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[dave briar]

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

Very nice sir.  I’ve thought about something similar for years now. Nice to see one working.

[Bob Cap]

Very nice sir.  I’ve thought about something similar for years now. Nice to see one working.

I have been mixing on an iPad for several years. I started using a tablet PC controlling my Yamaha M7 or LS9/32. After a while my arm wanted to fall off holding the tablet.

I then started looking at software for mixers using the iPad.

I found (at the time) the best software for my application was with the Presonus mixers. My son mixes monitors from the 32 channel board in monitor world. I run FOH with the iPad. Works great except I did not have control of the gain on each channel. Don't get me wrong. My son is a great engineer and 99% of the time right on with the gain structure.

So I added a 32 channel rack mount mixer for FOH of house controlled wireless with the iPad.

I'm in control heaven.

Works for me.

[Tom Provenza]

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

It’s coming for the TM30, not sure if they plan to support the TM16:

https://youtu.be/N3px4j6fDuE

[Jay Marr]

I am considering a Soundcraft Ui24 for my system, since the touch-screen format (using an iPad/Surface or a connected laptop) seems to greatly decrease the cost of admission to digital mixers. Also, the form factor and light weight are attractive for one-man operations.

What I'd like to know is, who is using these in a professional context, where you are not the client? I have seen a few local bands where someone in the band (Keyboard player, bass player, whoever) is mixing the band from the stage (never the greatest solution), and it looks like they are using this as an alternative to hiring a "sound guy", with the built-in drawback that no one in the band or on staff is really focusing on the mixing task. But in your experience, are these stage-box mixers really up to the task of regular use in a rapidly changing show situation? I have this nagging concern about not being able to mute a channel in time to prevent nasty feedback. In your experience, do you find this to be a problem?

X32 Rack user here.  Came from Yamaha 01V96 with wireless tablet, etc. 
I thought it would be hard to give up faders, now I can't imagine using anything other than a tablet to mix.
For me a physical mix surface is now the least of my worries.  Don't need it.

I am a vocalist and guitar player mixing the band from stage (well, I mix the band while standing in the room for soundcheck, with my guitar on a looper).
I do a lot of the same rooms each month, so I have each room pretty well dialed.
I'm not trying to 'avoid a sound guy'.  The fact is, I have hired many and I have better equipment than most of them and I have never liked their mixes when I've stepped out front.
Maybe people don't like my mix, but it's exactly what I want my band to sound like (when I step out front to listen....and since I'm a vocalist with a wireless mic, I get to hear the mix enough).

I keep toying with trying the Ui24 to see if it sounds any better than the X32, but I'm loving the X32 capabilities at the moment.
I wish digital mixers were easier to rent, so I could try them all.

[Jeff Lelko]

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

Hi Rory, beyond what you said above, what's your definition of a professional context?  Just playing some tunes at a bar, or providing sound for organizations/events with budgets in the 6 and 7 figures?  I only ask because the tolerance/consequences of mistakes and glitches differ significantly between the different levels of "professionalism". 

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.

I strongly +1 to this.  Mixing on a tablet is a neat party trick and can be very useful when walking the venue during soundcheck, but for when it counts it's always hands-on-hardware for me.  The closest I come to tablet-only is using my dLive with an iPad Pro and an IP8 fader wing.  The fader wing gives me enough control of levels and mutes to be effective when bringing a larger surface isn't warranted or practical.  Prior to my dLive I used a Qu-PAC in tandem with a Mackie analog board.  In 2019 I wouldn't recommend this approach with the cost of digital being so low. 

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.

Exactly, and by the time you add all this up you're very much into the territory of an entry-level compact digital board.  With cost being roughly equal I'd take the hardware over software every time.  Hope this helps!

[David Winners]

I mix for several 4-5 piece country/rock bands twice a week on an X32 Rack (or 2 depending on monitor requirements) using a tablet running Mixing Station Pro. I have no problem actively mixing and changing delay and verb settings for each song. I think there is a learning curve to mixing on a tablet that involves custom layers and learning to adjust things without the tactile feel of a fader under your finger.

That said, if I was mixing a 9 piece horn band with solos everywhere, I'd probably want some faders.

I've never had a WiFi issue using quality outboard gear. I do always have a wired laptop just in case, but I've never needed it over the course of a couple hundred shows.

I really enjoy the freedom of tablet mixing and the ease of set up and tear down.

[Mal Brown]

I’ve been mixing on iPads since my original Presonus 16.4.2.  The UI-24r is amazing..  love it.  Prefer it to knobs and faders.  Still own small and medium format SI rigs though.

For gigs that transcend the local bar scene, my UI-24 lives on stage, wired to a tp-Link router.  The ui-24r is on a an APC 900va UPS.  100’ cat 5 and power run together to FOH  position.  Dell All In One 21.5 inch touch screen is there along with lighting stuff.

Use a good router.  Scan the WiFi environment, locate a least used channel.  Configure the router accordingly.  Wander with the iPad all night to fine adjust what you accomplished at FoH.

Love it...

[Bradford "BJ" James]

I have been mixing on an iPad for several years. I started using a tablet PC controlling my Yamaha M7 or LS9/32. After a while my arm wanted to fall off holding the tablet.

Wow, brings back memories of having to use 2 laptops and a vnc program to control my old 01V’s. But it was the shit back in those earlier days of wireless mixing. Then that Silex print server came out and we could eliminate the second laptop and upgrade to a 10lb tablet. Man, spent some late nights trying to get that stuff sorted out. Kids have it so much easier today. lol

[Darryl Dueck]

I have an x32 rack that I have my laptop plugged directly into.  Then I attach a 22" touchscreen to the laptop.
Yes I spend more time looking at the screen but I am also  using my ears more than looking what else is going on. 
The event pushes 2 bands, 1 singer songwriter, 2 singers with tracks and a dance troop in a 2 hr hard stop night.  with 4-5 mixes from foh with no stage hands. 


For me I went this way as it was the cheapest way to make great improvements on the sound. As I already had the touch screen, laptop and a 16x4 snake.  The following year I bought two midas dl16 stage boxes which makes a big difference when you are running all 32 inputs.

 The cons
1.  When you have sweaty fingers the touch screen does not always read the touch
2 Working with the software's and touchscreens different quirks
3.  Keeping the sun off the screen to see what is going on.
4.  The amount of pictures being taken of the "mixing" console

[Chris Grimshaw]

It’s coming for the TM30, not sure if they plan to support the TM16:

https://youtu.be/N3px4j6fDuE

Cool!
Hopefully they do it for the smaller mixers, too.

I'd completely missed that - thanks for sharing.

It looks like the fader bank they're using runs on 12v DC. I wish it'd been USB power, but we can't have everything. I'm sure it's possible to get a small 12v battery pack so I can stay mobile.

Chris

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