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Synchronization
• At least one digital audio cable must be available for
each computer in the network.
• A VST System Link host application must be installed
on each computer.
Any VST System Link application can connect to another.
Additionally, use of a KVM switchbox is recommended.
Using a KVM switchbox
Whether you want to set up a multi-computer network or a
small network in a limited space, it is a good idea to invest in
a KVM (Keyboard, Video, Mouse) switchbox. With one of
these you can use the same keyboard, monitor, and mouse
to control each computer in the system, and you can switch
between computers very rapidly. KVM switchboxes are not
too expensive, and they are very easy to set up and operate.
If you decide not to go this route, the network will function
just the same, but you may end up doing a lot of jumping
from one machine to the other while setting up!
Making connections
Below, we assume that you are connecting two comput-
ers. Should you have more than two computers, it is still
best to start with two and add the others one by one once
the system is working – this makes troubleshooting easier
if you run into problems. For two computers, you will need
two digital audio cables, one in each direction:
1. Use the first digital audio cable to connect the digital
output of computer 1 to the digital input of computer 2.
2. Use the other cable to connect the digital output of
computer 2 to the digital input of computer 1.
• If a card has more than one set of inputs and outputs,
choose whichever one that suits you – for simplicity usu-
ally the first set is best.
Synchronization
Before you proceed, you need to make sure that the clock
signals on your ASIO cards are synchronized correctly.
This is essential when cabling any kind of digital audio
system, not just VST System Link.
The clock mode or sync mode is set up in the ASIO con-
trol panel of the audio hardware. Proceed as follows:
1. From the Devices menu, open the Device Setup dialog.
2. On the VST Audio System page, select your audio in-
terface from the ASIO Driver pop-up menu.
In the Devices list, the name of the audio interface now appears as a sub-
entry to the “VST Audio System” entry.
3. In the Devices list, select your audio interface.
4. Click the Control Panel button.
The ASIO control panel appears.
5. Open the ASIO control panel on the other computer
as well.
If you are using another VST System Link host application on that com-
puter, check its documentation for details on how to open the ASIO con-
trol panel.
6. Now you need to make sure that one audio card is set
to be the clock master and all other cards are set to be
clock slaves (i.
e. they listen for the clock signal coming
from the clock master).
The naming and procedure for this differs depending on the audio hard-
ware – consult its documentation if required. If you are using Steinberg
Nuendo ASIO hardware, all cards default to the AutoSync setting. In this
case you must set one of the cards (and only one) to “Master” in the
Clock Mode section of the control panel.
• Typically, the ASIO control panel for an audio card con-
tains some indication of whether or not the card receives a
proper sync signal, including the sample rate of that signal.
This is a good indication that you have connected the cards and set up
clock sync properly. Check your audio hardware’s documentation for
details.
!
All digital audio cables by definition always carry a
clock signal as well as audio signals, so you do not
have to use a special word clock input and output for
this (although you may find that you get a slightly
more stable audio system if you do, especially when
using multiple computers).
!
It is very important that only one card is the clock
master, otherwise the network cannot function cor
-
rectly. Once you have set this up, all the other cards
in the network will take their clock signal from this
card automatically.