MF 4.0 plus iPad Pro equals epic mixing night...

[cyclops]

All,
I installed Master Fader 4.0 and updated my DL32R for a show last night (yes, I'm a crazy person, but I had a backup with me ).  Since I have the iPad Pro, I really wanted to use the enhanced iPad Pro screens.

All I can say is 'WOW' !!!!  I have an iPad Air 2 as my backup / setup iPad (it's a LOT lighter to carry around fixing monitors), so I started off with the Air 2 for getting the band working.  Everything went really well.  Things that I noticed... the meters seemed to behave a LOT better.  No more of the input having signal when nothing was plugged in that seemed to occur on the 3.x firmware.  Setting channels up was really fast.  On thing that was NOT mentioned in the upgrade notes, but was REALLY helpful is that there is now a panel that allows one to see and set all of the input gains on a single page.  WAY COOL!!!!  It seemed like it was easier to set the band up, as I had to build everything from scratch (not a big deal, had time to do it).

Once the band was set up, I switched to the iPad Pro.  HOLY MOLY!!!! the size difference is amazing!!!  Imagine working on the iPhone, then going to the iPad.  That's what it was like going from the iPad Air 2 to the iPad Pro.  The faders had a LOT of room to move.  I was mixing with two hands, doing multiple faders together, adjusting things all night long, and it felt very natural.  I *did* sit down and have the iPad Pro on a table, though, so that might have made things easier   Still, it was night and day on how much easier it was to work on the iPad Pro.

One other thing... the reverb and delay did seem to sound a bit better.  I don't know if they were improved or not, or I just had a better signal going through them, but they worked in context better this time.  I had a VERY picky singer last night, and he was happy with the effects, especially when I could run them to his monitor mix in his earphones.

All-in-all, it was a very successful evening with Master Fader 4 and the iPad Pro.  No hiccups, no glitches (well, other than the header bug that Ben knows about).  Great update, Mackie!!!

[Michael Welter]

Thanks for the excellent review. But I'm not happy about you making me want an iPad Pro. LOL

[Keyboard Magic]

Thanks for the excellent review. But I'm not happy about you making me want an iPad Pro. LOL

Me too! The only thing that's really holding me back is the $1049.00 Canadian price tag!  I could get a killer laptop for that price.  Best Buy gift cards are on my Christmas wish list!! 

[Fluddman]

I can remember when mobiles were ginormous and I wanted the next new model because it was so much smaller. Now I've moved to the iPhone 6 plus and love its larger screen.

Same with the ipad. I'm really finding it hard to resist getting the pro because of the extra real estate.

Like a lot of us here. Ive gone from a big old analogue desk, to a Studio Live, to a DL1608 and now a X32rack. Its been a while since I've used real faders, but I did a real big show last weekend and started thinking it would be nice to have a physical control surface (i managed to talk myself out of this one).

Around and around she goes!

[dpdan]

I also use an Allen & Heath Qu24 console with real buttons and knobs and IT IS WONDERFUL!!!!!!!

[Michael Welter]

I grew up on physical boards. I moved to the DL32R a year ago, and haven't missed physical faders at all. I love being able to mix from anywhere.

[Fluddman]

I love the freedom too, and will probably never go back. But I do miss being able to watch the talent instead of the iPad screen. A fader is a lot more tactile!

Cheers

[sam.spoons]

It depends on the talent, some is very watchable others are better heard but not seen 

[Wynnd]

I'm with the guys wanting physical fader Bluetooth module to work with Master Fader any version.  It would be perfect if it had an ipad slot near the front capable of handling any ipad model.  I could see this as a 16 channel model with the ability to add a second unit for the next 16 channels.  I usually sit at a table to mix anyway.  And it would be good if it also had mute buttons and muted lights on it too.  Master Fader could be set up to switch to the channel moved last in the channel mode.  (there ought to be a good way to pick the correct mode.)   I think it could easily find a market for about $100 and probably could be built for around $20 as a single circuit board model.  (Even as a limited run.  I suspect more companies than Mackie would like to interface with it.)