Midas M32R: inputs, monitors and USB recording

The M32R has 16 local XLR microphone preamps and 32 input processing channels. Seeing channels 17–32 on the screen does not mean there are another 16 XLR sockets on the rear panel. Those channels can receive assigned AES50 or card sources, depending on the connected system.

Plan the patch by source: local inputs, an AES50 stage rack and computer returns. ROUTING > home assigns banks of eight. In the cited manual, turn the encoder to choose a source, then push it to apply. Check the other seven channels affected before changing a bank.

To verify the patch, send one input at a time and watch the expected channel in METERS. If it appears elsewhere, correct the assignment; increasing gain will not fix crossed channels. The input plan must include the required rack or interface, not just the session channel count.

Follow the path from the source to the channel. First check the microphone, receiver or player output and its cable. If the source works on a known input, compare the selected bank in ROUTING > home and the channel source in HOME > config.

A show prepared for an AES50 rack may still expect that rack when you plug a microphone into a local socket. Card may also remain selected after a playback test. Identify the required source before changing it; do not switch every bank to Local if some stage sources still arrive over AES50.

If the channel meter responds but nothing is heard, move downstream. Check mute, fader and the send to the bus or LR, then continue towards the output that actually feeds the system. Comparing the input and destination meters avoids changing a preamp when the interruption is later in the path.

A bus meter confirms audio inside the mix, not at the rear socket. To adjust the mix, choose the bus in BUS 1–8 or BUS 9–16, select it and engage SENDS ON FADER. Input faders now control their contributions to that bus. Exit this mode before returning to the house mix.

Check the bus master and mute. Next follow ROUTING > out 1-16: which bus feeds the output slot, and which tap point is used? Finally check ROUTING > xlr out and the block of four assigned to the physical sockets. The M32R has eight XLR outputs; 16 internal output slots do not mean 16 connectors.

If the monitor must stay independent of house fader moves, check the channel-to-bus send tap; do not confuse it with the bus output tap. Once routing is confirmed, test the cable and loudspeaker or amplifier input at a moderate level. If audio reaches the wrong socket, correct the patch before compensating with more level.

This procedure applies to DN32-USB. Read the identification on the rear card before preparing the session: the M32R model name does not establish which expansion is fitted. Check recording through a different card against that card’s documentation.

In SETUP > card, check the input/output mode. The manual includes 32in / 32out for 32 channels in both directions, as well as modes with fewer channels. In ROUTING > card out, select the sources for all four banks of eight and push each encoder to confirm. Selecting 32 channels does not create audio on disconnected sources.

In the recording application, select the appropriate interface, create tracks with separate inputs and record one identifiable signal at a time. If tracks 17–32 are missing, compare the card mode, Card Out banks and track input assignments. Check those three points before changing the live mix patch to fix a recording send. During playback, keep returns separate from recording sends to avoid a loop.

Connect the computer to the control network through REMOTE CONTROL Ethernet. Do not confuse it with AES50 A/B, which carry digital audio. In SETUP > network, check the IP address, subnet mask and absence of another device using the same address. The computer must be able to communicate with that subnet.

In M32-Edit, connect to the console IP. To load the current console state into the computer, choose Console → PC synchronization. PC → Console sends the editor configuration to the desk and can replace show settings. Save the state before synchronizing and avoid sending an empty session accidentally.

Check connection using a channel that is not live, and confirm that meters and state agree. Moving faders over the network does not prove USB multitrack recording works: they use different paths. If connection fails, check addresses, the link and console selection first; do not reset the mix or change its patch to troubleshoot control connectivity.