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66d35

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  1. I note the remarks on current support for the Stagescape App, but what about the next major IOS release (IOS 11.00) where it is suggested that 32-bit Apps will simply not work at all? With no Android App as an alternative, this could be a real problem.
  2. I think we just have to get used to the idea that this product is not constantly evolving. It it what it is. Line 6 seem to have no active interest in it to speak of, and I agree that expecting much - if anything at all - in the way of 'updates' is a forlorn hope. Despite that, comparing directly with other mixers in the same kind of range, it still has several really outstanding features and it performs extremely well. It is quite a bit more advanced in various respects than my QSC Touchmix, for example (built-in channel independent AFS, more EQ options, including dynamic EQ, RTA, and full recall of preamp gain with auto trim and trim tracking... all very sophisticated features that I am not sure anything else like it has, even now).
  3. I would take issue with you on two key points. 1. The assumption that without a full time sound person "the result is bad sound". No. It is not. In many cases the sound engineering requirements are really very straightforward and well within the capability of a band or solo artist to manage to a very satisfactory level - especially given the technology now available. Of course, this does require a degree of education on the part of whoever is running the sound, but plenty of good resources on that subject are accessible these days, and with sufficient effort and practice the type of gig we are talking about here can be, and frequently are, self-engineered to a perfectly adequate standard. I would also point out I have heard truly lousy sound from supposed "full time professional" sound engineers - and not infrequently, either. You get a person used to engineering rock bands and give them a classical artist or a bluegrass band and you often see huge problems. So, knowing and understanding genre and instrument specific requirements are just as important as any other aspect, and quite often, the performers are better informed on that topic than a "hired in" sound person. Bottom line: you can get good and bad sound in both situations - and it can be down to any number of causes, but in my opinion (based on 40 years of doing this, and running sound from everyone from "living legend" artists and Grammy winners to open mic nights), it is categorically not the case that self-engineering invariably results in "bad sound". 2. It really would not matter in many cases if the band had the combined expertise and gear from a major venue available. The gig they are playing has a budget to work to - and that's that. That figure has been falling steadily too, for years now. Not increasing, so even if they wanted to bring in a personal sound engineer - where is the money coming from? The fact is that for gigs at the small-medium end of the scale, that money is just not there. It does not exist. No amount of wishful thinking will make it suddenly appear. The entire band might only be getting a couple of hundred or so between them... there is just no way to pay an engineer on top. It cannot be done. If you went to most of these venues and told them you need another couple of hundred "for the sound guy" they'd just laugh - and hire another band instead. This is the reality.
  4. As long as your mixer still does what it did when you bought it.... If you want "more" then look at changing it for something else, though I have to say (owning several different digital consoles) the M20D is quite a ways out ahead of most of them, despite the fact that the others are more recent releases. What exactly do you want it to do that it does not do already?
  5. Would $10 be OK for you? Pay your own travel costs on top. I have no idea which planet or dimension you inhabit, but it is increasingly difficult for bands to get reasonable rates of return, and for smaller 'regular' bar type gigs I am baffled - totally - as to how you can possibly believe they can afford to pay fair rates for a sound person out of the meagre earnings they do receive. For major touring acts and large venues - yes. I agree with you, but suggesting that this is possible for all performers in all situations is completely unrealistic.
  6. I also use an A&H Qu (also a QSC Touchmix) as well as the M20D. There are various operational differences... and the FX are different, but ALL of these can sound extremely good. I would not say any one of them has real superiority. Certainly in terms of 'quality sound' they all deliver. If you are having a hard time getting a good vocal sound - it is not the mixer. I'd try experimenting with some different microphones, to start with. That can make a huge difference and they do tend to be very individual..
  7. It depends WHEN the product was imported, sometimes. So if there are good existing stocks of one item, but low (or no) stocks of another, the 'new' item will escalate in price much faster. I have just seen the price of one Gibson instrument rise by 2,000 Euros....since 2 weeks ago.
  8. Exchange rates play a big role in this... the UK Pound vs. the US Dollar, for example. The £ has dropped through the floor recently, so you can expect anything imported into the UK that is paid for in $ (or Euros) to cost a lot more. You may see the results in new vs. older stock first. The rate affects not just gear prices, but the additional import costs too, such as transport and insurance.
  9. Unfortunately, there is no way to change this. The QSC Touchmix has the exact same 'feature'. You cannot do it on those, either.
  10. I think you have a hardware problem. This is not normal and certainly does not happen with mine. I also have my doubts they are "working on" anything.... one of the reasons why, when needing a second mixer of this general specification recently, I purchased a QSC Touchmix rather than another M20D.
  11. Well.. out of nowhere, on Tuesday, my M20D started with this "change of input level" thing on a couple of channels. Quiet... then suddenly loud and distorted. Following the info in these threads, I opened it up and cleaned and re-inserted the IDC ribbon cables (there are a couple of particularly thin, flimsy ones held by pressure clips) and also cleaned the ground contacts. I also added some tape to protect against potential shorts from the input PCB's to the casing (they are very, very close). That seems to have resolved everything... so far, so good. It does look as though many of the problems reported are due to these 'contact' issues...
  12. The Blue Chip picks are expensive, but sound great and are very smooth with almost zero 'pick click'. A lower cost alternative is the Dunlop 'PRIMETONE' range. Coated strings too can help. I agree with addressing this at source: picks, strings, technique. If you have a passive under saddle in your D-28, I would highly recommend feeding this into a high quality active DI with at least a 1M input impedance and high headroom before sending to the M20D. That will also help - a lot - and reduce the heavy EQ currently needed.
  13. I regularly use a QU-24.... and I have to say, I do not think it is "better quality". The M20D has quite a number of extremely useful features that the QU does not and in addition, the App for the QU's is way behind the M20D app in both sophistication and usability. The QU is a very good mixer, but I still prefer the M20D. I am not quite sure what the point was about a single music chain ceasing to stock the M20D. That happens all the time. I could just as easily point to a couple of places that did not stock them before, but now do (and have them on the shelf). Even if the M20D never gets another update, it is still one of the very best small format digital consoles out there. Obviously, reliability is an issue... but as long as mine keeps working (and I got a 3 year warranty with it), I am OK with that. If and when something new comes out that can match or exceed it, I will look at that seriously. The QU SB is interesting, but you are 100% reliant on an external control device. No 'hands on', and I am not a great fan of the App.
  14. The Ethernet adapter is critical. Very few work correctly. The only two I have had success with are the Apple one and another by Moshi. Tried several others and they all refused to connect.
  15. For anyone else who experiences these symptoms. We appear to have traced the cause to a bad joint inside a molded IEC power supply plug. This was 'arcing' slightly and obviously causing major line interference and a drop in voltage. Not obvious, but changing the cable and taking the old one apart revealed the damage. Just for reference.
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