Soundscape Editor V5.0
Upgrade to Version 5.0 of the Soundscape Editor...
and get one (or more) extra Soundscape unit(s) for free!
Ok… we'll admit it straightaway, there is a catch: it's a "virtual" native unit, and a Mixpander is required. But you do get at least double the track count of your hardware unit and frankly… we thought it made a nice catch phrase!
Version 5.0 is simply the logical progression from Version 4.0 of the Editor, with the aim of bringing you the closest and most effective integration between the DSP-powered and PC-native worlds:
- Version 4.0 started on this path, with seamless integration of VST and VSTi plug-ins in the Soundscape Mixer, using the streaming technology provided by the Mixpander.
- The Mixpander streaming technology could already be used to route audio between Windows applications and the Soundscape Mixer. For VST/VSTi plug-ins, the same technology is used to route audio between the Soundscape DSP-powered hardware and the processor of the host PC. This ultra fast audio streaming takes place automatically, preserving the clarity and consistency of the Mixer interface.
- Version 5.0 builds further on this technology: the host PC can now be used as one or more "Native Soundscape Units", that appear in the Editor just like extra Soundscape 32 or compatible hardware units.
 The screenshot to the right shows the "About Soundscape Editor" information window for a Soundscape system comprised of one hardware unit with a Mixpander and one native unit:
This is how it works:
- Each hardware unit that is connected to a Mixpander allows native units to be added. Multiple native units can be added as long as the total number of hardware and native units does no exceed four per instance of the Editor software and as long as there are enough Mixpander streams available to play back all these extra audio tracks.
- The native units have the same track count as the hardware unit(s) (e.g., 24 tracks if the hardware unit is a R.Ed24, 32 tracks if the hardware unit is a Soundscape 32, etc.) So your track count is immediately doubled… at least! That's 64 tracks with a single Soundscape 32 plus one virtual unit, or 72 tracks with a R.Ed24 and two virtual units. In fact, the limiting factor is the number of Mixpander audio streams available to carry all these extra tracks to the Soundscape Mixer (48 streams per Mixpander). You could realistically use 80 tracks with one Soundscape 32 and two virtual units.
- Each native unit requires at least one Soundscape formatted hard disk (SDisk) to be installed in the host PC. This SDisk can be connected to an IDE port or via a USB/IDE or FireWire/IDE enclosure. (So… the native unit is not completely virtual, there is some hardware involved!)
- Audio is routed to and from the native unit via the Mixpander streaming channels. Obviously, the native unit does not have physical inputs and outputs… however, the new "Native Track Insert" elements allow audio routing between the hardware unit's mixer strips and the native unit's tracks. These Native Track Insert elements behave just like the Soundscape Track Insert elements you are used to, and they are coloured in blue for quick identification (just like the VST/VSTi plug-in elements). So recording to or playing back from the native unit is done in the same way as for the hardware unit.
- The native unit's SDisks can be managed in the usual way via Soundscape's SFile Manager. While they appear in the Windows Device Manager, they cannot be accessed from Windows Explorer. The Soundscape Editor accesses these SDissk directly and fast, just like it accesses the SDisks of a hardware Soundscape unit.
- Even though native unit SDisks cannot be accessed via Windows Explorer, another advantage of V5.0 is the vastly increased file transfer speed between a native unit's PC-mounted SDisk and any PC logical drive, compared to the file transfer speed between an SDisk mounted in a Soundscape hardware unit and a PC logical drive. This increase is nearly tenfold, which will prove invaluable when exchanging big projects between Soundscape and other platforms.
This is part of a mixer configuration using DSP-powered tracks and native tracks: track 1 is recorded to and played back from a Soundscape 32. Tracks 33 to 38 are recorded to and played back from the native unit. The mixer strips are all running on Unit 1 (the Soundscape 32/Mixpander) while the Native Track Inserts handle the audio streams to and from the native unit. Note that any number of VST plug-ins could be inserted in the signal path consecutively to the Native Track Inserts without requiring any extra streaming channels:
While more record/playback tracks will be highly valuable in certain recording or mixing situations, there are other possible applications for native tracks. In particular, incoming audio signals could be recorded simultaneously to a target SDisk inside a Soundscape 32 and to a native unit inside the host PC by using consecutive Soundscape Track Inserts and Native Track Inserts. In fact, in certain configurations, the same incoming audio could be recorded to four SDisks simultaneously. There is simply no other recording system that can offer this degree of data security!
Other Version 5.0 features include:
- Support for theASIO Positioning Protocol (APP): Applications that use this protocol (e.g., Cubase SX or Nuendo) can be synchronized to Soundscape with sample accuracy with no need for a physical connection to the Soundscape unit's MIDI ports or synchronization board. A Mixpander is required in order to use this feature, and the PC-based application must reference a Mixpander stream that is part of the Soundscape Editor setup.
-  New options for files with duplicate names when SFiles are moved/copied in the SFile Manager (as shown in the screenshot to the right).
- A new "Align all Output elements w/Fader if Automatic Delay Compensation is active" option under menu: Settings|Preferences|Mixer.
By at least doubling the track count available from a single Soundscape 32 or R.Ed hardware unit, installing Version 5.0 is in many ways equivalent to adding at least one new Soundscape unit to your setup, at a significantly lower cost! (While it does not add any extra inputs or outputs, or busses to the Mixer, you get other advantages beside the extra tracks, such as the increased transfer speed). If you aready own a Mixpander, there is really not much to think about… you can download Version 5.0 immediately and obtain a password from the Sydec Online Shop.
If you already own a Soundscape 32 and have not yet added a Mixpander, there's never been a better time! We offer upgrade bundles that include various combinations of Mixpander (/9 or /5), IDE drive caddy or iSDisk 4-F (rackmount FireWire unit for up to 4 SDisks) and Cui-Bono EDL Convert iSD software and iEdit 128-M control surface alongside the V5.0 software. Please check out the "Editor V5 Upgrade Pak" options in the Sydec Online Shop for details.
Read more:
Soundscape Editor V5.1
|
 |
|