Behringer XR18 X-Air questions/experience

[jeanette_c]

Hey hey, slowly my old Delta 1010 cards are failing, so I need to prepare for a replacement. My setup is a little niche, relying on all the analogue inputs and even a few outs.
The Behringer XR18 X-air looks like it could fill the gap. But I have a few questions from people who (have) run it.
How many inputs/outputs will appear in JACK? Do they all automatically connect to the analogue physical I/O?
If settings need to be made through the control app, will the XR18 remember them even when power cycled? I'm blind and the app may not be accessible - they rarely are -, which is why this is important.
Finally, going slightly OT here, if you know of another solution in that price range - or below - whatever it is marketed as, I'd be interested. 16-18 analogue ins (2 XLRs at least with mic preamp), 6-8 analogue outs, MIDI optional, no built-in default audio routing/monitoring required, done through JACK/ALSA. Audio levels/gain for the channels would probably be "set and forget", so a little inconvenience there would be OK.
Best wishes and thanks for any help and/or hints!
Jeanette

[bluzee]

Something that would be similar but with real knobs and faders is the Presonus AR16c. Every channel sends a USB post gain but pre EQ.

Soundcraft makes MTK series mixers with multi-track USB but only in 12 or 22 channel.

I don't have an XR18 but I've looked at them with great interest. Nothing on the XR18 can be set or adjusted with out using the app. I assume they remember everything between power cycles.

[jeanette_c]

Hi @bluzee and many thanks fopr your quick feedback. These two alternatives both sound somewhat interesting. Do you have personal experience with the Soundcraft? In the past I had mixed results with Soundcraft gear. No reason why it should be the same today, but one is careful. A pity they only have the 12 and 22 channel option. The 12 is not enough, the 22 channel would leave some headroom in channel count, but the price also leaves some headroom above what I will be able to afford in a few months.

[bluzee]

No, I have none of these personally. I was looking seriously at an X18 for a while but never did end up getting one. They are pretty versatile units in that you can route anything pretty much any where. It's all done in the app though.

[merlyn]

Hi jeanette. What is the problem with the Delta 1010s? I have an ICE1712 based soundcard which is the same sound chip as the 1010s. Recently some kernel updates have been a problem. JACK starts fine but after a few hours JACK dies with the error 'ALSA poll timeout'.

The 5.18.3 kernel I have now seems to be good. I have had JACK running for over twenty four hours without a problem.

[jeanette_c]

Mi @merlyn , my Delta cards run fine, where the software is concerned, but they are old and the hardware is dying. The breakout cables are damaged and I suspect at least one or two things on the cards themselves is slowly going. They are simply old. They have been very good companions and in the system for about twenty years, ever since I started on Linux. The system is - and has been - almost running 24/7.
Best wishes, Jeanette

[merlyn]

I see.

A solution that occurs to me is an RME 9652 PCI card and two Behringer ADA8200 ADAT preamps giving sixteen inputs and sixteen outputs.

The 9652 has three ADAT ins, each capable of eight channels at 44.1kHz sample rate, allowing up to twenty four inputs and outputs when using three ADAT preamps.

[jeanette_c]

Hi @merlyn , thanks for further chiming in. There are a few issues with that solution:
1. the RME doesn't seem to be available right now.
2. I had quite a few issues with ADAT before and though would love to avoid it, if at all possible.
3. I don't have enough power sockets with nearly 20 devices already connected around my desk.
4. From what I rmemeber RME are quite expensive and newer cards are no longer supported, though that may have changed again.
Still, they are/were good cards and never shy of I/O.
Best wishes and thanks again, Jeanette

[merlyn]

There are a few issues with that solution:
1. the RME doesn't seem to be available right now.

There's one on ebay https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/363685948606 ... Swamxh3MHT. But if you're not keen on ADAT, it's maybe not an option.

[nemaulatka]

ahoy there!
having used xr18 as daily main workhorse doing both live gigs and studio mixing & recording sessions, besides using it at home on both numerous linux distros as well as on good ole brick windows and my mutated potato workstation i must say that behringer truly have got their indulgence with those digital mixers (x32 as well) for all past deviations. even the little 18xr is a real work of engie art - the thing is more flexible than it appears on the first sight ad there's enough tricks to learn to provide (seemingly highly praised) 3 part unoffical handbook on it (sadly unavailable in mordor). for me it greatly complements doing records into mixbus running either on thinkpad for live stuff or on luddite 3930k rig for mixing. I use its basic channel effects to do half of the more precise eq, gating and compresssion pre-box (and its additional 4 effect lines been pretty much enough for me to discard uad which i mainly had for classic compressors, eq and ampex) thus allowing me use very few plugs in daw mainly for color shaping and overall mix sculpting which really compliments minimalistic "real life" mixbus workflow. regarding visibility ill provide screenshot of control app which is universal between os'es:

xair.gif (243.68 KiB) Viewed 1247 times

hope this helps somewhat and i recommend to read through its manual for more info, cheers!