This is such a sore spot when using the SQ Mixpad app. If these could be tied together, all manner of apocalypses could be avoided
Unit/hardware and MixPad custom layers are separate, with unit layers being stored in the mixer (within Scenes) and MixPad layers being stored on the device.
This enables separate layouts where two or more engineers are mixing, e.g. FOH, Monitors, Stream etcâŚ
However - V1.6 introduced the âFollow SQ Layersâ feature to MixPad (in Setup>MixPad) which displays the unit/hardware layers in place of the MixPad custom layers, and which can therefore be changed on a scene by scene basis.
Hope this helps!
Keith.
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I thought I tried that and it didnât do what I expected, but Iâll try again tomorrow night. Is it able to store what layers are on the mixpad app to the console? Or would I have to go to the console and create the layers and then pull them up on the mixpad app?
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@pipelineaudio
The console stores its strip assignments and the âFollow SQ Layersâ feature mirrors these in the app.
So in short, you would need to set them up on the SQ itself, then flick the switch in MixPad.
When running MixPad Offline, you are working on the strip assignments/layers that will appear when that Show is loaded up on the SQ.
When running MixPad Online, you can either use the MixPad custom layers, which are stored in the app, or follow the SQ (console) layers. You can also use the MixPad custom layers and copy a desk layer at any time from the strip assignment screen. However, you cannot set up the SQ (console) layers from the app when Online - this avoids confusion with multiple operators.
Thanks,
Keith.
This sounds like it could be helpful, but it would really be nice to find a way to be able to force save an appâs layouts with the scene. It could even save as âlayout set 1â for one ipad and other slots for other ipads. Just some way to do this with the layers you are making while the show is going on. Many installations (and ESPECIALLY if we are talking about the new SQ Rack) mean nobody is touching the actual unit anyway. This constantly recreating the same layers is the biggest downside to these consoles for me and I suspect many other Mixpad app users. It makes a lot of people use Mixing Station instead, which is ok, but makes a lot of the SQ features cumbersome to use, but is somtimes the only option in a fast moving show because of the inability to quickly create and recall layers with scenes on the SQ Mixpad app
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That indicates that you need to do a proper initial setup then.
What a ridiculous thing to say. How does this have anything whatsoever with the initial setup?
Recreating the same layouts? Could be a hint. Prepare the layout in your setup.
Tell me youâve never worked a stage without telling me. Your condescending snark isnât helping any.
???
I donât understand that.
Isnât that what you want? Scenes that recall layers?
Hi, that needs explaining, please. Old analog guy here!
What requires explaining?
It doesnât seem to apply to the app. You can get the layers from the board onto the app but doesnât seem to work the other way. Iâm nowhere near the board nor will o be at any time when Iâm setting a layer. For people with the sq rack thereâs no board to be near anyway
Maybe itâs better if I say a use case.
Four bands in a night.
All of them thankfully will share the same drumset. Though one band has an SPD and another has a timbale in addition to the rest of the drums
All have a bass guitar though one requires two channels for some special fx
One band has four keyboards, other bands have no keys
One band has playback tracks
One band has a percussion setup needing six mics
One band has a single vocalist another has four
Various bands have assorted mandolins, ukuleles, saxophones and horns.
You are already way past the 24 mic preamps on the board which means not everything can have a discrete channel left plugged in all night and you will be re plugging stuff as time goes on
The drum layout will (mostly) work for all the bands. The rest of the channels will have different names depending on the band and drastically different layout and layer requirements
As you Soundcheck all four bands before the show, with Mixing Station or other apps, you could save the specific channel names and layouts with each scene. Sadly as far as I can tell, unless I go to the board and recreate everything I made on the pad on the board itself, I canât save the layers with the scenes
It sounds like a small thing but on a multi band night it can lead to some brutal mistakes and time wasting.
@Keith and @steffenromeiss (ME) already said that.
That was the idea behind it. The requested feature set never included festival awareness.
That makes me think, this is the wrong tool for the task. Normally, there is nothing more to say.
The intention of the SQ-Rack was not a festival board without faders.
Your suggested workflow changes will open a complete universe of possible mistakes for other workflows. I will not imagine what we will see here in the forum that people complain about a broken scene system.
Keep in mind, a scene saves everything, always.
Maybe you should rethink your workflow?
You can patch every input socket to every channel strip.
How is rethinking the workflow going to help in any way? Are you saying allen and heath consoles are not meant for venues that may have more than one band per night? Thatâs absolutely ridiculous. Patching every input socket to every channel strip has NOTHING to do with this. There may be a language barrier or something going on here.
I think the possible problem is working with mixpad to modify the layers as opposed to the SQ desk?
The layer configurations are saved to the scenes.
You would configure the SQ as a group of scenes for band #1, a group of scenes for band #2, âŚ
Each scene can be associated with one song, and can have a different input, strip AND surface configuration as appropriate.
If the mixpadâs layer configuration is set to âfollow deskâ then loading a new scene (e.g. band 2 song 3) should load the layers A through F of the SQ desk AND mixpad from the scene.
I would assume you would do this âoff showâ during the setup.
You still have the option of modifying the SQ desk configuration using the mixpad by pulling/pushing the show. But I would consider this to be an âoff showâ activity.
We have not upgraded our desk to 1.6 (yet) so this is theoreticalâŚ
Does this help?
Dave
Did I ever say something about the rest of the consoles? No.
I just pointed out that the SQ-Rack isnât made as a festival desk.
You complained something about re-plugging input sockets and being not able to have them patched 1:1⌠well⌠what should I sayâŚ
Why 24 preamps? Do you own a SQ-6? We miss that information.
With a festival situation, it could help to have a festival patch. Or not?
I was writing something similar to your statement, but you were faster.
BlockquoteI think the possible problem is working with mixpad to modify the layers as opposed to the SQ desk?
You can, but they wonât be saved with the scene. Only the layers on the board will be saved with the scenes
Iâm hoping we can have an option to save the mixpad layers with the scenes, even if only on that specific ipad if thatâs too much danger to do it across the system. I understand the reason Keith gives why it could be dangerous, but so is having beer sold near mixing consoles in a bar.
If you are expecting A&H to add this functionality to the SQ firmware / mixpad in the short term then please donât hold your breath - you will turn blue and expireâŚ
If you want to run multiple bands at a gig and use mixpad, then configuring the layers on the SQ and setting mixpad to use the SQ layers will be the way to go with the workflow.
Dave