SourceConnect in SawStudio

[Dave Labrecque]

I see that you guys have moved on with the conversation but I wanted to add that my VO business has been moving toward the consideration having to put in ISDN. The carrier (remaining nameless and shameless) informs me that there are no longer residential accounts for this service and I will have to go to a commercial account. I can understand a substantial install fee, but over 200.00 per month for the privilege is something I am not keen on paying from a cost-effective standpoint. What's the lowdown with SourceConnect in this regard?
Ken

How 'bout FREE ISDN?

I had ISDN for ten years and never paid more than $100/month. The actual ISDN fee was only like $80. But when you add voice mail and all the fees and taxes and stuff...

For me it was a no-brainer. It cost about the same as what business voice and fax lines would cost. So, I bought a Motorolo Bitsurfer Pro ISDN modem off Ebay for $2 and put a switch in to direct the ISDN line to either the modem or my Zephyr. Most of the time my ISDN line was giving me two dial-tone lines (voice and fax). When it was time for an ISDN voice session, I'd switch over to the Zephyr. I could always use my cell phone if there was additional communication needed.

Anyway, I always looked at it as free ISDN.

There was a $20/month ISDN long distance fee, too (most of which could be applied to whatever long distance calls I made dialing out for sessions), but, still...

[Carl G.]

Now, of course, 256mp3 isn't 256 AAC VBR.

Dominic

AH!! Dominic.... that's the clarification I'm looking for! (answers my questions)
Which... 'sounds' like good news!
Thanks!
I've never done a comparison of wav to 256 AAC(vbr).
(but I am very unimpressed with my comparisons of wav to 256 mp3, fixed rate)

[Ian Alexander]

AH!! Dominic.... that's the clarification I'm looking for! (answers my questions)
Which... 'sounds' like good news!
Thanks!
I've never done a comparison of wav to 256 AAC(vbr).
(but I am very unimpressed with my comparisons of wav to 256 mp3, fixed rate)

Have you participated in a double blind comparison? I have not, but I would like to do so.

[Ian Alexander]

I will add to this discussion that I have finally downloaded and installed iLok and SourceConnect. I discovered that SS has to be in Live Mode to patch SourceConnect. Otherwise, on my system, it crashes SS. If you're in Live Mode, it seems to work ok.

Don't bother to try the SourceElements Desktop. That's their standalone VST host for Windows. If you have been wise enough not to install QuickTime on your production machine, Desktop won't run. Desktop requires QT, so don't bother, you can get the VST to run in SS without the Desktop host. QuickTime on a PC is such a scorched Earth program, I'd stay away from it.

I have not yet connected to my client, but I have done an echo connection with one of the default connections in Chicago. It works.

[bcorkery]

In the last couple o' days, I had 8 ISDN sessions with Nick, NBC, USA Network and others. At $250/session, and each taking about 10-20 minutes each, this pays for the fees and then some for the upcoming year. Any other ISDN sessions will be icing. I've experienced a substantial increase of ISDN sessions recently.

[Carl G.]

Have you participated in a double blind comparison? I have not, but I would like to do so.

Only with Mp3/wav, not wav to 256 AAC(vbr).

[Carl G.]

I will add to this discussion that I have finally downloaded and installed iLok and SourceConnect. I discovered that SS has to be in Live Mode to patch SourceConnect. Otherwise, on my system, it crashes SS. If you're in Live Mode, it seems to work ok.

Don't bother to try the SourceElements Desktop. That's their standalone VST host for Windows. If you have been wise enough not to install QuickTime on your production machine, Desktop won't run. Desktop requires QT, so don't bother, you can get the VST to run in SS without the Desktop host. QuickTime on a PC is such a scorched Earth program, I'd stay away from it.

I have not yet connected to my client, but I have done an echo connection with one of the default connections in Chicago. It works.

Ian... thanks for blazing a trail.
I'm trying to use SAC more often (front end/brd replacement) ... so I wonder if their VST would run in SAC? Have you tried that (is the VST a 'no' latency plugin?)

[Carl G.]

I will add to this discussion that I have finally downloaded and installed iLok and SourceConnect. ....

I have not yet connected to my client, but I have done an echo connection with one of the default connections in Chicago. It works.

Ian, just curious, what is your network speed up/down?
What would you/they consider the minimum connection requirements for Source Connect?
I have two ISPs. DSL is slow and dependable. The other (Wireless) is fast and undependable. I was thinking of getting a Dual WAN router that combines the two ISPs together into one feed for me.

[Dave Labrecque]

In the last couple o' days, I had 8 ISDN sessions with Nick, NBC, USA Network and others. At $250/session, and each taking about 10-20 minutes each, this pays for the fees and then some for the upcoming year. Any other ISDN sessions will be icing. I've experienced a substantial increase of ISDN sessions recently.

That's great, Bill. Way to go. In Tucson I was lucky to get one or two ISDN sessions a month (not counting Don Pardo/SNL last season). Also nice that you can charge that kind of rate.

[Ian Alexander]

Ian... thanks for blazing a trail.
I'm trying to use SAC more often (front end/brd replacement) ... so I wonder if their VST would run in SAC? Have you tried that (is the VST a 'no' latency plugin?)

I'm not the blazer here. At least two others are using or have used SourceConnect.

I don't have SAC, so I can't predict how it will behave in that host. I don't know whether the VST adds latency.