re: X32 Discussion
hey there,
i finally got my x32 and spent the last few days with getting to know the console, measured all channels/busses and prepared template scenes/presets.
i'm mixing about 100 shows/year for different indie-bands and i'm used to working with all kinds of brands and digital consoles. the x32 will be used mainly as backup-foh-console and also as monitor-console.
first off i think behringer deserves big respect for building a console this versatile at a bargain. there are still some flaws but i'm optimistic that some of them will be revised in future firmware updates.
my console has 2-3 minor mechanical flaws which i'd like to check with other x32 users:
1) the first thing i realised when putting on my phones was an quiet but audible noise at 6k, even all channels, outputs and also the phones volume was muted. the noise got louder when turning up the phones volume and also when using the
aux-ins. i then measured all channels and outputs and fortunately the 16 outputs and also the 32 regular channels are almost free of that noise. only channel 16 and channel 32 show some of it but nothing to speak of really.
in my measurements there was not only noise at 6k but also at 12k, when i switched to 44,1k sampling rate the noise changed to 5,512k and 11,024k, so it's respectively 1/8 and 1/4 of the used sampling rate. can anybody confirm this
behaviour? i don't really think it's an aliasing problem but could be some interference (from clocking?).
2) bus-fader #7 has a bit of nervous behaviour when switching between positions. i think someone here in the thread called this "chattering". at the moment the fader just has this little "chattering" and recalls the position correctly
but this could be getting a problem in a year or two. is there a possibility to recalibrate/check the faders?
3) i think this is normal behaviour, nevertheless i wanted to be sure: the brightness of the LEDs and LCDs only has 4 states (10/30/55/80), all the steps inbetween don't change anything.
despite these mechanical hiccups i also have some input concerning the workflow with the console (fw 1.09).
things that IMHO need to be fixed asap:
a) the fx quality is really nice but the muting of the fx-signal when edited is a bit of a killjoy, especially with the tapping of the delay. at live shows i have several songs where i constantly need to retap the delay time. at the moment i'd have to carry my m-one or d-two with me because the onboard-delays are always cutting audio.
b) channel mutes should be blinking when muted via DCA! at the moment there's no optical warning except for the muted DCA itself.
c) the assign section should either be saveable itself (via utility) and/or be saved with the scene (+ recall safe)! <= i don't know why but when i first tested the console this wouldn't work - now retested with 1.09 and the console also loads the assign section. nevertheless it'd be nice to save/load it standalone.
things that need to be fixed sometime:
d) when changing the position of the insert (pre/post) while having inserted an effect (enhancer, wave shaper,...) really loud and annoying noises can occur. either eliminate those noises (which will probably be not possible) or force
the user not to change it during operation (e.g. state of pre/post only changeable while insert is off).
things that are a bit awkward:
e) no eq or dynamics with the fx-returns. i know that you can reroute the fx via subgroups or use channels 25-32 but it'd be nice to have it in the fx-return channels itself - could this be changed or is there a lack of DSP power?
f) when using sends on fader via the assign section you can't return to normal mode by pressing the assigned button again. it would be nice to be able to return to normal mode not only by pressing the red "sends on fader" button.
g) ok - this one is a matter of taste, but i'm used to narrow the eq by turning q clockwise - i think especially the englishmen will disagree
h) when channels are linked the phase invert should not be linked. you most definately don't need to swap the phase of a stereo signal itself but from one side (e.g. when you got a crossed cable). at the moment you can get around by taking "Delay + HA Link" out of the linking.
things that would be cool to have:
i) direct access to "geq on faders" via assign section (not only FX1-8) <= just found out that the console remembers the last state, so i if you leave having "geq on faders" on, it'll be the same the next time you open the fx.
j) controlling the range of "geq on faders" via the bus-buttons (e.g. DCA 1-8 for 20-100hz, BUS 1-8 for 125-630hz, BUS 9-16 for 800hz-4k and MATRIX for 4-20k/MASTER)
k) linking of odd/even channels and also more intuitive way of linking (e.g. press 2x select)
l) customizable surface design (e.g. custom fader layer,...) where you can freely arrange your channels (e.g. only one fader for a stereo channel, aux delay send next to vocal strip,...) - i don't know if this is possible with the design and architecture of the console.
m) it'd be nice to customize name-snippets and icons (for example via Xcontrol).
n) i'm missing a de-esser at the dynamics section.
that's my point of view at the moment - i haven't worked with Xcontrol yet because i'm waiting for the mac-version, also i haven't tried the ipad-app because i'm waiting for the ipad mini, i really hope the app will run on the mini as well.
next week i'll test the X32 at a show for the first time, let's see if i have more to say then
cheers,
flo