L
lukvdh
New member
First impressions after some “nights with the Behringer DDX3216”
First of all I have to mention that the findings I will tell about are all “6 months old”.
This means
-the DD3216I had for testing was one of the first ones built
-the firmware was (still is at the time I’m writing this, July 2002) V 1.05
-I kept “quiet” for 6 months J.
I kept quiet because I visited Behringer, with the DDX3216, 3 months ago. Told them everything I liked, what I disliked, what I think was “faulty” and what I think “could be improved via new firmware”.
Until now however, I got no answers from them. Pity.
So I decided it’s time to share my findings, hoping some other people with a DDX3216 could help me out on some issues, or perhaps some other people would let Behringer know what they think “could be better”.
So here I go:
I’ll start with “the really negatives” J:
-there was a loose screw in my unit J
-in the first built DDX3216s there seems to be a problem with the signal-LED-driving circuitry…When one connects a headphone and “pumps up the volume” a bit, there will be signal-LEDS lighting up on channels where there is NO input signal present.
Seems to be a “cosmetic only” problem (no influence on sound whatsoever) but IMHO this should NOT have passed QC. (Nor R&D…)
-when one switches on the compressor on a channel with a “soft, sustained” signal (piano is the best source to test IMHO) and one chooses 0 attack time, and all other settings “around 12 o’clock”, one will here distortion in the sound (takes a little fiddling with the settings perhaps, but nothing too extravagant IMHO).
Sounds to me as if one “hears every calculation made”. Of course, the settings used are perhaps not “musically” or even “technically correct”, but I’ve never heard another compressor sound like that with similar settings.
-when I connect a Fostex VC08 (20-bit Analog / ADAT convertor) to the ADAT1616 interface on the DDX3216, plain “line-level” signals are way to “loud” and are overdriving the inputs. Since, in the digital path, there is no “gain” the only solution is to lower the output signal on the gear (synths etc). But even a CD-player (no output-pot there) is “too loud”.
Could be it’s the Fostex. Could be it’s not. I don’t know (yet).
-when one applies a “constant signal” (or whatever signal, but a constant one is easier to see and listen…One can use the built-in OSC.) to a channel at 0 dB, sets an FX-send on that channel at 0 dB and then goes to the “FX and AUX” fader-page, one will see the FX-input is “in overdrive”. The red LED on the meterbar is ON. Where, IMHO, a 0dB signal with a 0 dB FX-send should give a 0dB input on that FX input, no ? Seems there is a difference of approx. 6 dB. And when “the red LED is on” one has NO idea if it’s on “very hard” or “slightly”….
The “logic” here isn’t clear to me. And since I got no answer from “the factory” yet, it keeps puzzling me.
Or is this “exemplary” (“my” DDX3216 being the only one? I didn’t get the chance nor time to test another unit…)
-the SMTP offset (MIDI, Timecode, needed to sync recorders etc). It isn’t “settable” and it should be IMHO.
Most gear I use has a settable SMTP offset. I (and many others) use this to make a “default setting” of “T minus 3 seconds” so every synced unit has the time to get in sync before the 1H 0M…. point is reached. But, when “you fool one, you must fool them all”. So IMHO SMTP-offset should be user-definable.
As things are now, my DDX3216 is always 3 seconds “ahead” in regards to the other gear (HD-recorder, Midi-sequencer etc).
-the “4 built-in FX”: it would have been more “honest” to call it “2 + 2 FX”.
Because only FX1 and 2 offer the “nicest” FX (stereo, reverbs etc) and FX3 and 4 are more modest (chorus, flanger, delay).
Also… when scrolling through the FX-library, all FX show up in the list, also on FX3 and 4. Would, again, have been more honest to i.e. “dim” those FX witch can not be chosen in FX3 and 4. When one has “a quick view in the store” one could easily be “misled” into believing all effects are available in all 4 FX engines.
OK, those were the “most negatives” I think.
There are also some “could be better” things, i.e.:
-digital out on control-room signal. Not just on “main output”
-the SMTP offset mentioned earlier
-use of the 16 busses as “groups”. The busses should be routable to “mains” so one could use those as “groupfaders” on an analog desk. Can’t be done if I remember well.
-extra (and affordable, as always J) analog inputs …. “Work in progress” rumours reached me. Let’s wait and see (and hear J).
-the display …. could be tilt-able… won’t be a “we’ll fix it in new firmware item”, I know J. Could also have been a “larger one with smaller pixels”. But of course, the price shouldn’t “suffer” from it J.
-extra buttons for “EZ-access” to EQ-settings. Also “not a firmware fix”, I know.
-the “graphic picture” of EQ and Compressor/Gate settings. It goes to “flat” when one disables EQ and/or Comp/Gate. A matter of “taste” perhaps, but I would like the picture to stay (perhaps inverted “colour” to show the feature is disabled).
“Why ?” Because I would love to be able to easily see “what to expect” when I push the “IN” button for EQ and/or Comp/Gate. When there are “extreme settings applied” it’s much easier (IMHO, as always) to see (and for-see) on the graphic then having to look at the numeric values. And when pushes “ON” a, i.e., + 16 dB boost on 80 Hz or so, being “alarmed by the graphic” would be nice. IMHO.
-About the automation. Being able to clear all automation-events on a “per channel basis” would be “nice”.
And now, to end more positive: the “positives” about the DDX3216:
-when compared to “the competition” (although their prices dropped since this new kid on the block arrived…) the DDX3216 is very much value for relatively very little money. Ok, this picture will change when you add a ADT1616 interface, or the eventual Behringer (or third party) analog-input extension.
But even then…. Great value for money (if one can live with the “negatives” I mentioned earlier… or if those get fixed where possible in a “soon to come” firmware-update…).(BTW, the word “soon” isn’t to be used anymore by Behringer employees I believe J).
-the overall sound-quality. Except for the compressor (which I can make sound “dirty”…) it’s GREAT !
When I demo-ed the DDX3216 using some old 6-track (six, yes…from an old 6-track on CASSETTE-tape…) recordings (first copied to a Fostex 8-track HD recorder, that one connected via ADAT to the ADT1616 on the Behringer DDX3216)…
When I play those recordings via the DDX3216, with “the right EQ (very easy with the DDX3216!), compression and use of (only) the built-in FX. People get very big eyes (astonishement) and red ears (eargasms)…
Really. These old muffled recordings come to life and sound as if they were recorded only yesterday in a “big bucks” environment.
-automation: when I add some “look, the faders move” stuff to this demo, eyes (and ears, but mainly eyes J) get even bigger / more red.
When I tell the audience “there is really nothing else here than the 8-track recorder and the DDX3216”… They all seem to think “very interesting indeed”. When I show them the automation can also be used for “almost every setting, in real time” (EQ, FX etc): “even more interesting”.
For “home studio use” I think at this moment it’s hard to beat the DDX3216, even with the “negatives” and “can be betters” I mentioned earlier.
For “live FOH” use…
We’ll have to wait for dedicated extra analog ins (if, when, “soon” ?) because the 12 mike-inputs won’t be enough for the most of us. (IF you don’t need more than 12: go to your local dealer now and buy this beauty…)
Also, even if “operating a DDX3216” is very intuitive and easy, a quicker way to get to the EQ-settings (and i.e. a possibility to change all eq-levels in one “screen” without having to scroll from filter to filter…) would be “nice” for live-use.
But believe me, “as is” it’s a lot better on the DDX3216 than what some people are used to on “similar but somewhat older gear from a Japanese company”.
That’s about it from me.
I hope to get some reactions. Perhaps people do NOT have the same trouble I had, perhaps people having better ideas for “things that can be improved”.
Perhaps… even Behringer will react (best reaction form that side would be: some update firmware and an updated DDX3216 website IMHO. There should be enough “FAQ” and “hints and tips” after 7 months to update the site, I think.
And to close: don’t forget: it’s not the gear that makes the music, it’s people !
LukVH, Belgium.
First of all I have to mention that the findings I will tell about are all “6 months old”.
This means
-the DD3216I had for testing was one of the first ones built
-the firmware was (still is at the time I’m writing this, July 2002) V 1.05
-I kept “quiet” for 6 months J.
I kept quiet because I visited Behringer, with the DDX3216, 3 months ago. Told them everything I liked, what I disliked, what I think was “faulty” and what I think “could be improved via new firmware”.
Until now however, I got no answers from them. Pity.
So I decided it’s time to share my findings, hoping some other people with a DDX3216 could help me out on some issues, or perhaps some other people would let Behringer know what they think “could be better”.
So here I go:
I’ll start with “the really negatives” J:
-there was a loose screw in my unit J
-in the first built DDX3216s there seems to be a problem with the signal-LED-driving circuitry…When one connects a headphone and “pumps up the volume” a bit, there will be signal-LEDS lighting up on channels where there is NO input signal present.
Seems to be a “cosmetic only” problem (no influence on sound whatsoever) but IMHO this should NOT have passed QC. (Nor R&D…)
-when one switches on the compressor on a channel with a “soft, sustained” signal (piano is the best source to test IMHO) and one chooses 0 attack time, and all other settings “around 12 o’clock”, one will here distortion in the sound (takes a little fiddling with the settings perhaps, but nothing too extravagant IMHO).
Sounds to me as if one “hears every calculation made”. Of course, the settings used are perhaps not “musically” or even “technically correct”, but I’ve never heard another compressor sound like that with similar settings.
-when I connect a Fostex VC08 (20-bit Analog / ADAT convertor) to the ADAT1616 interface on the DDX3216, plain “line-level” signals are way to “loud” and are overdriving the inputs. Since, in the digital path, there is no “gain” the only solution is to lower the output signal on the gear (synths etc). But even a CD-player (no output-pot there) is “too loud”.
Could be it’s the Fostex. Could be it’s not. I don’t know (yet).
-when one applies a “constant signal” (or whatever signal, but a constant one is easier to see and listen…One can use the built-in OSC.) to a channel at 0 dB, sets an FX-send on that channel at 0 dB and then goes to the “FX and AUX” fader-page, one will see the FX-input is “in overdrive”. The red LED on the meterbar is ON. Where, IMHO, a 0dB signal with a 0 dB FX-send should give a 0dB input on that FX input, no ? Seems there is a difference of approx. 6 dB. And when “the red LED is on” one has NO idea if it’s on “very hard” or “slightly”….
The “logic” here isn’t clear to me. And since I got no answer from “the factory” yet, it keeps puzzling me.
Or is this “exemplary” (“my” DDX3216 being the only one? I didn’t get the chance nor time to test another unit…)
-the SMTP offset (MIDI, Timecode, needed to sync recorders etc). It isn’t “settable” and it should be IMHO.
Most gear I use has a settable SMTP offset. I (and many others) use this to make a “default setting” of “T minus 3 seconds” so every synced unit has the time to get in sync before the 1H 0M…. point is reached. But, when “you fool one, you must fool them all”. So IMHO SMTP-offset should be user-definable.
As things are now, my DDX3216 is always 3 seconds “ahead” in regards to the other gear (HD-recorder, Midi-sequencer etc).
-the “4 built-in FX”: it would have been more “honest” to call it “2 + 2 FX”.
Because only FX1 and 2 offer the “nicest” FX (stereo, reverbs etc) and FX3 and 4 are more modest (chorus, flanger, delay).
Also… when scrolling through the FX-library, all FX show up in the list, also on FX3 and 4. Would, again, have been more honest to i.e. “dim” those FX witch can not be chosen in FX3 and 4. When one has “a quick view in the store” one could easily be “misled” into believing all effects are available in all 4 FX engines.
OK, those were the “most negatives” I think.
There are also some “could be better” things, i.e.:
-digital out on control-room signal. Not just on “main output”
-the SMTP offset mentioned earlier
-use of the 16 busses as “groups”. The busses should be routable to “mains” so one could use those as “groupfaders” on an analog desk. Can’t be done if I remember well.
-extra (and affordable, as always J) analog inputs …. “Work in progress” rumours reached me. Let’s wait and see (and hear J).
-the display …. could be tilt-able… won’t be a “we’ll fix it in new firmware item”, I know J. Could also have been a “larger one with smaller pixels”. But of course, the price shouldn’t “suffer” from it J.
-extra buttons for “EZ-access” to EQ-settings. Also “not a firmware fix”, I know.
-the “graphic picture” of EQ and Compressor/Gate settings. It goes to “flat” when one disables EQ and/or Comp/Gate. A matter of “taste” perhaps, but I would like the picture to stay (perhaps inverted “colour” to show the feature is disabled).
“Why ?” Because I would love to be able to easily see “what to expect” when I push the “IN” button for EQ and/or Comp/Gate. When there are “extreme settings applied” it’s much easier (IMHO, as always) to see (and for-see) on the graphic then having to look at the numeric values. And when pushes “ON” a, i.e., + 16 dB boost on 80 Hz or so, being “alarmed by the graphic” would be nice. IMHO.
-About the automation. Being able to clear all automation-events on a “per channel basis” would be “nice”.
And now, to end more positive: the “positives” about the DDX3216:
-when compared to “the competition” (although their prices dropped since this new kid on the block arrived…) the DDX3216 is very much value for relatively very little money. Ok, this picture will change when you add a ADT1616 interface, or the eventual Behringer (or third party) analog-input extension.
But even then…. Great value for money (if one can live with the “negatives” I mentioned earlier… or if those get fixed where possible in a “soon to come” firmware-update…).(BTW, the word “soon” isn’t to be used anymore by Behringer employees I believe J).
-the overall sound-quality. Except for the compressor (which I can make sound “dirty”…) it’s GREAT !
When I demo-ed the DDX3216 using some old 6-track (six, yes…from an old 6-track on CASSETTE-tape…) recordings (first copied to a Fostex 8-track HD recorder, that one connected via ADAT to the ADT1616 on the Behringer DDX3216)…
When I play those recordings via the DDX3216, with “the right EQ (very easy with the DDX3216!), compression and use of (only) the built-in FX. People get very big eyes (astonishement) and red ears (eargasms)…
Really. These old muffled recordings come to life and sound as if they were recorded only yesterday in a “big bucks” environment.
-automation: when I add some “look, the faders move” stuff to this demo, eyes (and ears, but mainly eyes J) get even bigger / more red.
When I tell the audience “there is really nothing else here than the 8-track recorder and the DDX3216”… They all seem to think “very interesting indeed”. When I show them the automation can also be used for “almost every setting, in real time” (EQ, FX etc): “even more interesting”.
For “home studio use” I think at this moment it’s hard to beat the DDX3216, even with the “negatives” and “can be betters” I mentioned earlier.
For “live FOH” use…
We’ll have to wait for dedicated extra analog ins (if, when, “soon” ?) because the 12 mike-inputs won’t be enough for the most of us. (IF you don’t need more than 12: go to your local dealer now and buy this beauty…)
Also, even if “operating a DDX3216” is very intuitive and easy, a quicker way to get to the EQ-settings (and i.e. a possibility to change all eq-levels in one “screen” without having to scroll from filter to filter…) would be “nice” for live-use.
But believe me, “as is” it’s a lot better on the DDX3216 than what some people are used to on “similar but somewhat older gear from a Japanese company”.
That’s about it from me.
I hope to get some reactions. Perhaps people do NOT have the same trouble I had, perhaps people having better ideas for “things that can be improved”.
Perhaps… even Behringer will react (best reaction form that side would be: some update firmware and an updated DDX3216 website IMHO. There should be enough “FAQ” and “hints and tips” after 7 months to update the site, I think.
And to close: don’t forget: it’s not the gear that makes the music, it’s people !
LukVH, Belgium.
