Let me be a nuisance today by requesting a Linux version of the CQ MixPad. Actually also SQ MixPad. After all, these tools need to do only two things: Access to network and providing a GUI. Now network seems to be easy and the GUI part seems to use the platform-independent Qt library anyways.
Of course, it is extra work and the Linux market share is small. This is the general pro-audio-on-Linux dilemma: The market share is small, hence manufacturers don’t provide their software for Linux, so nobody can use it, so the market share of Linux remains small. A&H could be part of breaking that unfortunate chain. (And actually, Behringer do provide Linux apps from the X-Air over the X32 to their Wing series…)
But Windows and OS X are getting ensh**tified even more these days and especially in fixed setups like churches, theaters and the like Linux actually would be an excellent choice. I think in a few years, if Apple and Microsoft continue the way they do, regular users will widely switch to ChromeOS (obfuscated Linux with data protection issues) and power users will go for real Linux (more complicated but full control).
@DocDocDocDoc
I don’t want to belittle your wish, but in the time until A&H implements it, it might be worth taking a look at the great app “Mixing Station” by David Schumann, which is also available for Linux.
However, I like the SQ MixPad App better. For the CQ, I’m undecided… the CQ MixPad is also great, but it doesn’t show gain reduction and gates in the Fader view, which is what MixingStation does. The CQ MixPad app for me has the benefit that it looks and feels quite the same as the mixer’s touch screen interface, this makes things easier.
One crazy feature that MixingStation recently got equipped with is the quadrophonic surround panner. I actually did use it in a quadrophonic live show. Now that’s a very special use case… but it somehow fits A&H’s history being the company delivering quadro desks both to The Who and to Pink Floyd. But I digress.
Actually I am a MixingStation user.
I thought so. )
it somehow fits A&H’s history being the company delivering quadro desks … to Pink Floyd.
It was recreated again - apparently with A&H’s help.
(I hope it’s not a problem to post someone else’s photo on the topic here - otherwise please delete.)
January, not much going on with my clients, so I had time for system upgrades.
I’m now on UbuntuStudio 24.04 and I can report that apparently CQ MixPad, SQ MixPad and AHM System Manager run via Wine (Windows Emulator), at least in Offline/Demo Mode, haven’t tried the live scenario yet.
This causes mixed feelings – on the one hand, I’m glad these seem to work, but on the other hand this means there the motivation for A&H to ever release native Linux versions is probably close to zero now.
I am also a proponent of Linux, actually A&H use Linux as the core OS in ILive (it actually has Ubuntu 10.4 purple boot up screen!!), and Windows embedded as use interface, so their developers are quite used to using Linux.
I was playing with Chris Hewette’s replica Pink Floyd Quad mixer, at PLASA last September, and spent time chatting with Andy Bereza, who designed and built the original, and also built a custom mixer for Liverpool University in 1972
Did you ever get this to run with the mixer in Wine?
Wine can’t do is use any proprietary USB protocol, so unless CQ MixPad works over a USB serial connection, or via USB midi, probably not very likely to work with Wine.
I agree with your original post. Make the application for Linux, especially if they’re already using Qt or Juce, shouldn’t be that big of a deal to push a Linux build.
Maybe as a Flatpak on Flathub, to make it distro independent. Or open the specs so the community can make their own version of the app.
The communication with the Allen&Heath consoles for controlling them via any app takes place via network and thus no special hardware support is needed on Linux. (In the same vein, MixingStation as third party app does not need to implement hardware support, only network communication protocols.)
USB audio is a different story, however all recent A&H digital consoles use class compliant audio in USB, so they don’t need any special drivers (except for… when on Windows, oh well).
I currently don’t know if this also holds for USB via MIDI, I never tried.
So far I have successfully used AHM Control and SQ MixPad in my work running via Wine on Ubuntu Studio 24.04. and I have no doubt CQ MixPad will work, too. (Side remark: Also, Yamaha TF Editor runs in Wine, but who of the A&H fans would want a TF console anyways.)
Needless to say, it feels a little awkward to the Linux nerd, since all of these apps seem to be based on QT and none of them have any special requirements. So they could be ported to Linux.
But I digress.
