EllisF5

+ 1 Wi-fi is just too flaky to trust an entire show to it, with no backup option available. All kinds of stuff can go wrong...

I'd not recommenmd buying them as an investment.... you have to get the value out of them by using them. Same with digital cameras. I paid $4K for one once, now they go for almost nothing.... if I had not been able to generate a lot of sales from images taken with it, it would seem like a bad deal. Fortunately, I did, and I still condider it money well spent.

Learning a digital mixer (even this one) can involve a lot more than learning an analog desk... because not only is the operation mode very different, but it is like having several racks full of outboard gear running too.... The M20D is very intuitive compared to some! I am thinking back now to the first time I encountered digital desks.... Tascam TDM 1000 and Korg 168RC..... those things were a nightmare to operate.... and the early Yamaha's were also really hard work! Things have come a long way.

Precisely. The main outs which are labeled 'Left' and 'Right'. If you wish to take a separate, secondary feed from these - other than to your powered speakers or power amp - all you need to do is put a good quality balanced signal splitter box in-line.

Well.. in the electronics world if you buy when something first comes out, it is very, very typical to see a price drop sometime latter. Solution: wait a little while. This also allows time for reviews to filter in and for defects to be fixed or updates issued. As for channel assignments - this is all explained in the manual. You can move them around easily. You can 'hold and drag' the icons in the lower row, and you can re-assign inputs to XLR's/Jacks by just touching them. Easy. No probem at all. Fully explained in the manual.... The A&H is a good little mixer, but cannot really be compared to the M20D. The M20D is in a totally different class. Must confess I have had no problems figuiring it out or using it at all. I found it very intuitive and only had to consult the manual on a few points.

We have a pair of iPads (4th gen and Mini) + a couple of Samsung Galaxy Android Tabs, and indeed, there are many apps that have versions for both. In some respects, I prefer the Galaxy units: they have excellent wi-fi performance (often locking onto networks that the iPads can't manage to connect to at all), it is very easy and straightforward to transfer files to/from Mac (or PC), and the removable 32Gb memory card (at very low cost) is great. In fact, I ended up buying the larger iPad purely to run the Stagescape app... which bumped up the 'cost of admission' substantially.... and must deter some potential customers, at least.

The Samsung dongle does work - however... on multiple tests with several iPads (3rd Gen, 4th Gen, Air and Mini) connection speed and reliability is greatly improved by getting the dongle a short distance from the mixer casing. An extension USB cable does this very effectively. This mixer has a very heavy steel casing, and depending on the dongle's antenna and the siting of the mixer, I suspect that this close proximity could be an issue. Certainly moving the dongle away from the mixer casing solved all of our connectivity problems at a stroke.

Use an analog connection.

One other thing. I seem to get vastly improved connectivity by running the dongle at the end of a 2M USB extension cable, away from the mixer. Instead of extended searching, it usually connects almost immediately if this is done. Worth a try.

Habe you tried: 1. Forget Network http://line6.com/support/page/kb/_/live-sound/stagescape-m20d-mixer/video-reconnecting-your-network-on-an-ipad-wit-r665 2. Changing frequencies

Resolved. Was just a local frequency conflict.

I had this problem for the first time today since updating to IOS 8. Previously, you might have to use the 'forget this network' method... but it got there eventually. As of right now, it just hangs there looking...... Tried several re-starts on both devices. Nothing.

If you tried to add plugins as well, you would increase the latency even more. The M20D does what it is supposed to. It is a live sound mixer with a very useful multi-track 'record to flash media' function. The idea is you export those files to your DAW for later processing/editing. This works very well. If you want super-low latency with plugins on a recording interface, would suggest you look at the Thunderbolt equipped UA Apollo's. Recording interfaces and live sound mixers have to balance very different priorities.

We also use ours for bluegrass and traditional acoustic music, and we are equally impressed with how well suited this little desk is. Very quick to tweak things, and the iPad adjustment from the audience position is a revelation!

Stick with Class 10 cards and you should be fine.

Yes.

Actually, in my case it was a bad experience with a local retailer some years ago that led me to Thomann. I had a (very expensive) audio interface fail, and the local store was the very opposite of helpful. That was the last time I shopped there. I've since dealt with Thomann extensively, and had 100% quality service. I have needed to return a couple of things, and in one I was given an immediate, full refund and in the other, they had it repaired inside a week and shipped back to me. I have found them very pleasant and easy to work with. Obviously in the case of certain equipment (very complex, high tech stuff, for example) they may need to send it to the manufacturer's service agent for repair, in which case, how long it takes is down to them. Some manufactures do have a 'zero down time' two or three year warranty (one is a well known mic manufacturer), with 'loaners' available...which I think is a great idea and certainly inspires confidence. It would be nice if this practice was more common.

Slightly confused by one thing here. When you say the "meter is moving around 100%", are you saying you have both the channel trim and the channel gain both running on near maximum? If so, that is not optimum and is very likely to contibute to serious feedback problems, especially if you are running microphones through those channels. I would suggest doing some reading on 'Gain Staging' in PA applications. In brief, you should be looking for the absolute maximum peaks to read several dB below 100% on the meters - this will give you some headroom. Also, if you correctly balance the channel gain vs the master output you should not normally be running those channel gains at anywhere near maximum. Excessive gain applied to channels with mics is a prime cause of serious feedback issues. In addition, look at the pickup patterns of the mics, and make certain any stage monitors are in the most effective 'null' position. This is different for cardiod vs. hypercardiod microphones. Finally, overall stage levels are another common issue. Getting feedback under control requires an analytical approach to the entire system, and can involve everything from making sure the monitoring is OK, to how performers 'work' the mics. I would not try to use auto feedback suppresson to overcome other problems that might exist - it is a useful tool to have and works well (within limits), but it will not completely fix things if, say, your gain staging is completely off or if you have a monitor too loud and aimed into the pickup field of a sensitive mic.

Unfortunately, any equipment, from any manufacturer, can fail. Very inconvenient and frustrating when it does, but having reliable, high grade backups is part of the job. I like the M20D very much, but I am hanging on to my Soundcraft MFXi12 for two reasons: 1) It is great backup if the worst ever happens and b) I can use it as a sub-mixer. Thomann service is very good, and you do have the security of a full 3 warranty there, too. Hopefully, they will get it fixed and back to you ASAP.

Reviving this because I can also report excellent performance with the Samsung dongle. Solid connection and strong signal. One problem can be the signal being blocked due to the proximity of equipment cases, sheilded devices, etc. To get the best possible signal raising the dongle away from the M20D can help a lot. I took some signal strength measurements before and after connecting with a simple 1.5 M USB extender cable (I found one with a plastic base that made it easy to pop it on top of something with clear view of the audience). The difference in signal strengh and distribution in the room was quite dramatic. Tablets also seem to differ quite a bit in their antenna sensitivity. My wife has an iPad, while I normally use a Samsung Galaxy. The Galaxy will lock onto even quite weak networks where the iPad can struggle. It would be nice if there was an Android version of the M20D control app....

So is there away to save 'Universal' as a default? Currently I am noting it reverts to 'Vocal' all the time and you have to go in and re-set to 'Universal'. This occurs even with saved Scenes. I'm using the M20d but not with Line 6 speakers, incidentally.

http://line6.com/stagescape-m20d/features Under the 'Learn More' tab on feedback supression: "The feedback analyzer can be set to one of three modes, depending on how aggressively the analysis will seek out potential feedback frequencies" There seems to be two modes, not three? Universal and Vocal - yes? Also... the FBS mode set in a SETUP does not seem to be saved after a re-start, even as a 'Scene'. Is there a way to select, say, 'Universal' mode as the default. Presently 'Vocal' seems to be the default setting.

A very flexible way to do it is to use a DBX Driverack. That allows you to feed the subs separately, and set a chosen X-over frequency and even filter type (Butterworth, Linkwitz-Riley) with adjustable slopes. The non-sub outputs feed the main speakers. Their internal X-overs then handle the mids and hf distribution. The Driveracks also include their own parametric EQ, limiter and other functions. Even with a digital desk available, they are still very useful if you need to configure non-matching speaker systems. You can certainly do it by running the signal through the sub then out to mains, but in most cases, you will not have anywhere near the level of control than you can get using a separate electronic crossover.

Power and volume (SPL) are not necessarily related at all, as many other variables come into play. One of these is the efficiency (sensitivity) of the driver units. With high efficiency drivers you can obtain very high sound pressure levels from quite low wattage amplifiers - many of the older design tube hi-fi's and guitar amps made use of such drivers to obtain very adequate volume from amplifiers of of 20W and lower...in fact, may years ago I had some old Tannoy brand speakers that were capable of quite amazing SPL's on only 10W per channel. As amplifiers have changed, from requiring bulky, heavy transformers and low efficiency heat-generating tubes, through Class A and Class B solid-state, to the very high efficency Class D modules avalable now, the need to design super-efficient, very sensitive loudspeakers has diminished. Instead of concentrating on producing the maximum volume from the minimum input, designers can now focus on other aspects of performance such as linearity, impedance variation, THD, etc.

I must say that I would not be happy with that dealer. I would be very unhappy with them, in fact. I would expect that unit replaced immediately. Whatever the letter of the law says, a good dealer will try to help you and go beyond it. That is certainly what I have found in 30+ years of buying pro-audio equipment for stage and studio. I do regular business with some stores in Germany (you can probably guess which ones) and they have always been excellent. If there was a problem with anything it was "no questions asked" - a replacement of refund with no arguments at all. Under EU law the responsibility to sort this out lies with the dealer who sold it to you, not with the distributor. I also understand that in Germany you have a right to 'annul' the contract where an item is faulty within a short time after delivery. Whatever the law says, though, you are spending a lot of money with that dealer and I'd expect a different attitude from them. You should not be left with a faulty (or no) speaker, causing you stress and inconvenience. Hope they resolve it quickly for you.