Solid State Logic DSP-Powered PCI Audio Card 4.3, Installation & Quick Start Manual

Page 1: ...soundscape mixpander DSP Powered PCI Audio Card for PC based Audio Workstations Installation QuickStart Guide Version 4 3 English Version ...

Page 2: ...system requirements 10 PC Configuration 10 Recommended BIOS settings 11 IRQ assignment 11 Hardware and software installation overview 12 Installing the SSL Soundscape Mixpander 13 Connecting the SSL Soundscape Mixpander to the XLogic Alpha Link 14 Installing the SSL Soundscape Device Drivers 15 Installing the SSL Soundscape Device Drivers under Windows XP 16 Device Manager 19 Preparing Windows Plu...

Page 3: ...d Cubase 36 5 Quick Start Tutorial 37 Starting the SSL Soundscape Mixer for the first time 37 Entering the mixer password 39 Setting the Master Clock 42 Mixer concepts 42 Mixer example the default 64 Ch Mixer 44 Supplied mixer files 47 Modifying the routing 48 6 Step by Step Multitrack Recording 50 Multitrack recording example using the SSL Soundscape Mixer and Cubase SX 50 Index 55 ...

Page 4: ...olid State Logic is committed to the development and marketing of top class solutions for native PC based digital audio recording systems The SSL Soundscape Mixpander PCI card used in combination with our Alpha Link audio converter products delivers the most powerful input output DSP powered mixing effects and processing solution for PC based audio recording and editing systems The included SSL So...

Page 5: ...s routing possibilities It is also a good idea to have the system switched on while you read the manuals so that you can experiment with the features you read about We trust that you will soon feel confident creating and using your own mixer configurations However even when it has become second nature the comprehensive Table of Contents and Index located respectively at the beginning and end of ea...

Page 6: ...om SSL Soundscape Mixpander The SSL Soundscape Mixpander the absolute reference in multi DSP effects and processing cards used to be the exclusive privilege of Soundscape digital audio workstation users Connected to the expansion port of a Soundscape 32 or compatible digital audio workstation via a proprietary bus the SSL Soundscape Mixpander lends its awesome power to the Soundscape system to acc...

Page 7: ...al building blocks for commercial standard mixes with multi function dynamics processors gate expansion compression and limiting delay and delay based effects chorus flanger and dither Optional effects and processing plug ins are available from Solid State Logic and other world renowned developers including Wave Mechanics TC Electronic Dolby Laboratories Inc Cedar Audio Sonic Timeworks Aphex Syste...

Page 8: ...y to the rest of your studio too You can hook up your external effects units to the SSL Soundscape Mixer using any number of pre post sends and insert additional mixer strips to mix the return signal Every element in the Mixer is in fact a plug in that you can place exactly where required which means that you can record to disk through the EQs compressors or other effects If you already have a mix...

Page 9: ...n the host PC 4 x Motorola 56362 100MHz DSP 3 with 384kB and 1 with 1 5MB of fast SRAM The total processing capability is up to 1 4 GIPS Giga Instructions per Second SSL Soundscape Mixpander 9 and Mixpander 5 On board configurable 36 bus digital mixer with full 5 1 surround processing real time plug in capability and 64 inputs and outputs to and from other host PC applications via the PCI bus and ...

Page 10: ...h Windows If you experience any problems try to sort these out through Microsoft Technical Support before installing the SSL Soundscape Device Driver and SSL Soundscape Mixer It is much easier to deal with one problem at a time and it will be more difficult for us to help you if you do not have a reliable Windows installation Also if you are new to Windows and the PC environment it would be useful...

Page 11: ...ameter Recommended setting PCI Latency Timer 64 Spread Spectrum Clock Disable System Speed and Overclocking Turbo Mode Disable or Standard Onboard Audio Gameport MIDI Disable Unused onboard devices e g Serial Port Com LPT Printer FW USB Disable If your BIOS does not allow you to set the PCI Latency value you may use the PCI Latency Tool available from http downloads guru3d com download php det 951...

Page 12: ...hese files can always be downloaded from our website but using the CD is the easiest way to proceed for a first installation 2 Shut down the computer and physically install the Mixpander Connect the Alpha Link unit to the Mixpander via the Expansion ports 3 Start the computer and install the driver when prompted 4 Install the SSL Soundscape Mixer software and any Soundscape format DSP powered plug...

Page 13: ...herboard 4 Locate a free full length PCI expansion slot and remove the corresponding expansion slot cover from the back of the computer This involves removing a screw which will be used later to secure the card into place 5 Grab the card by its metal backplate and place the gold fingered edge connector directly above the chosen PCI expansion slot on the computer s motherboard with the 68 pin conne...

Page 14: ... the XLogic Alpha Link The SSL Soundscape Mixpander features a single Expansion Bus connector or expansion port Use the supplied Expansion Bus cable to connect the SSL Soundscape Mixpander s Expansion Bus port to the XLogic Alpha Link s Expansion Bus port Expansion Bus connector ...

Page 15: ...tion procedure under Windows XP is described here for convenience WARNING Please do not install the drivers unless your Windows installation is running correctly as implied in the System Requirements section above Preferably do not attempt to install the SSL Soundscape Device Drivers if any hardware components other than the SSL Soundscape Mixpander card s need drivers to be installed NOTE Wheneve...

Page 16: ...SL Soundscape Mixpander card is Plug and play and is automatically detected by Windows when the computer is started after installing the card in a PCI slot Then a dialog box is displayed which lets you choose between an automatic or a manual installation procedure Select No not this time and click Next ...

Page 17: ...invite you to insert the installation CD for your hardware Insert the SSL Soundscape Mixpander Installation CD Windows will normally detect it automatically and find the driver files otherwise you will just need to click Next for the installation to start ...

Page 18: ...Soundscape Mixpander Page 18 of 59 Further windows will be displayed while Windows copies the driver files Depending on the specificities of your system this could take a few seconds or a few minutes ...

Page 19: ...ialog box below confirms that the installation has been completed Clicking Finish closes the Wizard Device Manager After a successful installation the SSL Soundscape Mixpander appears in the SSL Soundscape Devices category in the Windows Device Manager ...

Page 20: ...ver Setup program DrvSetup exe located in the DRIVER folder of the SSL Soundscape Mixpander installation CD or in the Ssdrvxxxx folder where xxxx is the driver version number if you have downloaded the driver installation package from our website You can start this program in the CD navigator by clicking the Install Driver button In the SSL Soundscape Driver Setup program window press the UPDATE b...

Page 21: ...stall Mixer button and follow the instructions on screen NOTE If for any reason the CD navigator is not displayed for instance when the CD has been inserted earlier and you have closed the navigator you can reopen it in Windows Explorer by exploring the CD contents and clicking CD_Start exe or CD_Start if the extension is hidden If you have downloaded the SSL Soundscape Mixer software installation...

Page 22: ...t in the Startup folder The default path is C Documents and Settings All Users Start Menu Programs Startup If you create a shortcut manually e g on the desktop sslMixer ini should be added at the end of the Target line to see the Target line right click the shortcut and click Properties You can also include h for the SSL Soundscape Mixer to start hidden i e with the main window closed but accessib...

Page 23: ...ixpander Page 23 of 59 Multiple cards are detected automatically by the software during startup The Alpha Link AX Alpha Link MADI AX or Alpha Link MADI SX must be connected and switched on Target line Start in line ...

Page 24: ...ton NOTE If for any reason the CD navigator is not displayed for instance when the CD has been inserted earlier and you have closed the navigator you can reopen it in Windows Explorer by exploring the CD contents and clicking CD_Start exe or CD_Start if the extension is hidden Click the icon of the first plug in you want to install and follow the instructions on screen Repeat the operation for eve...

Page 25: ...ns If you wish to install demo versions click the Demo Menu button in the Plug in Menu window above to access the plug in demo list Then click the icon of the demo you want to install and follow the instructions on screen Repeat the operation for every plug in demo you wish to install ...

Page 26: ...dscape Mixer is started for the first time after the SSL Soundscape Mixpander has been installed the Windows Found New Hardware Wizard starts automatically the XLogic Alpha Link unit must be switched on A dialog box is displayed which lets you choose between an automatic or a manual installation procedure Select No not this time and click Next ...

Page 27: ...te you to insert the installation CD for your hardware Insert the SSL Soundscape Mixpander Installation CD Windows will normally detect it automatically and find the WDM KS driver files otherwise you will just need to click Next for the installation to start ...

Page 28: ...undscape Mixpander Page 28 of 59 Further windows will be displayed while Windows copies the WDM KS driver files Depending on the specificities of your system this could take a few seconds or a few minutes ...

Page 29: ...WDM KS Device has not passed Windows Logo testing may give the impression that the driver failed a test This is NOT the case and this message can safely be ignored Click Continue Anyway NOTE Windows Logo testing is a procedure which would only add to the cost of your SSL Soundscape system and would make no difference to its operation ...

Page 30: ...Soundscape Mixpander Page 30 of 59 Eventually the dialog box below confirms that the installation has been completed Clicking Finish closes the Wizard ...

Page 31: ...other applications If you wish to remove all the files that were originally installed with the older version of the software then uninstall that version before installing the new one You can remove common files but not the ones that may be used by other SSL Soundscape applications To proceed select the program version to be deleted from the list and click Change Remove Driver updates and uninstall...

Page 32: ...it system The SSL Soundscape Mixer software can support multiple SSL Soundscape Mixpander cards The cards are identified as Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 and so on All the cards in a multiple unit system must be synchronized to the same Master Clock signal which can be provided by one of the connected XLogic Alpha Link units WordClock connections can be established between the WordClock connectors of the A...

Page 33: ... The individual inputs and outputs are always listed as pairs However multichannel audio can be used under Windows XP only Mixpander x WDM where x is the unit number must be selected as the default audio device for sound playback The speaker configuration must be selected in the Advanced Audio Properties window which can be opened by clicking the Advanced button in the Sounds and Audio Devices Pro...

Page 34: ...ring log on They are still available for compatibility with certain applications The default setting is for multiple stereo input and output devices i e one SSL Soundscape Mixpander thirty two stereo devices However this setting can be changed in the Windows Control Panel Sounds and Audio Devices Click the Hardware tab select Legacy Audio Drivers double click the Properties button to open the Lega...

Page 35: ...vides additional features with Cubase or Nuendo for cards with real time DSP capabilities One feature allows switching the monitoring from play to record so that there s no delay in monitoring the input signal through the PC Another feature is the ability to use accurate hardware synchronization capabilities via the card and ASIO 2 driver The SSL Soundscape ASIO 2 driver is automatically installed...

Page 36: ...simultaneously under ASIO 2 by presenting them to the application as a single device In order to use multiple cards simultaneously All Devices must be selected in the SSL Soundscape ASIO Panel To open the SSL Soundscape ASIO Panel in Cubase click Device Setup under the Devices menu select VST Multitrack and click the Control Panel button example based on Cubase SX Version 2 2 NOTE There is a risk ...

Page 37: ...matically when you start the computer because a shortcut is placed in the Windows Startup folder automatically during the software installation You will first be greeted by a dialog box prompting you to enter your mixer password This will described in detail in this chapter The SSL Soundscape Mixer remains active until you exit the program even when it is hidden Double click the Mixer icon in the ...

Page 38: ...Soundscape Mixpander Page 38 of 59 To close the SSL Soundscape Mixer software you can either right click the Mixer icon and click Exit or click Exit under the File menu from within the program ...

Page 39: ...audio to be routed through it NOTE All the existing passwords for an SSL Soundscape hardware unit can be obtained from our website if you have registered that unit When the SSL Soundscape Mixer runs for the first time on your computer a dialog box will be displayed inviting you to enter the mixer password The password can be found on the SSL Soundscape Mixpander Product Registration card on a labe...

Page 40: ...ing you to try again If you click Cancel when the first dialog box is shown you will see a further dialog box Clicking OK will allow you to open the SSL Soundscape Mixer You will be able to look at the software check out the menus but you will not be able to hear any audio Click the Go Back button to enter the password ...

Page 41: ...open the Password Help dialog box If the password was not entered the first time you used the software a different dialog box will be shown the next time you start the program Click OK to access the main SSL Soundscape Mixer Passwords window which can also be accessed at any time under menu Settings Passwords ...

Page 42: ...ce unit as it is possible to get high noise levels with un synchronized A D and D A Converters Please refer to the Settings Menu chapter of the SSL Soundscape Mixer Reference Guide for more detailed information Mixer concepts The SSL Soundscape Mixer is a totally user configurable environment Every input output send EQ module effect plug in or peakmeter etc is a mixer element that can be inserted ...

Page 43: ...pe Mixer software In particular while input elements and output elements may be assigned to an external input or output they may just as well be assigned to a bus or stream Buses audio paths connections that can be used to route audio signals between different parts of the SSL Soundscape Mixer for instance between a send element and an input element For the purpose of this manual buses only exist ...

Page 44: ...s The output signals from these 32 stereo mixer columns are sent to the Master L R mixer column column number 33 via BUS 1 2 The summed signal from mixer column 33 is then output via the first digital AES EBU or ADAT and analogue output pair of the XLogic Alpha Link IMPORTANT The MADI inputs and outputs are not used in this mixer configuration NOTE If the input peakmeter indicates no signal or max...

Page 45: ...cts its current assignment to a physical input of the XLogic Alpha Link AES 9 10 for an Alpha Link MADI SX in this example Track Insert This element can be linked to a record track mixer column in an audio application via input and output streams 9 and 10 in this case Output element Features a level fader a pan pot and Center button between the pan readout and dB scale Solo S and Mute M buttons an...

Page 46: ...he signal received from the recording application The output signals from mixer columns 1 to 32 are all sent to mixer column 33 where they are summed Mixer column 33 outputs the resulting summed signal via the first digital output pair of the XLogic Alpha Link AES 1 2 in this example based on an XLogic Alpha Link MADI SX Send elements also route the signal to the first pair of analogue outputs ANA...

Page 47: ... to the 64 Ch Mixer so that if you edit and save the 64 Ch Mixer you still have an identical copy of it on your hard disk DEF_ 64 direct IO compact mix same as 32 IO compact for 44 1kHz operation and many more Most mixers have a descriptive name that suggests their intended application s NOTE Some of the preset mixer files may not load or work correctly if particular plug ins or plug in demos are ...

Page 48: ...trols by clicking or clicking and dragging them entering values in some of the readouts etc In order to edit any aspect of the mixer configuration you must switch to Mixer Edit mode Toggling between Mixer Control mode and Mixer Edit mode can be done by pressing E on the computer keyboard or by clicking the Control Edit mode toggle NOTE The Control Edit mode toggle looks like an arrow in Control mo...

Page 49: ... calls up a menu where all the possible signal sources target destinations appropriate for that element are listed Click your selection to modify the assignment For a Send element the menu displays all the available physical outputs buses and streams For a Track Insert the streams are listed NOTE Remember to switch back to Mixer Control mode to use the Mixer ...

Page 50: ...ware must be connected to the monitoring system It is also assumed that you have spent some time with Cubase and become familiar with its basic operation such as initiating Play or Record 1 Make sure that the SSL Soundscape Mixer application is running If it is not running start it by clicking the Start Menu shortcut Load the Mix3 mix mixer file by clicking Open under the File menu and using the d...

Page 51: ...ect Typically the SSL Soundscape Mixer will be set to Internal under menu Settings Master Clock and the Clock Source parameter in Cubase will be set to SSL Soundscape Mixer this is set in the VST Multitrack section of the Device Setup window 5 In Cubase click New Project under the File menu to open the New Project window select 24 Track Audio Recorder and click OK Select or create a folder using t...

Page 52: ...nd output buses NOTE If needed you can change an ASIO Device Port by clicking its name in the column to the right and selecting another input or output stream in the menu that will be displayed 7 Make sure the top part of the Cubase Mixer Input Output Settings is displayed If it is not click the corresponding button located to the left of the Mixer so that it is displayed NOTE The Cubase Mixer is ...

Page 53: ...your choice arm the audio tracks you want to record to using the track arming buttons in the Mixer or in the Track column to the left of the Project window press Record and start your sound sources if the Cubase Mixer is displayed you will see a signal in the audio input channel meters 9 Press Stop You should see the recorded audio parts displaying a waveform 10 Place the Project Cursor at the beg...

Page 54: ...Soundscape Mixpander Page 54 of 59 10 Keep experimenting until you are happy with the settings in Cubase When you are satisfied with the setup click Save as Template under the File menu to save it ...

Page 55: ... Multiple SSL Soundscape hardware devices and Cubase 36 Using the Multimedia MME drivers 34 Using the SSL Soundscape ASIO 2 driver 35 Using the WDM KS drivers 33 Driver updates and uninstalling older driver versions 31 DSP based processing Introduction 7 E Entering the mixer password 39 H Hardware and software installation overview 12 How to use the manuals 5 I Installation 10 Configuring a multip...

Page 56: ...ns 31 Installation overview Hardware and software 12 Installing the SSL Soundscape Device Drivers 15 Installing the SSL Soundscape Mixer software 21 Installing the SSL Soundscape Mixpander 13 Installing the SSL Soundscape WDM KS Driver under Windows XP 26 Internet See Website Introduction 5 Digital mixing effects and processing 7 Disclaimer 6 DSP based processing 7 How to use the manuals 5 Master ...

Page 57: ...lug ins Introduction 8 P Password Entering the mixer 39 PC Configuration 10 Plug ins Soundscape format DSP powered plug ins 9 Preparing Windows Plug and Play 20 Q Quick Start Tutorial 37 Entering the mixer password 39 Mixer concepts 42 Mixer example the default 64 Ch Mixer 44 Setting the Master Clock 42 Starting the SSL Soundscape Mixer for the first time 37 Supplied mixer files 47 R Reading conve...

Page 58: ...e Device Drivers Installing the 15 SSL Soundscape Mixpander Introduction 6 SSL Soundscape WDM KS driver under Windows XP Installing the 26 Starting the SSL Soundscape Mixer for the first time 37 Step by Step Multitrack Recording 50 Studio friendly Introduction 8 Supplied mixer files 47 System requirements 10 T Technical Specifications 9 U Uninstalling the driver See Driver updates and uninstalling...

Page 59: ...d Pan American Copyright Conventions Solid State Logic SSL are trademarks of Solid State Logic All other product names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or By any means whether mechanical or electronic without the written permission of Solid State Logic ...