[LAU] If you don't like Behringer...

If you don't wish to use a Behringer mixer like the X32 and want something similar in the same price range, the Allen & Heath Qu series is very similar. The USB interface is reported to just show up in ALSA[1] and while the remote control stuff does not come with Linux support, All the remote control stuff is midi and completely documented. (I have waded through it) There have been Android remote control applets written for it (well the QU16 which has been around the longest) and it understands rtpmidi it seems. Despite some of the reports that the internal effects (channel strip/insert effects) can not be inlined with the USB IF, looking closely at the manual seems to indicate that these people have used the default settings and there are other settings that would allow the "direct out" to be selected from more than one place in the channel strip (post pre, post insert, post eq, post compressor and post delay). While there is no post fade, the direct out has both a trim level and the ability for the level to "follow" fade and/or mute. Direct out placement selection is global. Of course all of these settings are not in the same place :P The Direct out source is on the Channel routing screen, while the Insert/directout selection is on the USB audio screen... and the default point for the direct out would make it behave just like the Insert selection. I do not know what latency this would add to a track, but the DAW should be able to compensate for that anyway. At the least, the talent would be able to have a live/effected monitor of themself and other tracks. On the plus side for the Qu mixers, up to 18 sources can be recorded direct to USB disk (this same limit of 18 is there even on the Qu32 which can send 32 sources to USB AI). This means that carting a computer along to a gig to record is not needed if you would be using the unit both for recording and on the road. This can be used for preliminary sound checks of all channels/monitors with no band in place. (The X32 can only record 2 tracks to USB disk BTW) The 18 WAV files could then be imported into one's favourite DAW from USB drive for mixdown if desired. There are scene memories so having a setup for recording as well as performing (more than one venue) is possible. In all my searching I have not seen complaints about the A & H line of products in terms of reliability or audio "funnyness". The i/o do not have transformers (not in this price range) so grounding needs the same care as always. The big difference from the X32 series to the QU is that the smaller X32 like the Producer with 16mic pre can control up to the same 40 inputs as the full X32. The Qu series mixers will only control the number of channels they have connectors for. These i/o can be replaced by digital snake i/o if desired. This shows in the channel strip layout on the two boxes. The X32 channel strips are broken into two sections with one for input strips and one for bus strips. So the input strips can only be seen in banked/layered mode. The Qu series has a strip per input with a layer switch to see the bus strips, both have a master strip as well. The Qu also has a custom layer to set as the user wishes. There is enough info in the MIDI spec to set up a MIDI map for use with a DAW (Ardour for certain). [1] http://community.allen-heath.com/forums/topic/ardour-linux-qu32-usb-recordi… http://ubuntuforums.org/archive/index.php/t-2262870.html -- Len Ovens www.ovenwerks.net