Good morning, everyone.
I want to bring up a rather old discussion.
The WK Audio ID II.
After purchasing 2 Nuage, we had to reluctantly go back to using the old WK Audio. I want to point out that we tested Nuage for over 5 years, configuring all available functionalities in every possible way. Despite that, we found that with WK Audio, we can reduce processing times by up to 53%, and this has a significant impact.
We work in the field of sound design, Dubbing, audio post-production for TV and cinema.
Likewise, we are involved in music production of soundtracks. (using MIDI, VST drum machines,…) . All the features I will list below are equally available and functional in MIDI editing. We have a total of 6 control rooms: 5 in the studio and one on a truck for field productions.
Let me list the main features of WK Audio that are very important to us.
The jog wheel with dual-function keys is the true heart of the console.
Adjusting parameters like the duration of fade in/out clip gain without being bound to the indicator is something invaluable and unparalleled. (without touching the mouse)
The same goes for event trimming.
All of this can happen during playback. Allowing to rearrange and edit most audio files of a section in one or two listening passes.
It’s also possible to do all of this while listening/recording or even before the file is played back without interrupting playback.
All of this can be comfortably done with just the right hand, allowing the left to control the faders. This is thanks to the dual-function jog wheel and the ergonomic positioning of the editing keys.
A practical example:
We can clean and edit 3 voice track of a voiceover/dubbing during the recordings.
At the same time we can make a pre-mix of the final results in front of the client.
You can mix the level of a background music and ambience at the same moment while working on gain crossfade and fade of a dialogue, all during playback/recording without using the mouse or keyboard.
Eventually Mouse and keyboard are also integrated into the controller, avoiding cumbersome makeshift solutions on the controller’s edges.
With Nuage, you can try to imitate these functionalities, but you always get poor results, not due to the lack of control surface quality, but because of its different concept.
Last but not least, the WK Audio works perfectly with a USB connection. The setup, customisation, and device installation take just a few minutes.
I would like to ask the developers if there is a possibility of seeing some editing features of the WK implemented in a future controller or in a Nuage update.
We believe that, like us, there are many people who are interested in these features.
In our thirty years of experience in this field using and testing practically all Steinberg products, we are confident that such performance is still unmatched by any competitor’s product.
A modern development in this “old direction”, with proper implementations of current technology like Nuage’s fader section, would truly be something incredible. We are also certain that a similar console could attract a large number of new users. This is evidenced by the decade-long interest from professionals in purchasing, repairing, and replacing old ID controllers rather than buying new ones.
With affection
Audio4
