DL16S/DL32S commentaries

[dpdan]

Returns 1 and 2 are two stereo returns when using Dante and or the DC16.

When an iPad is connected with a charge cable to the USB "control" port of the DC16, the audio playing from that iPad can be routed digitally to a stereo return.
They can also be used for any audio via Dante.     

[Ampli]

Think that it is the usb inputs

[dpdan]

Think that it is the usb inputs

huh? there are no USB "inputs"

[Ampli]

Usb inputs = retrun from pc, u can select them in input a
They where also on the dl32, on dl1608 they where named ipad

[ToH2002]

Question to the first adopters: since Master Fader 5 doesn't have a recording view (no USB recording) - where have the "switch inputs" button gone? I downloaded MF5 out of interest (should I get a DL32S as live backup for my DL32R), but for the life of me couldn't find a way to quickly switch all inputs between input A and input B. If you want to do a virtual soundcheck, this would be one of the key requirements.

Am I missing something or has Mackie actually lost this switch on the way to MF5?

Cheers,

Torsten

[Wynnd]

Just my perception but one of the patch groups outputs to "B" and that should be the output via the USB port to a computer DAW.  I don't know what will be different for the DL32R.  Don't think that's supported yet.

[ToH2002]

Just my perception but one of the patch groups outputs to "B" and that should be the output via the USB port to a computer DAW.  I don't know what will be different for the DL32R.  Don't think that's supported yet.

Just to be sure we're talking about the same thing: I am talking about switching the INPUTS to my mixer channels between their A and B assignment quickly. Both the DL32S and the DL32R have patch panels to assign Input A and Input B to the respective channels. This is where you can assign USB inputs to the channels (in my case for Input B).

My question is about the button on the record page of Master Fader 4.x that allows you to quickly switch all channel inputs from their A to their B assignments. Without this button, I would need to go to each channel individually and switch their inputs from A to B in order to do a virtual soundcheck - a major pain in the neck...

When talking about OUTPUTS, that's where the "USB" patching tab comes in: that one allows to assign mixer inputs, groups, FX etc to USB outputs. These are the ones that can then be captured by a DAW. This assignment doesn't need to be changed for the virtual soundcheck - it stays static.

So I am only talking about a way to quickly switch all channel inputs from A to B and vice versa.

Cheers,

Torsten

[ToH2002]

gaah - it looks like Mackie have really forgotten this - and their support team don't really understand the system:

"The switch input buttons are missing because the current version of Master Fader 5 does not support the DL32R, which is the only system that supports A/B switching for hard drive playback"

on my question "what about A/B switching for USB playback from a DAW (for virtual soundcheck):

"The A/B switch only supports the audio files that have been recorded to an external hard drive. This has always been the case"

This is just plain wrong - the A/B switch works perfectly for switching to whatever configuration you have set your Input B to. And of course when there is no drive plugged in, USB 1..32 will play back multichannel input from a DAW...

So it looks like Mackie will have to re-discover this functionality for the DL16S and DL32S users.

Cheers,

Torsten

[WK154]

Sounds like you may have to wait for 5.1. If they forget that it will really cripple the DL32R or any multi-channel recording/playback.

[ToH2002]

Sounds like you may have to wait for 5.1. If they forget that it will really cripple the DL32R or any multi-channel recording/playback.

Well, they said they'd implement the function for the DL32R, so there's hope. Let's hope they also don't remove the function for the DL32S/DL16S im 5.1 (just because there's no USB recording function there)...

[Wynnd]

And as I understood, the recording feature of MF 5 was supposed to be to a DAW via USB only, but it was also supposed to be bi-directional so you should be able to play multi-channel from your DAW out though your DL16s or DL32s.  That's not the same as the DL32R.  Of course, that isn't supposed to be implemented yet.  Will have to see how things work after that upgrade next year.

[ToH2002]

And as I understood, the recording feature of MF 5 was supposed to be to a DAW via USB only, but it was also supposed to be bi-directional so you should be able to play multi-channel from your DAW out though your DL16s or DL32s.  That's not the same as the DL32R.

Understood - that's how things are implemented on the new DLs - actually when connected to a DAW, the new models will behave just like the DL32R. They just don't have the additional ability to record to and play back from USB storage.

The one thing that I am addressing is that the DL32R has a button on its recording page that allows to switch all channels to Input B (for playing back tracks from your DAW into the individual channels) and then back to Input A (to use the physical inputs again). This button does not seem to exist for the DL16S and DL32S - they don't have a recording page.

I've had an online conversation with Mackie support - first they denied that virtual soundcheck was possible with the DLxxS devices, but then came around and confirmed that this is possible, but that currently you have to switch channels to Input B one by one in the individual channel view. They claimed the development team were working on a master button to switch all channels from A to B and back, so we might actually see an improvement in MF5.1

With MF5.0, doing a virtual soundcheck means flipping through all channels, setting their input to B, playing back the tracks from a DAW on your PC, then flipping through all channels again and setting their input to A again. Doable, but painful.

Fingers crossed for a simple button in MF5.1 - should be simple to add it to the routing pages "Input A" and "Input B" - just a button saying "All Inputs to A" or "All Inputs to B" respectively...

[Bufalo]

Two gigs in on my DL16S and it's been just as useful as my DL1608.   I'm a mix-while-playing guy in a band that plays small brewery shows.   I've used the built-in wifi for both gigs and it's been stable enough for that purpose.   I haven't yet dug into the live recording, since the windows app doesn't exist yet.  Some of the setup controls have subtly changed, and that took an extra moment of finger-stabbing, but nothing critical has failed or stumbled.   Not having to be tethered to my rack with the power adapter and wireless router (like on my 1608) has helped simplify some cabling.  It's just a stage-box for cables.    XLR outputs on the auxes is so much nicer - I always had to plug in TRS adapters before running to my floor monitors; four less cable adapters to hook up.

My setup is really simple, and so I can't yet comment on much of the newly added routing, nor any of the changes to subs and vca's (if there were any)

[WK154]

Looking at Mackie's V5.0 claims unless recording is under Export/Import feature it should be included. Garage-band (free) and other "DAW's" (Beatmaker, Auria or Cubasis) are available for the iPad. You could try to see if that's even supported at this time.

[WK154]

I've used the built in Xair WiFi as well with some limited success but not having 802.11 full a/n (5 gig) or ac has it's current limitations. I had a gig for about 160+ audience last Sunday and on purpose brought no wired backup. Net results everything was fine until the phones arrived for picture taking and of course searching for WiFi. I lost the connection on both the iPad and the Android. There is a lesson in this and that is to leave the announcer or some other mic active so you can request that all phones be put in Airplane mode to avoid shouting. The cross-section of the audience was seniors and they complied. I was able to complete the show without further loss of control. The loss of control is not due to range, power etc. it's due to traffic on the 2.4 GHz frequency. So Mackie's claim is meaningless and not under their control. A big mistake not to have the 5GHz band or the 10/100/1000 MHz Ethernet.