I'm being a bit lengthy here in hopes of inspiring some ideas.
It would certainly make mixing a lot easier.
However, I wonder if it might also make some tasks a lot more complicated than picking a channel from a list.
Depends how it is implemented I suppose.
Yes, a lot simpler. Now I (we?) have to keep a spreadsheet handy to remember which channel is what as I don't follow the naming convention of JRiver. It kind of feels like a hack job, but I do realize that we're probably not that many who leverage the power of JRiver for this purpose yet and it's much simpler for most people to follow the standard channel routing and naming convention.
A way to implement it without interfering with the usability for most people would be to add a new option to DSP Studio which takes precedence over the standard config when ticked. In the mixing matrix one should at least be able to route channels and rename them. It would also be nice to set the percentage of each channel. For example if you want to mix 50 % of LFE with 25 % of L and 25 % of R or something like that.
If you set new names the new names should appear in other parts of the program, such as DSP Studio's parametric Equalizer feature.
Equalizer APO (open source DSP) has solved this rather nicely in their new GUI. It's not perfect, but it's getting there. You can mix and copy channels and set their percentages.
Notice those arrows going between channels. You can set up multiple arrows going left, right and center, and you can click those arrows and set the factor between 0-1 for each. So 25 % would be 0.25 etc.
I was just discussing this with someone this weekend. The lack of ability to rename channels in JRiver makes it difficult to keep track of what is going on when doing active crossovers.
He was using the miniDSP 4 x 10 and I was showing him how to do active crossovers in JRiver. My MOTU audio device also allows for channel naming which makes it easy to use the routing matrix.
I have the Lynx Aurora 16, too, and it works great with JRiver. Don't let the current lack of channel renaming deter you from using it. I just write a matrix on paper to keep track of JRiver's channels.
I really like the separate routing tab in the MOTU drivers and the miniDSP. Currently when doing routing in JRiver, I usually use Parametric Equalizer for routing and Parametric Equalizer 2 for filters. It seems easier to turn things on/off for testing. I would like to see a separate routing DSP in JRiver that is separate from the Parametric Equalizer sections.
I have been playing around these last few days and it's a stellar setup so I will purchase JRiver as it is worth every penny, but I hope they take this seriously as it is a real headache to keep track of everything, and a costly mistake would be removing a high-pass filter on the wrong channel.
I totally agree with you on a new routing option in DSP studio which is separate from the PEQ. Let's hope more people join this thread so they see that a part of their customer base wants this feature.
One thing I wonder, are the HPF/LPF in JRiver Linkwitz-Riley or Butterworth filters? I haven't come around to measure yet, I've just taken all the settings I have worked on from the miniDSP boxes and tried to put them into JR.
I'm totally loving this and can't wait to set up different zones for IIR only, FIR+IIR, try out FIR brick wall filters and what not. These next few years are going to be exciting!!