Digital Audio Console..

[martiaudio]

http://www.youtube.c...gsx_rrFLN8&hd=1

 

 

In an attempt to design an affordable solution and very flexible Digital Audio Console, I came up with this. This is my prototype of a fully functional Digital audio Console Controller based on 2 synchronised softwares to achieve Live or Studio Live audio mix and simultaneous Live Recording with instant multitrack playback and a lot more..

For Live or Studio you can choose your solution in the type of preamp and ADDAs and processor with up to 96kHz using ADAT or SADI ( 48Khz usually just fine ). You can prepare a session in no time at the venue or at the studio with up to 24 monitor mixes integrated to it and up to 24 wired or wireless full remote console; plus musicians with iphones can even dial in and do their own mix with AC7. it saves a lot of pounds in monitor systems all round.I believe that this Software Audio Console well implemented is the way to go for Affordability, no compromise on Quality, Ease of Operation and total flexibility. Just read through on HD with full screen it covers all you need to know about it from my point of view.

I'd like your comments and feedbacks please.

Also I am not sure what to do with this.. I don't really want to sale A product, but I'd love to provide solutions like that to others. This is the early stage, although the system is well stable.Any advice whould be very Welcome indeed.

http://myspace.com/martiaudio

[gordontech]

I like the idea, looks like a tempting prospect.

 

 

Let me know if you want a beta tester.

 

 

 

 

 

 

G

[mackerr]

In an attempt to design an affordable solution and very flexible Digital Audio Console, I came up with this. This is my prototype of a fully functional Digital audio Console Controller based on 2 synchronised softwares to achieve Live or Studio Live audio mix and simultaneous Live Recording with instant multitrack playback and a lot more..

For Live or Studio you can choose your solution in the type of preamp and ADDAs and processor with up to 96kHz using ADAT or SADI ( 48Khz usually just fine ). You can prepare a session in no time at the venue or at the studio with up to 24 monitor mixes integrated to it and up to 24 wired or wireless full remote console; plus musicians with iphones can even dial in and do their own mix with AC7. it saves a lot of pounds in monitor systems all round. I believe that this Software Audio Console well implemented is the way to go for Affordability, no compromise on Quality, Ease of Operation and total flexibility. Just read through on HD with full screen it covers all you need to know about it from my point of view.

I'd like your comments and feedbacks please.

Also I am not sure what to do with this.. I don't really want to sale A product, but I'd love to provide solutions like that to others. This is the early stage, although the system is well stable. Any advice whould be very Welcome indeed

 

If this is a working control surface for Bob Lentini's Software Audio Console, it looks pretty good. The big drawback of SAC so far has been the lack of a control surface with enough combined features. It would be interesting to see a more complete and legible description of the controller's features both as to audio control, and scene control. SAC is a digital mixing system with a lot of interesting features, and an easy to use reliable control surface for it might do a lot to popularize it.

 

Mac

[dbuckley]

The fader, knobby and button interfaces are a Behringer BCF2000, with the setup controls and LED display (neither of which are needed in normal use) hidden under the mouse mat area.

 

There is nowt wrong with the BCF2000. And this one box solution looks good. only my BCF is in white, so integrated into a box like this it'd look a little odd!

[smalljoshua]

I think this is actually the software that's been designed here. The hardware is all fairly off the shelf.

 

Josh

[martiaudio]

I think this is actually the software that's been designed here. The hardware is all fairly off the shelf.

 

Josh

 

Well I haven't seen one of those yet. and no not off the shelf. I don't clain on designing the softwares I propose a solutions that was not to date.

 

For those who knows the software audio Console, I am working on implementing direct access to shortcut defined keys for all parameters on the channel strip, eq, dynamic, auxes..with the mouse or trackball wheel acting as a increment decrement like a big POT. Someone has came up with the solution already. with appropriate keyboard or xkeys board this completes the use of my controller presented here and the accomplished and ease of operation like any other Digital console.

 

and I am new here could someone explain why I am an Apprentice as a member title.. I never entered that and I have no idea how to update it at all nor what it stands for?!?

[peza2010]

and I am new here could someone explain why I am an Apprentice as a member title.. I never entered that and I have no idea how to update it at all nor what it stands for?!?

 

its just based on post amount, the more posts, the more you move up.

[pisquee]

What price point is an end user/purchaser looking at for a complete working system?

[mervaka]

As a controller, it looks very interesting! a PC with integrated HUI like that is where things are going in the mid term.

 

I'm looking to put together from the ground up something that would nicely complement such a controller, a little 8ch digital mixer that fits into a Neutrik NSB1A-8/4 stagebox. Eventually, I hope they can become modular and therefore scalable. Currently trying to fit the contents onto a 120x125mm PCB!

[nb705]

Would you be able to measure the end to end latency of the system for us?

[martiaudio]

and I am new here could someone explain why I am an Apprentice as a member title.. I never entered that and I have no idea how to update it at all nor what it stands for?!?

 

its just based on post amount, the more posts, the more you move up.

 

all right, Thanks for that.

 

What price point is an end user/purchaser looking at for a complete working system?

 

the system itself without talking about controllers is below a ls9 16 to give you an idea..

Now it can be useful to consider owning 2 controllers like I show cased , one remote for FOH, one for Monitors.. So you are well covered that way. it is like owning 2 ls9 32 at the very least.. in term of possibilities that can be compared to much higher range of Digital console.

But it is early days for me, and I am proposing a tailored development solution so at that point I would prefer personal communication.

thank you

 

As a controller, it looks very interesting! a PC with integrated HUI like that is where things are going in the mid term.

 

I'm looking to put together from the ground up something that would nicely complement such a controller, a little 8ch digital mixer that fits into a Neutrik NSB1A-8/4 stagebox. Eventually, I hope they can become modular and therefore scalable. Currently trying to fit the contents onto a 120x125mm PCB!

Very interesting..perhaps you'd like to meet and exchange ideas..

 

Would you be able to measure the end to end latency of the system for us?

I am not quite sure how to measure precisely on the output and externally fronm the system, but I can tell you from experience that it can be lower than ls9.

 

 

I don't know what ls9 or M7 are as for an exemple, but consider this..

 

My system can be set up as low as 32 samples buffer size.. ( an average sequencer when recording is 256 and rather 512 in fact )

 

the common set up with a lot of inputs and processing going on would be 64 or 128.. and 2 or 3 preload buffer with a total cpu and processor working at less than 50%.

64 samples cannot be heard as such which is remarquable.

 

 

[mackerr]

I am not quite sure how to measure precisely on the output and externally fronm the system, but I can tell you from experience that it can be lower than ls9.

 

It is very easy to measure latency with FFT software like Smaart, or SysTune. or any of a number of other products. There are many places within a given system for latency to accrue, there is latency inherent in the AD conversion and the DA conversion, there is latency in processing like mixing, eq, dynamics, etc. How a digital console deals with these additive latencies is critical. Many professional digital mixers have a fixed latency for a particular signal path. If you have signals running in non-identical paths they may have different latency. Some consoles can correct this, others you have to be aware of the problem so you can avoid it. Using correction means setting all latencies to the match the highest latency in the system.

 

There is extensive discussion of the Software Audio Console on audio forums all over the Internet. I'm sure somewhere there is discussion of its latency. I know at PSW there was a lot of discussion starting back in 2008.

 

Mac

[david.elsbury]

Am I alone in feeling a bit uneasy with the idea of trying to mix 72 channels of audio on only 8 faders?

David

[martiaudio]

I am not quite sure how to measure precisely on the output and externally fronm the system, but I can tell you from experience that it can be lower than ls9.

 

It is very easy to measure latency with FFT software like Smaart, or SysTune. or any of a number of other products. There are many places within a given system for latency to accrue, there is latency inherent in the AD conversion and the DA conversion, there is latency in processing like mixing, eq, dynamics, etc. How a digital console deals with these additive latencies is critical. Many professional digital mixers have a fixed latency for a particular signal path. If you have signals running in non-identical paths they may have different latency. Some consoles can correct this, others you have to be aware of the problem so you can avoid it. Using correction means setting all latencies to the match the highest latency in the system.

 

There is extensive discussion of the Software Audio Console on audio forums all over the Internet. I'm sure somewhere there is discussion of its latency. I know at PSW there was a lot of discussion starting back in 2008.

 

Mac

 

thanks for the info on how to measure it.. with my system, being able to set it up as low latency as possible is inherent to the stability and integrity for the system so I am not worried here.. 64 samples in the right environment like this one is nothing compare to many other hardware...

 

Am I alone in feeling a bit uneasy with the idea of trying to mix 72 channels of audio on only 8 faders?

David

 

I'll try to be brief in my reply..

 

think of those 8 faders as mono or stereo DCAs.. if you want more you daisy chain controllers..16 24.. but I think you can live with 16 at all time and I explain why:

 

 

The virtual consoles FOH or monitors really looks like an analog console indeed. but you can change all channel order from left to right.

 

 

But consider this: you can go forward backward, or direct to inputs, returns or outputs and scroll through FOH monitor 1 2 ....24 like layers of the same console 25 times in total.

 

Plus with 16 stereo group/latch..

Nothing is stopping you from making a sub mix on everything like the drum with 3 or 4 faders max( and still have well defined control of that drum ), pads/guitar, solos, Bass, back vocal and master vocal, with a total of less than 16 stereo faders placed first in the input line.

so you can really navigate at ease and mirror this mix set up to monitors with different parameters and mix monitors the same way.

You have full control of levels that matters at all time.

 

I also think that over the years we've indulge ourself with too many inputs to control and made our life difficult in the process.

If it is that necessary, the art of mixing still doesn't require that many faders to be controlled at once, and just by using the group's digital console potential in various ways it can make life very easy. ( as long as you know what you are doing and go back to input sources any time when you need it)

this is perhaps studio post production approach but well applicable for live with scenes, automations and plugins at disposal to use throughout the show.

You can make a complicated mix on protools, and still apply it to a system like mine for live and put in the left( front) the faders you really want to control in the order you wish.

 

To conclude I no longer wish to see many faders before me. I don't know why manufacturers insist on producing digital console featuring all the physical input faders...Mono!?! it is useless.. However 16 mono or stereo constantly evolving and chasing.. yeah that really make sense ( I admit If I could make 16 stereo instead of 8 in a small footprint at present I would but it is my current standardised prototype pictured ).

[smalljoshua]

A Pro2c only has 19 faders total. 8 Input (expandable over 16) 8 Output and 3 "others".

 

Josh