Studiocentric Feature Requests (Your Are Missing A Market)

[JohnParticipant]

I have found the SQ to be equally fantastic and frustrating in my first three months, and while I am looking forward to Firmware 1.4, I still think we have a bit of a neglected market with the SQ.

At the price point, it is positioned optimally to be THE mid sized project studio desk. However, the following not being in place, make it fall VERY short of its potential:

– MIDI output for normal strips (Not MIDI mode). On a Yamaha DM or 01/02, you can record MIDI events from fader/pan etc so that you can record and edit dynamic desk automation via a DAW. When I purchased the SQ, I assumed this would be coming given the MIDI description, however I am still not seeing this brought up. A huge oversight IMO.

– Studio PAFL functions including AT LEAST monitor controller style switching (PAFL follows quick monitor mute/unmute of outputs dedicated as control room). This would likely require an update to the routing menu.

– DAW Control MIDI Strip names AND Colour. I THINK this is coming in 1.4? Absolutely insane that full MCU and HUI spec was not implemented from the start.

I would love to have, but do not expect it will happen:

– Dynamic SRC via the USB driver in ASIO/Core Audio. Locking to 96K is very alienating for users who need to work in lower SR due to hardware constraints of their DAW hardware or otherwise.

Other nitpicks such as EQ/Dynamics display following the hardware appear to be coming? That will be fantastic as well.

In essence, I think with these additions, and a tiny marketing move, this desk could effectively capture the studio market extremely well.

[robashardParticipant]

Well the PAFL functions are pretty good now aren’t they?

Rob

[JohnParticipant]

Monitor controller style, assign a soft button to mute/unmute a pair of monitors/subs with PAFL sent to all Control Room designated outputs.

There are other nitpicky features I would like, but this would save a seperate monitor controller with the SQ which would be nice.

[JohnParticipant]

* multiple pairs.

[MaxdrumsParticipant]

+1

[jduggerParticipant]

A software “master section” would be a huge perk. Monitor control, basic control room features.

I agree the SQ-Series is a great desk for a project room, and isn’t far from being quite perfect in the role.

For me, the two “glaring” omissions are:

1. A software master section

2. The lack of robust/elegant DAW control (something akin to EuCon or other competitively rich/functional protocol, please!)

[JohnParticipant]

Agreed, but I would settle for actual MCU integration with the EQ/Channel strip encoders unlocked for CC controllers in MCU and channel strips that populate– and colour for a real bonus LOL

MCU Inegration has been out for ages (15 years), not providing the full scope on the SQ is just weak.

[jduggerParticipant]

So let me add to this list, with some priorities based on how much I believe they will appeal to addressable market.

1. Studio/Control Room master section. Basic volume control for multiple monitors, use existing output channels and dedicate them to the purpose. Allow assigning of soft knobs for tasks, and perhaps even use one of the layers for smaller boards like the SQ-5.

2. Robust DAW integration. Something truly functional, along the lines of the Avid Artist, Pro Control, Mackie, etc. type solutions with really elegant use of fader banks, scribble strips, built-in EQ and Comp, as well as possible plug-in management. Supporting fader automation and mute writes and reads is essential.

3. On-line editor. This is something akin to a combination of the Off-Line editor, SQ-MixPad and perhaps SQ4You at the same time, all rolled into a nice PC/Mac program. Something like what Aardvark supplies with the Orion 32 product (but, uh, so *not* like that thing, please!).

4. An SQ plugin. Longer term thing, but something that let’s me use SQ processing from the DAW as a channel insert easily. It would make the Deep plugins a much more appealing purchase.

[evankiljoyParticipant]

+1 The SQ6 is looking like a perfect studio console/IO for me.

Finger crossed for control room options (I was just going to have it patched to my Antelope Satori) and much better DAW control… along with more preamp/EQ/compressor DEEP plugin models to choose from.

[dcarmichParticipant]

I’ve been evaluating an SQ for my personal studio (my workflow “straddles the fence” between studio and live) and have been able to control functions in a DAW from the SoftKeys using Bome’s MIDI Translator to convert a Program Change or Note On message into a keystroke.

While this does not give full DAW control capability from the SQ, it opens up the capability to control many more functions from the SoftKeys/SoftRotaries on the console.

In this file, I’m controlling showing and hiding the three main windows (Edit/Mix/Browse) as well as toggling automation touch/read mode.

[dcarmichParticipant]

Here’s an image of the translations themselves.

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[MaxdrumsParticipant]

+1 More Studio features and implementation

[Anonymous]

+1 More Studio features

[RichParticipant]

This seems like the right place for this. Since panning isn’t included (although when a channel is assigned a midi fader, I’m assuming the hardware pan rotary is not sending any data) The Mackie control, x-touch and a number of other mackie protocol units do panning right out of the box, can we have the ability to bank the soft rotaries midi assignments? I can set up a soft rotary to handle panning and any other rotary duties on a particular channel in the Daw, but that gives me a max of 4 (on the sq-6). If we could set a soft key to “bank” the rotaries, I could set, saying 4 groups of four with increasing cc values to control 16 channels of pan (or whatever other midi ccs I wanted to program). It’s not as elegant as selecting the midi channel and twisting the pan knob, but it seems like it would be much more doable with the software as written.

Definitely enjoy using this for the studio, the more we can add for this the better.

[Author]

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