So many really good and useful suggestions so far

[Anonymous]

It’s just as a wrote: mix sends on custom layer.
For example: ch1’s send to mix3 in custom layer slot 1. If ch1 is a base drum and mix3 is the aux for its dedicated sub then you don’t have to leave he custom layer to change the level of the base drum. Standard functionality in the Soundcraft Expression, for example.

[Dick Rees]

OK, I understand what you want… but not why you want it. Individual levels in individual mixes are not a tier one priority for me and I venture for most live sound mixers. I use the custom layers for things which need adjusting in the live mix. Anything for onstage individual mixes would be second tier and as such can be accessed fine as is.

Placing control of what should be a pre-fader send in with active post fader sends turns on a red light for me. Too easy to inadvertently change the mix ratio by accident. I am not one to spend a lot of time actively mixing monitors when mixing a show. If you are doing just monitors, then yes, your primary duty is to keep the levels adjusted for the players. But if doing both FOH and monitors I want the controls/tasks to be separate.

[MarkPAman]

So GH, are you saying fader one controls channel one (the kick) to mix 3, fader 2 could be channel 4 (bass) to mix 7/8 (Drummer’s in ears) at the same time? What if I then want to send more kick to the Drummer’s monitor on mix 7/8 – do I then have to leave the custom layer for that?

Sounds like it could get very confusing very quickly to me. Does the Soundcraft really do that? I’ve never seen it set up that way and a quick look at their manual can’t find it. But I could be missing something.

If you are on the custom layer, you just press the mix 3 button on the right to get access to the level for that from all the (relevant) channels in the custom layer. So you don’t leave the custom layer.

What some desks (including the Soundcraft one) do, is have a mode where all the mix sends of any single channel are shown (and controlled) by the faders. So, on a Qu, we may have EX1 & 2 on the first 2 faders, mix 1-4 & 5/6 – 9/10 on 3 through 9, then groups & matrix (for the larger desks) beyond this. This is a nice feature, which I’d like to see, but I’m not sure how it could be implemented well without a dedicated button and LED indication – nothing worse than finding you’re not in the mode/layer you thought you were!

[Anonymous]

You are right, one doesn’t have to leave the custom layer but to change the mix. I see it would get confusing because having faders of mix3 when LR or another mix could be selected.
I’ll re-check that it can be done with the SiEx, unfortunately I don’t have it here anymore.
Thx for your thoughts!

[Anonymous]

Dick you didn’t get it. Thx anyway 🙂

[JohnnyD]

24 display of pan/balance values in the Qu’s screen

I am a bit puzzled by this – You can see pans in the routing screen.

[Dick Rees]

If I’m not getting it, please explain what it is that I’m missing rather than just dismissing it.

I don’t understand what needs to be added that isn’t available with one “click” in the existing configuration.

Please explain.

[mervaka]

Another thought: if you were talking about having every channel/bus crosspoint available on custom strip, that would be at worst an extra 39*18=702 extra items in each strip selector. I don’t want that, thanks.

[Anonymous]

Ok, Dick. I just didn’t think it was worth it.

This is what I meant: You are working on FOH. You have Left, Right, and one or more Subs you don’t want (for any reason) to be fed by LR. You want to send whole instruments to those subs, like bass or bass drum, or cajon (please let’s do not discus if this is a good configuration, that’s not the point), and you want to feed those subs from one or more mixes. In such a case it would be nice to be able to have all controls you need for FOH on sight, all on the faders in front of you (in case the mixer has enough faders for the setup). For that, a “send-faders on custom layer” functionality would be needed, since you have to move a send fader to make the base drum louder, for example, since it’s on a mix. That way you wouldn’t have to change any view since you’d have a view on the faders that represent the whole FOH.
It would be the same situation if the Qu had a center bus. What is needed for this is either the flexibility (and possible confusion) of “sends on custom layer” or a whole new custom master that can route to all mixes including LR, but the latter is of course not possible.

You know what I mean now?

Now: why do I need it? Because I’m mostly mixing from stage while playing. Then it’s A LOT more to think about if you first have to select the right mix. Mixing without playing, yes, sure, easy. Just select the right mix first.

[mervaka]

Do you not run your aux fed subs post-fade?

[Anonymous]

“Another thought: if you were talking about having every channel/bus crosspoint available on custom strip, that would be at worst an extra 39*18=702 extra items in each strip selector. I don’t want that, thanks.”

You’re welcome. But that could be easily solved by implementing a proper selection sub-screen in the form of a matrix. Would be good even without the “sends on custom layer”.

[Anonymous]

“I am a bit puzzled by this – You can see pans in the routing screen.”

The suggestion is about seeing pan values not pans. There are no pan values (a number is a value, for example) in those screens.

[Anonymous]

“Do you not run your aux fed subs post-fade?”

No, the instruments should be potentially routeable to LR too.

[Anonymous]

But that would be indeed a good idea. I could split the correspoding channels and use one split for a sub (post fade), the other one (if needed) to LR and have both on the custom layer (if both needed). Only problem is the needed channel count gets higher and I need split cables because there is no digital splitting in the Qu…

[Dick Rees]

Thanks for the details. It helps to know the particulars, especially pre-fader aux-fed subs mixed from stage. Not sure that there would be a lot of folks in that position, but that’s your choice. If the Soundcraft indeed has that feature set, I would recommend it if you absolutely are set on exactly what you describe as your situation.

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