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[Brian Jojade]

I'm confused by this: most capacitive touch screens don't work properly without skin (or other conductive surface) contact. Brushing an iPad along your pants should have no effect (assuming there isn't a rivet or something), but brushing an iPad along your bare legs almost certainly will (depending on how hairy your legs are, anyway).

(I just did a highly un-scientific experiment to try and confirm this by using a piece of my shirt to try and unlock my phone; the screen didn't even register that it was being touched.)

-Russ

You are correct - mostly.  In general, rubbing the iPad screen against cloth won't register. However, SOMETIMES either through humidity, static, or ghosts, stuff happens.  Running a show not wearing pants solves the issue because, well, people probably won't be paying attention as much to the sound...

[Art Welter]

As the OP I found a pic (that someone posted on FB) of the band at-the-gig!
We were between tunes when it was taken. I am 4th from the left.
Look at the crowd - as stated; I couldn't find the sound guy in the crowd....('didn't help that he's about 5'5" tall).

He should have been wearing a pair of drywall stilts- the portable mix riser.

[Michael Lascuola]

...and this is one of the reasons why moving around to mix is a bad idea.

There are others?
I found that checking multiple FOH listening spots was eye-opening, and I do not stay in one spot even when one has been designated for me.

And the talent never needs me while I work, because I'm perfect 
LOL

[Tim McCulloch]

There are others?
I found that checking multiple FOH listening spots was eye-opening, and I do not stay in one spot even when one has been designated for me.

And the talent never needs me while I work, because I'm perfect 
LOL

I don't do monitors from FOH, usually, so there is far less need for the band to "need me".  Mixing on glass is very much a look-down thing, too, and when I need two hands... how do I hold the damn tablet/phone/thingy?

I don't need to look at the band unless I need a visual cue for who is taking the next solo.

[Bob Faulkner]

There are others?
I found that checking multiple FOH listening spots was eye-opening, and I do not stay in one spot even when one has been designated for me.

And the talent never needs me while I work, because I'm perfect 
LOL

Yes!

<<on soap box>>

Unless you have the ability to steer your speakers or control an aspect of the individual speaker (volume, EQ), mixing from different FOH locations does not work. 

For example, most people/bands may have 2 speakers, one on each side of the stage (maybe 2 subs as well... one on each side).  If you are in the corner of a room and decide the vocals are not loud enough (in that corner of the room), and you increase the vocals... you just increased the vocals of the entire sound system and for everyone in the room... not just the corner you may be in.  Now, the vocals could be too loud in the center the room.  Then you may wander back to the other side and realize the vocals are too loud, then you turn them down.  Around and around we go...

Let's say you are walking around and all of sudden the bass is too loud... you turn down the bass to "fix" the one area you are in... the bass in the entire sound system is now lower impacting everyone.  But what may have happened when you thought the bass was too loud, you had actually walked into a positive pressure area of a standing wave.

To actually mix from different locations you would probably need 3 splayed top cabinets on each side of a stage and way to control the volume and EQ for each of the cabinets (or bank of cabinets).  This way more power or different EQ settings can be directed to a particular cabinet that covers a certain area of a room.  Just like a side-fill is managed... just like a center-fill is managed...

It was also an eye opener to me when I first walked around "mixing".  I realized I had no way of actually directing/controlling what happens in the specific area I was in without impacting everyone else!  That walking around crap stopped!

<<off soap box>>

[Dave Garoutte]

Yes!

<<on soap box>>

Unless you have the ability to steer your speakers or control an aspect of the individual speaker (volume, EQ), mixing from different FOH locations does not work. 

For example, most people/bands may have 2 speakers, one on each side of the stage (maybe 2 subs as well... one on each side).  If you are in the corner of a room and decide the vocals are not loud enough (in that corner of the room), and you increase the vocals... you just increased the vocals of the entire sound system and for everyone in the room... not just the corner you may be in.  Now, the vocals could be too loud in the center the room.  Then you may wander back to the other side and realize the vocals are too loud, then you turn them down.  Around and around we go...

Let's say you are walking around and all of sudden the bass is too loud... you turn down the bass to "fix" the one area you are in... the bass in the entire sound system is now lower impacting everyone.  But what may have happened when you thought the bass was too loud, you had actually walked into a positive pressure area of a standing wave.

To actually mix from different locations you would probably need 3 splayed top cabinets on each side of a stage and way to control the volume and EQ for each of the cabinets (or bank of cabinets).  This way more power or different EQ settings can be directed to a particular cabinet that covers a certain area of a room.  Just like a side-fill is managed... just like a center-fill is managed...

It was also an eye opener to me when I first walked around "mixing".  I realized I had no way of actually directing/controlling what happens in the specific area I was in without impacting everyone else!  That walking around crap stopped!

<<off soap box>>

Walking the room isn't about mixing for each spot, it's about mixing for ALL spots.  Getting an average of all the weirdnesses so that the whole room has a reasonable mix.
Or, in the case of one venue I do, the sound booth is a giant bass trap, so you HAVE to leave it to see what's actually in the room. 

[Bob Faulkner]

Walking the room isn't about mixing for each spot, it's about mixing for ALL spots.  Getting an average of all the weirdnesses so that the whole room has a reasonable mix.
Or, in the case of one venue I do, the sound booth is a giant bass trap, so you HAVE to leave it to see what's actually in the room.

I wish that all those whom use iPads that "walk the room" understood this!!
 

[Bob Faulkner]

I wish that all those whom use iPads that "walk the room" understood this!!
 

What I trying to say is the results of mixing from a single location (even with an iPad) appears to provide consistent results.  The moving around to check things is understandable (and expected), but so many people (at my level) with iPads are trying to find the best mix possible by continuously adjusting levels from every position they are in.  Watched one guy walk from one side of the room to the other, with an iPad, increasing a guitar volume as made his way through the crowd.  The guitar ended up way too loud.

I'm not opposed to iPad mixing.  Mixed many bands with them over the years (all gear belonging to the bands).  I'm mixing for two bands today for an event... it will be on an iPad (Presonus 32R - the bands gear), but will be outside.  I'll find me a FOH location and will camp out.

[Brian Jojade]

I agree. The reason to walk the room is to hear the differences in sound throughout the room.  I've done this since I learned to walk. No need to carry the iPad along while doing that.  You can walk the room and realize that X is way off in most of the room, then come back to the mix position and realize now that you need to make your mix sound differently so it works better for the majority of the crowd.

Since you mix from ONE position, you can keep a consistent mix vs having it potentially vary wildly as you mix from many different positions in the room.

As Bob pointed out, many iPad mixers keep making adjustments depending on where they are. For the listener in the room, the result is the mix constantly changing which can be far more annoying.

[Scott Bolt]

I have played MANY clubs where there was no good place for a console mixer.  In the old day's, that meant the mixer and mixing rack was side stage and you walked back and fourth out to the audience area to mix (not really that great).

With tablet mixing, it is sooooo much more small club friendly.  I usually just scope out a small table and put a sign on it to reserve it for my mixing position.  Couldn't be any easier.

Sure, physical faders and controls are way nicer to mix on ...... if you can find a spot for the mixer that is actually a good place to mix from.

As others have said, the point of roaming the room isn't to mix from all positions, but to try to find the best mix that covers the biggest part of the audience the best.  Keeping in mind that many times, people in the corners and back of the room don't WANT to hear the band clearly .  And having a tremendous power alley on the dance floor area isn't really a bad thing for music that has a prominent kick and bass.

[ProSoundWeb Community]