Recording live audio to multiple devices

[skidmarkpony]

I want to record audio to 3 laptops simultaneously but using something better than XLR-3.5mm cables.

 

I like the Allen & Heath QPac's QDrive capability of recording over USB and I like that the QPac is compact and cheap. But the QPac only lets me record to a single USB connection whereas I would like to record to 3 laptops - a main recording, a backup, plus another laptop to use for streaming the audio over the internet using something like Adobe Connect.

 

So I need all this but I also need the standard live audio side of it such as a LR mix and a few auxs.

 

Can anyone suggest a piece of equipment that can do all of this for me?

 

Thanks!

[pete10uk]

I want to record audio to 3 laptops simultaneously but using something better than XLR-3.5mm cables.

 

I like the Allen & Heath QPac's QDrive capability of recording over USB and I like that the QPac is compact and cheap. But the QPac only lets me record to a single USB connection whereas I would like to record to 3 laptops - a main recording, a backup, plus another laptop to use for streaming the audio over the internet using something like Adobe Connect.

 

So I need all this but I also need the standard live audio side of it such as a LR mix and a few auxs.

 

Can anyone suggest a piece of equipment that can do all of this for me?

 

Thanks!

 

My initial thought would be your making it too complicated and trying to do things in a non standard way, hence your trouble finding a product. I have the same issues regulary!

 

I'm no expert in this particular application so may be proved wrong, but I would be looking at using a single laptop for the recording and streaming which I do for video and as a backup I would take a separate feed from a desk and record it on to something like a zoom recorder.

[sam.spoons]

Assuming all you need is stereo a Behringer X32 would allow you to record to a USB drive plus a single laptop, the third stream would have to be analogue out of the desk though into a USB sound card. The problem, I think, is that all USB audio devices need to be slaved to a single host computer. Without going to expensive tech I can't think of a device that would connect to three host computers via USB. I'd guess Dante would do it but you'd still need a Dante card for each computer as well as one in the mixer.

 

Probably best to buy three inexpensive USB sound cards and use XLR splitter cables (or maybe, with sp/dif I/O, you could daisy chain or split light pipes between the three destinations if you want to remain in the digital domain).

 

Edit :- Pete got there first, and with a very sensible suggestion IMHO.

[S&L]

I want to record audio to 3 laptops simultaneously but using something better than XLR-3.5mm cables.

 

I like the Allen & Heath QPac's QDrive capability of recording over USB and I like that the QPac is compact and cheap. But the QPac only lets me record to a single USB connection whereas I would like to record to 3 laptops - a main recording, a backup, plus another laptop to use for streaming the audio over the internet using something like Adobe Connect.

 

So I need all this but I also need the standard live audio side of it such as a LR mix and a few auxs.

 

Can anyone suggest a piece of equipment that can do all of this for me?

 

Thanks!

 

I have seen this done with x32s on one of the facebook forums. connecting local inputs to a monitor desk and then sending via aes50 to a FOH desk there are then 2 desks that can send to their card outs. so that's one for recording, another for back up. the monitor desk can just be used as a pass through, it doesn't actually need to do monitor duties. 2 should be enough but you can cascade a 3rd desk with a 3rd card if you like and of course they can be x32 racks, they don't need to be full desks. One of the advantages of the x32 series over the qu series is the aes50 network.

[sam.spoons]

You could use Core's for the slave desks too..... Still not a cheap solution though.....

 

If you have ADAT inputs available an X-ADAT card can supply outputs to 4 separate ADAT inputs via 4 light pipes.....

[bruce]

It’s not entirely clear from the original post - what exactly are you trying to do? What’s the audio source? Analogue? Digital?

 

You mention a main recording and a backup. Presumably, the “backup” is in case something goes wrong with the “main” - in that case, you want to make them as independent as possible.

[sleah]

Given the OP said he wished to avoid XLR > 3.5mm, it would suggest he is wishing to split analogue.

In which case, surely:

Probably best to buy three inexpensive USB sound cards and use XLR splitter cables

..is the most sensible, reliable and coinsidentally the cheapest option?

Why consider anything more complex! Apart maybe from somekind of active analogue splitter.

[dbuckley]

I'd guess Dante would do it but you'd still need a Dante card for each computer as well as one in the mixer.

 

Not quite: yes, you need a Dante card for the mixer, but for the lappies you can run a "virtual" Dante soundcard, just a bit of software, and about $35 last time I looked. All devices will need to be on a wired network, for stereo a 100bbvit/sec network is fine.

 

Dante just rocks for scenarios like this. Not cheap, but it just works.

[skidmarkpony]

I'd guess Dante would do it but you'd still need a Dante card for each computer as well as one in the mixer.

 

Not quite: yes, you need a Dante card for the mixer, but for the lappies you can run a "virtual" Dante soundcard, just a bit of software, and about $35 last time I looked. All devices will need to be on a wired network, for stereo a 100bbvit/sec network is fine.

 

Dante just rocks for scenarios like this. Not cheap, but it just works.

 

All of our laptops are wired to a local network when we are running this scenario so this solution is sounding good. How does the audio go from the mixer to the network? As far as I can tell the Dante card only has fibre connections.

[Jevans]

The Dante card doesn't have fibre connections: A&H Dante Card

 

There's three CAT5 connections, one for the primary network, one for the secondary network (which is not mandatory) and one for the control network.

Technically, Dante can travel over fibre, in the same way as any other IP based computer network, but it's not a dedicated fibre protocol in the same way that, say Optocore is. However you'd only really do that on a very big network.

 

So in this instance you'd connect the primary connection on the mixer and as many computers as you wanted to a network switch, then using the application Dante Controller on one of the computers would configure the outputs from the mixer to go to the computers. As it's a networked protocol splitting a signal to multiple destinations is trivial once they're all on the network.

 

EDIT: ...Though it does occur to me the QUPac can't actually take that card, so probably a simple analogue split solution is best!

[skidmarkpony]

The Dante card doesn't have fibre connections: A&H Dante Card

 

There's three CAT5 connections, one for the primary network, one for the secondary network (which is not mandatory) and one for the control network.

Technically, Dante can travel over fibre, in the same way as any other IP based computer network, but it's not a dedicated fibre protocol in the same way that, say Optocore is. However you'd only really do that on a very big network.

 

So in this instance you'd connect the primary connection on the mixer and as many computers as you wanted to a network switch, then using the application Dante Controller on one of the computers would configure the outputs from the mixer to go to the computers. As it's a networked protocol splitting a signal to multiple destinations is trivial once they're all on the network.

 

EDIT: ...Though it does occur to me the QUPac can't actually take that card, so probably a simple analogue split solution is best!

 

Sorry I was thinking about someone elses post about ADAT whilst replying to yours. So as Yamaha runs all on Dantewould you expect the R Series (the I/O rack, not the bike) to be easily compatible with the virtual dante card? If it's as simple as connecting the RIO and the laptops to a switch then running the virtual dante card then I think that is the best solution (although not so cheap).

 

I currently am using Y-splits and I would love to replace that with a more reliable digital setup.

[dbuckley]

So as Yamaha runs all on Dantewould you expect the R Series (the I/O rack, not the bike) to be easily compatible with the virtual dante card? If it's as simple as connecting the RIO and the laptops to a switch then running the virtual dante card then I think that is the best solution (although not so cheap).

 

Yes, Dante is "not cheap". But Dante also "just works". If a piece of kit has the Dante sticker on it, then its a almost a dead cert that the actual thing doing the Dante is made by Dante themselves, as a module (called a Brooklyn) that is built into the thing. In the pic below of the X32 Dante card, note the red card sitting proud of the green base card; that's a Brooklyn module.

 

So anything with a Dante sticker will work with anything else with a Dante sticker. Plug everything into a switch (preferably a gigbit switch), load up and licence virtual soundcards on the Macs or PCs.load up the (free) Dante configuration tool onto a Mac or PC, click mouse a bit in a fairly obvious and self-explanatory user interface, and the job is done. You can even get a free trial licence for the virtual sound card to try before committing.

 

One day, AES67 / Ravenna will hopefully shove Dante aside, but until then, thanks, I'll stick with Dante.

 

http://media.music-group.com/media/PLM/data//images/products/featurepage/X-DANTE_1.jpg

[Jivemaster]

If you really think that a back up recorder is needed then think how little just recording the output again actually backs up. Maybe considering backing up by microphones into a separate recorder with battery would be a plan. Just consider what you need to back up and why, this will sometimes tell lots about the back up system needed.

[5catfish]

I recently was involved in a similar set up for an OB truck....

 

We put in our Electrovoice N8000 with Dante card and some MI-1 cards for analogue ins and each laptop had the Virtual soundcard software installed.

 

All in a 2u rack

[MarkPAman]

The Qu-Pac mentioned in the OP can record (a stereo mix or 18 chans of multitrack) to a USB pen stick, and send (stereo and full multitrack) to a computer at the same time. I assume as you mention 3.5mm jack it's only stereo you want, so you could source the 3rd from the Alt Out analogue or AES which has many options as to what it sends.