In our current setup, we have a single AR2412, SQ6 & iPad running SQ MixPad. The operator at the SQ6 controls the FoH mix. The operator on the iPad controls a stream mix which leaves the SQ6 via a stereo aux out.
We have just been donated a second SQ6. We’d like it to use it to replace MixPad for the stream mix.
Firstly, is there a way to use it almost exactly as we use the MixPad - i.e. as an control surface but otherwise a slave of the main SQ6? (I appreciate this wouldn’t use any of its onboard processing capability, which is fine. This would remain very close to our existing setup, just with a larger and more tactile control surface.)
Better still, is there a way to split the S-link signal from the AR so that each SQ6 can use its own independent onboard processing (e.g. independent per-channel EQ, etc.)? If this setup is even possible, how much would then be shared between the mixers? (For example, whether phantom power is on/off on a per-channel basis would obviously have to be shared. I’m guessing gain would have to be shared. Is that it or is anything else shared? Would we get independent mute capability for FoH vs stream, for example?)
Finally, it’s worth mentioning that both SQ6s are fitted with a Dante card. If not supported in any other way, could we configure the FoH mixer to dump the unprocessed inputs onto the Dante outputs (I think the Dante card is 64/64) and then have the stream SQ6 pick those up as inputs? If possible, how early in the signal path can we get? Pre-mute? Pre-EQ?
You can use the second SQ for the stream largely independently.
Only phantom power, PAD, and gain settings need to be configured per input on your “master console” (yellow).
Then, route your A/D-converted input signals to Dante via Tie Lines patch (red).
Instead of the gain controls, you can use on both consoles their trim controls on the input channels to adjust levels independently if necessary.
On your “slave console”, you also need to set the Audio Clock Source to “I/O Port (Dante)” for synchronization.
Having set that up, is there a way to transfer a scene / current settings from the FoH mixer to the stream mixer without needing to carry USB sticks around (the mixers are on different floors)? This is so that the stream engineer can bootstrap channel names, strip assignment and an initial mix from the FOH mix.
Can I push it directly from the FoH mixer / pull it directly from the stream mixer? Or do I need to get an additional device of some kind to pull the scene from the FoH mixer and then push it to the stream mixer? If the latter, what kind of device and what app does it need to run?
You need a USB drive to move Show/Scene files from one SQ to another. The A&H consoles tend to be picky about which USB drives are compatible/found when plugged in, so be sure to take a handful of them the first time you are trying. It would not be unusual to find out that you need to try several drives before you find one that is recognized by the console.
I’m trying to figure out if there’s any way to do it without having to move around the building. For example, could I use the MixPad app on a Windows PC to…
Yes, if you have access to both consoles in this way, that should be possible.
It might be even easier to, as previously mentioned, simply transfer the scene file (or show) from the USB drive via an internet connection and save it onto the recipient’s USB drive.
That would also work without the MixPad app and its network connection to the consoles.
FoH operator saves to USB stick A inserted in FoH SQ6
FoH operator removes USB stick A from SQ6 and inserts into some other device
FoH operator uses the other device to copy relevant file from USB stick A to network location
Stream operator inserts USB stick B into some other device
Stream operator copies file from network location to USB stick B
Stream operator removes USB stick B from other device and inserts in stream SQ6
Stream operator loads scene
Is that it? I guess that would work but would require coordination between the operators. I might see if I can get my MixPad approach working first, because that can be driven solely by the stream operator.
Not really, because this also requires coordination.
Because to pull a show from the FOH console, the device must be set to sync mode at the right moment.
Since the original question regarded sharing audio between the consoles, I think it is safe to assume they are on the same network.
If you have a separate control network connection both consoles are connected to, that’s fine. Otherwise you could look into the “control network bridge” in the IO port menu.
Going either way you can connect a device running mixpad to the control net and push/pull
shows between the consoles and the local disk on the mixpad device (earlier comments about coordination and sync mode still apply).
I think (Not able to verify at the moment) sync mode might not be necessary for transferring single scenes or library items to/from mixpad.
Please verify your options.
To the best of my knowledge, MixPad functions only as a remote control in online mode and does not allow data transfer between the console and the controlling device.
(And in offline mode, I’m only familiar with Pull/Push Show.)
