QSC’s TouchMix series of small format digital mixers build upon the company’s strengths in the budget friendly, easy to operate live sound market. Having used the TouchMix-16 periodically over the last few years, the mixer’s firmware has come a long way. My friends at Meyer Marketing were gracious enough to loan me both a TouchMix-16 and a TouchMix-30 so I could test out the new features for this review.
The Models
There are currently three models in the TouchMix lineup, the TouchMix-8, TouchMix-16 and the newest addition to the series, the TouchMix-30 Pro. Aside from the form factor and I/O, the consoles are functionally similar for the end user, so if you know one, you know them all. There are in fact some subtle differences on the TouchMix-30 because it’s a higher end console and it obviously has a bit more processing power under the hood, but for all intents and purposes, the consoles operate the same.
While the TouchMix could be used in virtually any application, the TouchMix-8 and TouchMix-16 are so compact that they could be carried on a plane or easily transported in a small car with a couple of K.2 series loudspeakers and some sticks. I could see them being at home at a small local band gig, a corporate event or a small house of worship on a tight budget. The TouchMix-30 Pro is much more substantial, although its size is still very manageable considering it has 24 mic/line inputs and 16 outputs. Even with the additional I/O the TouchMix-30 could easily ride in the back seat of your car to a gig.
v3 Firmware
The TouchMix-8 and TouchMix-16 recently received a highly anticipated version 3.0 firmware update. The upgrade was so significant that it’s almost like having an entirely new mixer. Considering the affordable price of both mixers, the amount of ongoing development that’s happening with the TouchMix series is significant and proves that QSC is committed to supporting their customers in the long term. No less than 20 major new features have been added, and many of those have trickled down from the TouchMix-30 to the smaller models. Here’s a rundown of some of the major new features in v3…
Updated Graphics: QSC has constantly updated and refreshed the GUI of the TouchMix consoles. In some cases, those updates came in the form of minor tweaks, but in the case of v3.0, it was a substantial upgrade to the console’s graphical look and performance. While it may seem cosmetic, the GUI layout, arrangement and responsiveness make all the difference on a console with no physical faders.
Real Time Analyzer (RTA): A 1/3 octave RTA has been added for any selected source including input channels and output busses. I remember when a 3RU hardware RTA was a luxury and could cost as much as a TouchMix-8, so having this built into a console of this size and price is a huge bonus. The RTA can be used in three different ways. First, it can be viewed just above channel or bus equalizer so that corrective equalization can be applied while viewing the RTA. Second, a larger RTA display can be viewed by itself and set to display any output bus or the cue bus output signal. Third, the RTA can be viewed on an external tablet such as an iPad.
Direct Access to Aux Mixes: Auxes are now immediately accessible down the left side of the console’s display. Touching one of the Aux buttons puts the console into fader flip mode, where the normal channel faders become aux sends. Of course, one of the hallmark traits of the TouchMix series is that there are no physical faders, so the fader flip is a virtual function. QSC has implemented some clever color coding on screen to ensure that the engineer knows when fader flip is engaged and when the faders are acting as normal channel faders.
6 Band PEQ on Outputs: Self-explanatory, but there are high-end digital consoles being sold today at ten times the price that don’t have the output processing capabilities of the TouchMix, so it’s worth noting. PEQ on outputs was a luxury reserved for the highest end digital consoles only 5 years ago, so this is a notable enhancement that can be used for system tuning, ringing out monitor wedges or tweaking the response of in-ear mixes.
Room Tuning Wizard: For anyone that doesn’t have their multi-channel SMAART rig handy (or doesn’t even know what that is), the Room Tuning Wizard built into the TouchMix could be a powerful tool for basic corrective equalization. A measurement microphone can be plugged into a designated input on the TouchMix, and the software can automatically tune a selected output. For example, the user could select Aux 1 was the output to tune. There are three different measurement modes, low, medium and high. Each one takes more time than the last but yields better results. The wizard provides some basic suggestions on measurement mic placement and then the process is executed. There’s no substitute for a dedicated measurement system, but the Room Tuning Wizard would be helpful for someone that’s new to audio measurement, or even an experienced engineer who is simply short on time.
MP3 File Player: Again, here is a useful feature than many high-end digital mixers don’t have. I regularly run into situations where people hand me music on a USB flash drive and ask me to play it through the sound system. Wouldn’t it be nice to simply plug that USB into the mixer and off you go? The TouchMix enables this functionality. My only complaint about the two-track playback is that it doesn’t have full input channel processing like the other inputs. For example, the EQ on the playback channel only has two filters and they are shelving only, and there’s no dynamics processing.
Anti-Feedback Wizard: Another tool added in version 3 is the Anti-Feedback Wizard. Let’s face it, not every engineer is great at ringing out a monitor wedge or house system and feedback eliminators have come a long way. Other consoles, loudspeaker processors and plugins implement similar technology at a much higher price point, but this type of software is more likely to benefit TouchMix users as opposed to high-end digital console users. The number of Anti-Feedback filters has also been increased to 8, making the tool more effective.
This is only a handful of the best features that have been added to the TouchMix-8 and TouchMix-16, and, of course, all of these features are available on the flagship TouchMix-30 Pro. A brief list of the other added features in v3 can be found in the “At a Glace” sidebar on this page.
At a Glance
Still Compact, but Even More Powerful
QSC’s TouchMix series of digital mixers are compact, portable and now enhanced with the company’s v3 firmware upgrade that provides users with more than 20 major new features while extending some of TouchMix-30’s functions down to its two smaller siblings. The updated graphics, real-time analyzer, 6 band PEQ on outputs and room-tuning and anti-feedback wizards, along with other conveniences including direct access to aux mixes and the MP3 file player, are all part of this major firmware upgrade. It’s almost like having an entirely new mixer at your fingertips.
TouchMix v3 Firmware
PROS: New GUI, 1/3 octave RTA, clever color coding, 6 band PEQ on outputs, MP3 file player, room tuning/anti-feedback wizards.
CONS: MP3 file player’s two-track playback doesn’t have full input channel processing.
Additional Enhancements
Along with the upgrades described in this Road Test, here are some additional enhancements with QSC’s TouchMix v3 firmware update:
- Direct downloads of firmware updates to the mixer
- Channel safe feature when recalling scenes
- Support for delay Tap Tempo
- Tunings included for QSC E-Series and K.2 Loudspeakers
- Copy and Paste functionality added
- 100ms of input channel delay
- Tablet applications updated to support new features
Hardware Options: [B/W Box]
- TouchMix-8: $899.99
- TouchMix-16: $1,299.99
- TouchMix-30 Pro: $1,899.99
- Manufacturer: QSC
- More Info: www.qsc.com
