X32 Discussion

re: X32 Discussion

For the second time as I will be in front of my X32 tonight I just want to ask the forum, what process should I follow in order to fully test the board ( To avoid the problems some have found here and just in case be able to go back to GC to pick up a perfect one)..
Please just need steps to follow, things I should look at..I
 
re: X32 Discussion

Jorge Duarte said:
For the second time as I will be in front of my X32 tonight I just want to ask the forum, what process should I follow in order to fully test the board ( To avoid the problems some have found here and just in case be able to go back to GC to pick up a perfect one)..
Please just need steps to follow, things I should look at..I
Click to expand...

I havent recieved mine yet but when I do this is what i will be checking (based on the problems noted in this forum)

1) Noise issues on channel 16 & 32 - so with nothing connected to the inputs turn the gain up full on every channel and make sure the vu meter reads nothing.
2) Dimming issues on the scribble strips - vary the contrast and brightness on the scribble strips and make sure they all match.
3) Press every button and make sure that the appropriate function activates / deactivates.
4) Turn every encoder and make sure the action is smooth and controls it function properly
5) Then I suppose I will feed in a test signal (1KHz tone) into every channel individually and check the output for distortion / crosstalk with other channels etc.
6) Using the same test tone route the signal thru each off the various outputs and busses to make sure the signal goes where its supposed to.
7) Using a condensor mic , test the phanotom power on each input channel
8) Test the effects using the mic as a source
9) Test saving and recalling from a USB stick
10) Test playing WAV files from the USB stick.

Probably test more , just cant think of the top of my head at the moment:)

Kev
 
re: X32 Discussion

Turn everything up to max to check for noise, don't break your speakers or blow out your ears, use the meters.
Test every switch, does it work, does it stick?
Run the faders up on one layer, down on onother, and switch between layers a few times to verify faders.
Check that your USB stick works and is compatible.
Turn everything down before you turn it off so you don't get a suprise when you are setting up.

or what Kev said
 
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re: X32 Discussion

Hey all, I am reading for a while, now i am starting to post.

Does anybody has problems with the mute buttons? My X32 sometimes ignores the 6th button in the bus area!

Is there an easy way to switch the whole console into monitor mode? (Setting MixBus pre, routing outputs...) I read somewhere that there is a one-click option...

How do you handle fx? I'd like to have them always accessible near my Vox channels or in the bus area! When i use normal inputchannels i lose them for other sources and always need two for left and right Do you re-route them do DCA-Groups? Or should i better mix with the sends and let the returns untouched?


@Christian: Our X32 is not far away, here in Anrath. So maybe we can help each other if we need something! We ordered Two S16 with 50+25m cat5 cable,too. I hope they are available in a few weeks!
Maybe you could help me with setting up my macbook an low-latency plugins. Do you use Logic/Mainstage with you new Macbook?

Sorry for bad english i'll try to improve it.
 
re: X32 Discussion

Greg Hyson said:
Another update. Got the P16M and P16D system in and everything is working flawlessly. I really do love the ability to have a personal monitor mix at will.

LCD scribble strips:

I thought these looked spectacular at first with some of them having a slightly different contrast than others but now I am noticing a couple of them are severely different in contrast. If I set my contrast at around "34" my assign lcd below the "2" knob turns white while the others are perfectly readable. If I set the contrast to 70 then they are all readable but now the other LCD scribble start to turn white. Anyone else notice this? I did leave my X32 on for a few days but I don't see how this would cause a problem. I just honestly don't know if they were like this always or just until today.




Brightness at 60 Contrast at 34:

IMG_0482.jpg



Brightness at 60 Contrast at 70:

IMG_0483.jpg




Greg
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Hi Greg, It may sound dumb but maybe the small LCD dispays have symetrical connections on opposing edges - maybe the scrreen will still work if rotated 180 degrees but the contrast will be different as viewed from the same angle. Usually these LCD displays have opposing connections made by thin silicon rubber strips imbedded with very thin condutors. Perhaps some of the screens are rotated 180 degrees with respect to each other, this might give the effect your getting. Regards, Rob
 
Re: Questions on operation of the X32

Eric Hill - USA said:
I've linked adjacent channels (think L/R on a CD player). Haven't tried to link beyond that.

As one fader is physically moved, the linked fader will follow. There's a very-very slight lag, but nothing to be concerned about. Either fader can be moved. (It's not as though one is the master.)

Eric H.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply.


I was wondering about linking a large group, so that if all your faders tend sneak up over time (as happens to me when the musicians always ask for things to be turned up and never down) you could pull them all back down by the same amount with no fuss.


I thought I saw someone do this on another console by pushing and holding one select button and then the others he wanted to move with it.
 
re: X32 Discussion

Per Søvik said:
I think that it would not be an unreasonable request to have selectable slope lowcut and highcut filters on the ST and M/C busses, because tops on stereo utput and subs on mono output is very definitely mainstream. And since the typical application here would be exactly the x-over function, a selectable link function between the high cut filter on the M/C and the low cut filter on the ST would probably not be a bad idea either.
Click to expand...

In talking with Joe Sanborn (Behringer's Global Manager, Channel Marketing), he said that the sale of passive/active speakers in the MI market heavily leans towards active now.

That said, I believe the intended audience for the X32 would include many passive installs and portable rigs that are bi-amped, tri-amped, or use aux (bus) fed subs.

I don’t think it would be an unreasonable firmware request to make changes to allow the X32 to be used as a crossover/light speaker processing.

Unless I’ve missed something, there are three (3) items that would need to be changed/added to allow the X32 to be used as a crossover:

- On the buses, the low-cut and hi-cut filter type and slopes need to be selectable. (Probably various Butterworth, Bessel and Linkwitz-Riley types. That could be done with one UI selection list, with fixed slopes. Or, the slopes could be another UI variable.)
- On the outputs, the precision of the delay should be increased. (It's currently 1 decimal place.)
- On the outputs, there should be a method to reverse the polarity.

Eric H.
 
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OT - Monitor Mixing (was Questions on operation of the X32)

Nathan Fruit said:
(as happens to me when the musicians always ask for things to be turned up and never down) you could pull them all back down by the same amount with no fuss.
Click to expand...

To avoid that (especially when mixing monitors), I look for something to turn down, before I turn something up.

For example, if a vocalist says they're too low, it may not be that they're too low, it might be because the backup singers and the keys are too loud. I still might end up raising the vocalist. But, when I have one wedge being shared by three tightly packed people, that mix can easily run away if I immediately made every adjustment as asked for.

Eric H.
 
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re: X32 Discussion

I'll add:

- Do a factory reset first.
- Use the push-encoder (under the screen) to move each fader. As the fader moves, it shouldn't chatter along.
- Link a channel to an adjacent channel. Push one of the faders up slowly. The other fader will follow (relatively) smoothly. If shouldn't chatter along. Use the other linked fader to check its mate.

Eric H.
 
re: X32 Discussion

Is it not odd that on a brand new product there are people doing their own QC testing on arrival - it's indicative of the trust that people place in these products? I find it worrying that this is necessary, and it would indicate to me that Behringer haven't really changed their QC processes. If it were my company I'd be making damned sure that no one could pick holes in my new product whilst I was trying to break ( no pun intended! ) market perceptions.
 
re: X32 Discussion

Oliver Driver said:
Is it not odd that on a brand new product there are people doing their own QC testing on arrival - it's indicative of the trust that people place in these products? I find it worrying that this is necessary, and it would indicate to me that Behringer haven't really changed their QC processes. If it were my company I'd be making damned sure that no one could pick holes in my new product whilst I was trying to break ( no pun intended! ) market perceptions.
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It is just prudent (and perhaps fun, like after buying a new toy) when dealing with a product of this complexity, to confirm that everything works. Better to find out if there are issues before taking it on a gig and trying to mix a band.

A common problem forever with distant manufacturing, is to confirm that things don't break during the long and sometimes stressful journey. Back in the bad old days distributors would often have to perform 100% barrier inspection of higher end imported finished goods.

I doubt this SKU has the budget in it's price for this, so time will tell how robust the design and shipping pack is. One unanswered question was whether the noisy channel caused by bad lead dress was a case of lead dress that shifted in transit, or was shipped with lead dress wrong from the factory (not really expecting an answer).

Lets not read too much in a few anecdotal reports, if there are significant quality issues we'll know soon enough. This product roll-out has been literally under a magnifying glass on several web forums. It will be hard to keep a widespread problem quiet.

JR

PS: @Eric Hill, it's spelled bus with one 's'.
 
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re: X32 Discussion

Oliver Driver said:
Is it not odd that on a brand new product there are people doing their own QC testing on arrival - it's indicative of the trust that people place in these products? I find it worrying that this is necessary, and it would indicate to me that Behringer haven't really changed their QC processes. If it were my company I'd be making damned sure that no one could pick holes in my new product whilst I was trying to break ( no pun intended! ) market perceptions.
Click to expand...


I wouldn't put any bit of kit into service without checking it out first... but then my day job involves safety critical systems on aircraft.

Seriously though I check every new bit of kit before using it live in a show. Radio mics, consoles, processors - they're all complex items and all worth testing beforehand. The more expensive and critical the item the more thorough the testing.

I have an x32 on order. It will sit alongside our current main console for a month before we transition over fully. This gives me time to get the team and myself fully up to speed. That should be plenty of time to find defects. I would do the same with a GLD.
 
re: X32 Discussion

Eric, I'm using mainly powered speakers, but I don't see that really changing anything in this respect, there is still a need to crossover between tops and subs, and while some top-on-stick-over-sub combos have built in filters, not every speaker has, and the settings might not be right if you have combos of different makes.
Phase reverse definitely makes sense for many applications, and a finer resolution delay would be a must for active (biamped with active x-over) speaker processing, but the latter is slightly less mainstream.
If I can run my setup without having to go through my DRPA+, I'll get better soundquality. If I can get the desk to do what I want, I'll be happier than if I can't.
I don't really care if I have to learn a part of the desk, like setting up the scribble strips or saving shows or assigning shortcuts and other tasks that aren't obvious at the outset. I don't mind if I have to spend some time to get to a less than common setup, it can be saved on a stick. What I do mind is if I can't do something that I was expecting to be able to do, and the reason I can't do it is purely because the feature has been omitted because someone has deemed it not absolutely mainstream. When there are technical reasons, safety reasons, development priority reasons etc., I can live with that. I can even live with the fact that some things get omitted because it is too easy for inexperienced operators to screw things up in a big way, but if this "advanced technological platform" gets reduced to something far beneath it's potential because "most users don't need that" then this wonderful creation gets to be nothing more than a sales-chart topping mainstream commodity without a passionate user base. I know that I could buy a Pro1 if I want certain things, except I'll have to get a Pro2 because some features are omitted and so on.
I think I'll just keep asking for the things I want, and try to justify them as best I can.
 
re: X32 Discussion

Tobi Juergens said:
Hey all, I am reading for a while, now i am starting to post.

Does anybody has problems with the mute buttons? My X32 sometimes ignores the 6th button in the bus area!

Is there an easy way to switch the whole console into monitor mode? (Setting MixBus pre, routing outputs...) I read somewhere that there is a one-click option...

How do you handle fx? I'd like to have them always accessible near my Vox channels or in the bus area! When i use normal inputchannels i lose them for other sources and always need two for left and right Do you re-route them do DCA-Groups? Or should i better mix with the sends and let the returns untouched?


@Christian: Our X32 is not far away, here in Anrath. So maybe we can help each other if we need something! We ordered Two S16 with 50+25m cat5 cable,too. I hope they are available in a few weeks!
Maybe you could help me with setting up my macbook an low-latency plugins. Do you use Logic/Mainstage with you new Macbook?

Sorry for bad english i'll try to improve it.
Click to expand...

Hi Tobi,

you got already a X32? Excellent! What are you doing next Saturday? Want to do Monitor with your X32 and I do Foh for a Top40 Band? I'm serious about this.

Good idea on the MacBook, let's meet and mess around with our gear:-) Just pm me, and sent me your phone number.
By now I use StudioOneV2, but this is almost overkill just for hosting some plugins. See, I just bought a MacBook Pro some weeks ago and the last 19 years I was doing audio solely with PCs only. I do have Logic9 and Mainstage, but these seems to be a differnet world in comparison the common PC DAWs. I "kill" on Cubase, Nuendo and I'm quite good with StudioOne, SAWstudio and got basic ProTools skills. Just played a couple of hours with Logic and I can record and playback on it - that's it.
But Mainstage is really strange for me, I have no clue how to set things up right. Maybe you can show me, how to roll with mainstage, highly appreciated!
Anyway, good to know, there is another X32 around me:-)

Christian
 
re: X32 Discussion

Oliver Driver said:
Is it not odd that on a brand new product there are people doing their own QC testing on arrival - it's indicative of the trust that people place in these products? I find it worrying that this is necessary, and it would indicate to me that Behringer haven't really changed their QC processes. If it were my company I'd be making damned sure that no one could pick holes in my new product whilst I was trying to break ( no pun intended! ) market perceptions.
Click to expand...

You don't do this with any new equipment you get regardless of brand? I know I would.
 
Re: OT - Grammar (was X32 discussion)

Eric Hill - USA said:
;)~;-)~:wink:

lol. Old habits die hard. I got stuck on "buss bar" over "bus bar" a long time ago.

Buses vs. busses - Grammarist

(I'm not that old, though.)

Eric H.
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I'm almost that old.. I can remember the last century. :-)

That link is just looking at broad usage, in the audio business, the incorrect usage is far worse than 1 in 15.

When in doubt do what's right, and one 's' is correct.

JR
 
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