Bill Purvis <bill@billp.org> schrieb am Mo., 15. Mai 2017 um 18:31 Uhr:

Thanks for the suggestion. Just been looking at it, looks great - I'd love one for myself!

However, I'm looking for something with a 'virtual' desk, like the Ui16 only more channels.

If you want something without physical faders from the X/M32 range you can go either with a X32 Rack or a X32 Core/Midas M32C with one of the stage boxes (Behringer S32/S16/SD16/SD8 or Midas DL16/DL32).

Looked around the Behringer range, and wondered about the XR18? Not as many as I'd like, but
the price is good. The main spiel talks about control via iPad or Android, but I note in the
small print that it says PC, Mac or Linux.

I've been using an XR18 until a few days ago when I upgraded to a Midas MR18. Both are great devices, very much like the X32 series but not extensible like the X32 series. That's perfect for me as portability is my main concern and I don't need many inputs/outputs.

Keep in mind, though, that the X32 series is much more versatile w.r.t. routing than the X Air series. It has more FX slots, busses, channels, DCAs and is simply more flexible in every aspect.

So, for a mostly fixed installation I'd definitely go with a X32 Rack (and maybe an additional stagebox as mentioned above) instead of an XR18.

The Ui16 just needs a modern browser and runs well
with an old laptop running Linux/Firefox.

The desktop applications for both X32 and X Air series are not very demanding. They even run on a Raspberry Pi (how do Raspberry Pi browsers handle the Ui16?).

While there is no official Android app for the X32 series there's a 3rd party app (Mixing Station) from which the official X Air Android app descended. IMHO all those apps are superior to the Ui16 web interface, even though the Android app is a bit ugly.

You can easily download and try the apps even without the hardware.

Moreover, all those mixers are controlled via OSC and the protocol is documented. Thus there are a couple of 3rd party tools available for these mixers.

BTW, both, X32/M32 and XR18/MR18, work fine as audio interfaces on Linux.

You might have discovered that there is a Soundcraft Ui24 coming soon which is pricewise between XR18 and the X32 Rack. You'd instantly be familiar with it but I'd prefer the X32 series anyway for it's flexibility.

Kind regards,

Felix