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[Mike Caldwell]

.  I've been mixing for almost 50 years so I've kind of tried almost everything at some point, and there is a lot of stuff that sounds good in studio mixing but simply doesn't make enough difference in most live situations to be worth the extra effort, gear, or time.

....and sometimes that studio stuff actually sounds worse when applied to a live mix in the room of the day.

[Matthias McCready]

Sometimes a desk can make a significant difference - but that is usually moving from a sketchily cheap large format analog desk that has not had any maintenance for 1-3 decades to anything digital. 

While I normally run DiGiCo that is due to the snapshot/Macro abilities making it the brand de jour at my place of employment (keeping in mind Avid, Yamaha Rivage, SSL can do similar things).

That being said a lot of the processing I am using is in Waves land rather than DiGiCo - Why? Is it because one sounds inherently better? No.

Some of the tools offered in Waves have better functionality (dessers, dynamic EQ etc) than what is in my console, allowing me to get the result I am looking for more quickly. More importantly it can allow for the layering of compression/dynamic possibilities that are not even possible on a high end desk (well not without doing some creative routing and utilizing several channels for a single source) - however these same Waves tools with a card/host/server are available on most any desk.

When I used to own an A&H GLD I could access the same level of tools via Waves that I am using on DiGiCo - this brings a great amount of parity between products. My processing ability was the same, the difference was that DiGiCo had more inputs, macro capabilities, and more granular snapshot/scenes.

Does Waves mean a better show? No.

Waves is a giant tool box. If you do not know the tools, it will not make you a better craftsman - and even if you are a skilled craftsman an important job site where time is of the essence is not the place to learn a new tool.

Many mix engineers get themselves into trouble with plugins, as most of plugins add a small/medium amount of volume when inserted, and as a louder is perceived as better it seems better - pretty soon there are 8 plugins in the chain and while the source is louder IT IS NOT BETTER.

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For me Waves is more about having a consistent set of tools to achieve the results I am looking for, and those are the tools I would prefer to use - that being said at the end of the day if I cannot make the sources/show sound good with the console/tools in front of me, I need to become a better mix engineer. If an X32 without any extra tools is all I have I will make the most of it, and have the best show I can - same thing if I am on "big boy" desk with a full Waves server.

Waves can be useful for one offs, but extra care needs to be taken as it can quickly become a time/focus/attention suck compared to more important elements such as band communication, cues, and macro mix adjustments - don't miss the macro for the micro. Hint hint: speaker deployment and system linearity are a macro thing. 

When I use Waves for a one off or for an event where mixdown is not a given I will be doing less in it and it will usually just be some plugins inserted as potential tools that will be added in as there is time/need.

[Alec Spence]

While the Expression looks quite limited in functionality these days, there's nothing that makes it unusable, as long as you haver sufficient IO, which it sounds like you do.  Any of the other limitations aren't really holding you back for what you're doing in practice - don't get lured into the feature envy!

Use it until it fails on you, at which point, XM32/Wing/SQ are the current options in your budget, from the sounds of it - along with any possible new stuff that appears over time.

[David Junius]

While the Expression looks quite limited in functionality these days, there's nothing that makes it unusable, as long as you haver sufficient IO, which it sounds like you do.  Any of the other limitations aren't really holding you back for what you're doing in practice - don't get lured into the feature envy!

Use it until it fails on you, at which point, XM32/Wing/SQ are the current options in your budget, from the sounds of it - along with any possible new stuff that appears over time.

Oh, I’m not going to throw it in the trash over this. I do like the console, however a few times wish I had DCA’s or another parametric band of EQ on the channel strip or more busses. All in all, it brings more to the table than any analog console ever could.

Here’s another thought, maybe instead of trying to upgrade my main console, add in a small monitor console so I can free up some of the busses to use as subgroups and additional outputs thus allowing more flexibility that way.

[Brian Jojade]

For the weekend warrior, the X32 platform is tough to beat.  Quality and reliability is certainly good enough for small shows and the price/feature ratio is amazing.  Love or hate the company, the product pretty much rocks.

Using X32 racks as monitor consoles or stage boxes, or whatever is super simple plus if you have multiples, you have built in redundancy of sorts where losing the main console doesn't automatically mean the show's over.

The only real limit is 32 full channels to work with.  If you need more than that, you're probably doing shows of a different caliber.

If you double your budget, that opens the doors into the Yamaha, A&H, and other consoles, which are great for sure.  But for a part timer, is that extra expense really worth it?

[David Junius]

For the weekend warrior, the X32 platform is tough to beat.  Quality and reliability is certainly good enough for small shows and the price/feature ratio is amazing.  Love or hate the company, the product pretty much rocks.

Using X32 racks as monitor consoles or stage boxes, or whatever is super simple plus if you have multiples, you have built in redundancy of sorts where losing the main console doesn't automatically mean the show's over.

The only real limit is 32 full channels to work with.  If you need more than that, you're probably doing shows of a different caliber.

If you double your budget, that opens the doors into the Yamaha, A&H, and other consoles, which are great for sure.  But for a part timer, is that extra expense really worth it?

I agree, the x32 is a workhorse for sure whether you like it or not. I’ve got some time with the X32 and M32, but I’m not ready to buy something right now. I do have a spare console right now, a second expression, so I’m considering just adding a card to that one and using it as a monitor console with the stagebox. That would be the cheapest option and free up some busses that I’m currently using for monitors to use for subgroups on the foh console but still give me the monitor flexibility I need. I’m not sure why I didn’t think of this sooner. I still wouldn’t have DCA’s, but I would gain some available buses for subgroups, and for now that would help. I’ll have to think this one through and decide if this option is worth the extra work.

David

[Scott Bolt]

As others have said, if you are looking to make your show sound better, start with the FOH speakers.  The Expression is not a bad sounding desk IMO.

If it is a workflow thing, then you might be looking at a different desk as the Expression is among the lowest functionality digital desks in its class.

Let us know what you end up with!

[Bob Stone]

As others have said, if you are looking to make your show sound better, start with the FOH speakers.  The Expression is not a bad sounding desk IMO.

If it is a workflow thing, then you might be looking at a different desk as the Expression is among the lowest functionality digital desks in its class.

Let us know what you end up with!

I've always liked the sound of the preamps in Soundcraft boards, they just have a certain fullness/warmth to them that Behringer/Midas/Mackie/Presonus/etc. don't have. A&H and Yamaha definitely are in the same ballpark, haven't had really any experience on the higher end stuff.

[Brian Jojade]

I agree, the x32 is a workhorse for sure whether you like it or not. I’ve got some time with the X32 and M32, but I’m not ready to buy something right now. I do have a spare console right now, a second expression, so I’m considering just adding a card to that one and using it as a monitor console with the stagebox. That would be the cheapest option and free up some busses that I’m currently using for monitors to use for subgroups on the foh console but still give me the monitor flexibility I need. I’m not sure why I didn’t think of this sooner. I still wouldn’t have DCA’s, but I would gain some available buses for subgroups, and for now that would help. I’ll have to think this one through and decide if this option is worth the extra work.

David

With several reports of the Expressions just deciding to die recently, it might not be a horrible time to make a change.  There's still good resale value in the board if it's working.  You could probably be pretty close to an even swap with an X32.

[David Junius]

As others have said, if you are looking to make your show sound better, start with the FOH speakers.  The Expression is not a bad sounding desk IMO.

If it is a workflow thing, then you might be looking at a different desk as the Expression is among the lowest functionality digital desks in its class.

Let us know what you end up with!

I really liked the sound of my GB8, which is the biggest reason I stayed with Soundcraft when I switched to digital. I like the sound of the expression, was just looking for a little more functionality, but I might can get some more mileage if I start running a separate monitor console like I said, as that would free up some busses that are currently on monitor duty and let me convert them to subgroups.

I just upgraded my subwoofers to the active JTR captivator 212 pro’s. Need to do a little system tuning, but their first show will be in a few weeks. Need to rebuild the bank account for my next big purchase. My current mains are Yorkville U15’s.

[ProSoundWeb Community]