SAWStudio.....

[bertie]

hi Bob? :)

In your SAWStudio videos many time you mentioned "we don't need the physical console", you are right because the SAW replaced the real console and does much more, but why in all your SAWStudio Promotional Videos when you record Steven Lee you still use a real console all the mic's are connected to the real console not in SAWStudio in your laptop soundcard. And i know that most or maybe all people except me here in this forum use SAWStudio and they also use physical console where they connect the mic's and things.
We all know that SAWStudio defenetly replaced the real effects working speed and eficiency and things but did SAWStudio replaced the real mixing console yet?Can SAWStudio bring us a complete studio only in PC?Or maybe the SAC will bring that to us?
In my studio you don't see physical mixer and things of that nature any more, you only see a PC equiped with SAWStudio and Aplifier for Speakers, and 8 Channel Soundcard and a Tube Amplifier with 8 inputs for Mic's hidden in the back of by PC desk.
My Studio is a huge beautifull room with PC and my recordings sound better than before because i have all what i need in the screen and i don't have to move my chair even an inch anymore. :)

Bertie (v3.7b)

[Bob L]

Well, now SAWStudio is starting to be used as the live console on some well tuned systems.

When I did the Steven Lee Video, the engine latency was not fast enough yet, and converters like the Behringer and others with mic pres were not yet available... I never would have believed SAWStudio would get to live console throughput to feed a PA.

There was a live audience and we needed to mic the band for the front of house mix... so it made simple sense to split off the console insert points to SAWStudio.

But, I'm sure I could do it now, but probably not with my old laptop. To do live 24 ins and fold back to the Front Of House and Monitors and record at the same time... that's quite something to see. One of the new high-end ProStar laptops would be the ticket. :)

Bob L

[UpTilDawn]

Bob, could you describe or diagram a "typical" multi-channel setup that incorporates SAW as a live mixer for FOH, monitors and recording at the same time?

Not having used a console or SAW for this complex of a configuration before has me a bit confused, especially when so much is done in the virtual domain. Describing/showing the routing/placement of a few FX modules would help a lot as well.

I will have the oportunity to use the Live mode this way soon and also would like to demonstrate its use to my students. I'm sure others here would get a lot out of your description as well. :)

Thanks,
DanT

[AudioAstronomer]

Im actually doing this right now about 10 feet away :) Controlling 3 playback systems with independent mixes, and recording. I think it's best up to Bob to describe the layout... mine is a bit of a hack because I cant get the "proper" way to work at the moment :-\ Still working on finding out why.

[Bob L]

Here's one way to route and record using the virtual console live. You will need mic pres feeding into your soundcard or converters like the Behringer ADA-8000 (with its own phantom powered mic pres) and a light pipe card like the RME.

This method is the easiest when actually doing a live gig where you would be mainly mixing front of house and/or monitors or in-ears for the band, and you want to capture all the channels as separate tracks for later editing and mixing.

First, to use Live Mode effectively, your system must be capable of getting stable performance at low buffer settings such as 3 x 128 or of course better, 2 x 64 MME or 1 x 64 with ASIO.

Routing is really fairly straight forward.

1) Go to the top of Chan 1 mixer and set the input source to Dev 01. If you want this to be a mono signal off the left side of this device, left-click next to the Mono switch and select L Only from the popup mono menu.

2) Go to the top of Chan 2 mixer and again select Dev 01, but this time set the mono mode to R Only.

3) Now you can go down the console setting each 2 consecutive channels to the next device and setting the L Only and Right Only mono modes.

4) You may also set a single channel to a device and leave it in stereo mode for a stereo keyboard input, for example.

You can easily do both mono inputs and stereo inputs at the same time.

5) When you place the console in Live Input Mode (L-Key to toggle or select the option from the Mixer menu), the inputs will go live and pass through the console channel strips. You can mix, solo, mute, eq, compress, gate... etc. You can use the aux sends for reverb feeds or for monitor feeds back to the band. Your main Front Of House would come off the Out 1 device outputs. Out Chan 1 would be assigned to itself, 1.

6) Setting up a virtual feed on an Aux/Return channel and patching a reverb plugin on the Return channel and assigning it to Out 1 would feed the reverb signal return into the main FOH mix.

7) Setting an Aux Send Master Out assign to Dev 02 for instance would feed that aux signal out of the virtual to the soundcard device and back to stage monitors, or in-ears.

8) Adding the Out Assign 2 switch to the reverb Return chan assign would also route the reverb to Out Chan 2 (the same as the monitor feed). By assigning Out Chan 2 to itself, 2, the Out 2 fader would become a separate master return for the reverb feeding the monitor mix. (It blends in with the Aux Send Master assigned tro the same device)

There you have a full fledged live console in the virtual. You have up to 48 possible inputs (and outputs).

9) Recording the inputs to separate tracks is very simple. Press the Red Record button on each track and assign the record meter In source to itslef using the Mixer Channel option for record source. Chan 1 assigns to Mixer Chan 1... Chan 2 to Mixer Channel 2... etc.

10) The recording signal is taken from just after the Pre Patch point and streamed to disk. The files will be named the same as the channel labels, so name the tracks first. The filetype will follow the channel mono assignment... L or R Only makes a mono file, Stereo makes a stereo file.

11) The main faders and mutes will not affect the recording, which will be straight signals PRE of the main FOH mix... so you are free to mix away in the house. Any aux sends used for monitors should be assigned PRE also so the monitor mixes will not be affected as you mix FOH.

12) Normal default routing places the Pre Patch point after the Eq and Dynamics section, so your recording would pick up on these adjustments. If you want absolute flat signals to disk, while you are free to process away for the house, you can change the routing of the Pre Patch point and place it at the top of the module before the EQ and Dynamics. Do this in the Mixer Menu using the Signal Flow options.

13) If you are going to activate the engine in Record Mode, you do not use Live Mode... simply press Record and do your show... all Live inputs will activate and if your machine is stable... you should have a great show and a great recording.

14) After the show, simply reset all console channel Input Sources to MT and now you have a session ready to edit and mix.

Have fun. :)

Bob L

[UpTilDawn]

Wow! and Excellent Bob!

Now all I have to do is try this 5 or 6 times to get it down. :rolleyes: :D

Seems from a cursory reading that mixing this way would be accomplished most easily using the full version of Saw considering the addition of the wide and zoom mixer views


If you want absolute flat signals to disk, while you are free to process away for the house, you can change the routing of the Pre Patch point and place it at the top of the module before the EQ and Dynamics. Do this in the Mixer Menu using the Signal Flow options.

Can this be adjusted/reconfigured while recording is taking place, or does the recording engine need to be stopped to make these adjustments?..... guess I'll discover that soon enough...

Now to try it out.......

DanT

[Bob L]

The routing changes require the engine to be stopped.

Bob L

[arock]

These details about setting up to handle live FOH through SawStudio come at a perfect time for me - thanks Bob! Over the past few weeks I've been putting together a rack of equipment to handle FOH duties for my band using SS. I'll post pictures and a detailed description in a separate thread!

_Alan

[Naturally Digital]

hi Bob? :)
In my studio you don't see physical mixer and things of that nature any more, you only see a PC equiped with SAWStudio and Aplifier for Speakers, and 8 Channel Soundcard and a Tube Amplifier with 8 inputs for Mic's hidden in the back of by PC desk.
My Studio is a huge beautifull room with PC and my recordings sound better than before because i have all what i need in the screen and i don't have to move my chair even an inch anymore. :)
Bertie (v3.7b)
Hi Bertie,

Hey, if you ever come to Toronto, you must come and visit me OK? I think you might enjoy seeing my studio! :)

Take care,
Dave.

[Oz Nimbus]

Hey Dave, I'm down in Windsor.... if you're ever passing thru, look me up!

--Glenn

[Naturally Digital]

Hi Glenn,

I will for sure. Likewise for you!

Thanks,
Dave.

[Yura]

Hi!

In the light of something said and experienced.

Has anybody nead of some addit. hilighting of mono button function?
I mean if it is ON, this would be nice if it'd have some additional indication in what mono mode the channel is. especialy when we use splitting in L and R.
just in order to not call it's menu one more time for sure.