iLive Owners/Users - full fledged iPad app is out

Re: iLive Owners/Users - full fledged iPad app is out

iPad apps can be downloaded to as many iPads as you want. All you need to do is log into the same itunes account when downloading.



You can only authorize 5 computers to access your iTunes account, so if the iPad isn't near the authorized computer you will have to authorize the users computer. If you bought this app with your personal account you may already have several computers authorized. Have kids? You may have used up all 5 authorizations already.



This is why I urge every sound company to set-up a dedicated account for purchasing any sound or rigging apps that might be used by a lot of members of the staff. Then at least all 5 authorizations can be used by 5 engineers.
 
Re: iLive Owners/Users - full fledged iPad app is out

This thread has lead me to re-evaluate the iLive PC/Mac control software. And I am reminded just how much it sucks. I'm sorry, but I have used and evaluated tablet mixing options for mixers for over a decade, and most of the programmers just don't get it. As old fashioned, outdated and horrible as it is Yamaha's Studio Manager is light years ahead of this. One big problem with the iLive software is the lack of a good overview screen. I want to be able to look at all my channels in one or two windows. I want to be able to see Gain, fader position, input meters and channel name. The iLive software does all of this. I also want to be able to see aux send status, HPF settings, EQ settings etc. Even if I can't control them from the overview window, I want to be able to check the status of these attributes, without having to open the selected channel window for every channel.



The next problem is the lack of aux send control and status from the selected channel screen. If I want to know what mixes the kick drum is being sent to I have to step through each of the mixes in mix on faders. How stupid is that? I'm sorry if I am insulting the people who designed the software, but it just seems like they never sat down with someone who is proficient at using studio manager to see how it is used in a real show environment. Studio Manager hasn't changed significantly in many years, they have no excuse. If I piss somebody off than maybe they will finally fix this software.



I don't know if the iLive iPad app solves either of these problems (from the screenshots I doubt it).



The new M7 iPad app is a toy compared to studio manager, but it is an excellent starting point. The meterbridge is brilliant. You will never be able to fit as much on an iPad screen as you can fit on a real tablet, and fingers are a lot fatter than a stylus. Also you can't rest your hand on an iPad to keep steady, or hover over a spot to see where the cursor is. All of these factors will be a challenge if anyone wants to make a really comprehensive mixing app for the iPad.
 
Re: iLive Owners/Users - full fledged iPad app is out

iPad apps can be downloaded to as many iPads as you want. All you need to do is log into the same itunes account when downloading.



You can only authorize 5 computers to access your iTunes account, so if the iPad isn't near the authorized computer you will have to authorize the users computer. If you bought this app with your personal account you may already have several computers authorized. Have kids, you may have used up all 5 authorizations already.



This is why I urge every sound company to set-up a dedicated account for purchasing any sound or rigging apps that might be used by a lot of members of the staff. Then at least all 5 authorizations can be used by 5 engineers.



Yes, only 5 computers can be authorized at any time, but you can connect as many iPads as you want to that computer. You can also download the app directly onto the iPad if you choose. With an iPad, you can use different iTunes accounts to download apps. If you use an account different than the one on your machine, you wont be able to sync the app back for backup purposes, and if you don't have the account info and password, you won't be able to update the app when one is available.



I have a few deployments of apps where the business installs apps on employees iPads this wat, and it works out quite well.
 
Re: iLive Owners/Users - full fledged iPad app is out

This thread has lead me to re-evaluate the iLive PC/Mac control software. And I am reminded just how much it sucks. I'm sorry, but I have used and evaluated tablet mixing options for mixers for over a decade, and most of the programmers just don't get it. As old fashioned, outdated and horrible as it is Yamaha's Studio Manager is light years ahead of this. One big problem with the iLive software is the lack of a good overview screen. I want to be able to look at all my channels in one or two windows. I want to be able to see Gain, fader position, input meters and channel name. The iLive software does all of this.



Yes, it does.. what's your complaint?



Quote: said:
I also want to be able to see aux send status, HPF settings, EQ settings etc. Even if I can't control them from the overview window, I want to be able to check the status of these attributes, without having to open the selected channel window for every channel.



I find the super strip mode useful for this. Open it, select the channel you want to see and all the settings are loaded into that window. I can't really imagine a scenario where I care to ''look'' at the EQ of a strip without wanting to make an adjustment. As for the aux send status, just hit the mix button on the mix you want to see.



Quote: said:
The next problem is the lack of aux send control and status from the selected channel screen. If I want to know what mixes the kick drum is being sent to I have to step through each of the mixes in mix on faders.



This is simple.. just hit the mix button on the Kick Drum channel. Then it's send values show up on the aux faders. It doesn't sound like you've spent much time on the iLive, because this is one of it's central concepts (sent-to/sent-from view).



 
Re: iLive Owners/Users - full fledged iPad app is out

Quote: said:
I also want to be able to see aux send status, HPF settings, EQ settings etc. Even if I can't control them from the overview window, I want to be able to check the status of these attributes, without having to open the selected channel window for every channel.





I find the super strip mode useful for this. Open it, select the channel you want to see and all the settings are loaded into that window. I can't really imagine a scenario where I care to ''look'' at the EQ of a strip without wanting to make an adjustment.



The problem is I can only look at one EQ at at time. With studio Manager I can look at 16-24 channels on each window. If I ''tile'' the windows I can see even more channels. Phantom power is another great example. In SM I can go across the top of the overview screen, turning on phantom power where needed. In seconds the whole board is properly phantom powered.



Quote: said:
As for the aux send status, just hit the mix button on the mix you want to see.



The problem is I can only look at one EQ at a time. Changing windows and layers a lot on the computer is slow. Studio Manager gives me a matrix of channels and mixes (just like an analog board.) With a properly sized tablet these mixes can not only be viewed, but they can also be adjusted from the overview window. The same goes for HPF on/off and frequency. The same goes for Dynamics on/off.



Quote: said:
The next problem is the lack of aux send control and status from the selected channel screen. If I want to know what mixes the kick drum is being sent to I have to step through each of the mixes in mix on faders.

Quote: said:
This is simple.. just hit the mix button on the Kick Drum channel. Then it's send values show up on the aux faders. It doesn't sound like you've spent much time on the iLive, because this is one of it's central concepts (sent-to/sent-from view).

My bad, I missed that feature. This doesn't address the big problems above.





[edit: fixed quotes]
 
Re: iLive Owners/Users - full fledged iPad app is out

Some of the things you noted are probably better done on the console than in the editor. Like phantom power. Not saying there doesn't need to be any improvement on it.





Actually you can tile the channel strip views, eq views, and compressor views of any number of channels you want by selecting the multi processing windows option. You can cover the whole screen with all the eqs that will fit you can even throw more outside of the window and scroll to them. You could have all 64 eqs displayed at once if you like.