PlanetZ forums - scopeusers.com

...mix 16 channels with the 24/48 mixer while using eq and the integrated sidechain compressor?

I sold all my cards now I miss them and want at least a little one again in a new (old) computer to at least be able to mix with scope, because I liked the sound, the interface and the controlling (shift+arrows etc..)

Can somebody tell me if a 4 DSP card is enough for that? or do I need a 6 DSP card? I had 21DSPs before, so I cant tell how much it needed exactly...

greets
Tom

Well, it's a coarse estimation but I would say you need about at least 6 dsp's for mixing comfortably with the STM 2448, when you mix and use some stock EQ's en compressors. But then you can't do much else.

Keep in mind that the built in channel compressors have a bug when using the sidechain function: they don't remember the sidechain source after saving the project. So every time you recall your project, you'll manually have to reassign your sidechain source. Not a real showstopper, but quite annoying. And it slows the workflow a bit down. Certainly when you have a lot of channels using sidechain.
In that case what I do, is that I use a standalone compressor module and connect it to the input of a mixerchannel. The downside is that you'll get a little more "cableclutter" in your projectwindow, but the sidechain settings will be recalled correctly.

If I remember well, the channel EQ's also have a bug, but I can't remember what that was. I'm not sure but you should use all bands of the parametric eq in advancing frequency-order otherwise some parametric bands won't be recalled on next startup.
e.g. if you boost a freq on 4 kHz at the first band, and afterwards you add another band (nr.2) at 400 Hz something won't be recalled correctly. Maybe somebody can confirm this or correct this?
Anyway, I never use the mixer's built in eq's and compressors. I use the PEQ as an insert instead. (or heavier/better eq's if you have them). It's just as DSP-light as the mixer EQ, and bugfree.

It depends if you will use some other effects also... For the simple project you mentioned I belive that 4 could be enough. I've got 10 and I think they're barely enough to make a complete 16 tracks mix. I usually use my cards to make a whole mix (reverbs and other effects...).

thanks...

do you think they fix this in 5.0?

dammit, I forgot that it had these bugs

But the scope has the best sidechains I ever heard except from analog ones...but analog gates are a hazzle to use...

well It´s a shame that such a great technology gets so little care...

Maybe the plugiator guys will put two adat in/outs in the next version of their plugiator - then I will buy such a think, I dont expect bugs there - but heh, who knows ...

greets
tomylee

stardust wrote:4 should be enough, but 4 are on P1 cards which are 1st gen and have higher latency. Certainly any effect you use can get you into trouble then.

no way during mixdown - it's only sh*t if you record things like guitar, bass, brass etc live and want to monitor VST fx in realtime - strangely it never disturbed me on keyboards but on string instruments it drives me nuts

a sidenote regarding efficiency: the 16/32 mixer seems to remove anything from DSPs if there's no signal connected to it (regarding what's in the inserts)
I once noticed it during a masterverb test when I could add 1,2, 5, 8, 12... though that normally fails after the 5th (on Pulsar Ones)

cheers, Tom

astroman wrote:

stardust wrote:
a sidenote regarding efficiency: the 16/32 mixer seems to remove anything from DSPs if there's no signal connected to it (regarding what's in the inserts)
I once noticed it during a masterverb test when I could add 1,2, 5, 8, 12... though that normally fails after the 5th (on Pulsar Ones)

cheers, Tom

can you explain this a little deeper? Do you mean it removes dsp loads when there is no signal, or no cable, connected to the mixer input?

If it only applies when there is no cable at that input, its an useless feature, (I dont take the effort of removing a cable to save some dsp)

But if it applies when there is just no signal incoming (like when there is being unput an emty audio track from a sequencer) then it is a genius feature!
But then I´d be interested in a little tech about - how are the gate times, I mean there comes a bass drum, it is eqed and compressed, and maybe it only used DSP-Power when this audio comes, but does it switch of exactly when there comes a zero-stream and it does that without clicks ever? That sounds fantastic to me...

greets
tomylee