CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted October 6, 2014 CMS Author Share Posted October 6, 2014 This is a follow-up to my thread last Friday asking for software to bypass iTunes to allow upload/download without restriction with an iPad. I was asked at the last minute to provide music for an outdoor wedding ceremony (the reception was elsewhere and DJ'd) for my girlfriend's daughter. Yeah, it would have been easier to just write the $150 check to the DJ to have him handle this, but money is very tight at the moment (I'm starting my own business...another story for another time). So in short all that was needed was some soft chamber music for background noise while guests arrived, the processional for the party, the processional for the bride, and the recessional following the nuptuals. Simple, but iTunes threw a wicked googly in that my old iPad was somehow no longer syn'd with my laptop and Apple wouldn't let me download newly purchased songs without wiping the iPad. I didn't have backups for many of the songs that would be wiped, hence the MediaMonkey software, kindly recommended by Pro Sound Guy...thanks again, PSG! So, the system: I took a Line 6 L2t and their M20D mixer to use as a super-portable system that had to be hauled on foot quite a ways (for a 53 year old guy in a suit) into a park and set up somewhere for optimum coverage without blasting the closest guests. Could have used the L3t they sent me as well, but I doubt it would have fit in the trunk of the Buick Verano. and you have to draw the line somewhere.Night before, at the rehearsal, comes the "what music will be used for the recessional?" question, to which my reply is, "what you asked for", which was nothing as my gf's daughter and future son-in-law never answered my query. Good thing I brought the laptop to the hotel, and was able to d/l a nice version by the London Symphony. The Rocky theme was considered, but decided against... At any rate, the little system was set up entirely on a small Ikea table at the back corner of the audience area, complete with the speaker. A very long extension cord ran to the Boy Scout pavilion. Set up took 15 minutes from trunk to soundcheck. iPad was Source #1, a CD player with everything burned to disc was Source #2 BACKUP. I had redundant everything, from receptacle to speaker, except the speaker, which incidentally would have been the backup mixer as it's got a pretty decent set of multiple inputs. We were driving the car, not my truck, so there wasn't room for another speaker, as the rest of the car was devoted to decorations, luggage, and afterparty booze. ;-) The only thing I didn't like about the M20D, for this use, was the lack of sliding faders. I can feel Don Boomer glaring and muttering "it's got virtual sliding faders on the interface", but I've been using them on and off for the several months I've had this mixer on loan, and virtuals simply don't work smoothly enough for the purpose. I've got fat fingers, and it would have been nice to be able to move them apart from each other on the screen. This would be a nice update, and I assume easy to implement,(Don can correct me) as you *can* move the virtual inputs around so the physical knob assignments are different, as long as there's room (not all inputs are used). Hey, maybe this already exists and I couldn't figure out how. At any rate the physical rotary knobs in fader mode worked better. I judge the usefulness of these things by what you reach for when the pressure to perform is on. The iPad was chosen instead of the CD player as primary sound source. That speaks to the robustness of the device in my experience. I went with the M20D instead of my trusty old RQ as a small mixer, as the Line 6 is way smaller and was super-easy to learn. I can say without hesitation that I would not have used the DL Series mixer, and would have used the Expression Si as well. Different strokes... The L2t sounded good. Really good. There were a few minutes to soundtest using known good tracks, and the little speaker sounded great. A stand would have helped, but it was up around 5 feet, and coverage was quite adequate. There's little doubt it would have done well for a small rock band system even outdoors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dboomer Posted October 7, 2014 Members Share Posted October 7, 2014 Why do old guys always want faders? On a digital mixer if you are gonna have faders they are pretty much useless without being motorized. So there was a decision made for cost and space to use rotary encoders instead. That allows total recall of presets which still doesn't happen with similar digital mixers at this price point. I think it was also made with an expected used in mind. This mixer is not made with the expectation that a sound man will be operating it every minute but rather that it will be run by a band from on the stage or in those situations where second to second decisions are likely not made (or made very often. As you discovered, the sound system with this mixer as the centerpiece sounds great right away and consistently sounds great night after night because it automatically keeps the gain structure in line and presents all the tone modifying adjustments in the just right places so that when you turn a knob it actually does what you would expect it to do instead of having to crank it a bunch to get anything to actually happen. I think the sound is consistently great because this mixer prevents problems from happening in the first place. You never have to climb out of a hole created by having a knob in the wrong place to begin with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted October 7, 2014 Author CMS Author Share Posted October 7, 2014 Why do engineers always blame the users? :grin: How does the Behringer X32 Producer's recall feature differ from the M20D's? I haven't had any of Uli's gear to review, and won't be any time soon, so I've no basis for comparison. But it's at the same price point, has motorized faders and spec's "powerful scene management" so I'm assuming it can recall presets. No? I agree that the use was more DJ than band, but so? Faders are there to be used, and there are plenty of band scenarios requiring, or enhanced by deft fader work. I was already really happy with how the L2t and L3t sounded in small venues, but didn't expect the good coverage outdoors. And this was even using the iPad and CD players direct into the line input, which was my Plan B in the event of a mixer failure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dboomer Posted October 7, 2014 Members Share Posted October 7, 2014 Not blaming users ... just offering them a different interface to control their mix. We chose to add a touchscreen and they chose motorized faders. The M20d is very visual. You don't have to know what channel the guitar is plugged into to be able to control it ... you just touch the guitar on the touchscreen and you are there. The whole premise of the mixer is that you do not need to understand technical things to be able to control your destiny. You can do it the old way if you want, but it's not necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted October 9, 2014 Author CMS Author Share Posted October 9, 2014 BTW Don, one other issue I've forgotten to mention is that it might be nice to add a lockout for the physical buttons on the left side. I'm left-handed, and the shape of the case on the M20d almost forces you to rest your hand on the raised surface. Only trouble is that this tends to make your palm depress a button and change the screen from "setting" to "perform" etc. It's a double-edged sword to include any form of control lockout, but it happened enough that it was distracting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dboomer Posted October 9, 2014 Members Share Posted October 9, 2014 So everyone should suffer because you are a klutz? I don't think it ever occurred to anyone to have lock out buttons. Does any mixer have them? I mean nothing changes but the screen view ... it wouldn't disturb the mix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted October 9, 2014 Author CMS Author Share Posted October 9, 2014 I don't think any mixer has them, but this is the only mixer shaped like a winged maxi-pad. (I'm from New Jersey and can trade barbs all day long...come at me!) It disturbs the mix if you're using the fader view and not watching the board because you're watching the stage for your cue. Having it switch modes from perform to monitor, etc, renders your input to the screen inoperative. That's a disturbance. Another way to approach it would be to "simply" (yeah, I know...) recess the buttons a bit, exactly as the two mute buttons are flush and depress below the surrounding surface type buttons. The mode buttons only get activated easily because they sit proud of the surface. I know, I know; don't hold my breath. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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