S6 Faster?

[vicviper]

Just started working on the S6 after having been on an Icon for the past 10 years or so....

Immediately my first thought is that EQing on the Icon blows away the S6 thanks to its dedicated 21 knob EQ section. There's just no comparison as far as speed and ease of use goes. ...toggling through the functions of the Master Module's outer 8 knobs is just so slow and cumbersome by comparison.

Since the Master Module is a touch screen, I don't understand why the GUI of the active plugin isn't displayed on it, allowing you to then custom map any parameter to the knobs. Can we hope to see this function in the future?

I'm also wondering how to get the Attention Track Fader on the Automation Module to follow my selected track in Pro Tools? I use the "Link Track and Edit Selection" option all the time and there must be a way to automatically "Attention" the currently selected track in Pro Tools to that fader. On the Icon you could focus a track on the Focus Channel Strip in a number of ways directly from Pro Tools.

Can anyone tell me how to do this?

Next, while the soft key section is nice, adding custom soft keys is seriously annoying. On the Icon, all you had to do was hold the command key and press any key on the console to add that function to your custom user list. Does the S6 have this feature?

So far I'm very much missing my Icon.....I miss the EQ and Dynamics sections, the zoom/navigate section, and the annoyances I described above are really grating on me. While the product claims to be a console that "delivers the performance you need to complete projects faster" I'm worried that the reality is that I will actually be working much slower going forward.

[Drew Mazurek]

Have you tried Expand mode for EQ'ing? That should spill out your EQ parameters locally color coded etc.

Controlling plugins on the touch screen is technically possible now with the new AAX standards, but I suspect it's a ways away.

[Brandonx1]

The S6 doesn't have the auto focus track selection feature. I think they will be adding it in an update because the artist series does that.

I feel you pain. I mover from an artist series to the S6 and I think the artist is faster then both the S6 and the icon. Let's just hope the software updates come fast.

[vicviper]

Thanks Drew. I checked out the expand mode, but it looks like it only takes advantage of 16 out of 32 knobs on the knob module for some reason, even though there are 21 knobs on the EQ7 band plugin.

Also not digging the default layout of the parameters. Is it possible to customize the way these parameters are layed out in Expand mode, and can I get the S6 to utilize the remaining 16 unused knobs in this view?

[Drew Mazurek]

I'll let an actual user respond to the other questions but I suspect the answer is no for now.

On another note, I'd be interested if your feelings about speed have changed any now with a few more weeks under your belt?

[Brandonx1]

Originally Posted by vicviper

Thanks Drew. I checked out the expand mode, but it looks like it only takes advantage of 16 out of 32 knobs on the knob module for some reason, even though there are 21 knobs on the EQ7 band plugin.

Also not digging the default layout of the parameters. Is it possible to customize the way these parameters are layed out in Expand mode, and can I get the S6 to utilize the remaining 16 unused knobs in this view?

Expand mode is still being worked on. All knobs can be used and the layout of the knobs is either plug in specific (through insert button) or standard avid layout (through eq or dyn button).

[loud neighbor]

Originally Posted by vicviper

Just started working on the S6 after having been on an Icon for the past 10 years or so....

Immediately my first thought is that EQing on the Icon blows away the S6 thanks to its dedicated 21 knob EQ section. There's just no comparison as far as speed and ease of use goes. ...toggling through the functions of the Master Module's outer 8 knobs is just so slow and cumbersome by comparison.

Since the Master Module is a touch screen, I don't understand why the GUI of the active plugin isn't displayed on it, allowing you to then custom map any parameter to the knobs. Can we hope to see this function in the future?

I'm also wondering how to get the Attention Track Fader on the Automation Module to follow my selected track in Pro Tools? I use the "Link Track and Edit Selection" option all the time and there must be a way to automatically "Attention" the currently selected track in Pro Tools to that fader. On the Icon you could focus a track on the Focus Channel Strip in a number of ways directly from Pro Tools.

Can anyone tell me how to do this?

Next, while the soft key section is nice, adding custom soft keys is seriously annoying. On the Icon, all you had to do was hold the command key and press any key on the console to add that function to your custom user list. Does the S6 have this feature?

So far I'm very much missing my Icon.....I miss the EQ and Dynamics sections, the zoom/navigate section, and the annoyances I described above are really grating on me. While the product claims to be a console that "delivers the performance you need to complete projects faster" I'm worried that the reality is that I will actually be working much slower going forward.

+1 to track focus and better AAX implementation...

[jacko]

Originally Posted by vicviper

Just started working on the S6 after having been on an Icon for the past 10 years or so....

Immediately my first thought is that EQing on the Icon blows away the S6 thanks to its dedicated 21 knob EQ section. There's just no comparison as far as speed and ease of use goes. ...toggling through the functions of the Master Module's outer 8 knobs is just so slow and cumbersome by comparison.

Since the Master Module is a touch screen, I don't understand why the GUI of the active plugin isn't displayed on it, allowing you to then custom map any parameter to the knobs. Can we hope to see this function in the future?

I'm also wondering how to get the Attention Track Fader on the Automation Module to follow my selected track in Pro Tools? I use the "Link Track and Edit Selection" option all the time and there must be a way to automatically "Attention" the currently selected track in Pro Tools to that fader. On the Icon you could focus a track on the Focus Channel Strip in a number of ways directly from Pro Tools.

Can anyone tell me how to do this?

Next, while the soft key section is nice, adding custom soft keys is seriously annoying. On the Icon, all you had to do was hold the command key and press any key on the console to add that function to your custom user list. Does the S6 have this feature?

So far I'm very much missing my Icon.....I miss the EQ and Dynamics sections, the zoom/navigate section, and the annoyances I described above are really grating on me. While the product claims to be a console that "delivers the performance you need to complete projects faster" I'm worried that the reality is that I will actually be working much slower going forward.

Your points are confirming my worries. I'm thinking exactly the same when I read the documentation. Expand mode doesn't replace dedicated EQ and DYN sections from the ICON. Expand mode is on ICON anyway - you can spill plugin parameters on channel knobs.

[Drew Mazurek]

Originally Posted by milaszewski

Your points are confirming my worries. I'm thinking exactly the same when I read the documentation. Expand mode doesn't replace dedicated EQ and DYN sections from the ICON. Expand mode is on ICON anyway - you can spill plugin parameters on channel knobs.

Expand mode, if capable of logically using ALL knobs (i.e. no paging needed) could be WAY better than an ICON ever was. No idea if that'll potential will ever be realized.

[Bill Denton]

A question, if I may, since I know less than nothing about how post guys work...

Do the high-end post guys have to deal with EQ and compression as much as those "doing" music have to?