ProSoundWeb Community

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

Pages: 1 [2] 3 4 ... 9   Go Down

Author Topic: Touchscreen Mixers - Who uses them?  (Read 22188 times)

Brian Charbobs

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 129
Re: Touchscreen Mixers - Who uses them?
« Reply #10 on: April 18, 2019, 07:57:39 AM »

+100

If you are looking for touchscreen (et al) for your band or if you are mixing for only close friends, this would work.  However, as a business practice, this would not be a good choice.

In my small business, I mix for several bands on their Ipads.  It is great... convenient... and gives you freedom.  Though, when I do my own production work, it's all on regular consoles (analog and digital).  For me, the strengths in physical consoles over touchscreen/Ipads is evident during festivals where there's multiple bands, with various stage input changes (between bands) and monitor changes (routing).

I mix from stage using a ipad. I am using a Touchmix  Mixer. I really am happy with it. But then again were a Duo or Trio, so there is not a lot to worry about. I put the ipad on a Mic stand and i can make changes as needed. But we are just a Hobby Band so that is not something we do every week or work at. 
Logged
Friends don't let friends use Behringer

Tim McCulloch

  • SR Forums
  • Hero Member
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 23744
  • Wichita, Kansas USA
Re: Touchscreen Mixers - Who uses them?
« Reply #11 on: April 18, 2019, 10:23:45 AM »

Individual mixers either have the feature set you need, or they don't.  The choice is mostly personal preference once your find the models that do the tricks.

The major issue is WiFi connectivity and stability.  One can easily spend multiples of the mixer cost achieving this for Gigs That Matter.  Mixing your band from stage in a bar?  Who fucking cares if the WiFi causes a freeze, it's not like you've the Vice President of Nothing Important delivering his presentation in front of 3,000 stock holders or employees and the media and his/her/their P.P. has 1 embedded video with audio -20dB and others at +20dB....

Maybe I'm just an old, cranky guy stuck in his Ye Olde Wayz, but for setup and sound check WiFi connection to a mixer is a wonderful and time saving thing.  Having it take a shit during a Gig of Consequence will loose clients.
Logged
"If you're passing on your way, from Palm Springs to L.A., Give a wave to good ol' Dave, Say hello to progress and goodbye to the Moonlight Motor Inn." - Steve Spurgin, Moonlight Motor Inn

Riley Casey

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Online Online
  • Posts: 2068
  • Wash DC
Re: Touchscreen Mixers - Who uses them?
« Reply #12 on: April 18, 2019, 10:53:11 AM »

We have a couple of XR18 mixers for small corporate events and they are excellent solutions as long as we follow the hard and fast rule that a hardwired connection is mandatory anytime they are being used for paying customers in a live environment.  This means at a minimum having a computer running the appropriate controller app hardwired to a switch port on  the router that supports the wifi tablet that is also in use.  Thus when ( not if ) the wifi fails there is a fallback control option.  We also have a Behringer Touch compact that allows hardware control over the basics of net mixer, faders and mutes via MIDI and the combo is still a smaller footprint than the next step up in the inventory, a QL1 Yamaha.

Taylor Hall

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 869
Re: Touchscreen Mixers - Who uses them?
« Reply #13 on: April 18, 2019, 10:56:19 AM »

My experience with tablet-controlled mixers has been pretty good. I own a QSC TM16, and take it to pretty much every gig. It does a lot of things I like, and has a built-in screen for if the network completely craps out. For me, that was one of the big selling points over a "black box" mixer where if your network goes down, you've got literally no way of controlling it.

If I have a FOH table, I'll usually have 2x iPads controlling the desk (you get 8x channels per screen), plus a small laptop running Armonia to monitor the power amps.
I'm thinking of moving to 3x iPads so I've got 16x faders, plus a spare for messing around on (channel processing, FX, whatever). I like to have everything immediately to hand, like we did with analogue desks.

I do miss having faders, and if someone came out with a bank of faders that can connect to the USB port on a tablet and work with the app, I'd go out and buy two right now.

Chris
With an OTG cable you might be able to make use of a korg nanokontrol or similar device, but I have no idea how easy it will be to map faders to functions in the app (assuming it's possible at all).
Logged
There are two ways to do anything:
1) Do it right
2) Do it over until you do it right

duane massey

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1727
Re: Touchscreen Mixers - Who uses them?
« Reply #14 on: April 18, 2019, 11:49:30 AM »

Disclaimer: I am a old guy.
Two observations based on the past few years of watching other people use tablets for mixing:
(1) Nearly every larger gig the FOH engineer did not maintain eye contact with the stage because they were looking down at the surface. When you have a 9-12 piece band onstage with constantly changing soloists, you have to be watching at all times. Unless I am missing something here, you can't feel where the sliders are on a tablet. IF I was still engineering I would want to feel the sliders, etc. "IF".....
(2) Having a tablet to roam the hall/venue and to check levels is a great idea. Sitting down at the bar, not so much.
As always, one size doesn't fit all.
Logged
Duane Massey
Technician, musician, stubborn old guy
Houston, Texas

Matthias McCready

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 566
Re: Touchscreen Mixers - Who uses them?
« Reply #15 on: April 18, 2019, 12:21:22 PM »

Maybe I'm just an old, cranky guy stuck in his Ye Olde Wayz, but for setup and sound check WiFi connection to a mixer is a wonderful and time saving thing.  Having it take a shit during a Gig of Consequence will loose clients.

Completely agree. I personally do not enjoy mixing on tablets one bit, especially if it a cue heavy show with a lot of channels running.

For simple gigs sometimes it is a necessary evil (would still rather have a very small format analog or digital board) but for larger events, a tablet can be slow to move around on.

I once visited a "venue" (we will use that term loosely) where their house system was an XR18, they had 4 tablets which must have been cheap, because none of them worked. One was dead outright, one would no longer charge, one had an improperly working touch screen, and one would constantly restart. Obviously, no mixing could be done and they did not care to take care of their equipment.

Even when you take care of a tablet... sometimes (despite your best efforts) they decide to automatically update, and then your console software no longer works!  ::) A friend had that happen a few months back.

Additionally keep in mind unless it has a totally customizable layout (most tablets do I believe?) that you may need to do a fair amount of jumping around, and that you can really only do one thing at a time. For example getting ready to fade out a speaking mic, while artfully bringing in the band as an underscore adjusting levels, and making vocal mics live, with the correct delay tempo all at the same time is a little more difficult with a tablet than a surface. Granted that is the level of gig where a

Also, I feel like I have run into situations where some of the console features are not accessible via the tablet.

Bottom line (and as others of have stated on the forums before)
1. Have multiple tablets which are quality and taken care of
2. Have ways to charge them
3. Have solid wifi (it costs)
4. Have a backup solution
5. Know the software and layout like the back of your hands, you may need to take time to customize the layouts to the particular show so you can hit all the needed cues. Know what your Tablet can and can't do.
Logged
Measure twice, and cut once; this is especially important if you are a mohel.

Steve Garris

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1457
Re: Touchscreen Mixers - Who uses them?
« Reply #16 on: April 18, 2019, 01:04:22 PM »

I've been using one for about the past 7 years, and I sold off all of my analog stuff & snake. Having one has allowed me to do twice the number of gigs each year, if not more. I mix local shows only - concert in the park (1000) and local rock clubs (300). I've never experienced a complete loss of connection, and with my newer iPads the brief momentary connection drops come back quickly. I'm mixing on a Mackie DL1608 with an Airport Express currently, but this year I'm moving to my new Ui24. YMMV
Logged

dave briar

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 572
  • Helena Montana, USA
Re: Touchscreen Mixers - Who uses them?
« Reply #17 on: April 18, 2019, 02:05:17 PM »

Count me as very comfortable mixing on a tablet. Matter of fact I sold my X32 console once I experienced the flexibility of MixingStation — bought a pair of X32Racks instead. At the same time I’ve no quarrel with the perspective that no “show of real consequence” should rely totally on a wireless connection but I guess I’ve never done any of those.  I commonly do 200-500 ppl with a very occasional large event of up to 1,000. I can honestly say I’ve never had a single serious loss of connection once I learned how to robustly configure my wireless setup. Interestingly I’m good friends with the BE for a well-known national JamGrass band who does the entire summer festival season (up to 10,000 ppl/show?) via tablet. That even makes me nervous but he says it has never once failed him so who am I to question.

Now in a perfect world would I prefer a wired connection and physical faders?  Absolutely!  I have just that at my normal indoor venue but still rely on the tablet on a custom stand sitting on the console to make any and all adjustments on our QU24 other than adjusting the faders and muting channels. The tablet is just so much more intuitive, controllable, and customizable. Outdoors at the same venue during the summer we run totally from tablet.

Full disclosure:  I’m just a financially compensated hobbyist. I take great pride in what I do but I do not make my living doing sound.  I might very well have a different perspective if I were one of the many long-term contributors here whose livelihood depends on delivering professional audio to the most demanding clients.
Logged
..db

Dave Pluke

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1782
  • Northwest GA, USA
    • BIGG GRIN Productions
Re: Touchscreen Mixers - Who uses them?
« Reply #18 on: April 18, 2019, 02:11:06 PM »

What I'd like to know is, who is using these in a professional context, where you are not the client?

I have driven a Midas M32 with a tablet, with the control surface nearby.  I have run an XR16 with a tablet, with decent results.  I BOUGHT two Ui24R's (which can be cascaded) for my own use.  I find the EQ section and no-app-required html5 control to be superior to the others I have experienced.  And, note the sound quality is much improved from the Ui12 and Ui16 predecessors.

As with ANY of these, having a device connected via Ethernet is advisable, in case of WiFi dropouts.  And, as mentioned, external Routers provide better coverage.

Dave
Logged
...an analog man in a digital world [tm]

Flying direct to nearly everywhere out of ATL

Lou Kohley

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 143
Re: Touchscreen Mixers - Who uses them?
« Reply #19 on: April 18, 2019, 02:27:27 PM »

This thread is right up my alley. I've been a small time guy operating as a "one-up". One guy with a van full of gear. I've always wanted tablet based solutions. I had been controlling yamaha mixers with tablets and laptops before stagemix was a thing. This was with the military band so I was kind of free to do what I wanted to a degree. The musicians, who were also the roadies, loved it because load in and out was like 20-30 minutes.

I went with a pair of m32c and various stageboxes for my rig. I usually work with wedding/corporate bands so the show is pretty straight forward. I have done a number of corporate type shows with it, nothing too elaborate. I built a fun little panel with actual faders (BCF2000) that is battery powered and completely wireless. With a custom layout on mixing station it's actually a very fast workflow. Faster than the console I would argue.

https://youtu.be/tppJot0iz98

I always have a laptop directly connected to the network switch with a wire so if my access point took a dive I'd still have control. I use a ubiquiti bullet 5GHz version and it has been rock solid.

This is my experience with it. I'm very comfortable with it and have spent a lot of time working out the bugs.

LOU
Logged

ProSoundWeb Community

Re: Touchscreen Mixers - Who uses them?
« Reply #19 on: April 18, 2019, 02:27:27 PM »


Pages: 1 [2] 3 4 ... 9   Go Up
 



Site Hosted By Ashdown Technologies, Inc.

Page created in 0.036 seconds with 24 queries.