|
|
Post by Mister Chase on Sept 27, 2023 9:09:49 GMT -6
Looks great with the small screen additions etc. Just checking out the new feature videos now. I have a mkII here. I dont use it as much as I should as projects tend to not lend themselves to such a straightforward setup, but I do really like it's sound and function. www.softube.com/console-1-channel-mk-iii |
|
|
|
Post by gravesnumber9 on Sept 27, 2023 9:54:48 GMT -6
It looks really great. The thing is I really love my MKII and I'm not sure what problem is being solved with the MKIII. To me the MKII is almost perfect for what I need. I'll check it out though.
|
|
|
|
Post by Mister Chase on Sept 27, 2023 11:55:26 GMT -6
It looks really great. The thing is I really love my MKII and I'm not sure what problem is being solved with the MKIII. To me the MKII is almost perfect for what I need. I'll check it out though. As far as any problems, I would say its hugely convenient to not have to to the twister dance with a shift button. That honestly is very aggravating to me on my MKII. Especially with a sticky shift button that wont pop back up all the way. Holding several fingers down while trying to move an encoder with a thumb is just wonky. From the looks if it, you have more dedicated buttons so that is better. Also they are pots now and not just encoders. I would think they track better and they claim they have 10x the resolution. I do have issues with touching an encoder and it making some big adjustment and then calming down its granularity. I would hope these are more accurate than that. The tiny screens are cool as well. Instead of looking back and forth at the screen to see which track I'm really on, and not just a number on the top row of the CS1, the screen will show me whether I'm on kick in or fiddle DI etc. It seems minor but going back to the screen, opening the CS1 screen, then looking back on the CS1 to hit the right button etc. Seems faster. It's all about trimming processes down I think and this aids in that. I like that the tape saturation is added as functionality within the system, too. Seems like more functionality and perhaps more streamlined in it's layout. |
|
|
|
Post by gravesnumber9 on Sept 27, 2023 12:42:31 GMT -6
It looks really great. The thing is I really love my MKII and I'm not sure what problem is being solved with the MKIII. To me the MKII is almost perfect for what I need. I'll check it out though. As far as any problems, I would say its hugely convenient to not have to to the twister dance with a shift button. That honestly is very aggravating to me on my MKII. Especially with a sticky shift button that wont pop back up all the way. Holding several fingers down while trying to move an encoder with a thumb is just wonky. From the looks if it, you have more dedicated buttons so that is better. Also they are pots now and not just encoders. I would think they track better and they claim they have 10x the resolution. I do have issues with touching an encoder and it making some big adjustment and then calming down its granularity. I would hope these are more accurate than that. The tiny screens are cool as well. Instead of looking back and forth at the screen to see which track I'm really on, and not just a number on the top row of the CS1, the screen will show me whether I'm on kick in or fiddle DI etc. It seems minor but going back to the screen, opening the CS1 screen, then looking back on the CS1 to hit the right button etc. Seems faster. It's all about trimming processes down I think and this aids in that. I like that the tape saturation is added as functionality within the system, too. Seems like more functionality and perhaps more streamlined in it's layout. All this stuff is really cool and seems like legit advance. No doubt. And I really hate all the shifting. But for me I feel like we're going from A- to A here. I guess I'm really saying that this looks even better but the previous version was really good. If the encoders are more accurate though, that could win me over. Fine tuning can be a bit fiddly on the MKII. It's never bothered me because I'm mostly using the Console for broad strokes stuff anyway, but maybe I don't know what I'm missing? |
|
|
|
Post by copperx on Sept 27, 2023 12:57:21 GMT -6
Big miss. I love my MK2, and I was hoping they would address the major issues: 1) No makeup gain knob for the compressor (WTF?) 2) No motorized fader.
The mini screens are nice, but they're not enough incentive to upgrade. Who designs these things? Everybody likes to hate on SSL, but they get ergonomics and workflow right more often than not.
Everybody working with a DAW should have access to at least one motorized fader. It should be a right on the bill of rights. I thought an encoder knob would be a suitable replacement, but no.
I would even say it's a requirement if you practice self-care.
|
|
|
|
Post by gravesnumber9 on Sept 27, 2023 13:52:36 GMT -6
Big miss. I love my MK2, and I was hoping they would address the major issues: 1) No makeup gain knob for the compressor (WTF?) 2) No motorized fader. The mini screens are nice, but they're not enough incentive to upgrade. Who designs these things? Everybody likes to hate on SSL, but they get ergonomics and workflow right more often than not. Everybody working with a DAW should have access to at least one motorized fader. It should be a right on the bill of rights. I thought an encoder knob would be a suitable replacement, but no. I would even say it's a requirement if you practice self-care. Sounds like they're going to at least allow you to disable auto make-up gain on the compressor. That will be a software upgrade they say, so it will include MKII. I guess the idea is that if you disable that you just make-up with the overall gain knob at the end of the chain? |
|
|
|
Post by copperx on Sept 27, 2023 13:56:55 GMT -6
Sounds like they're going to at least allow you to disable auto make-up gain on the compressor. That will be a software upgrade they say, so it will include MKII. I guess the idea is that if you disable that you just make-up with the overall gain knob at the end of the chain? That's a start. I've pestered them multiple times about that. But there should be a make up gain knob. Using the gain knob at the end leaves us with the same situation: not able to do volume-matched compressor in/out comparisons. |
|
|
|
Post by gravesnumber9 on Sept 27, 2023 14:03:38 GMT -6
Sounds like they're going to at least allow you to disable auto make-up gain on the compressor. That will be a software upgrade they say, so it will include MKII. I guess the idea is that if you disable that you just make-up with the overall gain knob at the end of the chain? That's a start. I've pestered them multiple times about that. But there should be a make up gain knob. Using the gain knob at the end leaves us with the same situation: not able to do volume-matched compressor in/out comparisons. Yeah that really is my one complaint as well. If I'm being honest the other thing is that I have one of those custom wooden boxes for my Console 1 and it looks really slick. So that kind of makes me reluctant to upgrade for yet another reason. Haha. Can't lie! |
|
|
|
Post by copperx on Sept 27, 2023 14:43:57 GMT -6
I hadn't seen the pictures closely. There's now a makeup gain accessible with the shift, and the wet-dry has been moved to a shift operation too. They did listen to customer feedback. Nice. I hope they backport this to the MK2.
|
|
|
|
Post by drumsound on Sept 27, 2023 16:25:17 GMT -6
It seems pretty cool. Those screens can keep you in that piece and out of the monitor. I physically can't see how it would work on top of my console, but in a console-less room, I'd probably be all over this.
|
|
ericn
Temp
Balance Engineer
Posts: 16,099 
|
Post by ericn on Sept 27, 2023 18:06:26 GMT -6
It seems pretty cool. Those screens can keep you in that piece and out of the monitor. I physically can't see how it would work on top of my console, but in a console-less room, I'd probably be all over this. With a smaller console or summing mixer I see it fitting quite well, or if I loaded the DDA modules in the larger frame it would work. My fear is what the build is like since the new version is 4/5 the weight. |
|
|
|
Post by drumsound on Sept 28, 2023 0:07:51 GMT -6
It seems pretty cool. Those screens can keep you in that piece and out of the monitor. I physically can't see how it would work on top of my console, but in a console-less room, I'd probably be all over this. With a smaller console or summing mixer I see it fitting quite well, or if I loaded the DDA modules in the larger frame it would work. My fear is what the build is like since the new version is 4/5 the weight. You just made me realize, I could move ch 25-32 into the 33-40 position and put the blank toward the center... |
|
|
|
Post by sirthought on Sept 28, 2023 11:11:20 GMT -6
I hadn't seen the pictures closely. There's now a makeup gain accessible with the shift, and the wet-dry has been moved to a shift operation too. They did listen to customer feedback. Nice. I hope they backport this to the MK2. On the other site they said the MKII will get same software updates, there will just be the loss of some functionality due to the hardware difference. But it sounds like they expect to still sell the MKII units and want current owners to be able to work in similar fashion. |
|
|
|
Post by ragan on Sept 28, 2023 11:17:10 GMT -6
This looks fun. I’ve never really thought seriously about Console 1, but the demo video on the site makes it look enjoyable.
|
|
ericn
Temp
Balance Engineer
Posts: 16,099
|
Post by ericn on Sept 28, 2023 11:43:12 GMT -6
With a smaller console or summing mixer I see it fitting quite well, or if I loaded the DDA modules in the larger frame it would work. My fear is what the build is like since the new version is 4/5 the weight. You just made me realize, I could move ch 25-32 into the 33-40 position and put the blank toward the center... Oh the fun you can have with a CAD, CNC and 3D printers! In fact for the live racks I’m using Penn Elcom’s custom panel service, I want a little 16x16 TT patchbay so I have a kid at the design center who was in need of a project designing a little patch bay block that will fit in the profile of a Harting connector. |
|
|
|
Post by gravesnumber9 on Sept 28, 2023 12:23:13 GMT -6
This looks fun. I’ve never really thought seriously about Console 1, but the demo video on the site makes it look enjoyable. I recommend it. Been using mine for two years and you really do develop the sort of muscle memory that you get from using an actual board. I can tweak an HPF or cut 2khz or whatever without looking. Can't ask for much more than that! Plus Softtube's various saturation and transient shaping plugins are really good and very fast to use on Console 1. |
|
|
|
Post by ragan on Sept 28, 2023 12:59:17 GMT -6
This looks fun. I’ve never really thought seriously about Console 1, but the demo video on the site makes it look enjoyable. I recommend it. Been using mine for two years and you really do develop the sort of muscle memory that you get from using an actual board. I can tweak an HPF or cut 2khz or whatever without looking. Can't ask for much more than that! Plus Softtube's various saturation and transient shaping plugins are really good and very fast to use on Console 1. Yeah I like Softube Tape and Transient Designer a lot. I’ve been moving away from DSP and toward more analog processing, and don’t see that trend changing. But this does look pretty cool and fun. |
|
|
|
Post by the other mark williams on Sept 28, 2023 15:52:40 GMT -6
I recommend it. Been using mine for two years and you really do develop the sort of muscle memory that you get from using an actual board. I can tweak an HPF or cut 2khz or whatever without looking. Can't ask for much more than that! Plus Softtube's various saturation and transient shaping plugins are really good and very fast to use on Console 1. Yeah I like Softube Tape and Transient Designer a lot. I’ve been moving away from DSP and toward more analog processing, and don’t see that trend changing. But this does look pretty cool and fun. I've always been super intrigued by the Console 1 concept, and I would love to move off of the computer screen and back to a more hands-on workflow. I just haven't been a huge fan of Softube's channelstrips when I've listened to comparisons. If I were actually going to commit to a system like this, I would need to have 100% faith in the EQ and ideally the compressor, too -- and Softube just hasn't really won me over. Would very much like to be wrong with regard to their emulations, so I'm happy to be shown that I am. Anyone? Other opinions? |
|
ericn
Temp
Balance Engineer
Posts: 16,099
|
Post by ericn on Sept 28, 2023 16:02:05 GMT -6
Yeah I like Softube Tape and Transient Designer a lot. I’ve been moving away from DSP and toward more analog processing, and don’t see that trend changing. But this does look pretty cool and fun. I've always been super intrigued by the Console 1 concept, and I would love to move off of the computer screen and back to a more hands-on workflow. I just haven't been a huge fan of Softube's channelstrips when I've listened to comparisons. If I were actually going to commit to a system like this, I would need to have 100% faith in the EQ and ideally the compressor, too -- and Softube just hasn't really won me over. Would very much like to be wrong with regard to their emulations, so I'm happy to be shown that I am. Anyone? Other opinions? This is where softube did something smart, they got UAD to make most of their plugins compatible. I’m not sure if the Native Stuff is compatible yet but most of the DSP plugins are. At least you have a choice! |
|
|
|
Post by Quint on Sept 28, 2023 16:17:45 GMT -6
Yeah I like Softube Tape and Transient Designer a lot. I’ve been moving away from DSP and toward more analog processing, and don’t see that trend changing. But this does look pretty cool and fun. I've always been super intrigued by the Console 1 concept, and I would love to move off of the computer screen and back to a more hands-on workflow. I just haven't been a huge fan of Softube's channelstrips when I've listened to comparisons. If I were actually going to commit to a system like this, I would need to have 100% faith in the EQ and ideally the compressor, too -- and Softube just hasn't really won me over. Would very much like to be wrong with regard to their emulations, so I'm happy to be shown that I am. Anyone? Other opinions? I'll keep saying it. Rocksolid Audio. Check it out. rocksolidaudio.co.uk/Then you can use this with whatever plugins you want. To be fair, even the Rocksolid Audio stuff is not perfect, and may not work for everyone's needs, but it's worth checking out. I'm liking it so far, and it's working for my needs, in a plugin agnostic way. |
|
|
|
Post by the other mark williams on Sept 28, 2023 16:21:48 GMT -6
I've always been super intrigued by the Console 1 concept, and I would love to move off of the computer screen and back to a more hands-on workflow. I just haven't been a huge fan of Softube's channelstrips when I've listened to comparisons. If I were actually going to commit to a system like this, I would need to have 100% faith in the EQ and ideally the compressor, too -- and Softube just hasn't really won me over. Would very much like to be wrong with regard to their emulations, so I'm happy to be shown that I am. Anyone? Other opinions? This is where softube did something smart, they got UAD to make most of their plugins compatible. I’m not sure if the Native Stuff is compatible yet but most of the DSP plugins are. At least you have a choice! But--and I could be totally wrong here--I thought the whole channelstrip layout (which is what is supposed to help you get off of your DAW) is tied to the Softube emulations (SSL 4k, Nevesomething, API, SSL 9k). Is that not true? I know you can bring certain UAD plugins into the chain as external effects, but the whole channelstrip GUI "thang" is--or so I thought--limited to Softube. True? Not true? Also, I finally bought my first UAD plugin a couple weeks back. Native. Unless the native versions start being integrated into Console 1, there's no chance for me on that front. |
|
|
|
Post by Quint on Sept 28, 2023 16:39:29 GMT -6
This is where softube did something smart, they got UAD to make most of their plugins compatible. I’m not sure if the Native Stuff is compatible yet but most of the DSP plugins are. At least you have a choice! But--and I could be totally wrong here--I thought the whole channelstrip layout (which is what is supposed to help you get off of your DAW) is tied to the Softube emulations (SSL 4k, Nevesomething, API, SSL 9k). Is that not true? I know you can bring certain UAD plugins into the chain as external effects, but the whole channelstrip GUI "thang" is--or so I thought--limited to Softube. True? Not true? Also, I finally bought my first UAD plugin a couple weeks back. Native. Unless the native versions start being integrated into Console 1, there's no chance for me on that front. C1 only works with Softube plugins and a healthy majority of UAD-2 DSP plugins. No other plugins (including UADx native) will work with C1. I also don't think Softube will ever support UADx native plugins for C1, as these would be in direct competition with Softube's native plugins. |
|
|
|
Post by the other mark williams on Sept 28, 2023 16:55:00 GMT -6
I've always been super intrigued by the Console 1 concept, and I would love to move off of the computer screen and back to a more hands-on workflow. I just haven't been a huge fan of Softube's channelstrips when I've listened to comparisons. If I were actually going to commit to a system like this, I would need to have 100% faith in the EQ and ideally the compressor, too -- and Softube just hasn't really won me over. Would very much like to be wrong with regard to their emulations, so I'm happy to be shown that I am. Anyone? Other opinions? I'll keep saying it. Rocksolid Audio. Check it out. rocksolidaudio.co.uk/Then you can use this with whatever plugins you want. What is this witchery?! Never heard of it - thanks for mentioning it, Quint! Do you have one (or more) of these things? If so, you like it/them? |
|
|
|
Post by wiz on Sept 28, 2023 16:55:40 GMT -6
Mark, I used to own the C1 and all the strips they had at the time.....and I have owned other control surfaces....
For guys like me doing the one man thing, one instrument at a time... it never worked out for me...
Now.....
If I were mixing a lot of others tracks, where I get the whole project sent to me.. or doing multiple musicians and having to do monitor mixes... it might be a different story...
There it would be worthwhile...but...I still look at every new one that comes out....and suffer GAS...8)
cheers
Wiz
|
|
|
|
Post by Quint on Sept 28, 2023 17:01:14 GMT -6
I'll keep saying it. Rocksolid Audio. Check it out. rocksolidaudio.co.uk/Then you can use this with whatever plugins you want. What is this witchery?! Never heard of it - thanks for mentioning it, Quint ! Do you have one (or more) of these things? If so, you like it/them? I have the Micro 3. I use it in mouse mode. There is a host mode too, but I haven't tried it. I like the Micro 3 a lot. So the witchery is that it manipulates your mouse, which means it's not subject to drivers, or support issues created by new OS release, or DAW support, or whatever. There are caveats, but it's overall a cool approach, and because it manipulates your mouse, there is no plugin on the planet that it shouldn't theoretically work with. They also have a controller set up to look like a SSL strip. I preferred the Micro 3 because it is intentionally more generic. But it has a ton of knobs and buttons that you can map however you like. Each knob also functions as a push button, and each knob also secondarily functions as a second knob when turning while depressed. So that's a total of 36 rotary knobs and 23 buttons. Price is like $325  |
|
