soundscape mixpander DSP-Powered PCI Audio Card for PC based Audio Workstations Installation & QuickStart Guide Version 4.
Soundscape Mixpander Table of Contents Welcome to the SSL Soundscape Mixpander ............................................................................ 4 1. Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 5 How to use the manuals............................................................................................................................................. 5 Reading conventions .............................
Soundscape Mixpander Using the WDM/KS drivers ..................................................................................................................................... 33 Using the Multimedia (MME) drivers.................................................................................................................... 34 Using the SSL Soundscape ASIO-2 driver .............................................................................................................
Soundscape Mixpander Welcome to the SSL Soundscape Mixpander Congratulations for your purchase of an SSL Soundscape Mixpander PCI audio card. This user guide describes the use of the SSL Soundscape Mixpander DSP-powered audio card in conjunction with the XLogic Alpha-Link Converter series. For more information on using the SSL Soundscape Mixpander as a DSP expansion card with the Soundscape 32 DAW, please refer directly to the Soundscape Editor manual.
Soundscape Mixpander 1. Introduction How to use the manuals The SSL Soundscape product range has been designed from the ground up to be easy to use. If you are familiar with the Windows environment, installing PCI cards and the basics of recording and playing back digital audio, you could probably just set the system up and feel comfortable running a session within an hour.
Soundscape Mixpander configuration is different, because you are using a different version of Windows, because you are using different Windows settings, or because the look of the SSL Soundscape Mixer can vary (e.g., the Toolbar can be moved around the main window). The screenshots themselves were not always made using the SSL Soundscape Mixer’s default settings.
Soundscape Mixpander Software drivers The SSL Soundscape Mixpander comes with Low-latency MME drivers, WDM drivers, ASIO-2 drivers, DWave drivers and GSIF drivers for Windows 2000 and XP. It can be used with any PC based MIDI+Audio sequencer, recording and editing software or other audio applications. All SSL Soundscape native systems are truly multiclient. This means that you can share your SSL Soundscape audio hardware between several different applications.
Soundscape Mixpander When using a native MIDI+Audio sequencer in parallel with the SSL Soundscape Mixer, you can use VST and/or DirectX (depending on your choice of sequencer) and DSP-powered effects at the same time.
Soundscape Mixpander 2. Technical Specifications SSL Soundscape Mixpander SSL Soundscape Mixpander/9 • Motorola 56301 80MHz DSP for Bus Master PCI interfacing and up to 36 channel full duplex 24-bit audio streaming via 36 buses. The Multi-client SLL (Super Low Latency) drivers are fully Bus Mastering for minimal load on the host PC. • 8 x Motorola 56362 100MHz DSP, 6 with 384kB and 2 with 1.5MB of fast SRAM. The total processing capability is up to 2.6 GIPS (Giga Instructions per Second).
Soundscape Mixpander 3. Installation In order to run the SSL Soundscape Mixer software you need: - The drivers, SSL Soundscape Mixer software, and any plug-ins you own a password for. Please always use the latest software, downloadable from our website. - One or more SSL Soundscape Mixpander cards. Minimum system requirements The minimum specifications for running the SSL Soundscape Mixer software are as follows: • • • • • A PC running Windows 2000 or Windows XP.
Soundscape Mixpander This makes the Soundscape platform more efficient than others, since the "native" PCI Burst Speed can be used for an Interrupt (PCI Latency Timer set to 64), whereas other cards may use different values like for instance 255, making them more tolerant but also making it difficult for other devices to get CPU attention. Generally speaking, if you are specifying a PC for Soundscape, we recommend NForce chipsets for AMD processors and Intel chipsets for Intel processors.
Soundscape Mixpander Common symptoms of unsuccessful IRQ sharing may include any of the following: - Low latency values are not possible without clicks in the audio. - Communication error messages from the Soundscape driver/application. - PC crashes or freezes. - CPU Load Spikes - Bad system performance with e.g. slow graphics or slow response, even with a low system load. Hardware and software installation overview For an easy installation please follow these steps in the order indicated: 1.
Soundscape Mixpander Installing the SSL Soundscape Mixpander NOTE: The guidelines below are general and apply in most cases. However, since all PCs are different, it is advisable to check your computer’s instruction manual for specific information. For example, for some PCs, the front panel needs to be removed first in order the access the cover mounting screws. NOTE: If possible, use an anti‐static wristband when installing the SSL Soundscape Mixpander.
Soundscape Mixpander Connecting the SSL Soundscape Mixpander to the XLogic Alpha-Link The SSL Soundscape Mixpander features a single Expansion Bus connector (or “expansion port”): Expansion Bus connector Use the supplied Expansion Bus cable to connect the SSL Soundscape Mixpander’s Expansion Bus port to the XLogic Alpha-Link’s Expansion Bus port: Page 14 of 59
Soundscape Mixpander Installing the SSL Soundscape Device Drivers The driver installation procedure is similar under Windows 2000 and Windows XP Windows needs to find the “Ssdev.inf” file which is part of the Soundscape Device Driver installation files. For the WDM/KS driver, the file is named “Sswdm.inf”. Installing hardware drivers is in itself a Windows procedure and is described in the Windows documentation. The installation procedure under Windows XP is described here for convenience.
Soundscape Mixpander Installing the SSL Soundscape Device Drivers under Windows XP The SSL Soundscape Mixpander card is “Plug and play”, and is automatically detected by Windows when the computer is started after installing the card in a PCI slot. Then a dialog box is displayed which lets you choose between an automatic or a manual installation procedure.
Soundscape Mixpander Windows will then invite you to insert the installation CD for your hardware. Insert the SSL Soundscape Mixpander Installation CD.
Soundscape Mixpander Further windows will be displayed while Windows copies the driver files. Depending on the specificities of your system, this could take a few seconds or a few minutes.
Soundscape Mixpander Eventually, the dialog box below confirms that the installation has been completed.
Soundscape Mixpander Preparing Windows Plug and Play If you prefer, you can also prepare the Windows Plug and Play system to recognize your SSL Soundscape Hardware automatically. In order to do this, before physically installing the hardware, run the SSL Soundscape Driver Setup program (DrvSetup.
Soundscape Mixpander After physically installing the SSL Soundscape Mixpander and starting up the computer, Windows Plug and Play will detect the card and the “Found New Hardware” Wizard will appear, prompting you to install the driver (i.e., assign them to the card). Select “No, not this time” in the first Wizard dialog box, click Next, select “Install the software automatically” (Recommended) in the second dialog box, click Next and the Wizard will complete the installation.
Soundscape Mixpander We strongly advise that you install the software using the default paths (c:\Program Files\Soundscape and c:\Soundscape). In case you should ever need it, technical support is easier to provide if all the files are installed where expected. Shortcuts and automatic SSL Soundscape Mixer startup A default shortcut for the SSL Soundscape Mixer is created in the Start Menu and is also copied into the Startup folder so that the SSL Soundscape Mixer software starts when you power up your PC.
Soundscape Mixpander Target line Start in line Multiple cards are detected automatically by the software during startup. The Alpha-Link AX, Alpha-Link MADI AX or Alpha-Link MADI-SX must be connected and switched on.
Soundscape Mixpander Installing Soundscape format DSP-powered plug-ins To install Soundscape format DSP-powered plug-ins, insert the SSL Soundscape Mixpander Installation CD. The CD navigator will be displayed. Click the “Install Plug-Ins” button. Install Plug-Ins button NOTE: If for any reason the CD navigator is not displayed (for instance when the CD has been inserted earlier and you have closed the navigator), you can reopen it in Windows Explorer, by exploring the CD contents and clicking “CD_Start.
Soundscape Mixpander Demo versions are provided for some of the plug-ins. If you wish to install demo versions, click the “Demo Menu” button in the Plug-in Menu window (above) to access the plug-in demo list. Then click the icon of the demo you want to install and follow the instructions on screen. Repeat the operation for every plug-in demo you wish to install.
Soundscape Mixpander Installing the SSL Soundscape WDM/KS Driver under Windows XP Plug and play device detection When the SSL Soundscape Mixer is started for the first time after the SSL Soundscape Mixpander has been installed, the Windows “Found New Hardware Wizard” starts automatically (the XLogic Alpha-Link unit must be switched on). A dialog box is displayed which lets you choose between an automatic or a manual installation procedure.
Soundscape Mixpander Windows will then invite you to insert the installation CD for your hardware. Insert the SSL Soundscape Mixpander Installation CD.
Soundscape Mixpander Further windows will be displayed while Windows copies the WDM/KS driver files. Depending on the specificities of your system, this could take a few seconds or a few minutes.
Soundscape Mixpander Windows then displays a warning regarding “Windows Logo testing”. The mention that the SSL Soundscape WDM/KS Device “has not passed Windows Logo testing…” may give the impression that the driver failed a test. This is NOT the case and this message can safely be ignored. Click “Continue Anyway”: NOTE: “Windows Logo testing” is a procedure which would only add to the cost of your SSL Soundscape system and would make no difference to its operation.
Soundscape Mixpander Eventually, the dialog box below confirms that the installation has been completed.
Soundscape Mixpander Software updates and uninstalling older software versions New versions of the SSL Soundscape Mixer software can be downloaded from our website. To install the new version of the software, first decompress the downloaded file to a folder of your choice. Then locate the “disk1” folder which is part of the decompressed data, open it and doubleclick the SETUP.EXE application icon to launch the installer. Then follow the instructions on screen.
Soundscape Mixpander IMPORTANT: The computer must always be restarted after the SSL Soundscape Device Driver has been updated or removed. NOTE: The SSL Soundscape Device Driver only can also be removed by opening the Windows Control Panel, clicking “Add or Remove Programs”, selecting “SSL Soundscape Driver (remove only)”, clicking the Change/Remove button and following the on‐screen instructions.
Soundscape Mixpander 4. Driver Settings Using the WDM/KS drivers The WDM/KS drivers are loaded during log on. These drivers can be set up in the Windows Control Panel, Sounds and Audio Devices, Audio tab. The individual inputs and outputs are always listed as pairs. However multichannel audio can be used (under Windows XP only). “Mixpander x WDM (where x is the unit number) must be selected as the default audio device for sound playback.
Soundscape Mixpander Multichannel compatible applications will output multichannel audio via the selected card according to the selected speaker configuration. Using the Multimedia (MME) drivers The legacy MME drivers are loaded during log on. They are still available for compatibility with certain applications: The default setting is for multiple stereo input and output devices (i.e., one SSL Soundscape Mixpander = thirty-two stereo devices).
Soundscape Mixpander Properties tab, expand “Audio Devices”, select “Audio for Soundscape Multimedia”, click the Properties button to open the Soundscape Multimedia Properties window, click the Settings button and use the dialog box to enter your choice of configuration. Close the windows using the OK buttons.
Soundscape Mixpander the SSL Soundscape Mixer’s track insert elements can then be disabled (as described in the “Track inserts” section of the “Mixer” chapter in the Soundscape Mixer Reference Guide). The “Release ASIO Driver in Background” box should be unchecked. If it is checked, the audio output from Cubase SX or Nuendo will stop when the window is minimized.
Soundscape Mixpander 5. Quick Start Tutorial Starting the SSL Soundscape Mixer for the first time At this point, it is assumed that you have: 1. Installed an SSL Soundscape Mixpander PCI audio card in your PC and connected your XLogic Alpha-Link unit. 2. Installed the SSL Soundscape Device Drivers. 3. Installed the SSL Soundscape Mixer software. You are now ready to start using the SSL Soundscape Mixer.
Soundscape Mixpander To close the SSL Soundscape Mixer software, you can either right-click the Mixer icon and click Exit…: …or click Exit under the File menu from within the program: Page 38 of 59
Soundscape Mixpander Entering the mixer password The SSL Soundscape Mixer software is protected by a password system, whereby a password is generated according to the individual DSP serial number of the SSL Soundscape hardware installed on the host computer. The optional Soundscape format DSP-powered plug-ins are also protected by this system. However, while the Mixer can be used without any optional plug-ins, the Mixer’s own password must be entered in order for any audio to be routed through it.
Soundscape Mixpander If the password you entered was incorrect, a different dialog box will be shown, allowing you to try again: If you click Cancel when the first dialog box is shown, you will see a further dialog box: Clicking “OK” will allow you to open the SSL Soundscape Mixer. You will be able to look at the software, check out the menus, but you will not be able to hear any audio! Click the Go Back button to enter the password.
Soundscape Mixpander Clicking the Help button in any of the dialog boxes described above will open the Password Help dialog box: If the password was not entered the first time you used the software, a different dialog box will be shown the next time you start the program.
Soundscape Mixpander Setting the Master Clock For digital devices to transmit and receive audio data they must be synchronized using a “Master Clock” signal. The clock master device generates and transmits this signal, the clock slave device (or devices) receives it and locks to it. The SSL Soundscape Mixpander does not have an on board Master Clock generator.
Soundscape Mixpander - Inputs and Outputs: physical connections available for audio devices outside the host computer, such as microphone preamps, mixing desk, stereo mastering recorder and so on (i.e., the inputs and outputs are the connectors on the XLogic Alpha-Link). They may be called “physical” or “external” inputs and outputs and should not be confused with the “input elements” and “output elements” in the SSL Soundscape Mixer software.
Soundscape Mixpander Mixer example: the default 64 Ch Mixer This is the default configuration loaded when you start the software for the first time. It allows audio data received at any AES/EBU or ADAT (depending on model), or Analogue input of the XLogic Alpha-Link to be routed through the Mixer (i.e., each successive pair of physical inputs of the Alpha-Link is connected to at least one of the first 32 stereo mixer columns).
Soundscape Mixpander The screenshot below is used to describe the structure of mixer columns 1 to 32. NOTE: The signal path is always from the top to the bottom of the mixer column, so that the order of the mixer elements is an exact reflection of the signal path. Mixer column number. Input element.. The input element’s label reflects its current assignment to a physical input of the XLogic Alpha-Link (AES 910 for an Alpha-Link MADI SX in this example). Track Insert.
Soundscape Mixpander numbered and colour-coded according to the streams they are assigned to). Double-clicking these elements calls up a dialog box where you can enable or disable the “Mix input always” function. Mix input always is disabled by default when you place a new Track Insert in a mixer column.
Soundscape Mixpander Supplied mixer files Various other mixer files are provided, and mixers can be opened and saved using standard Windows dialog boxes via the File menu: The supplied mixer files include: - DEF_32 direct IO compact.mix: for 96kHz operation. - DEF_32 in 2.mix: default for 88 and 96kHz (same as previous). - DEF_48 in 2.mix: for XLogic Alpha-Link AX users. - DEF_ 64 Ch Mixer.
Soundscape Mixpander Modifying the routing Mixer creation and editing is explained in detail in the SSL Soundscape Mixer Reference Guide. However, you may already want to modify the routing of your signals in the preset configurations. The procedure is described below. The SSL Soundscape Mixer can operate in two different modes: Mixer Control mode and Mixer Edit mode. By default, the Mixer is in Control mode.
Soundscape Mixpander With the I/O and DSP Assign tool selected, clicking an assignable mixer element such as an Input, Output, Send or Track Insert calls up a menu where all the possible signal sources/target destinations appropriate for that element are listed. Click your selection to modify the assignment.
Soundscape Mixpander 6. Step by Step Multitrack Recording Multitrack recording example using the SSL Soundscape Mixer and Cubase SX NOTE: It is impossible to provide step by step examples for all the recording applications on the market. This example is based on using Cubase SX2.0. The procedure will be similar but not identical for other applications. In particular, the choice of drivers may be different.
Soundscape Mixpander 3. Launch Cubase SX. Click “Device Setup” under the Devices menu, click “VST Multitrack” in the list on the left of the Device Setup window, and set the ASIO Driver parameter to “SSL Soundscape ASIO”. Click the Control Panel button and make sure the SSL Soundscape hardware is selected as required. 4. Make sure the Master Clock settings are correct.
Soundscape Mixpander Click the Input tab (if needed) and right-click in the window to create the required number of stereo input buses. Then click the Output tab and right-click in the window to create the required number of stereo output buses.
Soundscape Mixpander Select the input and output buses you have created as inputs and outputs for the Cubase audio track channels using the selection boxes at the top of each channel. For mono track channels you will need to select left or right alternatively: This is how the input/output selections read on our test system while creating this example: 8.
Soundscape Mixpander 10. Keep experimenting until you are happy with the settings in Cubase. When you are satisfied with the setup, click “Save as Template” under the File menu to save it.
Soundscape Mixpander Index B BIOS settings (Recommended...) .................................................................................................................11 C Configuration (PC...) .....................................................................................................................................10 Configuring a multiple unit system ............................................................................................................
Soundscape Mixpander Hardware and software installation overview .....................................................................................12 Installing Soundscape format DSP-powered plug-ins.........................................................................24 Installing the SSL Soundscape Device Drivers .....................................................................................15 Installing the SSL Soundscape Mixer software .......................................................
Soundscape Mixpander Mixer concepts ...............................................................................................................................................42 Mixer example: the default 64 Ch Mixer ....................................................................................................44 Modifying the routing...................................................................................................................................
Soundscape Mixpander S Screenshots (reading conventions)............................................................................................................... 5 Setting the Master Clock ...............................................................................................................................42 Shortcuts and automatic SSL Soundscape Mixer startup ........................................................................22 Software drivers (Introduction) ..........................
Soundscape Mixpander Visit SSL at URL: http://www.solid-state-logic.
