Hi Folks,
please let me know if I’m missing something here or if these features are available and I’m just not finding them.
So here’s my list after using the CQ20b for a live mix, and multitracking, and a recording project.
1 - Audio Device Control: Can we please enable device control in logic pro? Would be awesome to be able to access these controls direct from logic when using the CQ as an interface without having to go back through the mixpad app.
In addition is there a way to set the clock source on the CQ? Say I want to aggregate the device with another usb sound card and have them sync to eachother.
2 - Custom routing: Say I wanna send everything from the main mix, in mono, to feed the subs off output 6. only way to do that is set send 6 to ‘post fade’ and then set all send 6 mix faders to unity. effectively duplicating my main mix levels.
Annoying but doable, and losing a bus mix i can handle if I’m opting to use it as ad a duplicated out. There’s also no option to send a summed mono main LR out either of the A or B Alt outs… Which would be another way to acheive this, but on a bus I could then have the independent processing (eq etc).
3 - Channel Signal Flow and Send Source Point: 3:
The CQ doesn’t let me reorder the comp/gate/eq processing in the channel strip, seems like an easy thing to let me do? Sometimes I want a comp into an eq for example.
Similarly the options for sending a channel to an aux (output source point) is post eq or post comp (channel strip order is: gain>gate>eq>comp) but not directly from the preamp (post preamp), which is more odd given that this option is available for sending out the USB bus for recording?
I like a pre eq option so I can eq monitors specifically for vocals at the graphic eq on that send and then not have my main foh mix channel eq be changing the way the monitor sounds. Expanding on this point, if I could choose the order of the channel processing, then a post comp send to Aux would not include the EQ which would be favourable also.
4 - Fx parameters: Other folks are asking for an expert FX mode, and YES PLEASE.
Say for a verb, only controls are verb amount (seems to be decay, but not shown in seconds, just arbitrary dial amount, time display would be amazing) so gotta choose a preset that you like and go from there. There is also no pre-delay control for example, which does seem to change depending on verb type or preset… so why not give me a knob? (please?)
I like that there is at least an eq for the fx, but only a fixed high cut, fixed low cut, and two parametric bands. Some FX have inclued HPF LPF in the fx edit screen, and then aditionally the 4 bands in the EQ section, but then again 2 shelf and two bell, can we expand that to some selectable band types?
My final note is for folks like me who didn’t find this information before purchasing a CQ20b, and this has to do with the SHUTDOWN function. On units with the touch screen there is a software button on the home screen to ‘correctly’ turn off the CQ, there is no switch on the CQ20 and obviouslt no buttons either. And thus far, there is no ability to get to this ‘switch’ without the mixpad app. So if you don’t own an ipad and were hoping to get this and many other setup functions through a third party control app (mixing station), sorry to burst that bubble.
All in all an incredible unit for what it does, and for how small and quiet it is while doing it. Looking forward to future firmware update expansion.