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  • A quick VE question

    Please forgive me if this has been answered already but in the moment I´m under quite some timepressure and the search does not seem to be too helpfull. A simple yes or no would be enough: I´d like to use VE in standalone mode on my main Mac (3GHz quadcore). I´ve so far used VI´s on slave Macs because switching between cues takes way too much time if VI´s are part of the actual song. Is it possible to install VE and use it as some kind of "rack" on the main Mac? Midi routing through IAC? How do you route audio, because all native channels are are taken by Logic8? Is is solid on Leopard and L8? Thank you for a feedback. Jochen

  • Yes you can do it. I did on my Quad Core G5. However I am running Nuendo but I am sure that the principle will work for you too: You need to install a separate sound card for this to work. In my case I attached a spare MOTU 828 via Firewire. This unit is cool because it is cheap (about £450) and also provides a MIDI input, which you will need. I rigged it so that the physical audio outs of the MOTU connect back to my main audio card (MOTU 2408's which Nuendo addresses). I then set the preferences in VE to address the 828 midi port and it's audio outputs. Also a physical MIDI out from Nuendo (dedicated MIDI interface) is physically connected by a MIDI lead to the 828 MIDI input. A bit Heath Robinson but effective. Viola! Nuendo does not realise "where" the VE standalone is, even though it's on the same machine. Note: I do not get quite the same level of performance as when VE was "plugged" into Nuendo. I presume this is because there is extra work going on with audio I/O via both the 828 and the 2408's. I achieve 8 stereo outs from the 828. Also there is added latency, as if you were running VE on an external Mac. I found it ok at 256 or 512 buffer (as set in the VE preferences). Your machine is more powerful than mine, so you should do better. BUT: I can switch between arrangements really quick! I can live with the latency and not sweat about things. I can setup up what I call a Global Project in VE which I make common to all my tracks for a particular movie/series whatever. Also, in Nuendo you can organise External Instruments, whereby you call up the midi/audio routing of the VE (as if it were a real synth outside of the computer) at once. With this organised, I can also switch VE (with it's 828) to another Mac and not even need to re-configure Nuendo. I don't know if Logic has anything similar to this but, however you organise addressing the standalone from Logic, it wouldn't matter where that is living as long as you keep it on the same 828. (Basically I can unplug the firewire lead of the 929 and put it into another Mac and run VE form there - with the library copied over of course (and the dongle)). Good Luck.

  • Thank you, Ben. That was most helpfull. Unfortunatly I´d have to get another audio interface to follow your advice because the Apogee Ensemble gets extremly buggy when anything except itself is on the firewire bus (no external drives on this system :-(( OTOH, maybe I should just do this.... get rid of the Ensemble and get a Fireface or something Jochen

  • You have a number of options - - one would be to purchase a PCIe FireWire card and put it in your machine - - this would give you an additional FireWire circuit (not just additional ports), so an additional FireWire Interface would not interfere with Ensemble. Another would be to purchase a PCIe based Audio Interface - - again no interference with Ensemble. In either case you could route the ADAT output of the new interface into the ADAT input of the Ensemble. Another possibility is to call Apogee Tech Support and determine if there is a way to route audio inputs to outputs in the software that accompanies Ensemble as one can with RME Interfaces - - Apogee's advertising blurbs suggest that this may be possible, but I don't know from first hand experience.

  • This is a a cool board. I´ll try your suggestions - in reverse order though. The most buggiest might be the additional pci audio card. From my ProTools rig I remember what different pci cards can do to each other (second pci video card + PT= not a pretty sight) And there´s already a BlackMagic and a SATA card. All the best and many thanks, Jochen