I'm currently using my DA7 with the Mackie MDR recorder, but want to move into a DAW setup using Samplitude, or the like. What features would the DA7 provide me as a control surface for Samplitude? Will I be able to "mix" on the DA7 (controlling the mixer in Samplitude) and have Samplitude record the "moves"; and, most importantly, will I be able to use the DA7 as a front end and monitor mixer?

I guess I'm justifying whether to keep the DA7 if I move to a DAW setup.

Thanks,

There was a thread here a few weeks back that might be helpful:

DA7 As Control Surface

Yea my vote for what your doin, would be 002rack and software on top of that. You might try some higher end converters, i think that helps a lot as well, and you'll be off sail'n! I mix with the mouse at this point cause I have never taken the time to explore the DA7 and protools together.

my2c

Strip it down, the DA7 in a Protools environment gives you this -

Tracking -
16 preamp inputs (8 XLR w phantom, 8 TRS) with EQ/Compression on each that can be used pre/post

Mixing -
Well, you could assign your I/O from Protools to the DA7 and mix on up to 24 channels but I think this is an old school way to go and undesireable for most DAW people. If you really like the EQ/Compression on the DA7 you could easily route it through a channel and bounce back to a Protools track.

Inserts/Outputs/Talkback -
ya gotta have I/O for your speakers/headphones/outboard recorders processors etc. The DA7 has 2 sets of analog outs and 1 Digital out. A passive volume control box like the one I have by NHT or something with more I/O like the Presonus Central Station would do the same.

Midi Fader DAW Control
You can assign 8 faders to Protools faders in HUI mode. I use this very rarely.

Impress clients with lights and faders

Take up space in your room.

If the current street value of a DA7 is about $1000 - it's still a great value for the number of preamps you get. It's also a great mixer for a live PA or club.

or if you get a deal on 2...


you could line them just right and use them to back your car onto to look underneath to change oil and stuff like that


fwhew i crack my self up

With Samplitude you should be able to control more than 8 faders at a time. The 8 faders/midi layer thing is a joke - I wouldn't use the DA7 in HUI mode. I use the DA7 with Cubase, and I'm able to control 16 faders ( more if I actually took the time to program them ) at a time. You can also program pan, mutes, eq etc., but I haven't bothered. It's really the faders that I'm interested in ( I actually like the fact that my eq's and what nots are seperate from the Cubase mixer ). Good Luck

Thanks, guys, for the insight!

Speaking of delay, wouldn't the new Mackie controllers give that same delay in control as the DA7, since they are both MIDI? I guess the Command 8 is different?

you can control 16, but some things are a little kludgey.

Lets say you have a project in Samplitude with 30 tracks can you only control faders on 16 tracks at a time - or can you change fader layers or something and control the rest of the tracks???

yeah you can move fader banks and the DA7's faders move to match the ones on the screen.
THe only problem right now is that since upgrading to version 8 the first channel gets screwy when you change fader banks.
Fader 1 on the da7, and whatever channel it is controlling in samplitude get pulled all the way down. With version 7 this was not a problem.

Also, becuase the DA7 doesnt have touch sensitive faders, if you turn on automation in samplitude, the fader control is lost.
you can do another kludge to get around that, by setting one of the buttons to on the da7 to send samp the initial 'fader automation' move.. but then you start fighting with the da7's motors when you try to punch in fader moves over any automation you have already done.
I got fed up with messing with it and gave up.

asking the samplitude dev team for help with hardware controllers is completely pointless. They wont even answer ya.