There are 3 big features missing from dLive platform when compared to other leading manufacturers, at the time of writing this post on 31st of December 2018.
I’m interested to find out if A&H are planning to address them.
For many people jumping from Avid, DiGiCo and Yamaha desks there are three big features missing:
Scene Preview mode, together with the ability to run the control surface offline, without the mixrack connected. A “Surface Offline” mode. I noticed this is theoretically possible, because the actual software is inside the surface. When I disconnect C2500 from CDM mixrack, for the short period of time I can still visually edit parameters on the C2500.
Solo In Place. Super important for Virtual Soundcheck, production rehearsals, etc.
Channel organisation features. Currently the channel list is fixed. There are no channel move / swap features, there are no presets storing multiple channels at the same time. Copy / Paste function could be used for that if it allowed copying multiple channels at the same time. Think of DiGiCo SD “Copy From” or “Presets”, where you can copy / store complete presets of multiple channels, together with names and routing.
An important question that comes to my mind: It is known Allen & Heath and DiGiCo are currently under the same parent company. Could the missing features be a part of the strategy that doesn’t let dLive cannibalise DiGiCo SD market?
We started working on these some time ago but they have been parked for the time being. It is something we will be looking at again however.
Solo In Place
Watch this space.
Channel Organisation Features
As far as “moving” channels (i.e. not input processing channels) is concerned, the system architecture does not allow for this.
The copying and pasting of multiple channels, and/or multi channel libraries, is something I can add to the feature request list though.
“An important question that comes to my mind: It is known Allen & Heath and DiGiCo are currently under the same parent company.
Could the missing features be a part of the strategy that doesn’t let dLive cannibalise DiGiCo SD market?”
As long as we get a streamlined, easy way to store channels into a library, I would be very happy. This process has to include, preamp, channel processing, inserts and mix sends in a single run.
Happy New Year for you too!
I’m really excited that the features are taken under consideration.
If I may add - multi channel libraries would in fact allow to rearrange the channels. One could call it a workaround, but a reasonably convenient one.
I’m sure these features will make dLive a no compromise festival and touring platform which will give Yamaha and other companies a hard time for several years.
Hi,
Do you know if the copy and paste of multiple channels with Name and routing are under development ?
We are making evolutions on complex shows with several mixers and this functionnality might be really helpful.
@fabdu59
names and routing are two different tasks…
to copy/paste processing on the console to one or more channels you have to hold the copy button, press the selectbuttons on the surface or the or copy marks on screen to send the settings you want to the “copy store” and to paste it you have to hold paste and now you can press select on all desired destinations
for routing you have to use the mix button and not the select… that simple…
this is really quick and easy to handle
the color and names can not be copied on the desk
to label the channels very fast, you can go to the I/O screen and now you tip on one of the channel labels and get the dialog with color and name
and on the bottom you got two arrows to navigate to the next or previous channel
if you connect a keyboard to the desk or you working in Director (with a keyboard connected to the PC or MAC)
you can use the TAB button to go to the next channel or SHIFT-TAB to the previous
In fact the three different actions can be done easily separately, this was not an issue for us.
When working on complex shows with shared patch, you need to make evolutions and for example insert one Mic at the middle of the patch, it can be very helpful to be able to move multiple inputs to other inputs. Even if this action can be done manually in three steps, input per input, the operation is risky as several manual actions are done and even more if multiple inputs have to be moved.
That’s why I propose to add an entry in the menu to make it possible with only action : copy these inputs to these inputs replacing the current values of destination inputs. Even adding the possibility to select elements to copy as it is the case on ganging menu.
Mixer is really flexible and the question is not to be able to reorganize strip assignment but really to move some inputs to simplify patch, routing, and all actions where input order can’t be modified.
the independence of the layout, the I/O and the processing makes this obsolete
you can work with the strips without knowing anything about the patch…
I did this many times before, with guest artists on some of my shows
I do all the patching and configuration and the guest sound guy can concentrate completely on mixing his band
while I have access to everything with Director
but I’m on the console for the talks and Q/A and so on
@Steffen R
I understand your point of view and do exactly the same on the majority of shows without any issue.
I’m not complaning about how to mix with Strip Assigned to correspond to sound guy requests or habits, the mixer is really flexible and very powerful for that !
My objective is to simplify shows in complex environment. We are for example working on a TV Shows with 3 Dlive linked (Orch pre-mix, Monitors, FOH) + SSL for TV Audience.
In that case patch is shared and evolute often. To keep the base show and not restart from zero each time we start from previous shows and apply specificity of the new show occurrence.
After three shows the patch become really complex with multiple cross-patching on several layers and between internal sockets, Dante and Giga-Ace cards, DX ports, Tie-Lines … with 80-110 inputs per mixer and multiple exchanges between desks. So, be able to reorganize inputs on DLive, not only display on the mixer with strip assignment, and be able to start from patch as straight as possible can really simplify patch management.
I expect this complementary example will help you to understand better our need.
Hmm, an acceptable software design allows you to do a task in any way, even if it is not easy understandable. A better design would be when the task can be done in a way which is common also on other systems. A really good design gives you the opportunity to do your task in your preferred way. For me A&H often decides to use the first way. I personally wish that A&H would see what other systems provides and learn from that solutions to improve their system. But maybe thats just an unheard wish.
@fabdu59
this will add another level of complexity to the system
that is not wanted in many live audio scenarios…
the topic starter suggested a channel strip reorder feature
but this is what makes no sense to me since there is no real order with the strips on the surface
to reorder a patch would be a different “beast”
and to do it on a channel base would not sort the patch
so the feature has to be very well thought
at least we could request some tools for offline preparation that assist this
A better design would be when the task can be done in a way which is common also on other systems.
as the worst case this could kill all innovation, everything becomes “me too”
as the worst case this could kill all innovation, everything becomes “me too”
This is not a matter of innovation or not. Nobody will buy a car where the order of the pedals would be brake, accelerate and clutch or some other „innovative“ changes to the common design of cars. In the beginning of analogue consoles the manufacturer also have different designs for their consoles but after some time the designs became more and more the same. That allows the user to work with all consoles without any difficulties. At the end of the day users will avoid devices without common designs. Its not innovative but evolution.
I know you are a knight of the holy grail of the A&H way of thinking. But maybe you can also become more open minded for ideas which do not come from A&H. G.B Shaw said „a amateur lends, a genius steals“ and one of the worst design pattern is „re-inventing the square wheel“.
Yes, otherwise I would not write it. Maybe is what you are thinking different but all I know about you is what I am reading from your postings. And the essence is that you do not seem to be open minded for ideas which results in a change or enhancement of the functionality of the consoles of A&H. Again, this is what I am receiving from your writing. Nothing more or less.
My personal and honest indention is to tell my ideas and thoughts about A&H products in this forum and I am hoping that this will help to improve those products. And sometims improvement means also to accept that other companies have good ideas as well and that these ideas are worth to be integrated in the own products.
I think that at the end of the next steps of evolution of digital consoles there we find consoles with a common workflow. The winner of the competition is then the company with the best sounding product AND the best implementation of this common workflow.
After more than twenty years it should not be required to spend days or weeks to be able to work with a new or unknown console quick and free from making mistakes. But maybe it is just my dream and all other sound engineers likes this required learning process. The other solution would be that the engineer will allways bring the own, familiar devices, even if it is not as good as the one at the venue. And this will be the end of technical improvement for sure.
As a moderator and A&H representative, I suggest we bring this topic back on track. And yes, everyone is welcome to post ideas and suggestions, without judgement, that’s what this forum is for. The 3 requests in the OP are all popular requests and have been on our list for a while. SiP is now implemented. Preview is a hard one to crack due to our Surface+MixRack architecture, but still an ongoing research task.
Multichannel presets are on the list but not highest priority. While it’s true that you can reshuffle strip layout, multichannel presets would be useful across Shows, for example to drop a string section in an acoustic show, add a band to duet, or in scenarios like HoW where elements of the band can easily change.
and one of the worst design pattern is „re-inventing the square wheel“.