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Behringer Flow 8 bluetooth issues?

el murdoque

el murdoque

Mar 10, 2013
12,045
25,365
Germany
thedirtjounal.com
#1
Hi Talkbass.
I bought a Behringer Flow 8 to replace my current super cheap home mixer - I needed one with a few more features and the Flow 8 seemed just right.

However, I cannot make it talk to my phone through the App.
Here's what I tried:
1. Installing the app on my phone (OnePlus 6T)
2. Turning on Bluetooth
3. Launching the app
4. Setting the mixer into pair mode

Repeating steps 2-4 in various orders, no cigar.
Pairing the device as an audio device works fine.
So I tried another Android device (Lenovo Yoga tablet) with the same results.

And another one, with the same results.
That's where I realized that I'm either doing something wrong or the unit must be faulty.

The first thing I did after unpacking was connecting it to my laptop and updating the Firmware to the latest version (v11748).

Any Ideas aside from returning it?

Apart from that issue this is an awesome little tool that has me making 'WOOOOW' noises all over the place. At home I have an amp output, a pedalboard direct output and a Headrush Gigboard output, plus eDrums connected to my mixer and I occasionally jam along to an audio source. I use headphones when I don't want noise and an active monitor wedge when I do.
This thing has made so many things so much more convenient, it's already a blast.
 
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#2
i have no answers for you, @el murdoque, sorry.

but i just looked at the piece online and it sure seems like a cool mixer gadget! and it's cool that it does so many things more easily than your previous setup.

i'll hold out some hope that your new mixer is just fine and that your phone and/or operator errors are at fault somehow! (i always hope it's me and not the hardware/software...because i can fix myself...mostly!)

and there's always this: Support - Music Tribe Community

good luck getting the information you need! :thumbsup:
 
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#3
I don't have the Flow 8 but I have a Mackie Pro-DX8 which is similar. If I remember (2 years ago) I needed to pair phone and mixer BEFORE starting the app. Otherwise it was using the AD2P protocol (audio).
My suggestion: remove the mixer in your phone bluetooth settings, reboot your phone, reboot your mixer, pair the mixer again on your phone, start the app.
 
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#4
I just check the documentation and according to it you should not do any pairing in your phone's bluetooth setting to control the mixer with the app:
Bluetooth pairing for control app

To control FLOW 8 via app from your Bluetooth device, use the following procedure:

  1. Download and install the free FLOW control app from the Apple Store** or Google Play Store**.

  2. Enable Bluetooth on your smartphone or tablet.

  3. Press the MENU button on the FLOW 8 mixer hardware and select the BT PAIRING menu by turning the SELECT/ADJUST push encoder. Press the encoder to enter this sub-menu.

  4. Select PAIR APP with the SELECT/ADJUST push encoder, and then press the encoder to start the search for a Bluetooth device.

  5. Start the FLOW control app on your Bluetooth device (within 60 seconds). The control app will automatically detect FLOW 8 and connect. When connected, the Bluetooth icon in the control app will change color from gray (inactive) to blue (active), and the blue APP LED on the mixer hardware will light consistently.

  6. In case of unsuccessful connection, press the RETRY button on the app and follow the on-screen instructions.
 
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#5
BTW, nice little mixer. I wish it was out when I was looking for a small digital mixer. My Mackie Pro-DX8 is nice but the Flow8 has better features. But since I only paid $100 for the Mackie, I think it was a good purchase (and I can put the Pro-DX8 directly on the floor because of the form-factor). Will check the reviews for reports on the quality of the first-two preamps.
 
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#6
Yeah, I tried all that, multiple times. I'll bring it to rehearsal on Monday, a band mate has one, too. We'll see if my phone connects to his and his phone to mine, that should identify the issue.


I really like that little thing so far. The only bit they could have added is making the EQ for each channel accessible without the app via the faders, and I would have hoped for a bit more control over the compression, this is just a one knob comp.
But the rest is just like on the X32 where you sit in front of it and look at things, trying to figure out how it works, then you press a knob and go 'Aaaaah, neat!' It's all so intuitive I've looked in the manual only for the bluetooth pairing.
 
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#11
I fixed the problem, btw.

I brought the Flow 8 to rehearsal and a friend of mine tried to connect, which worked - his was an iPhone. I took it home afterwards and kept on hunting the culprit.
It turned out that you need to turn on both the bluetooth AND the GPS function for the app to work.
If you blocked the apps access to location upon first launch it's easiest to de-install it and install it again, this time turning on bluetooth and GPS and allow the app what it wants - then it'll connect just fine.
 
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#12
el murdoque said:
It turned out that you need to turn on both the bluetooth AND the GPS function for the app to work.
If you blocked the apps access to location upon first launch it's easiest to de-install it and install it again, this time turning on bluetooth and GPS and allow the app what it wants - then it'll connect just fine.
Click to expand...
Hoo boy I hate that. "You gotta tell us where you are when you use it" is among my least favorite app requests.
 
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#14
DonaldR said:
Was your phone on airplane mode when you were not able to connect?
Click to expand...
Sorry for the late reply - no.
I simply did not allow the app to access my location when it asked upon install. I usually block features that have no explanation beyond 'we want your data'. The app only asks once, and if you select no, it simply won't work, with no error message and the location thing not popping up again. Neat programming.
I needed to re-install the app and that time allow the location-thing.
 
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#16
mike buzzetti said:
Have you tried sending Audio over bluetooth to BT speakers ? I have BT PA speakers and If I could send the audio over BT I can dump the cables.
Click to expand...

The Flow8 does not support that feature. You can connect BT inputs and you can controll the unit via BT, but AFAIK you can't send the output via BT to speakers.
Apart from that, I think you'd run into lag issues.
 
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#18
I fought with it for about an hour then in desperation I looked at the settings, not in the app itself, in the ios settings for the app on my iPhone. Bluetooth permission was turned off in the ios settings for the FLOW app.

No issues after that.
 

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