Duel Video Display

[Desound]

Hi everyone, I just thought I would let you know the success that I have been having with my Matrox G400 Duel Display Video Card. I can\'t go on enough about this card. It enables me to split two applications between two seperate monitors. Obviously, the significance of this is that, it allows me to have my sequencer (VST)running on one monitor while gigasampler runs on the other. To move your mouse pointer from one monitor to the next you simply slide your mouse to the edge of the screen (up,down,left or right depending on where you configure the second monitor to be virtually)and continue the sliding motion right into the second monitor. Active dispalys of both applications occur simultaneously. You can slide effortlessly between monitors and applications. The display is lightning fast and ultra-crisp. The card utilizes RAMDAC of 300 MHz which ensures flicker-free displays, ultra-high resolutions and color depths.The other amazing thing about the card is its flexability. You can use it in split mode( Duel Head Multi Display) as described above, clone mode,DVD max mode which enables full screen DVD playback on one screen while you run a completly different app on the other screen and zoom mode which allows you to select an area on one monitor then zoom into it on the second monitor. The card supports output to svga, composite rca tv out and LCD monitor out. So you don\'t really have to have two svga monitors any combination of the previously mentioned works fine. I have tested this card extensivly with gigasampler and,vst and it works flawlessly. Papa and I am so convinced that the G400 is the best soultion for the duel display dilema, that we have decided to carry it in our online store. It is a must have for those who use gigasampler in conjuntion with a seqencer. Let me know how you guys like this card. I am sure you will be pleasantly suprised.

[This message has been edited by Desound (edited 12-15-1999).]

[elle]

How far can one go to achieve a \'naked\' GS box as a second PC.
1.Could you link in the GS app from the second PC through the G400 on the main/Sequencer PC.
2.What about ommitting the video card, audio card, CDrom, ....just motheroard, ram, HD and Winlite?
3. how would one coupe both PCs?

Am I making sense? (sorry I\'m a non-tech person)

[Sasha]

Hi Desound and Papa! I was , acctually thinking about geting a spliter to use 2 PCs with 1 monitor and 1 keyboard. Can you tell me if you really nead to be looking at GS all the time so I acctually do need 2 monitors or I can get away with one and one keyboard?
Thanks allot! Sasha

[Wolfgang Eichholz]

Sasha took it to the point.

The average user(musician) don\'t need two monitors.
The main activity happens on the SequencerScreen, GS is loaded with the needed instruments and stays in background.

My personal preference:
GS as a \'VST-Instrument PlugIn\'
would be the best solution for my work.

Wolfgang
besonic.com (\"http://besonic.com\")
P.S.: An 21\' Monitor with a
1600x1200 resolution is also a god choice.

[This message has been edited by Wolfgang Eichholz (edited 12-16-1999).]

[PaPa Chalk]

Not sure how you would use one keyboard and one mouse with two pc\'s sasha the spliter in your case would be ideal but you would still have to get a keyboard and mouse for the other system if you plan to trigger one pc with the other.

The dual display Works great with one Pc. Cubase alone can clutter your screen. Here\'s a little scenario.
lets say your creating a multimedia avi video clip. Giga open in one window cubase with avi open in another. You have a few instruments open as you are building your song in cubase, not all your instruments are loaded right away. You do not necessarily know what instruments you want to use so you can switch sounds in channels while cubase continues to play with out having to change display size to 1600x1200 if your at 800x600. Also if you set your Giga sampler to take up the full screen, when you want to get at cubase you would have to keep finding your win 98 tool bar to switch back to cubase. I find the ease of use with the dual display amazing it\'s just a matter of looking at your other monitor. I\'m also able to edit on the other screen and audition samples with soundforge while cubase plays Giga sampler.
I can continue to change sounds in Giga then look at my other screen audition a wav sample in sound forge open the instrument editor create a new instrument all on the fly.

Many other applications with the dual head arise it\'s so
much easier. Got a 17\" monitor and a cheap 15\" monitor left over from a previous PI system. This set up works great for me. Depending on your setup and what you want to achieve it does help, make things easier. As Desound said previously the matrox is a great solution for dual head display as we have been getting many inquires about this
we decided to post here. The integration is smooth. So if you are looking for dual head
I also recommend the G400 dual head by matrox its great.

http://www.northernsounds.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/smile.gif
PaPa Chalk




[This message has been edited by PaPa Chalk (edited 12-16-1999).]

[Bill]

I now have the G400 setup on my system at work. The initial drivers were not compatible with MS Access (which I develop in), so it sat around for a couple of months. Now it works well, but still a few display glitches in some applications. For instance, I might click on a combo box in an application on the secondary screen, but the list shows on the main screed. Little things like that. Also, I definitely get more lock ups.

Would I go back? Never! Believe it or not, having two displays is better the one large one.

That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it…
Bill

[BWright]

Do they only have drivers for 98 or can it be setup for 95 or NT ?
$Cost ?
-Bill

[elle]

Now that we settle for two monitors :-), how about my question of having a dedicated but lean GS bow and how to link it to my main (sequencer/office/all day/...pc

Can anyone describe how such a setup would work?

thx

[Desound]

The G400 has drivers for the following operating systems: win95/98, win3.1, winNT, OS2, and even a win2000 beta driver a full two months ahead of Microsoft’s release date. There is also third party support for linux and beos.
With regards to elle\'s question I think you would need at least a video card and an input device, in order to start your remote system. The Dual display is ideally suited for a single system environment.

There are two versions of this card in our online store the only diffrence between the two are the operating speeds of the on board processors. The max card is faster.

Desound


[This message has been edited by Desound (edited 12-16-1999).]

[Bill]

BWright,

Here\'s where I got mine:

http://ecommerce.tdn.net/cgi-bin/prodinfo?sn=34365598249385&cd=MGR00001 (\"http://ecommerce.tdn.net/cgi-bin/prodinfo?sn=34365598249385&cd=MGR00001\")

Their currently $175

[jwross]

Elle,

You ask some questions that are a bit off this topic, and is getting ignored. Perhaps I can help you.

Here are your questions:

How far can one go to achieve a \'naked\' GS
box as a second PC.

1.Could you link in the GS app from the second PC through the G400 on the main/Sequencer PC.

>> No, the G400 is awonderful card, I use it on my samplitude computer, But all it does is output the video from one computer. It cannot link to another computer. Sorry.

2.What about ommitting the video card, audio card, CDrom, ....just motheroard, ram, HD and Winlite?

>>>> Once again, sorry no. Someone may say that you can use PC Anywhere on a 100mb lan connection. Don\'t believe them. It just isn\'t fast enough and even so it cannot directly access the sound card. You can network the computers and that I recommend. But I would not recommend ommitting anything from inside the computer.

3. how would one coupe both PCs?
Am I making sense? (sorry I\'m a non-tech person)

>>>>Well here we go. Now you can omit the keyboard, monitor, and mouse on the second machine. You need an ELECTRONIC (not passive) KVM. Belkin makes the best one, it is available everywere and should cost you about $130. This allows you to plug in one Keyboard (K), Moitor (V), Mouse (M) and output to 2 computers. Your local computer store can assist you with the cables etc. you need. This can save you tons of desktop real estate. On the front of the box are buttons marked A and B. You click A and see and control computer A. You click B and see and control computer B. Very cool.

You then simply midi together the main computer to the Giga computer. I use 2 midi patch bays in my studio but you don\'t need to go that far. Just a couple of midi cables will do it.

I hope this helps. Since this is off topic if you need further clarification please email me at jwross@pipeline.com and I will try to help.

My personal studio has 6 Monitors, 5 keyboard/Mouse combos and 4 computers. And thats before the racks and 88\'s. I can understand trying to keep things small. It is amazing that noone has yet created a way to run two PC\'s parellel like you describe (well in the industrial world there are such things, they cost major bucks, the hardware 512k Gigasampler is a computer like this).

Good Luck!

John

[elle]

Thx John,

This is the first good answer I got.
As a non tech person I am amazed why this is not on the market. I quess for the moment I\'ll do it your way..

cheers,
luk

[mr wolf]

Hi Papa and Desound...and everyone

I have another question about the G400 dual monitor system. I\'m running GS and Cubase VST24/Wavelab on one computer with a Gina (for GS) and a Yamaha DSP Factory card for Cubase.

(By the way, this arrangement works great for recording purposes... I monitor GS through the Gina\'s analog outs, then transfer spdif from the Gina into the Yamaha DSP when ready to record audio)

Now for the dual monitor question... It would be great sometimes to have separate monitors for cubase and giga (as you have mentioned)....

BUT what would be REALLY great for me is to be able to run Cubase with its windows spread across two monitors. Is this possible with the dual monitor system? Cubase has a wonderful full-screen mixer window to control the DSP Factory card, but it becomes very difficult to work with this big window along with the regular VST mixer windows... along with any other cubase windows. Any time I use the DSP Factory window, the VST mixer becomes hidden... Mixdown would be much easier if I could work with both mixing windows open at the same... eg on separate monitors.

I have not been able to find anyone yet who can tell me if Cubase supports the use of two monitors this way, or if the G400 system does.

Thanks for any information ....

[Bill]

Mr. Wolf (didn’t I see you in Pulp Fiction?)

In Windows jargon, most applications employ what’s called Multiple Document Interface or MDI. In this setup, the application, weather it be a spreadsheet or a sequencer, is the main window and the documents you open are ‘child’ windows that must stay within the bounds of the ‘parent’ main window. There are often items that can be moved outside the bounds of the main window. Toolbars are a typical example.

Can the DSP Factory mixer run outside the VST window? If so, you can move it over to the second monitor and maximize it. It’s also possible to re-size an application across both monitors (provided it’s not maximized), and display some ‘child’ windows on one monitor and some on the other.

Hope this helps,
Bill


[This message has been edited by Bill (edited 12-23-1999).]

[mr wolf]

Thx Bill

That was the info that I needed. I discovered today that none of the mixer windows can run outside of the VST window...:-(

Perhaps Steinberg will add this feature sometime.

Thanks again