I currently own a Fireface 802 (+ada8200 for synth input), I am quite happy regarding recording synth, but I also work a lot in live situation (jam or live act) and for this situation, the FF802 is not easy to control with IPAD. The FF require to be in CC mode + ipad must be plug into the USB, and totalmix on IOS is hard to control.
Do you think it’s a good idea to sell my FF802 to buy a digital rack mixer as a XR18, Qu-PAC, Qu-SB ? Are theses mixer stable on a recording environment ?
I would recommend the Qu Pac over the Qu-SB , the dispay on the unit is a very valuable addon, i use it every day, and wasnt really in the need of more than the touch display and the one knob in the front.
You could of course use the android or ipad to controll the mixer in addition. Problematic is that at some point you will like to control several audio levels at the same time. If you use it as soundcard to directly track into your DAW - then there is a remote control from your DAW to the mixer - then the faders on your mixer are following your DAW faders. But if you plan to use it as a live mixer, you may need to control several levels at once.
I do it with an NI Launch control XL and a Iconnect Midi 4 to directly control the volume on the devices. The mixer stays always at the same settings.
If you plan to do volume tracking on the mixer - you could use the pad application - but the Qu has no build in Wifi, the XR18 has it - but its not really working in a live situation because of the audience smart phones - you would have to buy an extra WIFI router with high power to cover this. Maybe a more portable analog mixer helps if you play live.
For studio use: The max sample rate of the QuPac is 48khz, but the audio quality is very good.
I would recommend the Qu Pac also because you can expand it with a stage box if you have to few input channels at some point in the future, and is cheaper than upgrading to a new mixer.
Sorry I don’t any constructive input on this decision however let me know if you end up deciding to sell the FF802 (plus ada8200), I would be very interested!
In fact, I plan to use my iPad to control the rack mixer in any case, the screen of the Qu-pac will not be convenient for me cause I will rack the mixer and let it on a side. I think with an iPad, I can control multiple volume at the same time or at least more easily ?
For the router, I already included one on my budget, if I move on a digital rack mixer.
For the live, I understand your point regarding an analog mixer, for sure it would be more straightforward. But I don’t use my mixer as a dub performer, I use only to mix and root machines together. So that should be OK.
In fact, I realise that I’m searching a sort of “multitool” solution that can replace soundcard and a mixer, but it will have some compromise of course. I will further read the Qu series manual to be sure.
Yes, XR18 is very interesting. My only gripe is the lack of direct recording on a USB stick or HDD. That why I would like to go on the Qu series.
If I use a computer to record the tracks, I only have my big PC case, so better to stay with my FF802. I really want to be able to go out the studio, plug instruments, jams without thinking to start a computer, launch a DAW, be sure everything is stable and well prepared, and so on …
Yes, that what I used for stereo recording or sometime an Behringer UCA202 small interface with iphone. But today I want to go on multitrack recording, and easily.
Anyway, today I found a workaround, I can control the FF802 Totalmix with OSC app on my Ipad. I can access volume control for all submix, send FX (but not fast access). Although this solution still need a computer attached, I will test this setup to see if could fake a digital rack mixer on control aspect. …
My Qu-Pac has never had an error recording, either over USB 2.0 with the 32x32 interface to DAW (the max I’ve recorded at once is 26 tracks), or to my 32GB USB thumb drive doing 18 tracks at 24bit, 48khz.