Unofficial Mackie User Forums > DL1608/DL806/DL32R/ProDX Mixers
Jumping into the DL1608 Phenomenon
Jerrylee:
Although I no longer have the dl, and have made a huge jump to an x32 rack, the dl never failed me. It's a great board for what it is. Don't expect it to do something it cannot. Buy it, own it, and use it if it fits your needs. If you start finding limitations in the unit that you feel you want or need then it's time to move on.
I moved on for only a few reasons, but the rack has a lot more than a few advantages. For me the key was the programable gains. Once you have them you will never go back to anything without. It's just way too much of a convenience. And having 22 usable input channels helped my decision too. I also needed a recording interface and it suits the bill. I have also found myself using the front USB for 2 track recording. I leave in a Sandisk thumb drive. I have the ability to fully mix a seperate recording mix. But recording to the USB is just a bonus. The are a lot of advantages and feature the rack offers over the dl. But again, if the dl fits all your needs then stick with it. It has limitations compared some competition and yet blows away some of the others.
I will go back to my original reason for the switch. The programable gains. For a board to be truly remote you need to be able to walk away from it after all cables are plugged in. You cannot do that with the dl. You need to set gains. And if one is off you need to go back to it. I did a huge festival with my rack several weeks ago. I set it up, plugged everything in, threw it under the stage and never looked at it again. And this was hours before the band I was mixing showed up. The next day I did the same thing for my own band. I always try to tell people to give me a good loud check so I can set gains. But almost always there is an issue when everyone is playing. No more running back to the board to make small gain adjustments. Sometimes I have run the gains a little lower with the dl to avoid issues. But that didn't always work. The programable gains alone are worth the price difference.
KM in the US it's only a $200 difference (without coupons or deals. Less of a difference with one). I know in canada it's a few hundred difference at this point. I say this just in case you wanted to make a switch. But based on what you do the dl should be just fine.
Keyboard Magic:
Jerrylee & sam.spoons
Thank you both for the encouraging comments. Yes you're right and for what I use it for, even a glitch once in a while is not something to make me get rid of the DL just yet. Wireless mixing is so cool! ;D Sure if it's a major fail, that's a different story. Some issues can be put down to, heaven forbid, :eek: user error on my part.
As an example, I used my ZED10 today for a 2 track stereo recording of the school choir and the ZED would not record stereo through USB into my laptop running Sound Forge 11. I could hear stereo in the headphones from the ZED. The 2 mics were in X-Y pattern hard panned left and right and the acoustic guitar was running off a direct box into a single mono channel. Dollars to donuts it was my problem and not the gear's fault. :facepalm:
Sooooo, doing a little research and an enquiry to Allen& Heath just for fun.
sam.spoons:
Given that the X18 is several months away the DL is the best desk in a class of one. I love mine for the great (in every way) desk it is. Yes, it has it's limitations but in the important areas, (sound quality, and reliability) mine has been great. As long as it stays reliable and has the features I need I'll try to keep it. Of course I may follow JL's path at some stage and buy an X32 but probably one with faders first and only replace the DL with an X32 rack when I find myself needing a stagebox regulally. And, IMHO, the Master Fader app is still the best out there by some margin.
Keyboard Magic:
So, I just jumped out of my own DL1606 phenomenon today. :o I decided to set up my system at home since I have a very important gig coming up this week. Since I've only used my DL in a live situation once, I felt it was a good idea. So I hooked every thing up and voila the DL wouldn't pass any audio to any outputs, even to the headphone jack. :facepalm:
So I powered everything off and tried again. This time the DL wouldn't recognize either iPad, not even charging. I then tried different start up methods, no joy! I then reset the DL to factory, downloaded the firmware, reset both iPads and both issues (no audio, no charging/sync) reoccurred one after the other. I must add that both iPads were pushed iOS 7.1.1 updates today. This is probably why my DL crapped out. Maybe the next Master Fader/firmware update would have remedied this annoying issue, but without knowing when it will arrive made up my mind, especially with the upcoming gig this coming Wednesday.
I kinda think that a small iOS update shouldn't break the system? So this being the last day of my 30 day return policy at Long & McQuade, I very quickly took the DL back and got a full refund. So now it's time to regroup, wait for a while and keep researching. Actually if L&M had had the Behringer x32 rack, or was able to get one, I might have gone for it. For now I am going to rent.
I think I am more disappointed than anything else right now. I really loved the using the DL for a very short time. Like I said in another post, if the DL becomes unreliable..... If I didn't have this important gig coming so soon, I might have kept my DL and tried to iron out these issues. But with the 30 day return up today....
I will be staying on the site because it's so good and I do enjoy it. Everyone has been so helpful and very informative. :thu: Thank you one and all for all your quotes and comments. I look forward to reading more good stuff. :)
WK154:
Sorry to hear that your adventure with the DL ended abruptly, fortunately just under your return period. From what you stated before in your selection process I'm guessing that the QSC product would be a good match unless you wait for the X18 around Christmas. The X32 rack would be a candidate were it not for the steep learning curve compared to the others. Good luck with your decision process and remember the devil is in the details, and then there's Murphy.
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