Moving your Soundscape system to a new computer
In this article, long-time Soundscape user Dave Maughan describes how to transfer your Soundscape configuration to a new host computer, based on his recent experience. You can check Dave’s Soundscape user profile webpage and Face Musical Productions website for information on his Newcastle (UK) studio and his work.
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They say moving house can be the most stressful time of your life.
Forget that. Moving your whole Soundscape installation to a brand new state-of-the-art computer makes moving house pale into the mere mundane.
In an attempt to make the process less painful in the future, here’s what I learnt.
So you’ve purchased/built a new super-computer, it’s up and running, you’ve sorted out all the various BIOS tweaks and fresh installed the operating system. You’ve got your graphics adapter and monitor(s) configured…it’s a brand new virgin computer, but don’t install the Soundscape hardware just yet.
1. Set a window in the diary when you’ve got a few days clear between jobs. Even the guys who know what they’re doing say this can turn into a few days work, so unless you have two separate systems, you’re going to be out of action for at least a couple of days.
2. Arm yourself with a big pad of paper and a pen, and run the old computer for the last time. Look at the list of programs in the Start – Programs menu, decide which of those you’re going to need on the new machine, and write them down in a list. Ensure that you have the setup files for everything on the list, together with relevant authorization codes if applicable. (I make a point of saving every downloaded program setup file that I use to its own dedicated folder inside one big folder that I call Program Setup Files. A small Notepad document kept with each reminds me of the corresponding authorization code). Alternatively, make sure you have to hand the appropriate installation discs, or where you will find the latest downloadable versions on the internet. So you’ll end up with a list that might look something like…
Soundscape Editor V.x... Program Setup files (but check www.sydec.be for newer version !!)
TC Dynamizer Program Setup files (but check www.sydec.be for newer version !!)
Cubase Original installation disc
Wavelab Original installation disc
Etc, etc…
3. Run Soundscape for the last time on this dear old machine….(sniff). In Mixer Edit mode, with careful clicking and holding of the Create New Mixer Column or Element tool , it’s possible to get your complete Mixer Plug-ins list to display. Write the whole list down on paper, not forgetting any VST plugins you may also have. Do the same for your X-Pro plug-ins by clicking and holding on the X-Pro tool. Finally, add to your list your Time Module (TimeStretch/Pitch Shift/ Sample Rate Conversion), OMF Import/Export etc, etc, as appropriate. When you’re sure the list is complete, you can exit Soundscape. (Clever buggers might be able to achieve these lists by printing out screenshots…me, I prefer the old fashioned way…)
4. Don’t switch the old computer off yet though… create a folder on the desktop called Soundscape Backup. With the one possible exception of the Wvf (waveform files) subfolder (usually huge, often full of old, redundant waveforms from arrangement files long since forgotten), copy your entire C:\Soundscape folder to it. This folder contains, amongst other things, all your up to date .arr files and .mix files, any plug-in settings you’ve saved, as well as your all important Soundscape .ini files, which themselves contain all your personal Soundscape settings, including track colours, passwords etc. Aditionally, copy C:\Program Files\Soundscape (you’ll have to rename it), and any other program files folders that might look relevant (I had an additional one called Soundscape SS32). Then, do a search (search vst will do nicely), and copy any other VST plug-in .dll files you find to another backup folder (often found in a Steinberg folder, for instance). You might not need all these, but it does no harm to have them, just in case…!
5. Go through a similar process for any other applications you’ve decided you’ll need on the new machine, gathering up any further important files into a readily accessible backup location, typically project files, wav files (especially those exported from Soundscape, which are often the actual end product of many jobs), don’t forget that ‘Program Setup Files’ folder (if you’re fortuitous enough to have kept one!), also things like CDRWin cue sheets, midi files etc etc. Group all these various ‘backup’ folders together for copying across to the new system.
6. You might consider using the Files and Setting Transfer Wizard to carry some stuff across from the old machine to the new, particularly documents, old Outlook Express messages, address book, favourites, personalised settings, etc, but I chose to exclude the essential backup folders created in 5. above in favour of copying them across manually. The wizard saves its information in a folder which in my case, it called USMT2.UNC. I also grouped this with the ‘backup’ folders. So everything I was going to need for the new machine was readily available on the old machine’s desktop.
7. And now you’re ready to switch everything off. At this point you can finally complete your hardware installation, removing the Soundscape PCI Interface and Mixpander cards from the old computer, and plugging them into the new one. Connect the Soundscape unit to the PCI Interface card and the Mixpander, and the hardware upgrade is complete. Substitute the new computer for the old in your studio installation.
8. At this point, it’s good to have a spare monitor so you can still run the old computer, in which case the two computers, old and new can be networked or otherwise linked. I used a USB link (a special cable and a small bit of software to be installed on both machines), you can alternatively use a null modem (Laplink type) serial cable to connect the serial ports (slow) or worst case link the parallel ports (painfully slow). Failing that, as long as none of your ‘backup’ folders is too large, you could use a memory stick or even CDRs to transfer each one to the new computer. An alternative approach to all of this is to remove the hard drive from the old machine, and temporarily install it in the new one as a non bootable additional disk.
9. Power up both machines (if you have the spare monitor) or just the new one with the old machine’s hard drive installed. Either way, you can now easily copy your backup folders to your new machine’s C drive. I initially copied from (old) Desktop to (new) Desktop for simplicity – they can be easily moved elsewhere later.
10. Run the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard on the new machine, and point it to where it will find the USMT2.UNC folder. The wizard reinstates all the settings you asked it to, and suddenly your new XP system looks a little more familiar.
11. Locate and install the Soundscape Editor software. Overwrite the newly created C:\Soundscape folder with the backup copy from the old machine. (NB: Do NOT overwrite the newly created C:\Program Files\Soundscape folder !!)
 12. Go through the installation/setup process for every plugin, and every other application that you wish to include, as you previously listed. Note, a number of people (me included) have experienced problems installing Spinaudio’s RoomVerb plugin. It appears that it’s best to install Roomverb before installing any other Spinaudio software. Re-download the (zipped) setup file from the Sydec website. Before extracting it, right click and check its Properties. At the bottom of the Properties dialog, you may see an additional warning: "Security: This file came from another computer and might be blocked to help protect this computer."...with an additional button - "Unblock". Click 'Unblock', then Apply, followed by OK to exit the Properties dialog. Once again, right click the file, then this time 'Extract to.' etc. This seems to make it work.
13. When all Soundscape plug-ins are installed, you’ll find you can very quickly repopulate your VST plug-ins list by copying the .dll files in your backup copy of (old) C:\Program Files\Soundscape\MixElem\VST to its new equivalent although some (like in my case Voxengo Elephant Limiter, and one or two others) had to be reinstalled from Setup files, and of course, re-authorized.
14. Last of all, reboot and switch on the Soundscape Hardware unit. The Add
New Hardware Wizard will detect firstly the Soundscape PCI interface, and
then the Mixpander. In both cases, you know exactly where the appropriate
driver files are: until recently they were usually located in the 'Disk 1'
folder of the unpacked Soundscape Editor software, however, as of Soundscape
Editor Version 5.1, the driver files have become a separate download.
Either way, click on Have Disk, and use the Browse facility to direct the
wizard to the appropriate location, and the wizard will complete the driver
installation process for you.
15. Job done. Happy Soundscaping.
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