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scorpio!


daniel

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On 4/11/2019 at 11:49 AM, Mark LeBlanc said:

More questions

1. Probably should be a poll for requested Midi controller people wish to be supported

2. What’s the Input to Output Latency of the system with an analog signal

3. On which device do you map controls from Surface to Scorpio? At release, what will the default mappings be?

4. When Banking, is there a way to bank only say the Last 2 faders? That way I can map low word count actors together 

5. Please map the Beep for rolling and 2 beep out the comm outs. 

6. If there’s an issue with function on the control surface. Who should the first call goto? 

7. I love moving app to Android, cheaper tablets and OS that doesn’t change behind the scenes as much as IOS but

8. Can you have a setting to see Maybe 12 channels instead of banking and or If you bank on the Control Surface will the Software follow?

Sure there will be more 

ML

 

1. Literally any control surface supporting MCU will “work.” How well, to what extent, and how flexibly, is anyone’s guess until release. 

 

2. Good question I’m curious too. 

 

3. Presumably on the Scorpio itself, though I for one would hope for the ability to have “profiles” for certain control surfaces, editable on a real computer app and then loadable onto the Scorpio itself. 

 

4. Just like with any other DAW control surface, with MCU you can move one channel at a time or a whole bank (usually 8 channels) at a time, up or down the list. I would expect that behavior to be the same here. The Icon surface supported out of the gate is definitely capable of this. 

 

5. YES!!

 

6. For the time being SD seems to directly support using the Icon Platform m+ with the Scorpio, seems as though they will be directly supporting it themselves. Maybe not, but that’s my take from what they’ve said. I believe the thinking is that this list will grow over time. 

 

7. Thankfully Android only is purely a release thing, they have said iOS support is coming too. 

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Would be interesting if its comfortable to write a sound report inside the device. With the 788t it was practically very bad so i chose the ambient solution via beetle, but it lacked very much with reconnection speed of ipad and keyboard as well as the option of just writing comments to the previous take.

 

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4 hours ago, RudiBrueller said:

Would be interesting if its comfortable to write a sound report inside the device. With the 788t it was practically very bad so i chose the ambient solution via beetle, but it lacked very much with reconnection speed of ipad and keyboard as well as the option of just writing comments to the previous take.

 

I’m sure it will have a sound report feature with the new included app.  I’m assuming it will be along the lines of wingman which which works great once you got a workflow down for using it for delivery.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Picked mine up yesterday. Had a quick play with it today. Initial thoughts are it’s awesome. 

Will be going through it more thoroughly over the next couple of weeks prior to my show starting up soon. 

Seems very easy to get head around especially if you’ve used a 688. Many menu settings are very similar. 

Will be connecting up Dante to an Allen and Heath SQ7 to try that out as well. 

The LED show upon boot up and firmware update is very sexy. 

I haven’t plugged any signals into it yet but I’m betting it will sound great. 

Will report back but it’s pretty much an awesome beast. 

 

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12 hours ago, Jim Feeley said:

 

Yow! And cool! Willing to tell us more about how you plan to use the Scorpio and SQ7 together? Or more for fun (at this point)?

 

SQ-7-Press-Image-web-1024x461.jpg

Hi Jim

i haven’t decided on my work flow as yet. I’ve been doing my show for 10 years in a certain way so I’m working out what I’ll do with the new gear over the next few weeks with the SQ7 and Scorpio. 

Have to say, the SQ7 is also an awesome beast (just bought it too) and getting head around it has been really easy. Everything is freely assignable.

Ill be plugging signals into everything soon so will see how it all sounds and works then. 

 

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Scorpio, my initial impressions

 

I’ve had my Scorpio for a couple weeks now. It’s definitely a nice looking box, a step up from the typical SD form factor. The colorful spinning LED lights are a bit over the top in my opinion, but they do serve a function. The machine’s display is sharp, well laid out and well color-coordinated... albeit rather small for so much information. Compared to the 788, they have distilled the 100+ pages of menu down to 16 main chapters, but that actually makes finding individual settings somewhat more difficult and time consuming until you become familiar with their specific location within the chapters.

 

My usage perspective is from a cart application: increasing my track count for use with an outboard analog mixer and using it along with the SD Remote app on a tablet. I’m not particularly interested in the reality TV, bag-oriented features. So I won’t comment on those aspects.

 

The good news…16 inputs/preamps, 12 outputs, Dante (for those who have the need) unlimited routing possibilities with the buss system, and the ability to hard-wire the control surface.

 

The bad news…half-baked software, only a 256G non-upgradable hard drive

 

Here are some examples of the software issues:

 

1) The folder structure or lack thereof. There is no dedicated folder menu page. With the 788 you could edit all three folder levels. The mid-level folder would reflect and correspond with the “tape” field within the Wave Agent software. Editors could also organize sound files by this “tape” number AKA Sound Roll number. On the Scorpio the correlation between folder name and “Tape” field is completely missing. You can create a “project name” like on the Mix-Pre 10 and this will name the folder within which your files will reside, but the metadata “tape” number always defaults to the date regardless of the folder/project name. To me, that is a big problem.

 

2) No bluetooth capability yet

 

3) No way to copy files between media on the machine. That’s unbelievable.

 

4) The SD Remote app is pathetically spartan. (using with Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1")

 

The only editable metadata fields are scene, take, notes and track names. The text boxes for these fields are small and require deliberate and precise touch in order to access. You need to hit them just right with your finger and they don’t expand and collapse as you would expect.

 

Another huge issue with the Remote app is that meter displays are only available in groups of eight (1-8, 9-16, 17-24, 25-32) For example, there is no way to view tracks 1-12 or 1-16 on the attached tablet. Even though you can view up to all 32 tracks on the machine’s tiny screen, on the attached larger display you are limited to only eight at a time. That makes no sense.

 

There is not a “recent files” list page in the app! You can only view/edit the next or last take... two takes..that’s it! There is no way to correct recent scene names or input notes beyond your last take within the app. 

 

Also there is no “routing matrix” page within the app.

 

I think we were all hoping for enhanced metadata editing and control features included in the SD Remote app, perhaps even an ample Sound Report Tool. Instead we received a significantly less featured app than the Wingman… in fact, I would consider the SD Remote App a major step backward from even the CL-WiFi app.

 

Some noted hardware shortcomings:

 

1) The second row of faders (7-12) are small and although they are designed to be “mini” main faders, they definitely require a finger/thumb operation. The main faders are nice and smooth and are one finger operable as expected.

 

2) The USB-A data connection from machine to the tablet DOES also provide power, but not enough power to keep the tablet from going completely dead in a couple of days. So you need to disconnect the data cable and supply a real power source intermittently to keep the tablet display charged and running….like at lunch or at wrap. Remember there is no bluetooth connection available yet, so keeping the tablet plugged into a power-only connection while using the app, is not an option.

 

Summary

 

It’s great to have a high track count, 16 preamps and 12 outputs, redundancy media x 3 and more, all in a small, beautiful container BUT by design, the true functionality and ultimate potential reside in the software. If SD are unable to provide adequate or timely updates to the software, then unfortunately the Scorpio's usefulness for me will be very limited.

 

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17 hours ago, Geoff Maxwell said:

Another huge issue with the Remote app is that meter displays are only available in groups of eight (1-8, 9-16, 17-24, 25-32) For example, there is no way to view tracks 1-12 or 1-16 on the attached tablet. Even though you can view up to all 32 tracks on the machine’s tiny screen, on the attached larger display you are limited to only eight at a time. That makes no sense.

 


I assume it isn't possible to use two tablets at once? Thus then you could have 1-8 displayed on one, and 9-16 displayed on the other one. 

 

17 hours ago, Geoff Maxwell said:

2) The USB-A data connection from machine to the tablet DOES also provide power, but not enough power to keep the tablet from going completely dead in a couple of days. So you need to disconnect the data cable and supply a real power source intermittently to keep the tablet display charged and running….like at lunch or at wrap. Remember there is no bluetooth connection available yet, so keeping the tablet plugged into a power-only connection while using the app, is not an option.

 

Oh never mind, of course it isn't possible to use two tablets at once!
 

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@Geoff Maxwell Have you tried a powered USB hub? The trick is finding one designed to run on 12v power input instead of the more usual 5v, but they do exist. Curious if that remedies the tablet issue. Thanks for sharing your experiences. As someone considering buying a Scorpio, some of these software issues are pretty significant shortcomings that I’m glad to be aware of. Hope to see these get addressed very soon. Other concerns (to me) include no SL-6 comparability for anything but their own brand of wireless (yet) and no Dugan. On the other hand, the machine is essentially guaranteed to get better and more capable over time, so there’s that!

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On 6/12/2019 at 2:59 PM, Paul Katzman said:

@Geoff Maxwell Have you tried a powered USB hub? The trick is finding one designed to run on 12v power input instead of the more usual 5v, but they do exist. Curious if that remedies the tablet issue. Thanks for sharing your experiences. As someone considering buying a Scorpio, some of these software issues are pretty significant shortcomings that I’m glad to be aware of. Hope to see these get addressed very soon. Other concerns (to me) include no SL-6 comparability for anything but their own brand of wireless (yet) and no Dugan. On the other hand, the machine is essentially guaranteed to get better and more capable over time, so there’s that!

My understanding from Mike Paul at LSC is that the USB power limitation lies within the required "midi" connection mode in the Android software. That's out of my wheelhouse for speculation, but hopefully there will be a work around for that sometime soon as well.

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On 6/8/2019 at 12:17 PM, Geoff Maxwell said:

 

Scorpio, my initial impressions

 

I’ve had my Scorpio for a couple weeks now. It’s definitely a nice looking box, a step up from the typical SD form factor. The colorful spinning LED lights are a bit over the top in my opinion, but they do serve a function. The machine’s display is sharp, well laid out and well color-coordinated... albeit rather small for so much information. Compared to the 788, they have distilled the 100+ pages of menu down to 16 main chapters, but that actually makes finding individual settings somewhat more difficult and time consuming until you become familiar with their specific location within the chapters.

 

My usage perspective is from a cart application: increasing my track count for use with an outboard analog mixer and using it along with the SD Remote app on a tablet. I’m not particularly interested in the reality TV, bag-oriented features. So I won’t comment on those aspects.

 

The good news…16 inputs/preamps, 12 outputs, Dante (for those who have the need) unlimited routing possibilities with the buss system, and the ability to hard-wire the control surface.

 

The bad news…half-baked software, only a 256G non-upgradable hard drive

 

Here are some examples of the software issues:

 

1) The folder structure or lack thereof. There is no dedicated folder menu page. With the 788 you could edit all three folder levels. The mid-level folder would reflect and correspond with the “tape” field within the Wave Agent software. Editors could also organize sound files by this “tape” number AKA Sound Roll number. On the Scorpio the correlation between folder name and “Tape” field is completely missing. You can create a “project name” like on the Mix-Pre 10 and this will name the folder within which your files will reside, but the metadata “tape” number always defaults to the date regardless of the folder/project name. To me, that is a big problem.

 

2) No bluetooth capability yet

 

3) No way to copy files between media on the machine. That’s unbelievable.

 

4) The SD Remote app is pathetically spartan. (using with Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1")

 

The only editable metadata fields are scene, take, notes and track names. The text boxes for these fields are small and require deliberate and precise touch in order to access. You need to hit them just right with your finger and they don’t expand and collapse as you would expect.

 

Another huge issue with the Remote app is that meter displays are only available in groups of eight (1-8, 9-16, 17-24, 25-32) For example, there is no way to view tracks 1-12 or 1-16 on the attached tablet. Even though you can view up to all 32 tracks on the machine’s tiny screen, on the attached larger display you are limited to only eight at a time. That makes no sense.

 

There is not a “recent files” list page in the app! You can only view/edit the next or last take... two takes..that’s it! There is no way to correct recent scene names or input notes beyond your last take within the app. 

 

Also there is no “routing matrix” page within the app.

 

I think we were all hoping for enhanced metadata editing and control features included in the SD Remote app, perhaps even an ample Sound Report Tool. Instead we received a significantly less featured app than the Wingman… in fact, I would consider the SD Remote App a major step backward from even the CL-WiFi app.

 

Some noted hardware shortcomings:

 

1) The second row of faders (7-12) are small and although they are designed to be “mini” main faders, they definitely require a finger/thumb operation. The main faders are nice and smooth and are one finger operable as expected.

 

2) The USB-A data connection from machine to the tablet DOES also provide power, but not enough power to keep the tablet from going completely dead in a couple of days. So you need to disconnect the data cable and supply a real power source intermittently to keep the tablet display charged and running….like at lunch or at wrap. Remember there is no bluetooth connection available yet, so keeping the tablet plugged into a power-only connection while using the app, is not an option.

 

Summary

 

It’s great to have a high track count, 16 preamps and 12 outputs, redundancy media x 3 and more, all in a small, beautiful container BUT by design, the true functionality and ultimate potential reside in the software. If SD are unable to provide adequate or timely updates to the software, then unfortunately the Scorpio's usefulness for me will be very limited.

 

 

Geoff - thanks for sharing your first impressions of Scorpio. All good stuff, much of which we know about and are in our short term plans.

You mention 'half-baked' ... I'd prefer to think of Scorpio as a fully-baked first tier of a cake designed to be robust enough to have many further tiers added to it:) And each layer is sweeter than the last;) 

Just like all our previous products e.g. 788T, Scorpio's hardware, OS, and external control ecosystem have been architected to evolve and grow with the needs of the production sound industry for many years to come. Keep watching this space. This is just the beginning. 

 

Thx again

 

Paul

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  • 4 weeks later...

HI,

Finally getting time to report back.

 

After using the Scorpio and A&H SQ7 for the past few weeks, I must say it is very nice in many ways.

 

The Scorpio simply sounds superb especially from the Dante. The local line inputs also sound superb. I haven't tried a nice condenser mic at mic level in as yet as all mic signals are line level from radio mic receivers.

 

I'm currently recording 23 tracks on the Scorpio. 10 outputs and 2 returns. Time code feeding an Ambient ML. Its been flawless so far.

 

A nice feature is the longer PFL switches. Very easy to get to as I find the 688 PFL switches a bit short.

 

I'm not using an Icon control surface so I'm finding getting to the PFL/channel screen for channels 13 onwards is easy but tricky to remember which is which. eg PFL 3 to the left with the */** switch is channel 15. Hard to remember when trying to get there quickly. I guess I'll have to get the Icon control surface!

 

I agree with Geoff that the folder structure isn't what I'm used to like in the 6 series and 7 series and I find it a bit quirky. I have addressed this with the kind folk at SD along with other little things. Would love to see the good old "Folder Options" menu like the 6 and 7 series back on the Scorpio.

 

I would like to see meter ballistics as an option. Currently it only has VU/PPM in one.

 

The latest update has brought a myriad of short cut options using the PFL switches. Great feature.

 

Would love to see headphone preset edit short cut like on the 688.

 

All in all, the Scorpio is very user friendly and I think it definitely has a lot more updates and features to come.

 

The A&H SQ7 deserves its own thread but its proving to be an outstanding mixing console with incredible flexibility and sounds pretty darn good.

 

Great tools at our disposal, thanks Sound Devices. 

 

Cheers

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...
On 7/31/2019 at 5:44 PM, Fred Salles said:

Hi,

Anyone to report on the actual sound of the new preamps of the Scorpio?

I was very disappointed by the sound of the 688, that I found harsh and bland compared to those of the 7 series.

I am interested in subjective reports of course 🙂

 

I was able to compare it directly to the 688 using a passive whirlwind splitter and a hard lined Sennheiser MK50.  Two observations are that the headphone amp is noticeably better and when I put the 48k 24bit files in the DAW its quite noticeable that the Scorpio is an improvement over the mic pre amps of the 688.  It sounds more open and has more definition and detail to my ears.  Sound Devices has stated that this is the best pre amp design to date. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi Paul

Thanks for the personalized reply! 

 

I’ve updated my Scorpio to v2 today. Will look into folders ASAP. I’ll contact support if I have any questions. 

 

Geoff Maxwell (post above) should be pleased with this too! 

 

Many thanks for listening. 

 

Regards

Peter 

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