Are you sure the IP8s will always follow the selected mix on the Avantis? I have just started using IP8s with a Dlive and my experience has been the opposite. The IP8s DON’T follow the selected mix on the DLive (which is equally annoying when you want to use the IP8 for FOH work).
EDIT - actually I bet the Avantis DOES make the IP8s change when selecting a new mix. Our issue comes from the fact that we are using the IP8s without a physical DLive Surface, so there isn’t a hardware link like there is going to be with the Avantis.
Regardless, recalling scenes from the IP8 is pretty much the standard way to program everything like you want. In fact, using scenes to “reprogram” the IP8 layouts to allow you to mix multiple monitor mixes (regardless of the selected mix on the Avantis) is exactly how I would recommend you set the IP8 up. Instead of using a “dynamic” channel strip that will change with the selected mix, you need to custom program the IP8 with a specific aux buss send set as the source for faders, mutes, PAFL, etc. Then save this “mix” configuration as a scene in the Avantis. The edit the programming to set another aux buss send as the source and save it as a different scene. Rinse and repeat until you have a different scene for every monitor send you want to control. It’s easiest to use the top line of buttons to recall specific scenes. So the first button might recall the monitor mix 1 scene. Button 2 might recall the monitor 2 mix scene, etc, etc, etc. This way it doesn’t matter what mix is selected on the Avantis because the faders/buttons on the IP8 are hardcoded to a specific buss and only change when another “IP8 mix scene” is recalled.
Don’t forget that you need to use a recall filter on all of those newly created scenes and “block all” settings except the specific IP8 hardware device you want to change. You’ll generally also want to add a filter on all the other scenes that block the IP8’s programming from being recalled as well. If you don’t have that filter set on your other scenes, you run the risk that loading an unrelated scene will suddenly reset your IP8 programming unintentionally because the IP8 settings were not filtered/block out of the scene recall.
While the IP8s can be a hassle to set up, they do work wonderfully. I use to bad mouth them due to their price (which I think is still WAY to high), but I was able to purchase a number of them for a crazy low price and I have fallen in love with them.
We previously were using a Waves Fit Controller and Mixing Station to provide us with physical faders, but have replaced it with the IP8s. We currently have 5 IP8s and are using three at FOH and two on stage for the musicians to use. Long story short, I have a lot of programming experience with the IP8s now! I think we have about 30 different scenes dedicated just for the 5 different IP8s.
Yes it was a pain to program it all. But it also works flawlessly, and the end user has no idea what is going on behind the scenes (pun intended) to make it all work as expected. In fact, the musicians/user interaction with the device is exactly the same as it would be if you could select a “mix” on the IP8 instead of selecting a “scene” to load. Either way, they simply press one button to select/control their specific monitor mix.
