USB Multitrack Recording issue

[Vali]

Hi.
I want to make a multitracking record but I encounter an issue, and IMO is a big issue. I hope is not mixer’s “fault” but I don’t see my mistake here.
So, I have the following patches in I/O:

The question is WHY I have 16 tracks with the same size in Multitrack recording folder on my storage device, if I patched only some of them?
Why the mixer create those empty wave files, but it allocates memory on disk?!

Thanks

[volounteer]

@Vali

That is just the way it is. It records all 16 even if you only chose a few of them.

[Vali]

@volounteer:
This is an issue, in my opinion! Why do you record a slot that has not an assignment to it?
This is a space consuming issue!

More then that tracks 1 & 2 cannot be recorded in my case, because they are assigned to USB Player, which cannot play when I am in Multitrack screen 🙂
Bellow that, let’s calculate:
I have a recorded MTR folder which has exactly 77 MB with 16 tracks of 17 seconds recorded. Each track has 4.81 MB. I have assigned only 9 tracks (+2 from USB, so 11 trks).
That means I have consumed in 17 seconds 4.81 MB x 5 = apr. 24 MB in vain. In only 17 second.

It’s a lost of space here! Really!
Nobody has complained about this issue in these years?

Regards,
Vali

[volounteer]

@Vali

You will have to ask AH why they did it.

I suspect it was easier to get the code written by the deadline if they did not give you the options of recording specific channels and ignoring the rest. As with most decisions it was a business decision they thought would help them more than it hurt them.

I suspect some people complained but now most of us are worn down and just accept AH’s quirks instead of tilting windmills.
If something is truly bad I might speak up but even then I expect AH to ignore me unless it is a provable fault with their device. In that case they will say to open a trouble ticket. At least they do address those. So overall happy but not super thrilled with AH.

[Vali]

@volounteer, I bought my mixer a week ago, so I’m really very happy. I have to decide between M32, TF1 and SQ5. And it was definitely SQ5, because of new technology, because of add-ons, because of touch screen. And I found after I bought it, that it is 90% easier than X32 (which I had it 2 years ago). I did not found so much things bad to it till now, and I have made some settings. Of course, I’m not at that level of an studio engineer, or to work with Dante, S-Link or multiple extensible connections like a pro, because I’m not one of them 😀 I have only a little band here in Romania and I want something else, in sound I mean, because there are a lot of Dynacord analog mixers here, and I am disgust of that sound 🙁
SQ5, till now is exactly what I want.
But I found this “little” issue, and I wanted to ask here, to know if is something I did wrong or it is like this only!

Cheers!

[volounteer]

@Vali

It is what it is.

I would try recording to a DAW that gave me more control over how many channels to record at once.

The church I am in now bought our Qu32. I would have gone with the M32 until I researched everything that is available now as I had some familarity with Behringer from my previous church although that was a much smaller analog system a member who was a dJ gave to the church to use.

From what I see they all have some nice features and all have something that some people do not like or perhaps do not have that at all. It is a compromise. Our AH does the job we need to do. And has more than most of the volounteers can handle if they had to make significant changes to the set up.

[L]

I think you could move the usb L/R To 47-48 that that should open up 1 and 2. hope this helps.

[Søren Steinmetz]

Just a thought here

You want to make a multitrack recording, but the pics shown are your patch FROM USB to the console, not from console to USB.

[Vali]

Just a thought here

You want to make a multitrack recording, but the pics shown are your patch FROM USB to the console, not from console to USB.

Could you show me how to do it please?
Thanks.

[Søren Steinmetz]

On the left side in your first picture, you have the INPUTS highlighted.
Press below where it says OUTPUTS, and then choose USB again.

That should give you the patch for sending to the USB.

[Mfk0815]

You can route either the Ip direct out to the USB out or use Tielines for routing your physical inputs (where instruments and Microphones are connected) to the USB out. But do not forget to switch to USB B on the USB out tab, the button on the left top corner of the routing matriy should show ‘USB B’ rather than ‘SQ-Drive’.
see https://www.allen-heath.com/media/SQ_ReferenceGuide_V1_4_0.pdf Chapter 6 (page 17..20) for a detailed description. On the X32 you have similar concepots, the names are different and there you can use the blocks of eight to define the routings. (something which makes it more inflexible but really fast for the standard routing tasks).

[Vali]

Thanks guys.

I did as Soren said and yes, only those outputs are shown when rec is armed. The only problem remains gap tracks which are stored in SQDrive and take memory.

[Søren Steinmetz]

The recording of 16 tracks despite not all being selected:

If I remember correct, it is done to ensure stable clocking/sync between the tracks, due to the USB transfer speed.

[volounteer]

@Søren Steinmetz

That sounds like it could be the reason.
Where did you read that?
I do not recall it in the AH documents.

[Søren Steinmetz]

That is the problem, I can not remember where I learned it.

I think it was at a local presentation of the SQ series, shortly before I ordered my own.

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