An introduction to SPAD.neXt

[@jimmy8x541]

this software is incredible. I'm using it with a cheap MIDI controller that has 8 buttons and 8 knobs. having physical knobs is a game changer!

[@dannyjensen4954]

Thank you for spending the time making this important video. I’m a beginner so I’m not sure how this layer maps into msfs. When to use msfs device configuration vs spad.next?

[@FlyerOneZero]

Hi Danny. It's down to personal preference, I think. There are many things SPAD.neXt does that cannot be done with the native device support in MSFS, so for many advanced scenarios it would be your only option. But for things like controller axes, you can do either. One advantage of SPAD is that it has more granular control of the axes, more options for smoothing them out, you can create specific detents in axis ranges for flaps, for example (though you can do this with FSUIPC as well). Another advantage of SPAD axis control is that it works when MSFS doesn't have the focus or is in drone camera mode, which the native sim controls don't do. I personally have all my controller axes mapped through MSFS, and use SPAD mainly for supporting my non-standard hardware. But I have considered remapping my throttles through SPAD to get better control over beta range for turboprops, for example. I just haven't had the time to invest in that yet. Experiment, and see how you like it!

[@dannyjensen4954]

@@FlyerOneZero Thanks for you detailed comments. Great detail.

[@georgenacino7057]

I want to know if I can use this app along with my other apps in MSFS2020, LINDA, Goflight Interface Tool, FSUIPC. I have most of my hardware configured and running smoothly but, the are some things that I can't configure with my current setup, namely the fuel cutoff switches in the PMDG 737. I don't want to reinvent the wheel to get some more functions instead of using the mouse. I've watched several videos and yours seem to be more understanding.

[@FlyerOneZero]

Hi George. Sorry for the late reply. Yes, you can use SPAD.neXt alongside FSUIPC etc. If the cutoff switches can be set by sending a Simconnect command or changing a data value, you would be able to bind this to your hardware. Sometimes it requires some extra logic, using a local variable etc. But it can usually be done. TBH once I started using it properly, I moved away from FSUIPC for most things. I believe it might also have direct support for GoFlight modules, though I can't swear to it.

[@georgenacino7057]

@@FlyerOneZero Thanks

[@kdanisman]

Yup, I have GoFlight EFIS & MCP-Pro running in FS2020 with Fenix A320 & CS B77W. Took a while to find the LVARs but was worth it to keep that decade old investment running!

[@77flyer]

Do u have any videos showing how to activate the saitek radios using spad?

[@FlyerOneZero]

Hi. No, I didn't ever use SPAD.neXt with the Saitek radio panel. I haven't used the radio panel at all for a long time. But AFAIK all the Saitek panels have default profiles available in SPAD.neXt so it should just work.

[@unclealig]

Hi, do you know the main differences between spadnext and Axis-and-Ohs in general. Thanks

[@FlyerOneZero]

I've never used Axis-and-Ohs, so I can't really comment. Sorry!

[@jay-rus4437]

Asked another youtuber if they would be willing to do a radio/comms build for the stream deck plus, but he declined. Is that something you might be willing to do? Im more than willing to contribute to the channel to help offset your time. Would like to see a tutorial video building a radio panel that shows the frequency in the screen portion, using the knobs to tune and transfer/switch to active, and buttons to select between coms1, coms 2, nav etc. Im a hardware guy, and am almost done building my sim structure, and really need some guidance on how to start setting up the software portion. Thanks for considering

[@FlyerOneZero]

Hi Jay. I don't have the Stream Deck Plus, so it's not really something I could do. Depending on how your hardware is constructed, there are several different possible approaches to automation. Are you intending to use a Plus for your radio panel?

[@jay-rus4437]

@@FlyerOneZero …yes. I have other stream decks for ecam panel, and SD+ for autopilot. Just purchased SD+ for radio. Im just not a software guy, so I bought flight panels autopilot profile, but they dont make a radio/comms panel.

[@FlyerOneZero]

@@jay-rus4437 If you’re not into the idea of setting up via Spad.next, there’s always PilotsDeck which is a stream deck plug-in: flightsim.to/file/35298/pilot-s-deck-a-streamdeck-plugin. I am planning to do a video on programming Stream Deck with Spad but that will only cover buttons since I only have regular units, not the plus.

[@jay-rus4437]

@@FlyerOneZero ….thank you so much for the response and recommendation. I did not know about pilotsdeck. Will look into it. Is it a program that has preset button and knob “functions” so that one can then build out a profile? If Im saying that correctly

[@FlyerOneZero]

@@jay-rus4437 Looks like it, yes.

[@hajoberlin12103]

Gibts sowas in deutsch mal? Nur english

[@FlyerOneZero]

Ich glaube nicht.

[@kuhlone54]

I just installed the software and the first screen I get is my 14 day trial has expired. Not the greatest start. Deleted app.

[@FlyerOneZero]

Hmm. I had that once when installing on a second machine, but realised I'd had the trial version installed on that machine previously. Otherwise sounds like a false-positive. The developer is usually fairly prompt at addressing support tickets.

[@silkysifaka1908]

I love the irrelevant story about the guy that developed outdated freeware and then moved to Switzerland. Very Helpful. Only 42 minutes to go! 😐

[@FlyerOneZero]

Well, I do like to hear myself talk. And I guess that’s what the fast forward button is for. I do try to put chapters into my videos now.

[@silkysifaka1908]

@@FlyerOneZero Sorry buddy, disregard. I was frustrated with the lack of support for the Logitech Multipanel and I guess I took it out on youtube, lol. I appreciate your efforts.

[@FlyerOneZero]

@@silkysifaka1908 Not a problem. Honestly, I know I am a bit rambly sometimes. It's the downside of not scripting (or really planning) videos and just saying stuff as I think of it. Also, I really do like to talk. A lot. People who know me will tell you it's a real issue. Maybe if I were more 'pro' in my approach to video-making I might get more than double-figure views on my flight videos (they tend to do terribly, whereas how-to videos like this do much better; you'd think I'd have learned by now and pivoted my content), but honestly, I do this for my own amusement more than anything else. If people find anything useful or entertaining, so much the better. I owned the Multipanel but I haven't used it for a long time (mine got fried by a USB power overload and I never bothered replacing it as I'd moved on to an Opencockpits MCP and G1000 hardware), so I can't really help out much there, but Spad.neXt features solid built-in support for all the Saitek hardware so you should be able to do what you want. Their Discord is super-useful, much more so than the terrible forum.

[@fgaryam]

Thanks for the comment about the useful discord and the terrible forum. That's really useful.

[@silkysifaka1908]

@@fgaryam u are 9 months and 3 comments out of date. read the subsequent reply and my response to it. 🙂

[@kozey5958]

𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙢 🤘

[@deanconner5303]

Way too many details for an introduction video. I’ve never used the program and you really do t show me how to start fro the beginning to set this up for a beginner

[@FlyerOneZero]

Fair comment. I guess ‘introduction’ was the wrong title. My production values were not great on this one. Hoping to reset the channel with new content soon. In the meantime I can recommend Les O’Reilly’s series of Spad.neXt videos.