I’m trying figure out what I need to buy for my band.
We’d like to do:
Send probably 4 different mixes for in ear monitors
Playback a backing track on a couple of audio files
Playback a click track and cues
Sync tempos of guitar multi fx units with the backing track using midi
Ideally swap patches on guitar multi fx when changing to a new song (also using midi - it’s a headrush mx5 and does support this using program change messages)
Change a few settings, or potentially recall a scene on a mixer for each track
From what I’ve read Cantabile is well suited to running this sort of stuff, playing audio files, midi clock and program changes all looks fine and I like to idea of having Cantabile run everything. The in ear mixes is obviously more of mixer thing, this is the bit I’m getting stuck at - mixer integration. If I bought wireless digital mixer like a Behringer XR18 or Soundcraft UI24R and used it as a USB audio interface, could Cantabile control all the settings over the USB? Or would I need to send midi or OSC to control it? Could I do this over the USB, or would I have to use ethernet? Is there a mixer that will work well? From my reading I think the Behringer probably would work, but it’s not available anywhere.
Appreciate any help, starting to go cross eyed from all the research.
I’m not familiar with the UI24R but I have a lot of experience with the X18 and XR18. Cantabile can control some of the main settings via MIDI (which can be USB or 5 Pin DIN or both) like channel slider volume for the main outs and the mutes and pans. It also allows Scene changes via MIDI using standard MIDI program change messages up to 64 scenes. To access the full controls you should have a network connection. The most stable is the direct connection to the PC or through a Network Hub to the controlling PC. Behringer provides a software utility for windows that works fine and they also have wireless pad apps for PC and iPad that reach almost all the parameters. If you go wireless pad I recommend you get a wireless hub to connect to the XR18 to increase the range and stability of the signal. The built in receiver has limited range and can loose connection in a crowded space with a lot of other wireless devices going. You should also configure your hub to be private so it doesn’t get overrun by log in queries from the room your in.
Regarding your in ear monitors. If your are going stereo then there are not enough monitor outs on the XR18, it can only support 3 stereo monitor outs and one stereo main out. If you set the monitor channels up in mono then there are 6 so that would be plenty.
I use mine with the X-Air software and on an iPad ( so I can move around ) combined with Cantabile supplying midi program changes to change the X18 mixer snapshot scenes. You wouldn’t get anything from OSC you can’t get with MIDI control.
Thanks for responding, this is helpful info. So if I want to have a set list in Cantabile which recalls a scene in a Behringer XR18 when each song starts I can send midi over USB?
Yes, either over the USB or the DIN. It sounds like you are already going to connect the XR18 via USB so as long as the configuration is set in the XR18 you’re good to go. If you are using backing tracks from Cantabile they can be sent to the XR18 on the same USB cable since XR18 has USB Audio capability. You just have to set the mixer channels you want to be set to USB Audio and which to be regular analog audio ins.
