Why on earth is there a power on / off button for the pan control?
It’s showed in the manual (but not explained…!) so obviously isn’t a mistake, but I can’t think of a single reason why anyone would want one.
No console has a power button for its pan control. There is no need for one for automation reasons as its easy enough to turn an automation channel out of read mode should this function be necessary.
Above and beyond the very fact that its there to start with, its a pretty useless piece of gui design because it’s impossible to tell whether its on or off when you toggle it!
The more I work with the new mixer, the more I feel its an unconsidered mess design wise.
I’m not on my DAW right now, but does the pan reset when switched off? If not, then this would be a simple way to lock it so that it doesn’t get changed accidentally.
Edit: To switch off the pan plugins of all tracks that don’t need panning would also save some resources, of course. But this shouldn’t make such a big difference.
The world doesn’t go forward if everyone waits for someone else to do it.
They did it just to annoy people, obviously. And because the product is less than a month old I think it’s too trivial to be bothered about. Curious, yes and I think Pantelis is on the right lines.
I think the thread is an excuse to call the mixer an “unconsidered mess”. Get a life.
I use it all the time! First i put my track in mono by changing pan mode and placing L/R at zero. after that i can AB the signal in mono to stereo. Use it lots on tracks to check phase etc. Why is it there? well obviously because its useful
Hi Marcus - with all due respect this doesn’t happen!
On a mono track, when you turn panning off the signal goes to the centre.
On a stereo track, when you turn panning off, the panning is centred by moving L & R hard L & R (NOT moving L & R both to centre position) - it’s still a stereo signal!
And even if it did move L & R to centre position, it’s still not much help for phase checking. For that you’d really need a L/R/L+R mono switch. This is probably why Steiny have never included a mono switch on stereo channels despite many requests, as a simple switch isn’t good enough.
Sorry but I don’t think you understand what i’m saying… I’m saying that you have a stereo track, a synth or whatever. Right-click the pan on that track, select dual pan mode or whatever it’s called, that allows you to move LEFT signal and RIGHT signal individually as you would on a console, if you move L to the center, and R to the center the signal turns into a mono signal, as it also would of you centered two split L R panned mono signals on a console… thats why i can disable my “new” mono signal by turning OFF the pan completely.
However in this case it’s only really allowing you to audition 2 possible pan positions - from being fully centred stereo to pseudo mono (or whatever variation of pan you want). That’s a limited feature at best (you can do this much more comprehensively by duplicating tracks) and really doesn’t provide a particularly effective way of checking phase either - eg monoing a stereo signal doesn’t remove any inherent phase issues, it just results in a single compromised signal.
Put it this way. If Steinberg wanted to add a way of being able to quickly audition pan settings or phase issues, this is not what they would come up with - I hope! Which is why you don’t get power buttons on console pans - their usefulness is outweighed by the cost in parts and real estate.
People worry faaaar to much about phase. Usually anyone not at the top end of the engineering spectrum will not be that bothered with phase problems unless they tinker too much.
I don’t think many will need to use, or worry about, that button. But it’s there for those that do.
Until you do need it… Why did you touch it!? Naughty boy!
But of course. And I’m still evaluating it which I do to see if any artifacts are my own before crowing that things are a “useless design” or an “unconsidered mess”.
I think you’ll find, with the genius blinkers off, that it’s rather good and better than the design ideas you’ve just mailed to their MD. (joking, don’t bite my head off)
This thread seems stupid. It disables the panning which may help in allowing you to evaluate your panning position choices.
i.e. you could bypass panning on a mono source and it will return to centre and then if you decide that wasn’t getting in the way you could return it to it’s original position without having to remember where it was.
And because the product is less than a month old I think it’s too trivial to be bothered about. Curious, yes and I think Pantelis is on the right lines.