Just ordered a dl32r to replace my dl1608

[JohnMHoyt]

My new DL32R was shipped today, along with a 6 space gator rack case and a Furman power conditioner.
I'll combine it with a new airport express and a 2tb usb drive and with any luck, do my first show with it on Friday.

I've already exported all my channel presets from the old board, ready to import.

I plan on using the airport express to stream music from an iPad on stage during the breaks, controlled by tango remote.

Yeahhhhhhh, I'm excited!

Will give an update after its up and running then put my 1608 in its custom red dirt road case up for sale and try to help pay for the new mixer.

[JMc]

Congrats.  I recently made the same jump and LOVE the DL-32R.  Sold my 1608 for $500 and it was the early model without the lightning connector so I was glad to get it. 

[JohnMHoyt]

Here it is in the new Gator 6u rack w/Furman power conditioner & Apple AirPort Express and a little writeup about our journey to get where we are:

http://www.hotasapepper.com/2015/08/hot-as-a-pepper-is-upgrading-our-mixer-again/

I'm almost reluctant to sell the DL1608 and its custom case.  It's been wonderful! 

[JMc]

It's a good thing you've got the Gator case.  I have the SKG six rack unit and had to remove the grab handles on the mixer in order to get the lid on the case. 

[JohnMHoyt]

It's a good thing you've got the Gator case.  I have the SKG six rack unit and had to remove the grab handles on the mixer in order to get the lid on the case.

I like the SKB X series better than the Gator, but you are right about the case lids!   I use one for my bass rig, and I turned the grab handles around so the lid would go on as they were hitting the lip of the lid!   Other people have performed surgery by using a dremel or hot knife to cut some of the lid's lip away.   That seems like it could affect the integrity, so I didn't go that route.

Kinda wish I had just gotten a 4u though, because I have two blank spots that I hope to one day fill with 4 wireless receivers, but until then - it looks stupid, and the thing takes up more space! hehe   Guess I will get some blankout panels.   Maybe I will just get a piece of plexiglass and cut it to size.    Maybe I should put a turbo boost gauge in it. Or put a light behind it.   <snicker>

[JohnMHoyt]

My new DL32R was shipped today, along with a 6 space gator rack case and a Furman power conditioner.

Will give an update after its up and running then put my 1608 in its custom red dirt road case up for sale and try to help pay for the new mixer.

Here's the update...   Saved info from DL1608, and then imported it in for specific channels on the DL32R.

I noticed some things didn't import EXACTLY like they were on the old mixer.   Specifically, gate/compressor settings.   They were close, but not exact.  Well, maybe the values were the same, but the response was not the same.    EQ didn't sound exactly right either on channel strips.   Not having a spectrum analyzer reading for previous gigs at that spot to compare it with, I can't tell you EXACTLY what was different, but it was different.

In playing with EQ settings, loading my saved settings, and then loading the factory presets, I saw the MF do something that I have seen before, but I don't know how to replicate it to report a bug.   I would load a preset, see the EQ on the channel strip and the settings, but they were not exactly right.  I would then load another preset, then REload the preset that wasn't right, and then it would be correct.      It happens frequently enough that I notice it, but, no pattern that I have observed.

I then setup my preamp gain for each input and that one thing alone made this mixer worth it.  I was growing tired of setting those pots manually every time we played a gig!  I had one band member move a cable that was against a pot once and turned it all the way up, creating one of the only feedback events we have ever had, taking me several seconds to get it under control.    Yea!!! That won't happen again!

At the venue, setup went quicker, as I didn't have to deal with those physical pots (no, I never did the grommet / o-ring trick under the pots, I probably should have)....

The first thing that became apparent in operation - the mixer isn't physically attached, and it's not charging my iPad - Whoops, I didn't bring a charger, for a gig that started at 8:30 and ended at 12:30.   I was a bit nervous, so I dropped the backlight on the main iPad to nothing.   It made it all the way through the evening.   Now I'm going to get a charger to carry with me.  Never thought about that before.

How did it play?  It did great!   No complaints really.  Wellll maybe one, and even then it's just a suggestion.

You know what these mixers need?   Since the shows can be exported.  Wouldn't it be awesome if we could import them into a PC/Mac or even an HTML4 based editor?
Where we could grab a channel strip and move it to reorganize our board layout?   Easily change the settings, and save it.   Export a single channel, Export our reverbs.  Yada Yada.

Here's a recording off the board from the first time out http://www.hotasapepper.com/audio/2015-08-07/DiscoInfernoWithoutTony.mp3

We were missing our keyboard player and his harmonies last night.  The synth you hear is a Roland GK3b with GR20.    I did no mixing, just took the raw inputs, imported into Adobe Audacity, sent it to 2 track, mastered with some expansion and reverb.

I'll plug in an ambiance mic to get the crowd better next time.