GSIF/soundcard Questions

[belbin]

Dude(ettes),
It is advertised by M-Audio that multiple delta cards can be used in the same system without conflict. Anyone know if this is true of a combination of Delta (mine is a 44) card with the audiophile 2496? I'm setting up a second giga sysem soon, and if I can use my delta with a 2496 in one computer, while using just a 2496 in the giga-only system, that would be awesome.

Also, the reason I may want an audiophile in each is that I would like to use a GSIF2 audio/midi interface in each machine, where the delta 44 is audio only. I have a usb midi interface, but don't want to be limited to one port in gs.
Am I right that i need such a card in both machines to get 8 ports? Or is this not good enough? Do I need to get MOL?

Summary: Can I use a delta and audiophile in one machine w/o conflicts?
Can I get all 8 ports in gs3 by using a 2496 in my midi machine and a 2496 in my dedicated sampling machine?

Any advice greatly appreciated,
Belbin

[Joanne Babunovic]

Hi Belbin -

You might want to clarify - you aren't really saying you want two cards in one physical machine?

I get eight ports out (4 stereo) of my giga computer (only at GS V2.5) using lightpipe to another RME card in my primary computer - if that helps at all.

Joanne

[tcovem]

I'm not sure about mixing the 2 cards, I would think you should ask M-Audio, they're bound to know. As for MIDI, I think I'm not understanding: are you looking for 8 MIDI ports (for a total of 128 channels) to communicate between the two machines? The Audiophile only has one MIDI port, so 16 channels. You'd need to supplement that with a USB MIDI box or something if you want the other 7 channels. And then you couldn't use the GSIF2 low-latency MIDI -- GS doesn't let you mix the two. You either ONLY use the GSIF2 MIDI ports on your audio-MIDI card, or you have to use the normal, higher-latency settings for any combination of ports on your audio-MIDI card and other MIDI device.

...Help at all?

-Alison

[Bill]

You can put up to 4 Delta cards in one machine, any combination. They all use the same control panel.

[belbin]

Thanks, Gals. That is somewhat helpful. I know I should check with M-Audio on the card-mixing thing, but NS is often easier and faster that manufacturer e-mails (not to complain-I've never dealt with M-Audio;s tech support), not to mention you get a variety of replies on NS.
As for clarifying my intentions:
I'd like to be able to use all ports-not that I'm certain I'll need it. I expect 2 or 3 ports to be plenty, given ram limitations, and the fact that I'll be using 2 giga machines. Only one port is a bit of a limitation, considering that a second giga machine and associated side licenses etc makes for a considerable investment.

You mean to tell me that an audio/midi combo card only allows 16 channels?? So one physical MIDI I/O is strictly and literally one port?
I gather that the GSIF2 standard is about low latency and direct MIDI to GS3, but isn't it also what allows one to use 8 ports? As I asked earlier, should I just get MIDI over LAN??

Sorry for the rambling confusion, but I don't quite know where to begin...

Thanks,
Belbin

[tcovem]

Yes, a MIDI port in GS is one MIDI cable in real life, if you choose to use real life MIDI cables. Your audiophile card only has one MIDI port: one wire, 16 channels.

GSIF2's benefit to MIDI is indeed in low latency. It has nothing to do with the number of ports. You can use 8 ports with GSIF1 if you want... if you could get an audio card with 8 MIDI ports which you can't :p Though, maybe you can combine multiple audio/MIDI cards... but you'd have to have at least 4 of them becasue the most MIDI ports on any card I know of is 2.

MIDI over LAN may have even higher latency than hardware, USB or firewire MIDI. I'm not sure. There are lots of threads about MOL though.

What I do is use the 2 MIDI ports on my WaveCenterPCI card, and supplement that with 6 ports on a MOTU USB MIDI device. Or, at least, I would if I were using 8 ports... actually I'm only using 4 so I'm using just the MOTU for now, for simplicity and uniformity. As I said before, you can't mix the nice, low-latency GSIF2 ports (on the Audiophile or in my case the WaveCenterPCI) with non-GSIF2 ports on a non-audiocard MIDI device like a MOTU. You CAN use ports from both, but the ports on the audiocard will be regular latency.

-Alison

[belbin]

So one would need a multiport device in each of the master and slave computers...that's rough. What kind of cost are we talking about? Recommendations?

Thanks,
Belbin

ps. Apologies, Bill my reply thast said "thanks gals", was submitted before I actually saw your message. :D

[tcovem]

Well, if you get a MOTU microlite for each machine that's, what, a few hundred? That gives you 5 ports on the MOTUs plus 1 or 2 on the sound card... still not 8 ports but can you really fill 8 ports before you hit the RAM wall?

Or go MOL... I just haven't because I know MIDI works...uhh... mostly... through hardware.

[SteveHanlon]

My opinion, MOL works great. Do away with the cables. Easy to configure too.

[belbin]

My opinion, MOL works great. Do away with the cables. Easy to configure too.


That's sounding better all the time. :D

Belbin

[Daryl]

I am using FX Teleport with Giga VST adapter with 1 host machine and 3 slaves. I have no MIDI cables and only 1 soundcard...!

D

[TARI]

I have only one soundcard, and with GS3 connected via rewire to Cubase I can have as many channels as I want, but I don't use the GSIF driver at all.

[dpc]

How is MOL with tons of midi tracks and polyphony for say huge orchestral arrangements? Anyone doing that?

Dave Connor

[belbin]

How is MOL with tons of midi tracks and polyphony for say huge orchestral arrangements? Anyone doing that?

Dave Connor


Ditto. Anyone at all?

Belbin