[Mfk0815Participant]

I prefer post PEQ as tap point for monitor mixes. This helps me to provide the corrected signal to the monitors. Post-Compressor is not so good,since this can increase the risk of feedback on the monitors.
Sometimes I use the same singal source for more than one channel. E.g. to use different EQing when the saxophone player is using tenor, soprano and/or clarinet with the same microphone. To adjust the level of these channels to each other the digital trim of the channels is helpful because the analog gain of the input socket is always the same.

[Mfk0815Participant]

The biggest Disadvantage of a HTML based remote control is that you cannot use hardware controller with such an “app”. The second is that the “app” relies not only on the mixer itself but also on the current version of the browser. Building a portable HTML user interface which works with a wide range of operating systems and browsers is far more complicated that build several native remote control apps.

[Mfk0815Participant]

Do not compare the potential SQ-SB with the QU-SB. The QU-SB is more or less a toy compared to what the X32 Rack offers. That should be the device to act as a blue print for a SQ-SB design.
For me A&H should not only pack the IO and processing of the SQ5 into a rackmountable housing without physical controls. A&H should furthermore extend the possibilities with some of the features of the X32.

[Mfk0815Participant]

In my opinion it makes not that much sense to just pack the Mix engine and the IO of the SQ5 into a stagebox like housing, or in other words, just build a SQ variation of the QU-SB.
The most successfull rackmount digital mixer, the X32, has several benefits compared to the A&H world.
1) it can be used as Mixer and/or as Stagebox given the Main mixer the opportunity to control the preamps of the X32 Rack. even HA split is available, unfortunatly without gain tracking.
2) the connectivity with two AES50 ports allows to connect the X32 to stageboxes or other mixers simultaneously. IN the SQ world there should be two build in SLink ports. this allows the operators to build up complex systems without loosing the expansion card
3) the extra ultranet port is designed to connect the personal monitoring system of Behringer without loosing the other ports. But you can also use the AES50 port to connect the Midas DP48 personal monitoring devices. all of those connection protocolls allows to be freely daisychained, something i miss on the most Slink-enabled protocols
4) there is a big amount of control software for a lot of operating systems. Wehn the X32 rack was introduced even the tablet based apps were enhanced to control the most aspects of the mixer, the desktop/laptop application was enhanced to control everything of the mixer.
5) there are several possibilities to enhance the system with hardware controller, MIDI based or network based (the X-Touch). even the remote apps are enabled to be controlled with MCU or HUI based controllers.
6) You can use the X32 Rack even as a loudspeaker management system because it has the right filter types on the matrix busses.

All these mentioned features makes the X32 Rack a very valuable tool for sound work. Imagine what would be when A&H to take over that features for a rack mount SQ with the IO of a DX stagebox. Imho that will be a possible game changer for A&H because it would be the best argument to pack the SQ-SB into a Inear rack for several bands or at a HOW-installation….. You can extend the system with DX stageboxes AND connect the simultaneously to the FOH console (e.g an SQ6 or SQ7). The inear mix might be controlled via a remote app, or connect the ME-systems, again simultaneously to the SQ-SB. In the case the FOH mixer is broken or there is no space for the FOH mixer you can do the job on the SQ-SB.

Or use it in your studio, where you do not need that tactile control of but a lot of preamps without wasting studio space. the monitor mix is again possible via ME or tablets.
Or, or, or

So in my opinion the SQ-Sb is far away from being pointless.

[Mfk0815Participant]

When working with a DAW on Windows you should use the ASIO driver model instead of WDM. This will give you the opportunity to record all of your 24 channels simultaneously.
But youshouldbe aware that, in the case you think about it, Audacity is not a real DAW and do not support ASIO. I am using Reaper, it is inexpensive and really powerful, with success.

[Mfk0815Participant]

I know that you need the manufacturer to think for you

Do you ever heard something about „intuitive design“? Or something about a design build to prevent mistakes? Or the concept KISS? Hmm

and it is reality that not all line sources in conference systems are in perfect balance…

I know it can happen. But is that the rule or the exception? If it is for you the rule you might have to focus on a way to fix those imbalanced stereo sources. Fix the root cause and do not propagate a workaround as the right remedy.
And as far as I know the common type of sources in conferences are mono, aren‘t they?

and btw we already had a discussion about that back in the iLive days…

Hmm, that could mean that A&H is somehow resistent for advice. But since I am no user of iLive systems i have to apologize that I do not know this discussion.

[Mfk0815Participant]

My fault, I did not mean when you start working at an initialized console, I mean when someone is not as experienced as you working with A&H digital consoles.
Frankly spoken, I think that there was no big plan behind the behavior of the console as we discuss here, the is no well thought design which was realized here. It just happens as it is. When you try to give it a meaning, that is a nice try but imho far away from reality. I would prefer to have a solution which fits the most possible use case, a proper gain balanced stereo source. But since then I will continue to avoid stereo channels whenever except for the stereo sources coming from my playback device. The rest I handle with ganging.

[Mfk0815Participant]

Have you switched from SQ Drive to USB B output as described in the reference manual?

[Mfk0815Participant]

so if I would use a preamp on a mono strip and on a stereo strip this would mess up my settings

Hmm, I think if you use the same preamp for a mono and a stereo strip you have already a messy setup 😉

Sometimes I have a stereo pair but want a gain offset between them

I you have to deal with that situation on a regular basis you have imho a serious problem with the source setup. In my experience stereo signals do not have significant gain offsets.
The question is for me what is the most regular use case and how this use case can be handled by the console the easiest way. There is always the workaround using a mono channel to adjust one gain separately from the other. But this can only be a dirty trick, not the usual way how to fix accidental created gain offsets by switching a mono channel to a stereo channel. This offset is nothing you would expect when you start to work with the console. Again one thing you have to learn the hard way on A&H consoles.

[Mfk0815Participant]

the simple answer is: no.

[Mfk0815Participant]

There is a difference between stereo channels, configured via the global Show configuration, and channels linked via ganging.
Stereo channels are using stereo processing, so there is a stereo compressor with only one set of parameters for that stereo channel. The gain reduction will be based on both inputs but be applied also on both input signals.
This will be also be the case when you use ganging and link also the compressors (in fact you can only link blocks of parameters, not only a single parameter like ratio or threshold).
And that behavior makes imho the most sense. If the compressor of each side of the stereo signal acts independent from the other side you will get an unsteady sounding result.

[Mfk0815Participant]

I don‘t want to discuss your world of live sound reinforcement versus my world of it. So, let us end here. You have your opinion and I have mine. Thats ok for me.
We will see whether there will be an expander available on the SQ in future. If it happens, you have to be careful. Otherwise you will accidently use it.

[Mfk0815Participant]

Hmm, I think we talk about complete different use cases. But thats ok, in my use case with close miking, no distant stereo microphones, decca trees and stuff like that, the search of more gain before feedback, instruments with different levels and similar there an expander is essential. So, if you do not need expanders, fine for you. But there are others out there, like me, with other needs. Hopefully you can respect that needs of others.

[Mfk0815Participant]

If expansion processing is an essential element in live SR why did the #1 brand for live SR choose to not include it in their initial SQ line or as an optional purchase like the 5 comp Package?

That‘s a very good question, expanders are a common tool in live sound work to make a clean mix, something which cannot be done with a gate, the gate is a wrecking ball but the expander is a precise scalpell on the other hand. And expanders are available on so many consoles for decades.
When you are doing a lot of acoustic SR, expanders will help you to clean the sound from unwanted bleeds right before the rest of the processing. And most of that signals have a lot of dynamic range, thats the reason why gates a worthless here. And when you work with compressors without using expanders before, the compressor will amplify the dirty bleed as well.
So, my answer to your question is „I have no idea, why A&H missed to implement expanders from the very beginning“. maybe they do it to be somehow different, but makes this explanation more sense?

[Mfk0815Participant]

@Hugh

It is my opinion the SQ5 does not need any substantial revisions

Here I have to disagree. An expander is not an extra bell and whistle, it is a must have in live sound processing nowadays. I do not need extra super tooper premium preamps in live environments but I need a well filled toolbox to handle issues in sound processing. Of course, the SQ is not a console for high level festival usage, even orchestra work should be better done with other consoles. But for most of the bread and butter jobs for bands and small venue jobs, where the environment is not well designed and the acoustical treatment of the room is also not optimal. Then you need those tools.

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