Flaws in Solo design – not enough layers

[Si5Bellies]

I have been saying this since the launch that on input channel counts above 24 channels this desk is not workable and the reason why we won’t be purchasing any for the time being.

We run the 2 screen Avantis with SQ series as well.

On channel counts higher than 24 and certainly above 36 which we can get on festival events you quickly start running out of space for any sort of custom layers on our 2 screen Avantis.

So why is there no option to access more layers through assigning them to soft keys on the Solo?

At the PLASA event in the UK last week I asked our UK distributor of A&H why this is and what are the issues. They explained that the screen on the Solo is the right hand screen on a normal Avantis. They weren’t sure why this could not be done but would ask the question.

The UK distributor also said that the Solo is focussed on the smaller conference / music / install market. Great but why would you purchase one above a SQ which has more inbuilt channels just a smaller touchscreen at half the cost?

Interestingly I also talked to a national reseller at PLASA who have said that they have sold 1 Solo since the launch and it has increased the sales of the OG 2 screen version. Which obviously highlights the fact the Solo is literally half the use of the 2 screen bigger brother.

We would like to uniform our current set up using Solo’s with our existing stock of GX and DX expanders for smaller events and in monitor land but there is no way we can justify the additional cost due to this flaw and will stick with them for FOH and SQ for smaller and monitors.

[SteffenR]

What a stupid statement…
Many complained about the size of the Avantis and needed a smaller version, and now it is too small?

You can use DCA Spill to organize your channels as an additional layout option.
No need to have all available channels permanently assigned on the surface.

Great but why would you purchase one above a SQ which has more inbuilt channels just a smaller touchscreen at half the cost?

There are some features not available on the SQ, like Dyn8, network expansion cards from the dLive, customizable bus architecture (more matrix), RF device integration…

[Si5Bellies]

Stupid is not reading my post correctly.

The desk isn’t too small, it’s UX is massively hindered by the lack of layers. In ‘real’ world applications DCA spills don’t always give the best workflow on larger channel counts.

A&H claim the Solo has the same engine and features in a smaller 1 screen solution. Until the unit offers additional layers it doesn’t offer the same UX as the larger one. Believe me we run the 2 screen avantis in our production company on lots of different types of e ents so I’m speaking from experience.

[Thad]

A&H have already responded to this concern/complaint here: https://community.allen-heath.com/forums/topic/avantis-solo

You can use filtered scenes to have multiple different strip layouts, so by dedicating one or two soft keys to specific scene recall you can double the number of strip layouts that are available. For example, you could create a “Bank 1” scene and a “Bank 2” scene to mimic the two banks of faders on the original Avantis.

[Brian]

So why is there no option to access more layers through assigning them to soft keys on the Solo?

Effectively you have this capacity right now. It’s just that you need to create/save a scene that will load a different set of layers and use the scene recall filters to block everything except the layers. You can “load” this scene with a dedicated softkey which will give you the exact functionality that you seek, even if it is more of a “work around” than perhaps it needs to be. You’ll also need to create another scene to “return” back to the original layers. By using this method you can add as many “banks” of layers as you have softkeys (and scene slots) available. You should also use the recall filter to block layer changes on other scenes to ensure that loading another scene doesn’t change the layers being shown unless you specifically load a “bank” scene to change them.

Now granted, it is a work around and it is a little inconvenient to set up. You’ll also have to “save” the appropriate scene anytime you want to make a change to the layer design. All that being said, it works very well once it is set up properly.

[DeadApe]

I agree that with anything beyond 24 input channels you start compromising and I also agree that a soft key for switching between a layer bank 1 and 2 (or whatever you wanna to call it) would surely solve that issue, at least for my workflows. It would also bring showfile compatibility between Avantis and Avantis Solo.

The problem isn’t that you can’t work around this limitation. Of course you can use scenes or DCA spills or you could even reduce the amount of channel faders assigned in these situations. However, I’d prefer a solution over a workaround, because workarounds come with other downsides.

Additionally, calling a discussion about potential software improvements “stupid” because you just live with the downsides of a workaround (or, as the profile description states, don’t even own the product that’s being discussed) seems to be fairly harsh and, frankly, disrespectful.

[Author]

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