A&H Zed R16 Firewire Mixer

[spiral]

This got buried so i thought i would ask in a different way:

If you are currently using the R16 to mix your DAW tracks by sending back to the mixer using the analog EQs and summing, what are you doing for reverb / effects? ie. how are you doing a traditional send / return effects setup? Is there a way to also use reverb plugins but mix analog?

[lovekrafty]

Originally Posted by spiral

This got buried so i thought i would ask in a different way:

If you are currently using the R16 to mix your DAW tracks by sending back to the mixer using the analog EQs and summing, what are you doing for reverb / effects? ie. how are you doing a traditional send / return effects setup? Is there a way to also use reverb plugins but mix analog?

Well sure you can use plugins, I use both outboard and plug-ins
I have my outboard effects hooked up through aux sends 1-4, bring them back in on individual channels, if I want a plug-in reverb I insert it on the digital track then send it to the channel strip.

You could also set up an aux channel in your DAW insert a plug-in and assign it to R16 channels if you want discreet reverb channels for EQ'ing etc.

There are so many way's to route between the DAW and the R16, it all depends on what works best for you.

What you can't do is assign a plugin to the mixers aux sends, they are purely analog.

Cheers
LK

I

[tnestelaar]

Hi Mike,

I had this problem several monts ago:

Originally Posted by tnestelaar

Dear Mike,

Since a week all midi controllers send "poly pressure" instead of "controllers" and cubase doesn't respond to the transport buttons anymore.
I really don't know what could have happened.
Do you have a kind of reset trick for me or can you help me in another way to get the midi implementation back to normal?

Tom

This problem still occurs once in a while. The trick with resetting the midi transmit channel works but this behaviour is getting a little irritating...
Can you think of another solution to get this fixed permanently?

Tom

[funkymunk]

I'm looking into this desk and will probably buy it but wanted to ask about the Firewire. I'm not too familiar with Firewire and just getting my head around it. I've seen Firewire 400 and 800 and am assuming that like Usb it's backwards compatible. Just wanted to know if the Zed R16 is 400 or 800 and if using an 800 port on a Mac would improve the speed of the desk to Mac signal.

[awediohead]

Originally Posted by funkymunk

I'm looking into this desk and will probably buy it but wanted to ask about the Firewire. I'm not too familiar with Firewire and just getting my head around it. I've seen Firewire 400 and 800 and am assuming that like Usb it's backwards compatible. Just wanted to know if the Zed R16 is 400 or 800 and if using an 800 port on a Mac would improve the speed of the desk to Mac signal.

It's 400 - so while you COULD use the FW800 port with an adaptor there wouldn't be any benefit to doing so.

If you're "probably" going to buy it then downloading the manual from the A&H site might be a plan.

[funkymunk]

Thanks, will download it now.

[bentfrog]

Hi all. Im new to mixer use and wonder how I could use my preamps with the r 16. I dont have any ADAT connectors on any pres and I would really like my signal to be unaffected by the r 16's preamps. Is this possible??
I love the sound of the r 16....just want to be able to use my RNP and others as well.

[sparkyness]

Originally Posted by bentfrog

Hi all. Im new to mixer use and wonder how I could use my preamps with the r 16. I dont have any ADAT connectors on any pres and I would really like my signal to be unaffected by the r 16's preamps. Is this possible??
I love the sound of the r 16....just want to be able to use my RNP and others as well.

You could run the output of your pres in via the insert input on the ZED.

[tankfield]

Hello

I'm really interested in getting a Zed-R16 - it sounds nearly perfect for my location recording kit.

I wonder if anybody can share their experiences in using the mixer with Logic Pro. I'm particularly interested in hearing your findings regarding Firewire stability and latency.

Thanks

[AlienHealth]

Originally Posted by tnestelaar

Hi Mike,

I had this problem several monts ago:



This problem still occurs once in a while. The trick with resetting the midi transmit channel works but this behaviour is getting a little irritating...
Can you think of another solution to get this fixed permanently?

Tom

Hi Tom,
I can't think why the MIDI channel should change once set. The best thing would be to contact support@allen-heath.com and we'll diagnose it for you and fix the problem. I'll let them know so they have some background on the issue.

Kind regards,
Mike.

[tnestelaar]

Thanks, I'll do that.

Tom

[djmukilteo]

I'm not getting any of the control surfaces on the ZEDR16 to work in Cubase. Anyone out there have any knowledge on how to set that up properly?
I can find no info in the A&H ZED manual on this other than the MIDI mapping and implementation section as it relates to SonarLE.
Is there anything at the A&H website that has examples of MIDI control for other DAW software like Cubase?
I know SonarLE shipped with this mixer but I would rather use my full version Cubase if possible....if not I think I will be disappointed in my purchase....

[lovekrafty]

I'll throw my 2 cents in here

I think it's a bit rediculous that at this point there is'nt any kind of useful FAQ section on A&H's website about Midi ,using other DAW's or much of anything dealing with troubleshooting

Infact the website has'nt changed in over a year.

It's rather an expensive piece of kit for not much oline support
from their website.

Needless to say this thread has become the online support
and Mike has been very helpful, but it would make sense
for him to put a FAQ section up, so people don't keep hounding him
with the same issues.

Cheers
LK

[2busdriver]

Is an ZED R8 anywhere in the future? It might have been mentioned before but I don't see word of it by searching.

[lovekrafty]

Not in the immediate future, I talked to Mike about it and although it would fill a lower end market gap , He's currently going full steam ahead with the R24 development.

Not saying it won't happen , just don't hold your breath.

Cheers
LK

[2busdriver]

Okay, LK, thanks for the update

Rich

[ainternational]

Originally Posted by lovekrafty

I'll throw my 2 cents in here

I think it's a bit rediculous that at this point there is'nt any kind of useful FAQ section on A&H's website about Midi ,using other DAW's or much of anything dealing with troubleshooting

Infact the website has'nt changed in over a year.

It's rather an expensive piece of kit for not much oline support
from their website.

Needless to say this thread has become the online support
and Mike has been very helpful, but it would make sense
for him to put a FAQ section up, so people don't keep hounding him
with the same issues.

Cheers
LK

+1

I think A&H are really shooting themselves in the foot here: this is a great product, but the level of support/info available from their site is way behind the competition. This thread is a good resource, but it can take an age to find relevant info.

There should be a full support area on the A&H site for the various major DAWs: interfacing digital equipment can be a world of pain, and this mixer was no exception when I first bought it - A&H had little knowledge/info regarding using a Mac/Logic combination: surely a fairly common set-up for their customers? I guess this is what happens when an analogue company delves into the digital world, but they need to up their game.

Given the issues with the firewire chips in the R16, which caused me a week of hair-pulling diagnostics before finding it was the mixer at fault, I'm wary of how the R24's going to be for early-adopters.

A good tech support for less-savvy customers could make this an industry-standard desk for smaller studios: it is a brilliant concept, so good to use and sonically great value for money. Hell, if they cut me a good enough deal on an R24 I'd be prepared to help them out with mac/logic support: maybe within these pages there's a handful of users who could do the same for other DAW/PC/Mac combinations... How about it Mike?

[Jorn Lavoll]

this looks like a good deal for anyone in the UK
Allen & Heath ZED-R16 B-STOCK | DV247

a b-stock mixer... the price is roughly 1/3 of what it costs new here in norway... hmmm, will it fit in an overhead storage compartment on an airplane

[davidperetz]

Hi There

Today i saw that Sweetwater had dropped the R16 price by 1000$.
is this old news? i only saw it today. round here they keep on selling them for 3500$ and that price is very tempting (1999$ that a little over 100 $ for a channel +pre+converter+eq+midi controler !)

does this price drop suggest that a new product is coming that will replace the R16 (I'm not speaking about the R24 as it is already semi official )

any facts or ideas?

Thanks

[bexarametric]

Here's what I want.

100mm faders
motorized faders
meter bridge (I could get by without it, but it really makes sense to have these in the studio)
build off the success of the R16 and take it further
The ability to use the sends with our plugins

I don't care if it makes it more expensive. I can't afford an AWS900, so this is my realistic idealistic board.

If this is what we end up getting I will be very happy. My credit card is on standby.

[spiral]

I have actually read this whole thread now. I thought it might be smart to set up a Wiki to centralize all this info to a) make it easier for people to find / add to and b) maybe relieve some of the burden from Mike (who is providing the most amazing customer service i have ever seen from any company ).

Here is the site:
Allen & Heath Zed R-16 Firewire recording mixer Wiki

I only grabbed some preliminary information from this thread as well as the TC and A&H sites so please feel free to send suggestions, info, or just go ahead and add / edit pages. That's what the wiki is for.

[Stunted]

"a b-stock mixer... the price is roughly 1/3 of what it costs new here in norway... hmmm, will it fit in an overhead storage compartment on an airplane "

that's a great deal for the Uk let alone Norway, if I were you Jorn I would get a cheap flight from Oslo to Stanstead, DV247 are just up the road in Cambridge, buy it and take it home....though it won't go in the overhead !!!!

I actually bought a b-stock unit myself and have had no issues whatsoever

[blackmendis]

Originally Posted by Jorn Lavoll

this looks like a good deal for anyone in the UK
Allen & Heath ZED-R16 B-STOCK | DV247

a b-stock mixer... the price is roughly 1/3 of what it costs new here in norway... hmmm, will it fit in an overhead storage compartment on an airplane

DAMN, it's sold already!!!

Do you think we'll see a price drop on the r16 when the r24 comes out? or can we expect a r16 mkII?

I think I'll be buying one of these in the new year unless something better comes along.

[microwave]

Originally Posted by spiral

I have actually read this whole thread now. I thought it might be smart to set up a Wiki to centralize all this info to a) make it easier for people to find / add to and b) maybe relieve some of the burden from Mike (who is providing the most amazing customer service i have ever seen from any company ).

Here is the site:
Allen & Heath Zed R-16 Firewire recording mixer Wiki

I only grabbed some preliminary information from this thread as well as the TC and A&H sites so please feel free to send suggestions, info, or just go ahead and add / edit pages. That's what the wiki is for.

Good work, thank you.

[Jorn Lavoll]

great work on the wiki!

[lovekrafty]

Originally Posted by spiral

I have actually read this whole thread now. I thought it might be smart to set up a Wiki to centralize all this info to a) make it easier for people to find / add to and b) maybe relieve some of the burden from Mike (who is providing the most amazing customer service i have ever seen from any company ).

Here is the site:
Allen & Heath Zed R-16 Firewire recording mixer Wiki

I only grabbed some preliminary information from this thread as well as the TC and A&H sites so please feel free to send suggestions, info, or just go ahead and add / edit pages. That's what the wiki is for.

Included is the PDF file for troubleshooting the firewire issue could you please add it to the firewire issues section and great work, thanks.

[spiral]

Originally Posted by lovekrafty

Included is the PDF file for troubleshooting the firewire issue could you please add it to the firewire issues section and great work, thanks.

Great, thanks. If anyone has had specific experience please post there, or post in the thread and i will add it to the site. Also, if there are things that have been said in this thread that i missed please PM me about it. The Wiki is open so anyone is allowed to edit it.

Posting the Firewire PDF now.

[spiral]

Originally Posted by lovekrafty

Well sure you can use plugins, I use both outboard and plug-ins
I have my outboard effects hooked up through aux sends 1-4, bring them back in on individual channels, if I want a plug-in reverb I insert it on the digital track then send it to the channel strip.

You could also set up an aux channel in your DAW insert a plug-in and assign it to R16 channels if you want discreet reverb channels for EQ'ing etc.

There are so many way's to route between the DAW and the R16, it all depends on what works best for you.

Thanks for this reply. So if i want to do a "traditional" send / return setup, i would use Aux 1 as the mono send, run that to the reverb, and then return stereo on which channels? I would want it to go back to the main mix.

When you are using a plugin reverb (and BTW that makes sense using the insert then sending to the mixer) are you controlling any of it from the MIDI rotaries or mouse? Just curious.

[lovekrafty]

Originally Posted by spiral

Thanks for this reply. So if i want to do a "traditional" send / return setup, i would use Aux 1 as the mono send, run that to the reverb, and then return stereo on which channels? I would want it to go back to the main mix.

When you are using a plugin reverb (and BTW that makes sense using the insert then sending to the mixer) are you controlling any of it from the MIDI rotaries or mouse? Just curious.

Well a for instance, I send a mono DAW track to say channel one
I then use aux send knobs 1 and 2 to send levels to left / right ins on my PCM 81, The PCM 81 outs are then sent to Track 15/16 channel inputs where I can EQ and send the reverbs discreetly back into the DAW, another bonus of going this route is zero latency monitoring for tracking, with reverb that can be recorded simultaniously and discreetly.

As to the plugin question I have a Mackie MCU and extender, so other than setting up machine control on the R16, I haven't really explored the Midi side of things, to be honest I'd have been fine without MIDI period.

Cheers
LK

[seventn]

that no one is talking about the 1000.00 price drop! Usually people get really pissed about that... 33% off is significant!