I know that it has been explained that there are too many issues with cascading 2 S3's (in a master/slave relationship), to build a 33 fader setup (the 33rd being the dock). What I don't understand is WHY!
Cascade technology is over 20 years old! You can link DA7's, 02R-96's, DM2K's, DMX R-100's and that's back in the 90's and early 2000's! The ARTIST SERIES, which is your "bottom of the line" controllers have the same tech out to 36 faders (1 Control + 4 Mix units).
So WHY is it so difficult to apply that same technology, that already works with a single S3 + Artist Series (Transport), to 2 S3's?
Another thing I've been thinking about, since we can't have cascade tech on the 2 hardware units, is WHAT ABOUT VIRTUAL FADERS? The Roland VS series (VS880, VS1680, VS1880 & VS2480) have offered virtual tracks since the 90's. Couldn't Avid offer a version of that for the additional faders with a simple bank button?
I'm not talking about the bank scroll, I'm talking about a "Bank File." If we're on Bank "A" we're scrolling on Faders 1 - 16 up and down the mixer. But if we're on Bank "B," we're scrolling on Faders 17 - 32! Problem solved. You've still got your small footprint of a 16 fader Space with 32 (or more faders, since you're essentially just using a patch bay concept to activate which grid the hardware controls. So, why not 48 faders with a "C" Bank?) faders.
The biggest advantage there is that you're now not limited to 16 fader layouts! You could make a 24 fader layout with a simple toggling between banks. People doing pop records might not see a need for layouts exceeding 24 faders. But people doing film score work will definitely understand this need!
I'm not trying to star any fights or anything. I just don't get what is so difficult about solving this issue, since you guys already solved it in the cheap stuff. You're not "reinventing the wheel!" You're just "adding a trailer hitch!"
