The group I work for keeps the mixer on stage. The whole back line besides a small bass amp is direct, with a mix of IEM and wedges. Every performer has the Qu-You app on their Ipad for controlling their aux. I have full control with Qu-Pad as does someone out front. I basically take care of any problems that occur on stage while performing bass duties. Since it was introduced we've been using a A&H Q32. This was a huge improvement in my opinion over the Pre Sonus 32ai we used previously. For one, the A&H just sounded better, and with the Pre Sonus we always had headroom trouble keeping the gains for the Roland digital kit and percussion pads under control and from distorting. The Qu-You app for monitors is outstanding. Very easy to navigate and fix any EQ irregularities. The Qu-Pad app, not as much. As mentioned earlier the swipe factor drove me crazy. As we all know as the night wears on the Ipad screen would get a bit dirty. When you need to get say from channel 1 to 24, your finger or stylus might stick, and you're raising gains on channels that happen to be along the path. Not good.
With all that said, I was informed by the band owners two weeks ago, that a change was in the works, and they were going to a TM-30 Pro to save space and transport weight. I downloaded the TM30 app and played around with it at home. Kudos for the info screen loaded with all the explanations you would need to know for every feature on the console. The TM app took very little practice to get the hang of, so much so that I felt confident that I could walk in, see the mixer for the first time, plug in and go. I was quite pleased that things sounded very usable once gain structure, HPF, and compression was set with very little channel eq needed. The TM's permissions for individual aux control were a breeze to set, and with very little instruction, everyone was able to set their mix with little or no issue. Individual players did mention they liked the Qu-You app better for controlling their own monitors. The simulated wheels controlling the 4 assignable user groups in the A&H app are about the best thing you'll ever find for players and singers who want their own control, yet have very little knowledge how to go about it. EVERY company who makes products for the semi pro mkt. should take note of that one. From my perspective, I could have a quick look at everyone's aux mix with one button to make sure nothing got out of hand. The proverbial gain knob did cause one slight issue. One of the main vocalists was hitting the meter way too hard once things got going. I was able to temporarily reduce the digital gain enough to get it under control until break where it could be fully addressed. Some small strips of board tape need to be placed on the mixer, and lines drawn with the intention of checking before each performance to match dial settings. Since no one else uses the mixer, once gains are set, they are hardly ever changed. As I said all the back line is direct including digital drums/percussion. Horns are the only instruments with live mics. We make sure each player uses the exact mic every night, and limiters are set to "try" and contain them. The man out front keeps an eye on them, but with their movements while playing, it's never perfect.
Things I liked/loved: Easy to set up - great sounding with little effort - very easy to navigate pages between banks of channels, sub groups, DCA's with just the touch of a button - one button push for home screen without any backtracking - color coded aux mixes - 14 aux mixes which will facilitate eliminating some wedges for more stereo IEM mixes - a spare TM30 taking up literally no space - another Ipad can be located within view with an RTA active to also monitor things - the wi-fi speed with the same router we've been using was much faster than with any previous mixer
Things that could have been better: The input knob while no means a deal breaker could have been better - the digital input knob in the app is tiny and your finger or stylus might cover it up while trying to adjust - while it's great having everything on the home screen, I wish the aux buttons could have been split between two screens. (they are very small on the ipad) Using a fingertip on the fly could possibly select the wrong aux, although color coding does help - two step process for muting a mix-very annoying. If you mute a mix, it asks to confirm, same with un-muting. I can see a problem if you need to mute it in a emergency, and having to go through that. Mute groups would work, however you have to find and know immediately which one you need
We have a very busy 2017 season ahead so I'm sure as time goes on, likes and dislikes might switch back and forth. As with any piece of gear there is no one size fits all. Judging from the first night out, the TM 30 is a keeper and I would be comfortable mixing just about anything in the small to med/large with it. As with anything, your mileage might vary.......
