Virtual Soundcheck with Qu24 and SQ5?

[drc_onlineParticipant]

Hi again folks,
In the scenario I described in a previous post (Qu24 as stagebox/monitor desk for SQ5 doing FOH using tielines on SLink) I’m now pondering how best to do virtual soundcheck playback?
The system is in a high school so keen to get the students practicing their mixing chops on virtual soundcheck recordings.

I will have 24 channels going into the Qu24 which I can obviously record with QU-DRIVE to SSD.
However I will have another 16 channels

only

going to the SQ5 via an AR2412 on the second SLink port (for sources that don’t need/want to be in the monitor wedges) and of course I can’t record those on the Qu24.
I could record 32 channels on the SQ5 using SQ-DRIVE, some of which could include the channels being sent from the Qu24 on tielines, but on playback those will only hit the main FOH PA, not the monitor wedges.
So, assuming that there’s no way to synchronise Qu-DRIVE and SQ-DRIVE recording/playback between the two desks, am I stuck with having FOH only virtual soundcheck or having monitor wedge only virtual soundcheck but not both at the same time?
Thanks
Dave

[TobiParticipant]

That is really a tough one…

My feeling is: complicated. First of all you need “a single point of record”. So for example, use a Waves or Dante Card on SQ to record all channels which are relevant for virtual soundcheck (if they are not more than 32 you could of course use SQ-Drive).

Then you have all channels in a recording you need at FOH for soundcheck. If you also need to check the “monitors virtually”, you have to reverse the Tie Lines and send back the recordings to Qu.

Best Regards,
Tobias

[BrianParticipant]

If I understand the issue, you have 40 channels split between the SQ and QU with no way to multitrack record all of them on one device for virtual soundcheck playback….

If this is the case, I would choose the most important 32 channels and record those. Obviously this means that every input won’t be available for virtual sound check, but inputs like crowd mics, MC or pulpit mics, music/video playback, etc, don’t really need to be recorded and are probably part of your 40 input count. Especially since it sounds like you really want to utilize virtual sound check for a learning experience where students can practice their mixing abilities, 32 channels should be plenty to accomplish this task. You’ll just need to route channels to/from the SQ using tielines (as you already do for “live” inputs) for recording/playback purposes on the SQ. However once the 32 channels have their sources (preamps) substituted for the multitrack playback, all the other routing should work normally. Virtual playback sound should come out of monitors and FOH speaker systems like normall if everything is routed correctly.

The other option is to purchase as Dante or Waves Sound Grid card or bridge device and multitrack record using those systems. Of course that is a big expense and all of those devices are virtually impossible to find currently, so I think you are stuck with the first option for now.

[TobiParticipant]

Hi Brian,
I made that mistake too… he cant use Dante, because he has installed an additional SLINK-Card… So virtual Soundcheck will only be possible with 32 Channels via USB. But I like the idea of only use “most important stuff” in recording. Those “most important tracks” could then be send back via tie lines to QU.

Best Regards,
Tobias

[drc_onlineParticipant]

Thanks chaps.
I think I will do what you suggest and prioritise the most useful 32 channels to record in the SQ5.
I may also record the 24 channels in the Qu independently (with some overlap) so the monitor mixer trainees have something to work from too just not at the same time.
Cheers
Dave

[drc_onlineParticipant]

One final follow up question on this topic – if I record on the Qu can I assume that when I flip the inputs into USB (Qu-drive) mode that those Qu-drive sources will also play out the ‘monitor’ digital tielines to the SQ via the Slink connection?

So I should be able to at least virtual soundcheck the 24 channels recorded in the Qu at both desks, right?
Thanks
Dave

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