User manual

435
Synchronization
• You can double-click on the name in bold (which is the
name of the computer you’re currently working on) and set
it to whatever other name you wish.
This name will appear in the System Link window of every computer on
the network.
Ö If you don't see the name of each computer appearing
once you have made it active, you may have to check your
settings.
Go through the procedure above again and make sure that all ASIO
cards are listening to the digital clock signals correctly, and that each
computer has the correct inputs and outputs assigned to the System
Link network.
Putting the network online
After each computer's name you will see whether it is on-
line or not. When a computer is online, it will receive trans-
port and timecode signals, and its sequencer application
can be started and stopped by remote control. If it is off-
line, it can only be started from its own keyboard – it is ef-
fectively an independent machine, although it is still on the
network.
Ö Note that any computer can control any and all of the
others – VST System Link is a peer-to-peer network and
there is no absolute “master” computer.
However, most users do like to think of one machine as the master (in a
one person/two computer network, this would be the machine you actu-
ally sit behind most of the time).
For now, let's put all computers online:
1. Activate the Online checkbox in the VST System Link
panel for all computers.
2. Check that the system is working by pressing Play on
one computer – all computers should start almost instantly
and play perfectly in time, with sample-accurate precision.
• The Offset setting allows you to adjust whether one ma-
chine will play back slightly ahead or behind the rest.
This is normally not needed, but occasionally with some hardware you
may find that the lock is a few samples out. In that case you can adjust
the lock with the Offset value. For now, leave it set to 0 – it will most likely
be what you want.
• The Transfer Bits setting allows you to specify whether
you want to transfer 24 or 16 bits. This allows you to use
older audio cards which do not support transfer of 24 bits.
VST System Link sends and understands all transport
commands, so you can play, stop, fast forward, rewind
etc. the entire network from one computer without a prob-
lem – try it! If you jump to a locator point on one machine,
all other machines will also instantly jump to that locator
point. You can even scrub on one computer and have the
video and audio on another computer actually scrub right
along with you.
Using MIDI
As well as supplying transport and sync control, VST Sys-
tem Link also supplies up to 16 MIDI ports, each with 16
channels. You set this up as follows:
1. Use the MIDI Inputs and Outputs value boxes to spec-
ify the number of MIDI ports you need.
The default value is 0 MIDI In and 0 MIDI Out ports.
2. Create a MIDI track in the Project window and open
the Inspector (top section).
3. If you now pull down the Input or Output Routing pop-
up menus, you will find the specified System Link ports
added to the list of MIDI Inputs and Outputs.
!
Make sure that all computers have their tempos set
to the same value, otherwise your synchronization
will be seriously skewed.