D-command, expansion fader pack on left or right ?

[deardaddy]

Hello,


Just broke my wallet and bought a 24 faders D-command.
I just had it for a couple of days and I still don't know if I'm going to put the expansion fader pack on the left or on the right of the main unit.

I know there's no good or bad choice but I would be very glad if some of you could share your experiences and preferences on that subject.

Thanks for your time.


Pascal

[RoyleeRecords]

I have a D-Command 24 w/Producers Desk and have it configured in the following way from left to right: Main Unit, Producers Desk, Fader Module. I feel this keeps me in the center of the monitors for good mixing/editing and would work equally as well if you don't have the Producers Desk and still keeps everything within reach. I feel tht if the fader module is left of the main unit, you tend not to use it which would be a waste of your investment. Additionally, I'll use the 8 from the main unit for my custom fader group for mixing and use the other 16 to my right for the other tracks in the session. Hope this helps! Good luck and let me know how it works out!

Thanks,

Andrew Bonica
Roylee Records
San Diego, CA
www.royleerecords.com

[deardaddy]

Andrew,


Thanks for your reply.
It was one of my thoughts, having the CF at my left and the rest of the "normal" faders at my right.
To be honest with you, before I bought the D-command, I surfed a lot on the internet for pictures of studios using D-command and never saw one with the main unit of the left and the rest of faders on the right, I thought no one used it another way.

Thanks for your time.


Pascal

[Chris Lambrechts]

I would put them on the left ... 24 faders under the tips of your fingers just has too many advantages as opposed to splitting them up .

One solid argument that would come to mind to have the fader pack on the right is to have the main unit faders do Custom fader mode exclusively. Normal fader mode on the fader pack at all times.

I don't have enough hands on D Command experience to justify that argument though but I think it is worth while exploring.

Good to see you made the jump Pascal.

Chris

[Brandonx1]

Originally Posted by Chris Lambrechts

I would put them on the left ... 24 faders under the tips of your fingers just has too many advantages as opposed to splitting them up .

One solid argument that would come to mind to have the fader pack on the right is to have the main unit faders do Custom fader mode exclusively. Normal fader mode on the fader pack at all times.

I don't have enough hands on D Command experience to justify that argument though but I think it is worth while exploring.

Good to see you made the jump Pascal.

Chris

I kinda like main unit followed buy the expansion faders to the right. This way my VCA's are on the left and I spill the faders onto the right fader pack. I almost never have more then 16 faders on a VCA so it works very well for me.
Best
Brandon

[Chris Lambrechts]

Originally Posted by Brandonx1

... my VCA's are on the left and I spill the faders onto the right fader pack....

Yes ... that's what I had in mind


Chris

[macaholic]

Originally Posted by Brandonx1

I kinda like main unit followed buy the expansion faders to the right. This way my VCA's are on the left and I spill the faders onto the right fader pack. I almost never have more then 16 faders on a VCA so it works very well for me.
Best
Brandon

That is exactly the way I do it too (well ever since Tom Graham showed me anyway)...

Plus by having the Fader Pack on the right, I have my center section right in the sweet spot and everything is an easy reach from fader 1 to 24... I feel like probably if the fader pack were to the left of the main (all 24 faders together), it would be more of a stretch to get to my "User" soft keys... The more time you spend behind it, the less you will be doing with a keyboard and mouse, and the Soft Keys section will be your "home base".

Take my advice and go through Chris' incredible 3 part ICON tutorial session posted in this section to really get a sense of integrating an ICON into your daily workflow. Chris is the man and and a GREAT resource!!!

[deardaddy]

Thank you for your inputs everybody, I appreciate that.
Thanks for the advice on Chris' tutorials, I'm looking for any advice, tutorials, tips, experience to know more about the D-command.

I've always been a keyboard/mouse guy even when I was working on Pro controls/Control 24 or Euphonics controllers to be able to switch environment without being lost.
This is a great move for me ...

Thanks for your time.


Pascal

[macaholic]

Also really take the time up front to get comfortable with the powerful features that ICON gives you like VCA spill, custom fader groups, and plugin mapping just to name a few, and it will start to become second nature after a while.

The User softkeys section is great too, since you can customize it to suit your personal workflow.

If you aren't currently using VCAs in your daily work, give them a shot because ICON makes them even more powerful.

The folks around here are all eager to help, so don't hesitate to ask and as you already know, there's more than one way to skin a cat on the ICON and what works for me in a strictly Post setting might not work so great for some of the music folks.

Also I took a cue early on from something Chris wrote in one of his tutorials, and once I got the session opened TURN OFF THE COMPUTER MONITORS. You'd be surprised by how much you can run a session simply from the ICON, so whenever I have the time, I also practice without a keyboard, just to see the alternate ways of editing

[deardaddy]

Thank you so much Macaholic for your encouragements.
You're right, I've never used VCA's before, I'll look into that ASAP, I've seen Chris do the "do it without the screen", I'll also try that when I'll know a bit more on the console.

For the moment, I must admit that I have my personal workflow without any specific console so I have to learn quiet a lot.

I'm doing post and music so everybody's input is welcome.

Best regards from Belgium


Pascal