I would like to suggest adding professional Auto-Gain, Gain Follower and Feedback Eliminator functionality to the input channels of the new SQ+ series.
These tools would be particularly useful for live applications:
Auto-Gain for automatically setting the appropriate input gain.
Gain Follower to continuously compensate for changes in the input level, especially with varying microphone distances and vocalists.
Feedback Eliminator operating directly on input channels, rather than being available only on output buses.
The SQ+ series would become significantly more powerful for professional live sound if these functions were available per input channel, with the same level of integration and usability as the existing processing.
In particular, a professional input-channel feedback eliminator would be extremely useful for monitors and difficult acoustic environments, where feedback often originates from the interaction between individual microphones and the PA or monitor system.
I believe these features would be a valuable addition to the SQ+ platform and would further differentiate it from the current SQ generation.
I think you are confusing two different things: needing a feature and being experienced enough to use it.
I am not asking for Auto-Gain, Gain Follower or Feedback Elimination because I am unable to set gain or control feedback manually. I am asking for them as additional professional tools that an experienced engineer can choose to use when appropriate.
The fact that you are a first-hour SQ user and don’t need these functions is perfectly valid, but it doesn’t prove that they are “entry-level” features. It only proves that you don’t need them.
Professional consoles already use automation, gain compensation, gain tracking and feedback management. These functions do not replace the engineer. They allow an experienced engineer to decide when automation is useful and when manual control is preferable.
I would also question the argument that “if you need these options, SQ isn’t the correct platform”. If that principle were applied consistently, a professional console would never need automation, scene management, recall, remote control, automatic mixing or any other feature that can theoretically be handled manually by an experienced operator.
The SQ platform is already capable of much more than simply providing manual controls. My suggestion is simply to extend that philosophy to the input section of SQ+.
And importantly, these functions could remain completely optional. You don’t need to use them. I would like the choice to use them when they provide a genuine advantage.
I would also like to request the Auto - Gain feature be added to the SQ5 plus. Especially when in one of the online tutorials it was stated that if requested it could be added in a firmware update. Why would I not want to unlock all the possibilities of the equipment I use.
++ for this. Had to use a CQ recently and using the autogain feature was handy when doing a very quick set up and a feedback eliminator would be ideal. Trying to ring out PA in a buy small pub type venue with loads going on having ability to use a tool to help with this would be great