Re: New Yamaha TF series digital mixers
Well, to be precise, all these "faderless mixers" mentioned above were meant to be controlled by something else with physical faders and knobs, iPad and laptop control, if any, was a secondary option: iLive control surface for iDr, whole PM5D console for DSP5D, CS1D surface for PM1D rack, etc. From this point of view any desk that has mixing engine unit separated from control surface (as FOH rack or built into stagebox), can be called a faderless mixer. Soundcraft Vi 2/4/6 (not the 3K/5K/7K), Studer Vista, the entire Avid Venue line (except SC48), MIDAS Pro-3/6/9/X, to name a few.
Where Mackie DL1608 was first is being iPad-only mixer, designed for iPad as primary controller, and has no other means of control besides iPad.
Seems like all this "iPad mixing" hype is going down and trend will be towards a remote compact and lightweight control surface with physical faders, buttons and knobs and CAT5 or Wi-Fi connection to a mix engine/stagebox. Presonus CS18 is the first step in that direction (control surface with faders for RM-series rack mixers). Wish if only they used Wi-Fi instead of CAT5.
Ideally it should be some common standard for such control surface, kind of universal USB or Wi-Fi control surface that plugs into iPad/tablet or touch-screen PC, with some standard set of faders and knobs and templates for different mixers. Kind of what Novation does with Automap, where you can load templates for certain DAWs into USB keyboard controller. Some kind of protocol like HUI or Mackie Control for DAWs. I won't be surprised if Mackie will come up with something like that based on their MCU Pro DAW controller, optimized for live sound. Or AVID will add Wi-Fi to their S3 controller.