SmartAV Tango DAW Controller

[HHaynes]

Originally Posted by Nowak

Got the 12 channel unit in today, man this thing rocks seriously.

Dude - that looks great. I can't wait to get my own extension bay. I see that you put the main unit on the right. That's the way I had planned it since I'm right-handed. But I'm wondering if it makes more sense to have the transport controls closer to the sweet spot. I guess I can try it each way and see/hear how the ergonomics work out.

[matt thomas]

Originally Posted by Nowak

Got the 12 channel unit in today, man this thing rocks seriously

did you sell all your rack gear to afford it



narco

[Nowak]

Yeah HH, I wondered about where to put the expander, I decided to the left as I didn't want to be using my left hand to be tweaking eqs etc, it feels fine over there but give it a go either side, the console isn't too wide that it's much of a stretch to get over to the right side. You're gonna love it.

Narco - good call, they're looking a little sad right!, I should fill them up, since getting Logic in there alot of synths and stuff are up in the storage room....Maybe some funk logic rack fillers is the way to go.

[audio ergo sum]

Does the Tango have some kind of fan that makes noise in it? I was told, a major somewhat less obvious difference between controllers like Euphonix Artist and Tango is the total lack of own computing hardware inside cheaper controllers like Artist.

Thanks.

[Nowak]

I'm not sure whether there's a fan in there, I certainly haven't noticed any noise from the unit.

The system runs an embedded operating system, there's a hard drive inside it also for saving setups, preferences. But still, no noise.

[HHaynes]

The Tango is essentially an embedded PC system with specialized hardware built around it. I'm not sure whether the Tango has a fan inside the main unit (I certainly can't hear anything), but it has a fan in the external power supply - one of those brick-sized things. The fan in the Tango's external power supply is *quieter* than the fan that was in the prototype Origin synth from Arturia. I can't even hear it. I have a companion for it that runs my 30" LCD display on a special shelf I built under my desk - but the PS for the Gateway display is passive - it doesn't have a fan - probably because it draws less power and gives off less heat.

[audio ergo sum]

Originally Posted by HHaynes

...but it has a fan in the external power supply - one of those brick-sized things. ...

Thank you. Since I'm no fan of fans, how long is the cable from the power supply to the main unit? Does it use some common connector type, so one could easily extend it and place the fan outside?

Thanks

[HHaynes]

Originally Posted by audio ergo sum

Thank you. Since I'm no fan of fans, how long is the cable from the power supply to the main unit? Does it use some common connector type, so one could easily extend it and place the fan outside?

Thanks

The connector looks somewhat like an SVHS connector - but with four large pins. I'd say the run from the PS to the back panel of the Tango is about 2 meters. You'd have to ask SmatAV about whether extending it is advisable.

FWIW - I keep my main DAW, my NAS and UPS inside my closet, which is actively ventilated to the outside, but the PS on the Tango is quiet enough that I don't even hear it, and have left it on the mini shelf I built for all bricks/wall warts under my desk. I don't even think about it now that it's up off the floor.

[Geert van den Berg]

Originally Posted by audio ergo sum

Does the Tango have some kind of fan that makes noise in it? I was told, a major somewhat less obvious difference between controllers like Euphonix Artist and Tango is the total lack of own computing hardware inside cheaper controllers like Artist.

Thanks.

Originally Posted by audio ergo sum

Thank you. Since I'm no fan of fans, how long is the cable from the power supply to the main unit? Does it use some common connector type, so one could easily extend it and place the fan outside?

Thanks

I am no fan of fans either. I really loathe them...

Luckily I am not annoyed by any fan noise from the Tango.

There is a fan in the controller as well to keep the CPU cool, but it is not spinning at full speed and I have never heard it accelerate while the console was running all day.

[rav]

Originally Posted by audio ergo sum

Thank you. Since I'm no fan of fans, how long is the cable from the power supply to the main unit? Does it use some common connector type, so one could easily extend it and place the fan outside?

Thanks

You can even use a different power supply if you like.

Best.

[angel777]

..there is nothing better than tango..
more i use it and more i find it is the best.
It have ALL you need..and what you cannot find is in the next developers projects..

by!
Sam

MySpace.com - Angel Studio - IT - Pop / Soundtracks / Film music / Rock - www.myspace.com/angelrecstudio

[TRW]

Is there anywhere these can be demoed in the UK yet?

-T

[Geert van den Berg]

Originally Posted by TRW

Is there anywhere these can be demoed in the UK yet?

-T

Smart AV - TANGO - Smart Console

Emerging - Home

[bobsandifer]

Joe Bean was nice enough to let us demo one of the units over the weekend and I have to say it has cut our mixing time almost in half. Master and 2 extensions will be replacing our current rig in less than a month.

My clients have been freaking out over the Tango and after a short demo of how it works we have gotten every session. It looks like the finally beat out the kid with the huge beringer board or the nifty 295$ protools "studio"...LOL

Thanks Joe for the chance to demo the unit. !

[Nowak]

Awesome,

The guys at SmartAV HQ here in Australia are great guys too.

Joseph Narai, the designer of the board has been to my studio personally to check things out. There are lots of nice things on the way for the board, the new MonARC software is great with lots more development coming. That's the beauty of this board, being a touchscreen/GUI system, the possibilities are endless.......however.......even if things stayed as they are now it would still rock seriously.

Stefan

[sigmatibet]

one question: is Tango working with an exclusive language only or in it as well comprehensive of some universal language like Mackie Control or HUI?

[Nowak]

Smart AV have written "personalities" or code for specific programs, Logic, Nuendo, Pyramix and HUI - you switch to either "engine" via the SmartAV OS.

IE - A screen shows showing the various DAWs and you switch to the one you want to use, the console then connects and you're ready to rock.

Stefan

[sigmatibet]

please don't misunderstand my considerations: I Do think Tango is the best choice to date in the world of controllers (and if I had the chance I would buy in a minute).
I only have a big doubt:
Since SmartAV is not a big company compared to the big wheights of the market, and Since Tango is not using a standard code like, say, MCU, aside with its own code, who can tell that if one sad day Smart AV will not be with us anymore, Tango will become a cool piece of forniture?
if it is using a standard code, along with its own code, then this machine is perfect.
One second question: is there a Cubase version on the way?

Thank you and note that I absolutely don't want to be unpolite, just curious.

[Nowak]

We all die in the end don't we?

That wouldn't stop me from buying something though.......Smart AV is a good company and I for one are happy to be dealing with a small company for a change.

Stefan

[sigmatibet]

Originally Posted by Nowak

We all die in the end don't we?

That wouldn't stop me from buying something though.......Smart AV is a good company and I for one are happy to be dealing with a small company for a change.

Stefan

true. but Tango is cheap in one way but it's a lot of money anyway. I'd feel more comfortable if an mcu "parachute" code would be implemented.
That said, I must say I dream of Tango day in and day out!

[HHaynes]

The last I heard from the folks at SmartAV is that they're working on Pyramix and HUI mode support (for Pro Tools) with full MCU support coming later.

I'm working on some videos for showing how the Tango interfaces with Nuendo and Cubase - should be out in a few weeks.

[HHaynes]

Originally Posted by sigmatibet

One second question: is there a Cubase version on the way?

Just to put a point on it - Tango already supports Cubase 4 through the same remote protocol that it uses to talk back and forth with Nuendo. It's just a matter of installing the "Nuendo" components to the Cubase 4 folder.

There *are* some differences on the remote control side of things - certain things you can reach in Nuendo that don't exist in Cubase (such as Edit mode and some automation functions) but I'd say that more than 80% of the functionality is there.

As I replied above, I'll be doing some videos with Tango in front of Cubase - so keep your eyes peeled for a few videos going up online sometime around the US Thanksgiving holiday.

Cheers,
Houston

[Nowak]

Yep,

Joe is currently working on Pyramix and HUI...........as well as developing what's already there for Logic and Noodles.

Next beta should be out soon I think which will include the new MonARC software which is great which allows you to show different number of channels, In its finest it showed 200 channels across the 2 screens! as well as easy scrolling down the MonARC using the smart key.

Tango rocks!!!!!

[HHaynes]

Originally Posted by sigmatibet

Since SmartAV is not a big company compared to the big wheights of the market, and Since Tango is not using a standard code like, say, MCU, aside with its own code, who can tell that if one sad day Smart AV will not be with us anymore, Tango will become a cool piece of forniture?

Just an aside - I think you may have a misguided impression that SmartAV is a new company and that the Tango is their first product. They have the benefit of owning several worldwide patents (since the 90s I believe), and have been making their larger format Smart Consoles for years (you know, the desks that look like they belong on the Starship Enterprise). They have also branched out to create a professional level console as well as partnering with companies like Merging in making dedicated controllers. Pyramix is better known (and more widely used) in Europe and I think the SmartAV console might have been an OEM (unbranded) product, so I'd expect that may be the reason why people are failing to make the connection that SmartAV is already a successful company in the high-end post/studio market.

I also think that SmartAV benefits from being a smaller, more agile company compared to the shops that are into making mass-marketed gear. There were some features that I suggested that were implemented in relatively short order - something that I don't think you'd get if you sent an email to Mackie. Part of that is technological - SmartAV made the right decision to put as much 'real estate' behind the touch screen as possible - so that they have the ultimate flexibility to implement changes and new features. But the other part is their approach to actively engaging with their customers to make improvements more-or-less on the fly as they gain more feedback.

And by counterexample, it's easy to point out the frailty of your reasoning by the numerous examples of failed products and companies from "the big weights". Just look at Steinberg's Houston controller (no relation, I assure you). That was a DAW controller from a major company and yet it managed to flail away until they finally just gave up on supporting the unit altogether. Then there was SSL that went bankrupt and then was brought back from the dead by Peter Gabriel and David Engelke. So don't get carried away with hand-wringing - because products can rise an fall on many aspects *other* than the relative size of the company. As far as SmartAV is concerned, they've got some really innovative (and exclusive) technologies and a rock solid product that delivers a ton of functionality for the money in the Tango. Basing your buying decision on some imagined factors relating to the company's size is a red herring.

[Nowak]

well put Houston......

Anyone remember the Project X mixing system......gone.....
The Sony Oxford Console.......gone

umm........Sony's a pretty company I thought..........

Lexicon Opus?..........gone........Lexicon/Harmon are a pretty big outfit
Amek?

If you weren't to purchase a console from the brilliant guys at Smart AV because you're worried they they're a small company and mightn't be able to support if in the years ahead would just be silly IMHO.

Stef.

[sigmatibet]

I totally agree. (I am a former Tascam US-2400 user by the way...)
I have to admit I had no deep aknowlegment of SmartAV, but I immediately considered Tango as my controller of choice.
My frustrating experience with US-2400 makes me hesitate from buying goods that don't appear more than reliable to me.
(er.....Tascam is not actually a light weight...)


Thank you for Cubase infos

[laser]

Originally Posted by Nowak

Yep,

Next beta should be out soon I think which will include the new MonARC software which is great which allows you to show different number of channels, In its finest it showed 200 channels across the 2 screens! as well as easy scrolling down the MonARC using the smart key.

Tango rocks!!!!!

Hey Nowak and others,

Been looking at the Tango and this statement caught my eye.

I probably won't get the extension, but I hate the thought of either tabbing on the board over to the proper fader bank (8 faders per bank) or looking for the right fader bank on the touch screen. I know you can point to the screen to get to a bank, but is it (or will it be) possible to program the Tango to have an individual button on the console (not screen) to get you directly to fader bank #1 AND with separate individual buttons to get you to each individual fader banks #2 thru #6. I usually work with 48 tracks and having quick, easily-within-reach, individual button access to each of these fader banks is critical.

Another question: I keep hearing horror stories about Nuendo (Solo/Mute issue, others) and Nuendo's lack of caring about their customer's problems. Is the Tango bulletproof with Nuendo and is there anything about working in Nuendo that made you uncomfortable?

Thanks. This controller looks promising.

Laser

[Geert van den Berg]

Hi Laser I am not Nowak, but I do have a Tango and can answer some of your questions.

First of all, even without any extender there are 27 channels visible on the monArc on top of the console already. It does not necessarily switch in banks of 8. That's one of the strong points of this controller. You can go instantly from the first 8 faders to a bank of 8 starting from channel 18 or 19 if you'd like. Also you don't have to switch in banks of 8 (which is called 'chair' mode) but you can also select 8 different channels (there's a user definable timer which runs down once you start selecting tracks) or you can insert 1 track at a fader of your choice by holding it's inject touch point and then selecting a channel on the monArc.

If you want to access the next 27 channels you have to press a button to switch. But I believe they're working on an easier way to do this and also to make a monArc which shows more channels by making them a little less wide.

One of the features you will like, is more less the way as you described. it is possible to save 4 'custom spreads' to hard keys on the expert panel. This could be banks of 8 or other channel configs with various tracks. And there's a button on the touch screen which gives access to 23 more custom spreads accessible from the touch screen.

[HHaynes]

Good answer - also - besides the ergonomic spreads memory keys on the front panel - you can also store channel arrangements in the MonARC itself. Just hold the store button on the lower panel and then touch any of the channel locations in the group to assign that particular channel location as the "memory store" for that ergonomic spread. It's an ingenious way to store nearly unlimited numbers of non-linear track arrangements.

When you press the "recall" button - all of the locations on MonARC that have an ergonomic spread stored lights up with a white bar, so you know every location that you've used to store a spread at a glance.

The four hardware buttons are the places where I store the most often-used arrangements, but I store quite a few spreads on the MonARC as well. It's one of the things I focus on in the videos I'm shooting this week - difficult to describe but once you see it in action you get how fast and easy it is to set up. It will spoil you for any other way of working.

You'll see of the ways to arrange tracks (including a quick drive through the method described in my post) in Michael Stareau's new video that rolls through the Tango feature highlights.

[laser]

Thanks Geert and HH,

As soon as our friends at SmartAV give me the ability to show Nevana plugs under EQ and compression (no one uses the stock EQs and compression that come with the DAW these days, do they?) on each channel, I'll be doing the Tango.

Nice piece of kit.

Laser