We’re a mid sized sound system/rental company, and we have smaller events which needs a compact digital console. We using a Soundcraft SI Expression 3 console on this events and sometimes for monitor console. In the last times became neccessary a new console from this category, and we’re voted for SQ7.
I brought home our new toy for few days, and I experiencing about funcions, possibilities and I mixed an older multitrack live record on SQ7.
The most common problem for me about SI Expression as monitor console was, which is only can send-on-fader options for send a channel to an aux. On SQ series this blue button on left halfly solved these problem, but I wanted to using these 8 soft rotaries for aux 1-8 send, because mostly 8 auxes enough to us, I really hope, when these function is implemented soon.
So, soft rotaries. Currently this is almost totally unneccessary for me. I patched for these eight - gate depth/att/hold/rel and comp ratio/gain/att/rel, naturally for selected channel. In this moment arrived the face-touching-epic-fail-feeling, cause all the eight screen shows kik/snare/etc. Why? This is unrealistic, like patching a function to soft rotaries for a fixed channel, not the currently selected.
The next problem to me also about rotaries. We have a Midas PRO 2 console, which have touch sensitive rotary encoders. So, when I put EQ or compressor, screen is switching. Next recognition was how rotaries sometimes have level showing display around this, like on Avid/Digidesign consoles, or like our predecessor, Soundcraft SI series. When I wants response about what I set currently, i have to put display. Every time, when do a soundcheck, which makes really slow the soundcheck:
Kick, set the gain, switch on gate, adjust, oh, no, i have to put the display, adjust depth (20dB is a joke, I gating or not!), next, eq, start cutting lo-mid, then put screen after i realise i can’t what i do, adjust other frequencies. Finished. Snare, gaining, hpf on, this can be set without screen, but for EQ also need to push the screen. etc-etc.
This is now thinks uncomfortable to me. I can when a touch-sensitive rotary is expensive, but when i start adjust screen can be automatically switch to this function. I can imagine how this function can be switched on/of with a soft button.
Other idea about soft rotaries. Useful to fast setting up a reverb decay on vocals, a delay feedback also can be useful, because i only using one repeat, sometimes needs more. During adjusting these soft rotaries can be show the value.
For me, on the 8 soft rotaries can be most useful in FOH situation:
- gate hold - “GTEhld” on screen, value during adjusting
- gate release - “GTErel” on screen, value during adjusting
- fx3 (rev) decay time - “FX3dcy” on screen, value during adjusting
- fx4 (del) feedback value - “FX4fbk” on screen, value during adjusting
- comp ratio - “CMPrat” on screen, value during adjusting
- comp gain - “CMPgai” on screen, value during adjusting
- comp attack - “CMPatt” on screen, value during adjusting
- comp release - “CMPrel” on screen, value during adjusting
Next fact. I tested this tube stage, but I can’t decide is this can be useful or only a “redneck blinding” thing. With a mic and my spoken word this was only a distortion, nothing more for first. But the most valueable plugin can be to me is a 16T compressor.
I trust to Allen & Heath how they are wants to make a significantly better mixer with users, this have a big bet, cause we are interesting about a dLive console.