Say Hello to AirFader

[ntravis]

For those of you LS9 owners out there, you might have something new to take a look at. It's some new software targeted towards touch screen computers that lets you control the console separate from someone else using the actual console. Monitor mixing anyone? I'll stop blabbering about it and let you just check it out for yourselves. http://airfader.com/ Enjoy!
Nathan

[Arlin]

Looks VERY promising!
No info on pricing, though. And website says release is expected ~May 2010.

tpichler is involved with a similar product called StageSoft & Wave, but that seems more geared towards live production automation instead of simple & quick digital console control.

[pdc]

Uh! MIDI based. Bad news. Pass.

[AirFader]

Originally Posted by ntravis

Say Hello to AirFader

Hello!

While I have not formally launched the product, there has been a trickle of very positive interest. But this weekend saw several new subscribers in a short period of time, and it pointed to this thread. So here I am. I hope you all don't mind if I address some questions; it's not my intent to hijack the forum.

No info on pricing, though. And website says release is expected ~May 2010.

The product is currently being beta tested by a few people, and based on some feedback, it's turned into a more robust product than I initially intended for the first release. (Should certainly update the website.)

Uh! MIDI based. Bad news. Pass.

Yes and no. My typical complaints about MIDI for control are that it's slow, limited in connectivity, and has dependence on dongles, etc... In this case however it's a flavor of MIDI over IP, and the Yamaha boards support a much higher data rate through their Ethernet port than even their own MIDI ports. (Some bulk functions don't even work over the standard MIDI ports.) And of course being IP-based there's no additional hardware and it's limited only by your network design (wireless, etc.)

For better or worse, MIDI as a transport protocol is pretty widely implemented, and very platform and hardware independent. Yamaha has done a phenomenal job in making every square inch of their current digital boards accessible via MIDI... all the way down to the intensity of the lamp. It's pretty exciting even to work on.

[tpichler]

Originally Posted by AirFader

... Yamaha has done a phenomenal job in making every square inch of their current digital boards accessible ...

I agree that Yamaha has done an excellent job. EVERY square inch? Did you figure out how to access the LS9 user buttons directly? Not the function they are mapped to but just detecting the user button press? This is missing from the documentation and we can't seem to capture any data when the key is not mapped. It works fine for the 01V-96 but not the LS9.

[AirFader]

Originally Posted by tpichler

Did you figure out how to access the LS9 user buttons directly?

Yes - it generates a MIDI event for key down and key up... and yeah, it's not documented. I would focus on a dump of the MIDI you receive when pressing buttons. (It may be something that's only sent in NPRN mode.)

[bladeaudio]

Airfader

Any chance this would support the DM2000?

[pdc]

Does it allow for 100% bi-directional control?
If you crash the software, what happens to the console? If you crash the console, what is the process for re-engaging the software? What does it do to the DAE?

[AirFader]

Does it allow for 100% bi-directional control?

Yes; you could technically mix from both the software and surface at the same time and changes on one are instant on the other. (I usually run AirFader for the duration of a show, using it as a 2nd display when at FOH.) If two people fight over the same knob, LTP applies (Last Takes Precedence).

If you crash the software, what happens to the console?

The console just continues operating based on the parameters in effect at the moment of crash/connectivity loss/etc. After restarting the software (or returning to network range) you could re-sync and re-gain control.

If you crash the console, what is the process for re-engaging the software?

I have not been able to test a console crash, but I would expect you would restart the console, and then sync the software as if connecting normally.

What does it do to the DAE?

Not even during testing and development have I been able to crash a board so that it glitches/lags, stops mixing audio, or stops responding to the primary control surface. (This probably speaks as much to the resiliency of Yamaha's DME as anything.) AirFader has checking to make sure commands sent are within expected parameters, but the DME appears to silently ignore flawed commands without negative side effects.

[Tim Padrick]

I believe that Studio Manager's control of the console is via MIDI.

[Arlin]

FYI:
AirFader 1.0 has been released!

http://airfader.com/index.php?option...d=52&Itemid=53

Now, I need to look for a nice Win7 tablet PC... any suggestions?

[Brad Weber]

Went to download the demo software and ZoneAlarm identifies it as a malicious download. So I have not downloaded or run the demo, which may affect my questions.

How configurable are the screens? For example, the home screen appears to have no metering, not even any clip or signal indicators, and no direct access to scenes, items which would seem to be relevant to the primary screen. How are scenes addressed, can one see a scene list and select specific scenes or is it simply incrementing from where you currently are? Can you relabel channels, mixes, etc.? For example, could the button for Mix 4 on the Sends on Faders sample page be labeled to reflect the use? Does it support multi-touch?