OK, I found the user layer. It is easy as pie to assign things too, and works as advertised. Push both the "analog" and "digital" buttons on the front, and you are in the user layer. The TT24 is MUCH faster/easier to navigate than the 01v96, which I have had for about a year now. Of course, that was Mackie's goal with the TT, easy/fast to use. There are still a few I'd prefer to have work in a "more yamaha" way, but those are not deal breakers. Things I really like on the TT24 include the V-pot, the swept HPF that does not burn a band of EQ (even though it lacks frequency indication on the screen), the flex groups, and more. For example, the V-pot. This pot, located in the typical "pan pot" location on each of the 24 strips, serves MANY functions. It can be a pan pot, it can be the digital trim pot, it can be the HPF freqency pot, it can be the aux send level pot for all 12 auxes, it can be the compressor threshold. Around this knob live several LEDs(I believe it is fifteen). These LED show input level, or aux send level, or compressor gain reduction, or pan position, or...
I find the effects in the TT24 to be, like many in digidesks, usable. They are not bad, they are not fantastic. You can, and I do use them exclusively. One of the things on my wishlist for the TT24 is a tap delay function. There is none. Apparently, it is on the list of things to implement in a future firmware update. While on the subject of my wishlist, I'll toss it all out, right now, no holds barred, as it were:
I'd like to be able to split an input to more than one channel. Can't, internally anyway. Why would you do that?? When running mons from FOH, it is nice not to be stuck with the same EQ and more importantly, dynamics on the aux sends as you've got in the FOH mix.
I'd like to be able to insert graphic EQs, or parametric, or digital, or.... into the aux masters. AFAIK, can't do that either. The ADAT I/O on the TT24 is just for I and O, there are no "digital inserts" like on the Yamaha stuff. Deal killer??? Nope. The outs DO have 6band EQ, which is more than I frequently need anyway. This one is more of a comfort factor thing.
I'd like to be able to send the aux masters to the matrices. This way, you could shoot "sammy's" mix over into "mike's" wedges when he runs over there (excuse the VH reference) if you were so inclined. It would also mean you could have the aux outputs on XLR. Again, not a deal killer at all.
The gates click if the attack is set fast enough to catch fast stuff. The Yamaha gates do the same thing, as do many analog gates. Not a big deal, just something I noticed.
One of the cooler things about the TT24, and this is now on my wish list for all the other digidesks out there, is the ability to NOT have the PC screen follow what the desk itself is doing. This means, for example, I can be out front with my tablet, driving FOH, while my mon guy runs the stage mixes, and we don't get in each other's way. He doesn't have to stop what he's doing to let me catch the GTR solo, and I don't have to default to him when "elvis" needs more GO. This one is VERY cool. Bob Cap, take notice of this....
More later, time to fire up the grill!
P.S.
Incase it seems like I am negative at all towards this desk, a little insight: my current thoughts include "maybe if I sell the original 01v that is currently in "1402" duty, and bump the 01V96 down to "1402" duty, I can grab one of these ( I know where there is a demo unit....) for my main digidesk, for a while".....