send out the spare beltpack. i use the matrix to route the cue, talkbacks, shout, mixes, comm, to the various tech mixes.

[Adam Robinson]

im currently touring with an SD10 but i think the 8 has the same feature. create a mix called spare and then tap the top of the output strip and the copy mix from box should pop up. We always copy the artist mic into it after souncheck to keep it current but at any point in the show if you lose an iem just tap the top copy from the mix with the issue and your good to send out the spare beltpack. i use the matrix to route the cue, talkbacks, shout, mixes, comm, to the various tech mixes.

My personal favorite is just to know what socket your spare system is in and patch it as necessary.  I find it just as fast as having a "spare mix" you copy to if not just a little faster.  I leave it patched with my star mix and can then repatch as necessary.  For what it's worth, in two years and change with the same artist in configurations from 6 musicians to 13, I've assigned someone to the spare system once.   Still, it's there at every single show to make sure we're always covered.

[peter dakin]

My personal favorite is just to know what socket your spare system is in and patch it as necessary.  I find it just as fast as having a "spare mix" you copy to if not just a little faster.  I leave it patched with my star mix and can then repatch as necessary.  For what it's worth, in two years and change with the same artist in configurations from 6 musicians to 13, I've assigned someone to the spare system once.   Still, it's there at every single show to make sure we're always covered.

Great thanks guys. Glad there isn't an obvious way I was missing.

Continuing on this great advice, I'm taking out a SD8 doing FOH & mons (6 iem's, 3 wedge).
Have you guys any tips and tricks that a new-ish user probably isn't aware of.

The Matrix one mention early is wicked, never miss the comms!

I've gone to town with the different fader bank options, got fader blank gaps to aid fader identification, etc.
Got the usual splits of money channels for different EQ's.

Love to hear more Digico tips.

[peter dakin]

How many mixes are you doing?

6 stereo IEM's, 2 wedge mixes, FOH (with matrices setup for centre fills/in-fills, subs and delays). Pretty much maxing out the SD8 in terms of its buss architecture, as I've 6 reverbs for the the ears, plus 4 FX for FOH.
Add a couple of processing groups to the mix and that's me!

[David Sumrall]

Ditto on the just easily patching to the spare, its really fast.

And you could also go ahead and double patch to that spare rf transmit as soon as you have a sign of trouble. That way the mix is in both.

Then you can verify the signal at the spare transmitter and pack before you pass it off.

There is no need to move the mix settings over since you just adding a route of the same mix.

I would also make sure that the spare mix is on the aux mix layer. Then you could pull something up in that mix to test in your prep. Or easily build another mix should a guest surprise arrive without having to add it back to the layer.

Good luck!

David