win101 Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 Apparently I have £800 to spend on ICT and have been told by the head of department that he wants to buy computerised sound. I have read other posts about Sound Cue system and CSMD but I need to know all the hardware and software requirements and what is best to buy. The system will be really useful as we have inexperienced sound ops who have difficulty doing smooth fades despite large amounts of training! Basically what is good to buy and what additional hardware is required to hook it up to a traditional XLR based sound system. Any recommendations and experiences welcome! Thanks all Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PDD Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 We have a standard PC running Sound Cue System... nothing fancy about it, if you just want the basics. The internal sound card outputs on mini-jack which is then jumped to stereo pair jacks into our mixer. It can get more complicated than that and I'm sure better quality, but total cost = £30 for SCS Standard, £0 for everything else (computers already in department). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Gordon Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 If you haven't already done so, take a look at the SCS website and, in particular the Forum there. There has been a lot of discussion about various connection set-ups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy_s Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 you could buy SFX software for that, but not the dedicated system to run it on. We've just spent around 3k on software and hardware including soundcard, shadowed hard drives and quiet running PC so we can operate in the auditorium. the software is a relatively small part of the total bill, so could be feasible if you already have hardware. SFX will certainly give you the ability to programme follow-ons, multipart cues, crossfades, fades in and out and pretty much anything else you could do with a tape machine and a mixing desk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattCasson Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 Hi, Ive run both systems, What would you like to know about them? Basically CSMD is the easiest to use, but doesnt have some of the advanced features of Sound Cue Systems. Personally you want a dedicated machine, doesnt need to be overly fast 1.5Ghz min though. 512 RAM, now Id install XP if possible, and not much else on the machine. Then get a good sound card, externals are best if your using a laptop, and a good sized monitor so all the cues can be read easily. If you would like to know more, please ask. Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 Forgive me for asking, but the HOD wants computerised sound? Surely, you need to assess 'what for' before you spend (and not waste) the dosh. What course, what level and which spec? Maybe what he means is audio editing rather than playback systems. The other thing is who teaches it? If this is you, then buy what you know - if it is somebody else, they need consulting. I remember a well meaning college buying cubase and discovering the teacher was a logic man - nobody ask him. I've checked and you seem to offer music, drama and theatre studies at GCSE and A level. None of these require computerised playback in terms of sfx soundplant etc - There is some requirement in the technical pathway in GCSE drama for sound, but something like Sony Soundforge, Adobe Audition, or other popular editors would be, in my opinion, far more use than a dedicated playback system. After all, the main features of the dedicated audio playback systems require an external editor to create the stuff they replay? I think you need to know what he actually thinks 'computerised sound' actually is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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