DiGiCo Waves Operation Waves MultiRack SoundGrid Outboard Processing Host for Live Applications Issue B - Sept 2010 1-1
DiGiCo Waves Operation 1-2
DiGiCo Waves Operation Contents 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................ .......1-4 1.1.1 Welcome ........................................................................ .......1-4 1.1.2 Product Overview ......................................................... .......1-4 2.1 Quick Start Guide ...................................................................... .......1-5 2.1.1 Connect Your Console to the SoundGrid Network.... .......1-6 2.1.
DiGiCo Waves Operation 1.1 Introduction 1.1.1 Welcome ............................................................................... Thank you for choosing Waves! In order to get the most out of Waves MultiRack SoundGrid, please take the time to read through this manual. In conjunction, we also suggest you become familiar with www.wavesupport.net.
DiGiCo Waves Operation 2.1 Quick Start Guide The Quick Start section contains all you need to know to configure your system and to get up to speed with the application. We will follow these steps as we get started: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. Connect your console to the SoundGrid network. Set preferences and Waves I/O Insert a Rack into a channel. Add plug-ins for sound processing. Use Snapshots for easy recall of Racks and processors.
DiGiCo Waves Operation 2.1.1 Connect Your Console to the SoundGrid Network .......... Connect the Waves SoundGrid card Ethernet port to a network switch Connect the console’s Ethernet port to the network switch with another network cable Connect SoundGrid server Ethernet port to the network switch with a third network cable For redundancy: connect the second SoundGrid Server’s Ethernet port to the network switch. Connect iLok to USB port on the console.
DiGiCo Waves Operation 2.1.2 Set Preferences and Waves I/O ........................................... After installing the Waves upgrade kit, if an authorised iLok is connected, when the console software first loads, you will see the following window which asks you to select your Plugins folder. Navigate to D:\Waves\Plugins and click the Select button The Waves Preferences window will now appear.
DiGiCo Waves Operation When the Waves option is installed and enabled, the Master Screen Menu’s will include a Waves button. This allows direct access to the Waves MultiRack. The Option button will move to the Setup Menu. If there is no Waves button on the Master screen then Waves has not yet been enabled. Open the Master screen Options panel which is next to the FX button as indicated above and set the Enable Waves MultiRack option to "Yes". Then Quit To Windows and relaunch the SD application.
DiGiCo Waves Operation Creating, Saving and Loading Sessions with Waves MultiRack SoundGrid will initially open with a default Session offering 16 processing Racks on the SD8 and SD9 consoles, and 32 processing Racks on the SD7. Whenever an SD session (filename.ses) is saved or loaded, the corresponding Waves MultiRack session is also saved or loaded. Waves sessions take the format “filename.mrxs” and are stored in the same Projects folder as the SD session files.
DiGiCo Waves Operation Waves Preferences Get started by connecting Waves I/O. Within Waves MultiRack, the connections to the SoundGrid Server (the external Waves processing) and the SoundGrid IO (The option card fitted to the SD Console) need to be defined. Within MultiRack, press the Window button and select Preferences In the Audio IO Devices, and Servers drop-down lists, select the connected devices. *** The rest of the Preferences can be set later.
DiGiCo Waves Operation 2.1.3 Insert a Rack into a channel ............................................... Below are two generic examples of how you can use Waves plug-ins in your session, as an Insert and through an Aux. Example 1: Assigning Waves Plugins to a Channels Insert - Open Channel view by pressing the console’s “Screen Assign” Left or Right button. - Select the desired channel, then touch Insert area to open sub-menu. - Touch Insert A to open routing.
DiGiCo Waves Operation Example 2: Setting Rack as Parallel FX a. FX Send - Open Master channel view by pressing the Screen Assign on the console’s centre section. - Select the desired Master channel. In the below example we will set Mono Aux 1. - Touch Outputs to open the routing panel. Set Routing - In the Ports column, choose Waves. - Choose the desired Signal Group. - Under Signals, choose the desired Waves I/O. b.
DiGiCo Waves Operation Open Channel view by pressing the console’s “Screen Assign” Left or Right button. - Select the desired input channel for FX RETURN, then touch Input area to open sub-menu. - In the Ports column, choose Waves. - Choose the desired Signal Group. - Under Signals, choose the desired Waves I/O (the same Rack that has been assigned for the FX SEND).
DiGiCo Waves Operation 2.1.4 Rack types: Stereo, Mono, Mono to Stereo ....................... Similar to outboard gear, the Waves Racks are configured to work in different modes: Stereo processing: stereo channel insert, master, stereo groups, stereo in-ears Mono processing: individual mono channels, mono Aux EQ’s etc.. Mono to Stereo: reverbs, delays etc… There are 2 new buttons in the routing panel, just beneath the ripple route controls.
DiGiCo Waves Operation 2.1.5 Add Plugins for sound processing .................................... Once you’ve inserted, it’s time to add plug-ins to each Rack. A Rack can hold up to eight plug-in processors, and the signal will always flow from left-to-right. Touch the “plus” (+) sign near the Input Fader to add a plug-in from the pull-down list. Plug-ins are organized by type of processor. Add another plug-in by touching on the “plus” button to the right of the first plug-in, and so forth.
DiGiCo Waves Operation This view is called Rack View. Set the plug-in parameters as desired. At the top of the interface of all Waves plug-ins is the Wave System toolbar, which is used to load or save your favorite settings for that plug-in. Learn more about the Wave System Toolbar in this manual’s section entitled “Rack View: Using Your Plug-ins.
DiGiCo Waves Operation Use Snapshots to change the state of Racks (mute/out), levels, and most importantly, the settings for the plug-ins. Snapshots do not change the physical configuration of a Session, so you cannot use a Snapshot to change Rack routing, the Rack order, or the plug-ins in a Rack. However, since Snapshots can take plug-ins in and out of the processing path, you can insert several plug-ins into a Rack, and then control which are in use in specific Snapshots.
DiGiCo Waves Operation Create a group by touching the grouping pull-down menu and choosing Open Group Properties window. Here you create Rack groups and determine if and how Racks within the group will be latency-aligned. In this example, we named the group “Drums.” Each new group is automatically assigned a color. (We will discuss latency alignment in more detail in the section “Group Properties Window: For Organization and Latency Alignment.
DiGiCo Waves Operation Plugin Rack Sessions Snapshot Rack Routing - - - All Racks Rack input and output gain - Single Rack All Racks All Racks Rack in/out and mute states - Single Rack All Racks All Racks Plugins chain and parameters Only preset for individual plugin All Plugins in single rack All Plugins All Plugins 2.1.9 Recall Safe Mode ..................................................................
DiGiCo Waves Operation 2.1.10 Overview Window: Viewing Rack Status ........................................................................................... Once you’ve filled several Racks, you’ll want a convenient way to keep track of everything happening within your processing environment. To get an overview of your Racks, select Overview from the View menu. This will reveal the Overview Window, where you’ll see a condensed view of each Rack.
DiGiCo Waves Operation 2.1.11 Controlling MultiRack SoundGrid by Touch Turn ......... Controlling Plugins - Touch plugin for full view. Touch the parameter you want to adjust; a yellow outline will appear on your selection. On your console, use the Touch-n-Turn knob to adjust settings. Note: you can adjust plugin parameters by touch also, but for more precise operation we recommend using the “Touch-n-Turn” surface’s controls.
DiGiCo Waves Operation 2.1.13 Automatic Recovery ........................................................... As MultiRack SoundGrid is an application for live usage, it is equipped with an automatic recovery mechanism. This means that if MultiRack SoundGrid quits unexpectedly, it will automatically re-launch and re-open the same Session file it was running when it crashed, with the same Snapshot that was recalled when the crash occurred (if applicable).
DiGiCo Waves Operation 3.1 MultiRack SoundGrid Windows and Controls Explained In this section, we take a look at each of MultiRack SoundGrid’s windows in greater detail. If you’ve not read the first section of this manual, “MultiRack SoundGrid Quick Start,” please do so before continuing. There are terms and concepts discussed in the Quick Start that are essential to understanding MultiRack SoundGrid workflow. 3.1.1 Status Bar .............................................................................
DiGiCo Waves Operation 3.2 A Quick Look at the Windows The MultiRack SoundGrid interface consists of just five windows, each of which displays details about your Session. Here is a brief description of the windows, after which each will be described in more detail. MultiRack SoundGrid Window This is the main user window, where Racks are connected and controlled. Here you select Racks, fill Racks with plug-ins, adjust levels, and generally get organized.
DiGiCo Waves Operation Group Properties Window Here you group sets of Racks for easier organization and to adjust for latency alignment between the group’s Racks.
DiGiCo Waves Operation Preferences Window Contains global settings that affect the MultiRack and SoundGrid. This window is accessed from the Window menu. 3.3 The Windows in Detail 3.3.1 MultiRack SoundGrid Window: Setting Up ....................... This is the window where you’ll probably spend most of your setup time. It’s here that you build Racks of processors. Racks are stacked one below another; there are no unoccupied slots between Racks. By default, MultiRack SoundGrid opens 16 or 32 empty Racks.
DiGiCo Waves Operation 3.3.2 The Rack Control Strip ........................................................ At the top of each Rack is its control strip allowing you to control the Rack and assign it to processing groups. The control strip has the following windows and buttons: this view, each plug-in has its own Wave System toolbar for loading and saving plug-in presets. In/Out Disables the Rack’s plug-ins and passes the signal directly from Rack input to Rack output.
DiGiCo Waves Operation 3.3.3 Input and Output Sections .................................................. To the right of the Input Rail is the Input Audio Fader, with a range of ±18dB. On the far right side of each Rack are the Output Rail and the Output Audio Fader. Rack audio input and output levels are stored within Snapshots. 3.3.4 Adding Plug-ins to a Rack .................................................. To add a plug-in to a Rack, touch the “plus” (+) sign to the right of the Input Fader.
DiGiCo Waves Operation 3.3.6 Waves System Toolbar Buttons ......................................... Setup A (Setup B) Toggles between two setups, allowing you to compare different settings. This facilitates quick A/B comparisons and lets you determine which of two settings works best without having to save a preset. An asterisk (*) on the button indicates that changes have been made since a preset was loaded. A>B; B>A Copies the current settings to the second setup register.
DiGiCo Waves Operation Use the Group Properties window to create groups of Racks and align their latencies. Open this window from the pull-down menu located at the top of a Rack or from the Window menu. In the Group Properties window, you can create up to 16 processing groups, each of which can contain any number of Racks. Create a group by double clicking on a Group Name cell and typing the name you want to assign the group (using the external keyboard).
DiGiCo Waves Operation 3.3.8 Snapshot Pane: Automating Your Racks .......................... Snapshots contain the following parameters: - Rack input and output gain Rack in/out, mute and on/off states Current plug-in parameters Snapshots are contained and saved as part of the Session file and are displayed as a vertical play list. Use Snapshots to change the state of Racks (Mute/In/Off), levels, and, most importantly, the settings for the plug-ins.
DiGiCo Waves Operation Global Paste Global Paste enables you to copy a plug-in’s or a Rack’s parameters into one or more other Snapshots. This is useful when you’ve set up several Racks filled with plug-ins and you decide to change plug-ins settings across several Snapshots. 1. Recall the snapshot from which you want to copy settings. 2. Touch the Global Paste “On” button. 3. Select the target Snapshot or Snapshots that you want to modify.
DiGiCo Waves Operation a) Racks: Select a Rack or multiple racks you want to set to Recall Safe. Touch the “Set” button or Right click on any of the selected Racks and choose Recall Safe from the pull-down menu. Recall Safed Racks glow blue: b) Plug-ins: Select the plug-in you want to set to Recall Safe. Touch the “Set” button or Right click on any of the selected plug-ins and choose Recall Safe from the pull-down menu.
DiGiCo Waves Operation 3.3.10 Preferences Window: Global Controls ............................ Open the Preferences window from the Window menu On this page, you set system-wide audio parameters and choose the SoundGrid audio I/O and server devices you will use for MultiRack SoundGrid’s audio input/output. Audio Parameters Sample Rate - This field allows the selection of sample rate. As MultiRack SoundGrid is slaved to the console’s sample rate, this field cannot be edited.
DiGiCo Waves Operation 3.3.11 System Monitor Window ................................................... Open this window from the Window menu. This window displays real time status info on your SoundGrid network, I/O devices, and Servers. Redundancy displays redundancy status. Network displays network transport load. High loads may result in audio drops.
DiGiCo Waves Operation 4.1 MultiRack SoundGrid Keyboard Shortcuts If you are using an external keyboard you may want to get familiar with MultiRack’s shortcuts. Session Item Import session Export session Window Item Open Snapshot Pane Group Properties … System Monitor Preferences Menu Item Mainview Mode Definition Opens explorer window, import session Opens explorer, export session Keyboard shortcut Definition Opens/closes the Snapshot Pane in MultiRack SoundGrid window.
