SAC Question

[Craig Allen]

I think the thing craig is getting at is that when the engineer is more than just the engineer...

If you have to look away from a the screen, then quickly grab the mouse.. find the cursor, refocus your eyes to the smaller text, move the cursor to the right track and move a control... bad things can happen. In this case simply grabbing a physical control is way easier, even if you have to jump a bank it's still easier.

I think Bob is looking at it from the point of view where the engineer is 'glued to the screen' essentially. So the mouse hunt game isnt played much and your eyes are constantly adjusted to the bright screen and smaller text, if at all... in that case a controller would be a silly addition.


Still at this point I dont think it's Bob's worry. Everything required to operate 99% of modern control interfaces is there in the midi standard and companies refuse to use it I personally rather re-route my brain for one complete method than always having to learn and use new standards... which is why i've liked sawstudio so much

I am, but I'm also referring to when there are surprises, like someone puts a vocal mic right in front of a stage monitor and boom - feedback hell. Sometimes you just gotta grab faders and pull them down.

[Bob L]

Trock,

The basic SAC screens will look very much like the SAWStudio virtual console... but there will be 25 full consoles... you can switch views easily and be in charge of the main Front Of House or any one of the Monitor mixers.

The differences will be great, even though it will look familiar if you are a SAWStudio user.

Bob L

[Bob L]

Sometimes you just gotta grab faders and pull them down.

In the case of a giant feedback... you may just want to grab the master fader and pull it down... or mute the monitors or something similar.

I still see no need to go nuts grabbing faders and blowing the whole mix because something started feeding back.

It is a very powerful concept to go virtual... and it will prove itself to be the method of choice as more and more people weigh out the advantages... at least that is what I am banking on as I create this product.

Bob L

[Craig Allen]

In the case of a giant feedback... you may just want to grab the master fader and pull it down... or mute the monitors or something similar.

I still see no need to go nuts grabbing faders and blowing the whole mix because something started feeding back.

It is a very powerful concept to go virtual... and it will prove itself to be the method of choice as more and more people weigh out the advantages... at least that is what I am banking on as I create this product.

Bob L

It depends on the situation - if I see which mic it was, etc., etc. I'm looking forward to what SAC can do - I actually have been looking forward to seeing it for 2 years now!

[IraSeigel]

If you set up preset groups"

..."offer the full use of a complete cue list that can be controlled with a simple click to advance to the next cue change...over a preset time delay."

Bob L

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These are all good points Bob. But mixing this way - with almost any digital console actually - assumes you're working with the same band, or the same theatrical show, or have had extensive time in rehearsal or soundcheck to set all these presets up. It is nearly impossible to do "on the fly", even if you are as intimately acquainted with the gear as you yourself would be with SAC.

The big TV production you did recently - I would guess - provided for a good amount of tech rehearsal to set presets on a channel per channel basis. Not, as Craig (I think) mentioned, needing to twist 2 pan pots at once, for example or moving several controls at one time.

I, too, am eagerly awaiting the unveiling of this project. I started out about 15 months ago with a Google search of "virtual mixing console" and only came up with one (I forget the company now). It wasn't nearly as developed as the SAW console, which drew me to SAW in the first place. But I had a particular application in mind, mixing for the same band every night and having the luxury of pre-setting effects sends, eq's, and input gain (assuming I was using the same mics each night).

Please don't take my comments as a criticism. I'm just saying there might be users out there (here) that are not mixing in the same environments that you do these days, and their use of the gear - and their needs for what it allows them to do - would differ from yours.

Cheers,
Ira Seigel

[Bob L]

Anyone is free to choose however they want to do live shows... but as far as on the fly... I would still have to say the virtual SS and SAC concept adds much power to the ability to do it faster... but that is just my opinion.

I let go of the idea of needing faders long ago so its no stretch for me to work this way.

On the fly is no different than having a complete show programmed after weeks of rehearsal as far as jumping to any channel immediately and grabbing a control.... especially when you talk about a control surface and bank switching... its much faster to jump to any channel and grab the knobs in my interface... I feel.

But... it doesn't matter... I am not interested in arguing the merits of using faders or not... I am designing SAC to push the envelope of live console replacement and there are so many advantages, especially when doing large format shows, that there is no real conversation except the one that praises the idea.

But... check it out when its done and if you like it... then jump on board... if not... then enjoy yourself humping that piano size anvil case in and out of theaters... and grab all the faders you need to.

Bob L

[IraSeigel]

I'm looking forward not only to the destination, but also to the journey.

Ira

[bertie]

Hi,

Regarding of grabbing two or more faders at one time during the live show can be easily resolved.

If the design of SAC will support touch screen then the user will use two, three, four or more fingers to drag faders at the same time.

I think this will be possible.


Bertie,

[Craig Allen]

Hi,

Regarding of grabbing two or more faders at one time during the live show can be easily resolved.

If the design of SAC will support touch screen then the user will use two, three, four or more fingers to drag faders at the same time.

I think this will be possible.


Bertie,

The touch screens I've used mostly haven't really been great for this type of work. They work fine with pushing buttons, but don't track movements well. I'm sure they're some high end ones that probably do better, but I'm would guess they cost a lot as well.

[DominicPerry]

Most touch screens only respond to a single input area. And I would guess that SAW is only written to respond to a single input area (ie mouse) so I would expect that you can't pull multiple faders in that way.

Dominic