BillFitzmaurice.info

I've finally taken the dive off the deep end and bought a digital mixer, a Allen & Heath QU-16: http://www.allen-heath.com/ahproducts/qu-16/ The shipment hasn't arrived yet, but I'll get my mitts on it soon enough.

I shopped around a fair amount and I'm going with this model because it has RTA and will record multi-track with just an external USB hard drive (laptop not needed) which makes virtual soundchecks possible and more convenient. Both of the comparable Presonus and Behringer model mixers require a laptop to record. The basic design is also modeled on an analog mixer, so I won't totally leave my luddite bandmates in the dust (they'll still have physical faders to touch). It also means that if I accidentally break my iPad, I can still fully function without it.

I've only ever done sound for acts that I'm performing in, so I've never been able to actually mix out front. I don't know how I'm ever going to bring my mixing game up, until I can get out front.

Right now I am using a powered Peavey mixer (model XR1212) which has been my favorite setup to date. It's light, powers mains and monitors, and has built in RTA/Auto-EQ which works quite well, and I've never had a single episode of it being the least bit flaky. Now I am going to have to get a rack in which I will schlep power amps, so there's going to be some trade-off. I am going Class D to keep it as light as possible.

I have never owned any Allen & Heath gear. I am hoping it will be reliable.

I will return and report after I log some time on the new desk.

Congratulations !
Be prepared for a short confusing learning curve then years of great performances.
I haven't used one but Allen and Heath have a very good reputation. I'm sure you will be happy.

You're really going to enjoy that mixer. It will take a bit of getting used to working on. I have only messed with one for about 10 mins. I am a techi at a local theatre and a troup brought one of these in. He let me play around with it and comparatively to a Behringer, it is much easier to use, sounds better with less work, and has just as many options as the Behringer.

The biggest thing that will be awkward to get used to is pressing the channel you want to change. For instance to change the eq on one channel you have to click select, then change the eq, gain, or what have you. Once you get that turned into an instinct it flys.

Congrats sir.

OP, I think you'll like it. A&H gear is typically very reliable, so don't worry about that in the least. The OS (and presumably the algorithms) on the Qu boards are very similar to the GLD boards, they just have fewer features. I just picked up one of those myself for my B rig when it goes out without me involved. From what little time I've had on it, I like it a lot (for what it is, a replacement for a 16 channel Mackie analog plus analog processing). I just wish these low end boards had scribble strips. I won't buy the X32 becasue it's Behringer (and I do have to rent these things out), and none of the other ones have them until you get to the $4-6k area.

Guess I'll stick with SAC for the A rig until I can afford a GLD-120 or a SI Performer 32 with Digital stageboxes.

BrentEvans wrote: I just wish these low end boards had scribble strips.

I'll pass on a trick I use......

Regular masking tape sticks too much and leaves a mess. Board tape isn't as readily available and more expensive. So, here's my formula.

Put down a strip of blue painters' tape. Then put a piece of masking tape over the top. When you are done, the blue tape will peel off easily with the masking tape stuck on top.

Now for the great part. Since I often do repeating shows with the same bands, I fold the entire strip over and stick the blue tape to itself. I store it in my board case, then next time I work with that band, I just pull it apart and stick it back down.

It's important that you put enough tape so that it extends past the board by a couple of inches. Fold that back on itself to make a tab....then use the tabs to pull it back apart next time you need it.

This lasts a long time and blue tape just keeps on sticking.

Bruce Weldy wrote:

BrentEvans wrote: I just wish these low end boards had scribble strips.

I'll pass on a trick I use......
<snip>

I keep board tape, but I can see where this is handy too.

The only thing is this... if you have more than one layer, board tape of any sort gets really confusing. Even if you divide it up and draw lines and all you still have to concentrate on which label is the right one, and remember what layer you're on ALL THE TIME. This impedes reaction time.

With scribble strips, what it says it is, it is. I've gotten used to it on SAC so now I'm spoiled...

The Qu boards are OK with board tape as they only have two layers and the second layer doesn't do to much, plus you can put together a "custom" layer and just put everythign on there you need for smaller shows. I've tried doing Si Expressions with board tape though, and I have to only use two of the four layers when they could be used so much more efficiently with the strips (which the Si Performers have).

BrentEvans wrote:
Guess I'll stick with SAC for the A rig until ......

Wow. I'm impressed that SAC is still your preferred. Must be pretty good, then.

Tom Smit wrote:

BrentEvans wrote:
Guess I'll stick with SAC for the A rig until ......

Wow. I'm impressed that SAC is still your preferred. Must be pretty good, then.

SAC has its problems, not the least of which is that the developer support has nearly entirely dissipated. It can, however, do a lot of things nothing else in its price class can.

Given that I already own it, and it's working fine, it can stay until I can afford something that will do much of the same. That's going to be hard, though.

My church has the Qu-24 and it is simply amazing. I literally have nothing bad to say about it other than the lack of scribble strips. I learned it inside and out in a few hours and taught all the other sound guys (a few who had no experience) in about an hour of training plus one service with them. It is so easy to use and extremely flexible.

lowsound

I just went the OTHER way.... I picked up a Mackie SR40.8. Digital is on my horizon, but I have a few times a year I need something big.

BrentEvans wrote:

Tom Smit wrote:

BrentEvans wrote:
Guess I'll stick with SAC for the A rig until ......

Wow. I'm impressed that SAC is still your preferred. Must be pretty good, then.

SAC has its problems, not the least of which is that the developer support has nearly entirely dissipated. It can, however, do a lot of things nothing else in its price class can.

Given that I already own it, and it's working fine, it can stay until I can afford something that will do much of the same. That's going to be hard, though.

I'm in the same boat Brent. SAC has worked great for me and I have owned it for years. I have used other systems and found them more user friendly but not as powerful/flexible. For price and convienance I am trying to buy the new Behringer XR-18. If the app for this is as powerful as the X-32 it might be a game changer. I have learned to not rely on a control surface and want to reduce my physical footprint at shows.

I have experienced the A&H. They put out a quality product. You should be happy with your purchase

Haysus wrote: I'm in the same boat Brent. SAC has worked great for me and I have owned it for years. I have used other systems and found them more user friendly but not as powerful/flexible. For price and convienance I am trying to buy the new Behringer XR-18. If the app for this is as powerful as the X-32 it might be a game changer. I have learned to not rely on a control surface and want to reduce my physical footprint at shows.

I have experienced the A&H. They put out a quality product. You should be happy with your purchase

Those things without something resembling a hardware control surface scare me. I know SAC is all software, but short of a system crash (very rare, twice in 6 or so years for me, and both times due to a maintenance problem) I can still go to the host KVM and run the system in a pinch. If wifi craps out, I can hardwire. You can't hardwire an iPad and even though the B gear usually has an ethernet port, the PC software for the X series is pretty lame IMHO.


Even though it's a few dollars more , at least the X32 Rack has an onboard interface and some expandability. Price difference is only a few hundred... seems worth it to me. The producer is even one step better for a few more hundred.

BrentEvans wrote:

Haysus wrote: I'm in the same boat Brent. SAC has worked great for me and I have owned it for years. I have used other systems and found them more user friendly but not as powerful/flexible. For price and convienance I am trying to buy the new Behringer XR-18. If the app for this is as powerful as the X-32 it might be a game changer. I have learned to not rely on a control surface and want to reduce my physical footprint at shows.

I have experienced the A&H. They put out a quality product. You should be happy with your purchase

Those things without something resembling a hardware control surface scare me. I know SAC is all software, but short of a system crash (very rare, twice in 6 or so years for me, and both times due to a maintenance problem) I can still go to the host KVM and run the system in a pinch. If wifi craps out, I can hardwire. You can't hardwire an iPad and even though the B gear usually has an ethernet port, the PC software for the X series is pretty lame IMHO.


Even though it's a few dollars more , at least the X32 Rack has an onboard interface and some expandability. Price difference is only a few hundred... seems worth it to me. The producer is even one step better for a few more hundred.

For my application it is a toy. Cheap test mixer for my wife's band to practice with. SAC will still be my primary and secondary. If I was to switch to a name brand rig I would say bang for buck is X-32. I spent a weekend on one festival style. Easy to use, tons of routing and one off features and it's cheap.

Have any of you SAW guys ever considered switching to something like Reaper?
I only ask because if I ever do another band, that's what I'll be using.
Rack mount PC, UPS, all wireless mics and IEM, electronic drums triggering a software drum rompler... the goal is a 20 minute setup, with lights.

Ryan Sober wrote:Have any of you SAW guys ever considered switching to something like Reaper?
I only ask because if I ever do another band, that's what I'll be using.
Rack mount PC, UPS, all wireless mics and IEM, electronic drums triggering a software drum rompler... the goal is a 20 minute setup, with lights.

I sometimes use reaper alongside sac for recording, bit reaper is a DAW, not a live mixing platform.

For what you want to do, SAC is a better choice than reaper.