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Digico S21: The S21 provides a tactile control surface with 21 motorized faders along with screens that use both touch control and associated adjacent.
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ProVisionaire Touch software allows Yamaha CL/QL/TF series mixers to be remotely controlled. Set-up is drag and drop and does not require any special programming skill.
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The TouchMix 30 presents a mixed interface of touchscreen and tactile controls.
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The Emotion LV1 places the entire user interface on a touchscreen, but incorporates a unique feature to maintain fader control even if the finger drifts from the fader image.
From the 1990s through the 2000s, the big question in mixing worship sound was, “Do we go analog or digital?” With some exceptions, that question has been resolved in favor of digital. Instead, the crucial question now confronting churches considering mixing console investments has become, “Do we mix on a tactile surface, a touchscreen, or a combination of the two?” This is a critical issue since moving in the wrong direction could lead to operator confusion, lack of flexibility, glitches in worship sound, or unnecessarily higher costs.
For guidance on thinking through this dilemma, Church Production sought the wise counsel of three worship sound experts, each with in-depth experience on the topic.
Jim Abdo serves as a worship leader and FOH mixer at Table Rock Fellowship in Medford, Ore. He also operates BrokenWorks Productions, offering studio and remote recording.
Brad Duryea is director of audio technology at Lakewood Church in Houston.
Mark Johnson is director of the Bachelor of Science in Show Production program at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Fla. He is also a veteran FOH mixer and tech director at several churches.
What are the advantages of working with tactile controls—mechanical faders, knobs and switches—as your primary userinterface?
ABDO: Touchscreens require a visual reference when moving around among various controls. Also, when you’re riding a mix on multiple faders, tactile controls let you focus on what you are hearing. In addition, I find rotary knobs are more intuitive for setting pan, auxes and effects sends.
DURYEA: When you are mixing live, you want three things from your control surface: the ability to grab something quickly using muscle memory, the ability to manipulate several things at once with different fingers, and the confidence that comes with feeling a control moving without having visual verification. A tactile surface provides all three.
JOHNSON: This is a question for the ages—or perhaps better, the generations, as in Boomers vs. Millennials. It often depends on what you are accustomed to or were trained on. I spent most of my career on analog consoles, so digital systems don’t come naturally to me. That said, touches and swipes on a screen are more the norm today. For example, early in my career I used a Yamaha PM1000 for many shows, and I recently had the opportunity to use a TF Rack digital system [with touchscreen interface]. The TF Rack provided everything I’d dreamed of back then, and more, in less space and at a fraction of the cost of the PM1000.
On the other hand , what are the advantages of using a touchscreen with virtual controls?
ABDO: Touchscreen interfaces require less space and, depending on the device or the application, they can be almost infinitely customizable.
DURYEA: Touchscreens allow greater access to more controls in a smaller footprint, which is fine for mixing smaller events and is great for moving around the room to tweak a mix at different spots when you are using a remote tablet.
JOHNSON: A sometimes overlooked advantage is that you don’t have physical knobs and faders and switches that have to be cleaned when they get dirty or replaced when they are broken.
Are there particular instances when visibility or a lack of tactile sensing are a liability for touchscreens?
ABDO: When mixing outdoors, bright sunlight can compromise a touchscreen’s visibility. Also, on hot days, the sweat from your fingers can make it sticky.
DURYEA: I have mixed plenty of events on just touchscreens, so I know it can be done. But you’re more efficient when your fingers can grab things rapidly. Also, when using remote tablets, wireless stability can be a major issue. Even the best WiFi networks can struggle with a ton of personal electronics in the room.
JOHNSON: In brightly sunlit outdoor settings I’ve frequently seen sophisticated digital consoles with makeshift cardboard hoods over the touchscreens. That always seems ironic to me. Also, if you’re watching the action on stage, it’s easy for your fingers to drift away from the intended control. The Waves LV1 cleverly addresses this issue by continuing fader control as long as your finger maintains contact with the screen, even if it moves away from the visual image.
In what ways do touchscreens offer advantages when used in conjunction with tactile controls like faders?
ABDO: When large enough, touchscreens excel for controlling graphical information such as EQ and dynamics, as well as for switching mutes and solos, and for setting up groups or DCAs.
DURYEA: Added touchscreens such as iPads can be a nice adjunct to the main surface since they can be used to look at effects parameters, for example, while the main screen is focused on other areas. Most touchscreen apps actually do a good job of manipulating just about anything.
Author’s interjection: Graphical touchscreen apps that let you “draw” your parametric equalizers and compressors are not only more intuitive but are also great teaching tools for volunteers. For example, you can pinch or spread the Q of a frequency band and hear the effect while you watch what you’re doing.
Do you have different preferences for your interface for mixing live as opposed to setting up console parameters beforehand?
ABDO: I use an Avid Venue SC48 when mixing at our church, and a QSC TouchMix Pro-30 for my own location mixing and recording. Mixing fader levels, and adjusting sends and pan is fast and responsive on the Venue, but setting up equalizers, dynamics, DCAs and patchbays is more intuitive on the TouchMix touchscreen.
DURYEA: I still like to do most things on the main tactile surface because it’s generally faster at most every task. But I do like to use a touchscreen tablet to walk the room during sound check.
Has the industry moved too quickly in replacing "analog-style" tactile controls with touchscreens? Or is there a balance with adequate options for each?
DURYEA: I like to use both at different times, so I don’t think the industry is necessarily moving too fast. It’s important, though, that traditional interfaces continue to be offered as part of a system. But if you’re using a control network or remote tablets, it’s equally important that people fully secure the FOH network, since I’ve heard of issues in other venues from unwanted people connecting to a console and causing trouble.
JOHNSON: Perhaps some console makers, in the rush to bring a product to market, have pushed out “ahead of their time.” Maybe conceptually the product was cool, but it didn’t perform as intended—or maybe even as needed. I’ve heard users say that some touchscreen systems don’t respond to commands as quickly as tactile controls. That may well be the case, but I believe this will improve as the technology progresses. Ultimately, as a new generation of operators, read “digital natives”—populates the user base, touchscreen devices will increasingly become the norm for audio mixing.
