# Another dream comes true: The Slate Pro Audio RAVEN MTX Multi-Touch Production System



## germancomponist (Oct 25, 2012)

WOW!


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## Jack Weaver (Oct 25, 2012)

Interesting to be sure. Should be the answer for some people. 

Looks like it could work well for mixers and recordists. Not so sure yet for composition-minded folks. Is there an 'Arrange' type page in his software?

.

edit: I would be probably be the first one to snap off a dongle or an iPhone. That screen, is it water/coffee/wine proof? Also, where do mixers put all their cool remotes for their outboard gear? 

There are some ergonomics that need to played with before this is final product.


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## dfhagai (Oct 25, 2012)

Mr. Slate never stops to amaze me.....


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## Ozymandias (Oct 25, 2012)

Looks cool, but I think I would find reaching across such a large display very fatiguing.


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## germancomponist (Oct 25, 2012)

Jack Weaver @ Thu Oct 25 said:


> Interesting to be sure. Should be the answer for some people.
> 
> Looks like it could work well for mixers and recordists. Not so sure yet for composition-minded folks. Is there an 'Arrange' type page in his software?



Aren't we all mixers after our compositions are done?



> edit: I would be probably be the first one to snap off a dongle or an iPhone. That screen, is it water/coffee/wine proof? Also, where do mixers put all their cool remotes for their outboard gear?
> 
> There are some ergonomics that need to played with before this is final product.



Perhaps Mr. Slate will appear here and answer your question ... .


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## guydoingmusic (Oct 25, 2012)

I want that!!!!

Now to find out the cost...


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## noiseboyuk (Oct 25, 2012)

Is there a control on the Raven to stop MISTER SLATE SHOUTING?

Interesting idea. Not for me (regardless of price) - I needs my real faders.


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## schatzus (Oct 25, 2012)

Fantastic idea for certain applications for sure, but don't think I would want to compose in that environment.


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## Udo (Oct 25, 2012)

IMPORTANT!! If you're seriously considering a control surface of that size (46") in that position, I strongly suggest you try it in a session of several hours before you commit. I tried a prototype of something very similar earlier this year and I'm not at all convinced it's ergonomically practical.


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## Ryan Scully (Oct 25, 2012)

I love the concept and it looks like a snap to work with - although I myself would not be able to take much advantage of it either - kind of like V-Control Pro which is awesome when mixing with just audio tracks but is quite useless to me at the composing stage. I wish Steve nothing but success with it though - looks great!



Ryan :D


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## Dan Mott (Oct 25, 2012)

Meh


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## José Herring (Oct 25, 2012)

Might be cool to use as a mixing desk, but for DAW work. Imagine having to raise your arms that far after sitting there for 48hours.


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## germancomponist (Oct 25, 2012)

josejherring @ Fri Oct 26 said:


> Might be cool to use as a mixing desk, but for DAW work. Imagine having to raise your arms that far after sitting there for 48hours.


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## Marius Masalar (Oct 26, 2012)

I'm a big fan of Steven's contributions to the audio world, but I have to say I'm struggling to find this enticing.

Certainly the whole true-multitouch virtual console idea is cool on paper and would help you boost your studio's SLQ significantly, but on the practical side I can't help but find myself thinking "hmm, if only those faders were tactile."

Of course, this is coming from someone who's never had to work for days at a large-scale console, so maybe those of you who have are going "finally, I freaking hate touching things! 3D sucks! Smooth glass nirvana here I come!"

I can see this sort of 1:1 interface making a lot of sense for visual artists (hence the popularity of the Wacom Cintiq monitors), but for us I'm not so sure.

It's like the Lemur (or its more recent iPad flavour): the concept is genius and it's certainly a huge workflow help, but I feel like that's more in spite of its interface than because of it. Once iPads are capable of meaningful haptic feedback, I think its appeal will grow for me — then I don't have to keep looking at the thing to make adjustments.

Really looking forward to hearing/seeing the responses from the more hardware-experienced guys around here though!


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## guydoingmusic (Oct 26, 2012)

Mathazzar @ Fri Oct 26 said:


> I'm a big fan of Steven's contributions to the audio world, but I have to say I'm struggling to find this enticing.
> 
> 
> Of course, this is coming from someone who's never had to work for days at a large-scale console, so maybe those of you who have are going "finally, I freaking hate touching things! 3D sucks! Smooth glass nirvana here I come!"



I was gonna say, having worked on large format consoles (mostly SSL's), this very much appeals to me. Not to say that everyone who has worked on one is going to want the Raven. 

Personally speaking - with my workflow, this will fit right in even with the composition process. I can see how that some would shun the idea of using this during that stage, but when it comes to mixing... this is an awesome tool that I think shouldn't be overlooked. 

Brad


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## Steven Slate (Oct 26, 2012)

Hi Folks!

Some things to keep in mind regarding your arms:

1. Raven is at a 40 degree angle so you are not touching vertically

2. Most of Raven's most necessary touch elements like faders, hot keys, and transport are at the very bottom and don't require arm elevation

3. The "touching" aspect of workflow is sporadic.. your arms are not always touching stuff.. Sometimes they are doing nothing because you're listening, sometimes they are on the arm rest, sometimes they are on the mouse and keyboard (because touch is good for some things, not all things), and sometimes they are using the analog section to change speakers, adjust routing, etc.

Having worked on the Raven for several weeks, arms were not an issue for me. And it was certainly less fatiguing than stretching over an enormous SSL, but that's just me.

I'm here for any questions.

Cheers,
Steven


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## RiffWraith (Oct 26, 2012)

Mathazzar @ Fri Oct 26 said:


> I.... I can't help but find myself thinking "hmm, if only those faders were tactile."



What do you mean by tactile?



Mathazzar @ Fri Oct 26 said:


> Really looking forward to hearing/seeing the responses from the more hardware-experienced guys around here though!



I mix while I compose; if the workflow here closely mimics a console, I could see this as being really useful. If not, then not.

Cheers.


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## Marius Masalar (Oct 26, 2012)

I mean "tactile" in the sense of a physical knob, slider, etc. that I don't have to be looking at it to know what I'm controlling. That's my issue with screen-based control surfaces — if I'm looking at something else and want to just reach over and adjust a parameter, I can't do it without glancing over.

A small point, but since workflow efficiency is the goal, it's significant enough to make me pause when considering this sort of thing.

Either way, I'm not really the target audience, just chiming in because it's an intriguing piece of hardware. I mix while I compose too, but I'm an in-the-box guy.


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## Maestro77 (Oct 26, 2012)

Very interested in this. Went to the website but most of it's down. Couldn't access any product pages, much less the Raven page. Site must be getting too much traffic with this announcement. The biggest question I (and probably everybody) have is... how much?


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## zacnelson (Oct 29, 2012)

I guess it would cost at least $5k. I believe the Raven would make an enormous positive impact on studio clients and potential clients, particularly young people. Can you imagine how impressed they would be?!?! Purchasing one of these would give you an instant edge over the competition. Also, because it's touch screen, it should be able to adapt to constant improvements in the future, compared to a hardware controller with set knobs and faders. I like the option of being able to re-locate where dfferent controllers are on the screen, which is not possible with a fixed hardware device.

My one concern is the possibility of accidentally swiping a fader with a body part whilst I'm working on something else, for example I reach forward to use the top of the touchscreen and my elbow brushes a fader without me knowing which one or what it did. 

Steven, is there some way of locking the faders section to prevent losing the positions?


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## givemenoughrope (Oct 29, 2012)

It definitely looks incredible but I am trying to set up my DAW so there is actually less time looking at things that aren't the picture. Less looking/staring at glowing boxes, more listening.


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## José Herring (Oct 29, 2012)

Steven, 

Are there detail tech specs anywhere for this thing? I did a brief look around and only found the video, which I must admit, I only skimmed through.


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## chimuelo (Oct 29, 2012)

I can concur that the arms outstreched issue is really nothing, your brain and ears are too busy to notice any fatigue.
I do this for hours everyday and hours everynight, it's also why I bought the fantastic Standtastic 105K Keyboard Stand just in case you guys with massive arses want to trim 'em down a little. Core training Balls are also great to PoGo around on.

I saw this last week when it first hit the tube and didn;t realize it was a touch screen until way into the video, as I watched w/o headphones.
But I put 2 and 2 together and think this is as brilliant as your Dragon Comp.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Slate-DRAGON-Go ... vi-content


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## Diffusor (Oct 30, 2012)

zacnelson @ Mon Oct 29 said:


> I guess it would cost at least $5k. I believe the Raven would make an enormous positive impact on studio clients and potential clients, particularly young people. Can you imagine how impressed they would be?!?! Purchasing one of these would give you an instant edge over the competition. Also, because it's touch screen, it should be able to adapt to constant improvements in the future, compared to a hardware controller with set knobs and faders. I like the option of being able to re-locate where dfferent controllers are on the screen, which is not possible with a fixed hardware device.
> 
> My one concern is the possibility of accidentally swiping a fader with a body part whilst I'm working on something else, for example I reach forward to use the top of the touchscreen and my elbow brushes a fader without me knowing which one or what it did.
> 
> Steven, is there some way of locking the faders section to prevent losing the positions?



Predict this will cost 15k to 20k easy. Just the monitor section hardware and the Argosy furniture alone will put it up over 5 grand. 

Not interested personally. With Windows 8 and applications becoming multitouch we will eventually get this directly in the DAW.


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## clonewar (Oct 31, 2012)

Diffusor @ Tue Oct 30 said:


> Predict this will cost 15k to 20k easy.



Someone that talked to the Slate people at AES was told that it should be 'under $20K', so you're probably spot on.


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