[EuropeParticipant]

@KeithJ_A&H – let me whole heartedly agree with what @Carl_N says about the superb features and value of the SQ, and please forgive me as I don’t understand the complexities of programming the firmware for a console like this ( or indeed any digital console ), but it may be a ‘quick fix’ to allow an option for the meter and PFL point to be moved to between the delay and AMM blocks, and / or just pre the delay block, this would give you level and PFL at a much better point for use of the AMM.
Thanks.

[EuropeParticipant]

👏👏

[EuropeParticipant]

You can stripe / record timecode on any two devices and they will be in sync enough for most shoots, just feed timecode to both devices as an audio track. So you can use the SQ drive to record multitrack for video, but it won’t be sample accurate as the OP asked ( and most shoots don’t require sample accurate sync so it’s not a problem ), but if you do require sample accurate sync over long periods then you need to lock wordclock and timecode to the same refererence ( Rosendahl NanosyncHD is your friend for this ), and you need someway to sync a console to the external wordclock ( Avantis has a wordclock input for example, but the SQ needs an option card to enable this through Dante or MADI ).

In TV there are lots of potential clock sources ( video sync, timecode, wordclock ) and in a TV studio these are all referenced to one master so they don’t drift between each other, but on shoots it’s rare to have a master clock source and people use devices like Tentacle Syncs to have a common timecode reference, but this doesn’t tie all the sync sources ( video sync, timecode, wordclock ) together, it just provides a ‘good enough’ reference for each department to be running from the same time.

[EuropeParticipant]

Recordings synced with a clap or similar will drift over the time period the OP mentions. So a clap will be correct at that time point but timecode and wordclock will drift apart ( and upset your video edit house ), hence locking both together is the best way to ensure there’s no drift, this needs to be as the OP mentions – T/C frame 1 is synced with W/C sample 1. A&H have a news article on it from a well respected sound supervisor here: https://www.allen-heath.com/allen-heaths-sq-scores-big-tv-pub-quiz/ he uses a Ferrofish A32D to sync the Dante to a Rosendahl Nanosync, and the desk to the Dante clock of the Ferrofish.

[EuropeParticipant]

Your options are limited for accurate w/c sync to timecode without an optional card.

A MADI Card ( or Dante card with a RME Digiface Dante ) with a Rosendahl Nanosync enables you to do this.

If you don’t need multitrack then recording on the same recorder as the video is the easy option.

If you need more than 2 tracks you could embed 4 or 8 channels of audio in the SDI stream using the little BlackMagic Audio to SDI boxes.

[EuropeParticipant]

A work around ( using a Dante Card ) is to use two channels that are daisychained, so mic is fed into channel 1, then post fade direct out is routed to a Dante output which is looped back into channel 16 which has the AMM inserted, gives you the ability to have the PFL and meters where they should be in the signal path ( also the added bonus of two inset points if needed ). It’s not ideal but does work better than not being able to use the AMM at all in it’s current position.

I do find the AMM a bit chattery in quiet moments, not quite as good as a Dugan, but for the cost of the console it’s an incredible piece of kit.

I’m sure A&H will be looking at options for the AMM position but I suspect the DSP to move the AMM is more complicated than it would be in the analogue world. I often find what I would consider simple suggestions are often met with horror by programmers, as they understand the DSP implications of my ‘simple’ suggestion!

[EuropeParticipant]

Really interesting set up, a few questions:
– I have no experience with UAD but I’m looking at options and I wonder would the UAD Live Rack and a MADI card offer a lower latency? ( Although costing more than the console! )
– How easy is it to get the touch screen to work with the MAC? Is it a Dell P2418HT? Any special drivers needed?
Thanks.

[EuropeParticipant]

Would be useful to have ‘gain’ control of the receiver also, as the Yamaha’s do. Not sure if you get that on D-Live also?

[EuropeParticipant]

Doesn’t change the meter point though…..if a channel is assigned to an AMM there is no way of metering it.

[EuropeParticipant]

The AMM should always be post fade, and PFL should ideally be just pre-fade so you can hear what you are about to make live. The last pre-fade pick point is pre-compressor, so although it’s not too bad having it pre-compressor, it seems an odd move not to have a PFL pick point just pre fade. I know A&H will have thought about it long and hard so there will be a reason.

The metering issue is not solved in follow fader mode, as the meter pick point is post AMM gain block ( this is one of the many reasons why it’s imperative for the AMM to be post fade ( not just keyed post fade ) ), so currently you can never see the level of the channel, as @audiobo says, once the AMM on another channel is open.

[EuropeParticipant]

It’s odd how A&H resolutely refuse to address both the PFL and meter issues with the AMM.

Fundamentally it’s in the wrong place in the signal chain…it should be post fade.

[EuropeParticipant]

Wonder if they will move the AMM to be post fade…that would make it a useable console for broadcast and corporate……plus the meters and PFL would function as they should then.

[EuropeParticipant]

Hi,

The major problem is that PFL doesn’t even work, so when the AMM is in and someone else is talking / fader open you can’t PFL any other channel as it’s ‘muted’ by the AMM.

Another issue with it being post fade is in the following scenario:
– 8 x lavalier radio mics
– 2 x hand held radio mics.
All presenters have done their presentations and you get to a Q&A with 2 x presenters on lavaliers and 2 x hand helds, some of the other presenters are in the audience, one has left the room to take a comfort break, and one has left the room to call his wife. The Q&A is proceeding and one of the presenters in the room starts to contribute – you have no idea who this is as the meters show nothing and you can’t PFL anything. You can’t bring all the mics up as there are people not in the room.

Both the above issues make the AMM unusable in its current state.

It urgently needs resolving.

Thanks.

[EuropeParticipant]

Thanks Alex for your reply, much appreicated

Its the metering that is in the wrong place not the AMM, it sadly makes the AMM all but useless for a lot of conference applications, and really is quite a bad error, so it would be great if it could be looked at.

Thanks.

[Author]

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