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What do you think of the Zaxcom Oasis?


Jim Feeley

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Looks pretty cool, but I'm not a Nomad owner. So what do you all think?

 

From the Zaxcom site:

The Oasis is a full featured mixing panel with 8 motorized, touch sensitive faders on 3 active banks for up to 40 assignable fader channels. In addition you’ve got hardware trim controls, transport control, dedicated PFL keys, routing control and more!

The Oasis controls Nomad 12 via a single serial control cable, all the processing and recording stay within the Nomad. This turns Nomad 12 into a no compromise cart based mixing and recording system that can quickly and seamlessly transition from a cart to a bag.

http://zaxcom.com/products/oasis/

 

Oasis_Shot_1-1920_1080.png

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I personally think it a pretty great product for someone who need to work off a cart and while still have the ability to go into bag mode and visa versa.

Plus Oasis is way more that just the control surface its also the graphical user interface that give you a lots of information and makes controlling the Nomad a breeze.

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Seems like a really beautiful control panel, trim knobs and everything! ; ) 

Somewhat unfortunate that it's only 8 faders,  especially since the Nomad has more than 8 inputs. Fader banks are a nice feature but I'm having a hard time imagining using them during a live mix.. Also I could see getting confused in the middle of a mix about which fader bank I'm on. Maybe if there was a little OLED screen by each fader to tell you the input name that changed as you switched banks.. Like the digidesign pro-control boards.

Maybe a feature to switch banks on half the faders could help? That way you could keep your main talent always up and switch through additional faders as needed.

I do like that the board and touch screen are all connected by cables and no WiFi interface is required.

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I could see getting confused in the middle of a mix about which fader bank I'm on. Maybe if there was a little OLED screen by each fader to tell you the input name that changed as you switched. 

That already happens. The graphical interface displays each fader strip with what is assigned to the fader (named and color coded if you like), where it is routed to, active input meters, the status of the HPF, notch filters, phase, delay and compressors right on the screen. And when you switch banks the display will switch to follow.

I will post an image later.

Maybe a feature to switch banks on half the faders could help? That way you could keep your main talent always up and switch through additional faders as needed.

That already exists.

All need need to do is route your main talent to the same fader in multiple banks then when you switch banks the main talent stays the same fader and the fader doesn't move.

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Again, another terribly over-engineered (although brilliant) piece of fear. 

A reworking of the existing Mix12 with 12 faders would have been welcomed by Zaxcom users. New products for cart use with any fewer than 12 faders is a waste of time and money. Fader banks and motorized faders... really?

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Again, another terribly over-engineered (although brilliant) piece of fear. 

A reworking of the existing Mix12 with 12 faders would have been welcomed by Zaxcom users. New products for cart use with any fewer than 12 faders is a waste of time and money. Fader banks and motorized faders... really?

i agree with everything you said.

my biggest complaint "apart from the only 8 faders" is the FORM FACTOR.

it is too deep and resembles a  FOH mixer that is supposed to sit on top of a table.

I can not imagine having the oasis in a cart drawer and being able to slide it all the way out while still comfortably reaching my cart.

IMHO a cart mixer should be wide and not deep. .

So for my personal use a mix-8 is great and unless Zaxcom comes out with a wide form factor I am not interested in the oasis

Edited by RadoStefanov
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Again, another terribly over-engineered (although brilliant) piece of fear. 

A reworking of the existing Mix12 with 12 faders would have been welcomed by Zaxcom users. New products for cart use with any fewer than 12 faders is a waste of time and money. Fader banks and motorized faders... really?

Really, Motorized faders provide instant access to different fader configurations and allow us to do some very cool things other than fader level control. 8 fader cart panels have been around for a long time. Making the panel with 8 motorized faders make it more flexible for both Cart and insert car operation. Allowing the board to match current input levels when channels are assigned to faders and  remembering fader positions in snapshots are great features supported by the motorized faders. Input trim controls that both control preamps in the Nomad and preamps in the wireless are essential to a great small mixer. I would think this might be top of the list for anyone considering this type of system.  Combine this with the touch screen GUI and what you get is a very intuitive powerful system. Have a look at the Oasis video on Gotham sounds web site.

LINK to video on Gotham website

The Oasis is 1 inch deeper than the CL-12 and much narrower making it a better fit for insert cars.  I do not see how it can not be considered an even more perfect form factor ;-)

If anyone wants the Oasis to be even smaller it can be shipped without the wood trim making it an identical size to the other product.

 

Glenn

 

 

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Is a point of 8 faders in banks so that that a very compact, lightweight, and capable cart can be achieved, consistent with the design aesthetic of the Nomad itself, a very compact, lightweight, capable machine? I'm all for the very lightweight, fast on it's feet, cart design, that becomes possible.
If you've larger and more complex productions to deal with get a Deva32 and a big cart perhaps?

 

Edited by pindrop
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Oasis - H 3″ W 10.75 D 12.75″

CL12 - H 2.1 W 12.6  D  7.8

5 inches diffrence

 

I put my hands on the oasis at NAB. I saw how deep it is . To deep. Mix-8 is perfectly small for a cart.

Rado, please do NOT post mis-information and incorrect dimensions. We know you don't like Oasis, for you it is "too deep", but you've got to stop dictating to everyone else who may not feel it is too deep. Further, justifying your own personal feeling with so-called FACTS and DIMENSIONS that are incorrect, this is not acceptable.

Dimesnions for Sound Devices CL-12:

14 5/8 in x 10 1/2 in x 3 3/8  in  NOT your statement of "D  7.8"

You're not providing any useful information for anyone else other than the fact that you think Oasis is too deep. So what.

 

Oasis - H 3″ W 10.75 D 12.75″

CL12 - H 2.1 W 12.6  D  7.8 in

 

The Oasis dimensions are accurate. I do not believe the CL-12 dimensions are correct.

Rado got it totally wrong, dimensions (from Sound Devices spec sheet) for CL-12: 14 5/8 in x 10 1/2 in x 3 3/8

Additionally, the CL-12 Ailia model is wider than the standard CL-12 (not that anyone except Rado might be concerned with this) and if someone wants to reduce the overall depth of Oasis, the front wooden wrist rest could be removed resulting in a panel that is shorter by about 1 inch. Again, I don't think anybody else cares so much with either Oasis or CL-12 and personally I am becoming less interested in Rado's opinions particularly when he attempt to justify his opinion with incorrect information.

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Metric to imperial conversion error.  I apologies. It was not my intention to misinform.

CL12 is 14 5/8 in x 10 1/2 in x 3 3/8 in

Oasis is still 2.25 inches longer. 

 

I mentioned in my post this is just my opinion. I am not dictating to anybody...

It is very hard to jump from the small and compact mix-8 to a deep mixer like oasis.

Something like the mix-8 or sonosax fader is what I PERSONALLY like.

 

 

 

 

Again, I don't think anybody else cares so much with either Oasis or CL-12 and personally I am becoming less interested in Rado's opinions particularly when he attempt to justify his opinion with incorrect information.

 

It was an honest error...People make mistakes.

Deleted incorrect post.

 

Edited by RadoStefanov
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This doesn't need to be a competition with the CL-12, as both devices are dependent on their host recorders 

Not so sure about the STOP button so close to my hands on the faders

 

Totally agree. And to continue the compare and contrast mission after all: I don't like the position of the stop button on the CL-9, either. I taped a piece of plastic over it, so I wouldn't accidentally press it

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This is the same as the STOP button on the Zaxcom MIX 12 with no complaints over the last 10 years. If it worries you we could make it so it has to be pressed twice or held for a short period of time.

 

Seems like a really beautiful control panel, trim knobs and everything! ; ) 

Somewhat unfortunate that it's only 8 faders,  especially since the Nomad has more than 8 inputs. Fader banks are a nice feature but I'm having a hard time imagining using them during a live mix.. Also I could see getting confused in the middle of a mix about which fader bank I'm on. Maybe if there was a little OLED screen by each fader to tell you the input name that changed as you switched banks.. Like the digidesign pro-control boards.

Maybe a feature to switch banks on half the faders could help? That way you could keep your main talent always up and switch through additional faders as needed.

I do like that the board and touch screen are all connected by cables and no WiFi interface is required.

The Oasis indicates the current bank and the GUI always shows the source routed to each fader eliminating confusion. Channels can be routed to multiple banks at the same time so that you can have the same channels on faders 1-4 in all banks while faders 5-8 can be different. Any combination is possible.

Edited by glenn
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If it is necessary for more than 8 channels to be controlled live, the 6 rotary faders on the Nomad can control any of Nomads 18 inputs as well. Counting the rotaries the correct fader count is actually 14. With 8 input trims or Zaxnet control live on the Oasis. Although small the OASIS can easily take on very demanding feature and television production tasks with the benefits of Zaxnet integration. We will be adding the script viewer package to the Oasis in the near future.

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If it is necessary for more than 8 channels to be controlled live, the 6 rotary faders on the Nomad can control any of Nomads 18 inputs as well. Counting the rotaries the correct fader count is actually 14. With 8 input trims or Zaxnet control live on the Oasis. Although small the OASIS can easily take on very demanding feature and television production tasks with the benefits of Zaxnet integration. We will be adding the script viewer package to the Oasis in the near future.

All excellent thanks.

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We live in a time when there's so many great gear options.  Cudos to all manufacturers working to bring these options to us.  There's a modern trend with social media and forums to give end users voices they didn't have before.  I think manufacturers should welcome this less filtered and direct connection with their users and shouldn't feel obligated to defend every single little criticism, because I really don't think it is an attack, but really just a form of enthusiasm for the product.  If we didn't care, we wouldn't comment in the first place.

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