I’d like explain my view on the SQ-SB/PAC.
What is main thing for every musician? Does not matter it a symphonic orchestra or small amateur’s group 2…5 persons. Of course – quality of sound!
The best quality of sound is analog. But today we need many addons to analog sound to make modern sound: compressors, dynamic EQ, echo, delay, and other FX-devices. And they are from metal and are very heavy – but we (small groups) need a portability and light weight… That is reason why we need a digital mixer.
But a digital mixer on DSP chips with 24 bit / 48 kHz has not a good quality of sound (comparing to analog sound) because:
– By processing on 24/48 some coloration (overtones) of sound is lost;
– By DSP-chips processing a phase of signals is not coherent on input and output of mixer – it is loss of clarity, non-musical distortions, muddy sound;
A mixer on FPGA-chip 24/96 kHz has more precise and amenity by AD/DA conversions and processing of sound:
– 24/96 kHz has smaller latency;
– Phase coherent (all mixers with FPGA-chip inside are phase coherent devices = dLive, Avantis, SQ-serie);
– More overtones are living in sound.
About quantity of inputs/outputs
For small groups 16 physical inputs and 8 outputs will be enough in many situations. Architecture FPGA with 32 channels inside will allow to make parallel processing of channels in some reasons. Slink – allow to add more inputs/outputs if it will be needed by additional one or two stage boxes.
About “faderless controlling”.
Today every musician has a gadget – Android, Apple, Windows are platforms for control application for the faderless mixer. And the gadget technology leaps forward very quick. I think, it is no sense to install a gadget inside of the mixer – it will be non-modern in short time. Wi-Fi router and Touchscreen has to be non-installed in the mixer.
About cards.
Yes, of course. Dante, Waves…. It is a future. The less AD/DA conversions of a sound then better for the sound.
Footswitch – yes, of course. Not a lot of small groups has a sound’s engineer/operator and footswitch will be very useful in many reasons: rever-delay on/off, mute a group, change a scene for next one.
So, short to say – for me an optimal construction of digital mixer would be – “cut off” of all faders and buttons from SQ-5.
