Here’s a brief look, in alphabetical order by manufacturer, of the apps discussed in ‘Padding the Mix’, and their parent mixer(s).
Allen & Heath iLive MixPad
Allen & Heath’s MixPad is the control app for the company’s modular iLive digital mixing system. It’s the only digital mixer control app that’s not free, costing $99.99 at the App Store. It controls quite a few of the iLive’s functions, focusing on channel and mixing functions, including individual channel volume, mute, pan, preamp gain, pad, phantom power, tap tempo for delay, and many others. Allen & Heath also offers a free app, iLive Tweak, which runs on iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, and offers controls over input faders, channel faders, FX sends and returns, and monitor faders.
Behringer XiControl
Besides the expected volume and mute controls, Behringer’s XiControl for its X32 digital mixer can handle many key functions like bus levels for individual channels, aux input levels and more. A cool feature is its Mute Enable button; when disabled, it eliminates the possibility of accidentally muting a channel. XiControl also has a dedicated metering page that shows all the inputs and all the bus levels.
Line 6 StageScape Remote
Line 6 recently released the StageScape M20d, a 20-channel digital mixer with its own touchscreen interface, which can be controlled by one or more iPads running the company’s StageScape app. The app offers control screens that mirror those of the mixer, allowing for a truly integrated remote-control experience.
Mackie Master Fader
Mackie’s Master Fader app is not an auxiliary control surface for the DL1608 mixer; it is the control surface. The DL1608 has a front end that’s a docking station for an iPad; the app provides all the controls, while all the mixing, effects, etc. takes place in the hardware of the DL1608. You can run it docked or wirelessly, and can support up to 10 iPads running the app at once.
PreSonus SL-Remote
The PreSonus Studio Live mixer line has a couple of different control app choices. SL-Remote controls most of the mixer’s functions, and multiple iPads are supported. The app has to be networked to a Mac or PC running the company’s Universal Control software in order to operate. PreSonus also offers an iPhone/iPod touch app called QMix, which is designed to allow individual musicians to control their monitor mix through the Studio Live from onstage.
Roland M-480 Remote app
Roland’s M-480 is a 48-channel digital live mixer that can be cascaded with a second unit to provide 96 channels. It’s controlled using the M-480 Remote app, which lets you adjust virtually any parameter you need for mixing volume, effects, monitors and more. It has a Long Faders option that lengthens the throw of the virtual faders, providing for more precise control.
Yamaha Stage Mix
Yamaha has three different versions of its Stage Mix mixer control app, each one corresponding to a different mixer, including the M7CL, CL, and the LS9. The app was originally designed primarily to allow monitor mixers to make adjustments from onstage at the performers’ positions, but has been adding more and more features with every update.
