Simultaenous Playback

[jason.fallon]

Hi All,

 

Just wanted to throw this out there. I have a gig coming up soon that will require simultaenous playback of track, ie one as the redundant backup. Now its only stereo track so it can be CD, MD or whatever. Just wondering if anyone has any good ideas re getting the best resuly running two tracks simultaenously.

 

I had considered two HD recorders but not quite got the budget on the gig

 

Any help appreicated

 

Regards

 

Jay

[themadhippy]

2 hands,a finger on each of the play buttons and hit em both together,if you need to operate anything else use your feet

[Bobbsy]

I've done a few playback shows recently where a redundant backup was in the rider--and used themadhippy's method. It's amazing how often the tracks are perfectly in sync but, even if there's the odd millisecond or two of difference, since you'd only go to backup if there was an audible fault with the first track, a minor difference wouldn't be noticeable anyway.

 

Bob

[GridGirl]

Have a look at Sound Cue System - all you need is two reasonably-specced PCs and audio interfaces. It's not difficult to build a system where you can get into the two computer keyboards and wire them up with an external push-button switch which triggers both spacebars (which SCS uses as the play button) without affecting their normal operation - we did this a couple of years ago when we first used SCS for backing tracks and it worked very well - the PCs ran through an audio interface to a crashbox and then to the desk so that it was one flick of a switch to go from primary to backup.

[bruce]

or try 2 identical CD players, sitting close enough to each other that they can be operated by the same remote control.

[cedd]

Or 2 DJ type cd players that both take fader start inputs. That said, you'd have to suss out how on earth the thing operates, closing contact doesn't seem to work. Anybody know what the desk does to the cd player to bring about the start?

David Duffy is just in the throws of writing a telnet interface for Multiplay which may well solve your problems, but I don't think it's near finished yet.

 

I too have had success with the hacked keyboard approach. I have 2 hacked USB keyboard pcb's within project boxes. These have GO buttons on them and also a jack socket for external triggering. In my case they operate the space bar, but I see no reason why they couldn't do another key. All you do then is tie both keyboards to the same double pole switch and you're away!

[bruce]

Or 2 DJ type cd players that both take fader start inputs. That said, you'd have to suss out how on earth the thing operates, closing contact doesn't seem to work. Anybody know what the desk does to the cd player to bring about the start?

:** laughs out loud **: It varies from model to model. Sometimes closing contact. Sometimes momentary closure. Sometimes taking the tip to a separate ground (or is it +5?). Or sometimes it's just magic....

 

It's not uncommon to see players that have fader start inputs, but someone has soldered a pair of wires across the "play" button terminals to make it easier...

[K.W. Burnette]

Why not just load the needed files onto your computer and run them through a sound cue program (like Qlab)?

[david.elsbury]

Why not just load the needed files onto your computer and run them through a sound cue program (like Qlab)?

Why not read the original post? It gives much needed clues as to why he doesn't want to/ can't do that.\

 

I have a gig coming up soon that will require simultaenous playback of track, ie one as the redundant backup.

[cooks44]

We use two Denon CD players here, they have a connector for both fader start and your own play button. I've just made up my own remote control to connect to both of them. Still out by about 15ms, but if something happens that requires me to hit the input change button - 15ms is the least of my worries!

 

Used it a few times, required it once - worked great. 

 

Could you hire suitable players and make your own control (you might even be able to hire one - we hire ours out but are a little far away...)

[mackerr]

Why not just load the needed files onto your computer and run them through a sound cue program (like Qlab)?

Why not read the original post? It gives much needed clues as to why he doesn't want to/ can't do that.\

 

I have a gig coming up soon that will require simultaenous playback of track, ie one as the redundant backup.

 

In what way does using QLab mean you can't have redundant back up? This is the most common scenario in the theaters I work in. Usually it is 2 Mac minis running QLab, with a KVM switch so there is only one monitor and keyboard cluttering up FOH, and a common switch, or set of switches, interfaced to the computers via a midi interface like the Midi Solutions F8, or individual midi interfaces like the Midi Solutions Footswitch Controller

 

The same hookup works equally well for SFX.

 

Mac

[jason.fallon]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I have 2 MD players so Im gonna give the wiring 2 space bars together a go and see how that works out. RE PC, I dont have a mac so QLAB is out of the question and im trying to steer clear of the pc because in general its more likely to go than an MD (well hopefully neither will go). Trying to keep this one really simple.

 

Thanks again

 

J

[david.elsbury]

In what way does using QLab mean you can't have redundant back up?

Nothing in particular to do with QLab, but the fact that the poster used the term "computer" (singular) and the term "program" (singular) rather than referring to two computers, gave me the impression that he hadn't read the OP properly and was suggesting a single computer solution.

;)