A while ago, we posted an article on using an iPad to control Pro Tools. Since then, the concept has caught the imagination of other professional equipment maufacturers like Yamaha.
They have come up with an application called StageMix that allows the iPad to control a live mixing desk remotely. The desk in question is the Yamaha M7CL series desk, which is designed to let you mix 16 different mix busses from one digital desk. In short, it’s perfect for an on-stage monitor mixing desk.
The way monitor mixes are generally put together is that the engineer has a monitor speaker next to the desk , so he can hear what is being sent to each particular musician. A musician will ask for more or less of an instrument until he is happy with what he can hear. The mix engineer will then fine-tune the mix based on what the musician has asked for. This is the point at which the iPad comes in.
The idea is, that the engineer can take the iPad out onto stage, and stand right next to each musician in turn while the band plays. That way he can hear how his mix interacts with all the other amps on stage and the front of house mix, in short he can hear exactly what the musicians hear. He can tweak just about everything in the mix straight from the iPad, from fader levels to eq.
There’s one big downside that I can see… who’s going to want to carefully cross a stage strewn with cables and musicians flailing guitars around, with something as beautiful and as expensive as an iPad? Not sure I’d want to risk it.
More info on the manufacturer’s website here.
