soundscape mixer DSP-Powered Mixing Software for PC based Audio Workstations Reference Guide Version 4.
Soundscape Mixpander Table 0f Contents 1. Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 5 How to use the manuals............................................................................................................................................. 5 Reading conventions ..................................................................................................................................................
Soundscape Mixpander Placing mixer elements in the mixer column ................................................................................................... 49 Signal routing in the mixer column ................................................................................................................... 49 Using the internal buses ......................................................................................................................................
Soundscape Mixpander Control/Edit toggle [E] ............................................................................................................................................. 87 Take Snapshot............................................................................................................................................................ 87 8. Settings Menu .................................................................................................................
Soundscape Mixpander 1. Introduction How to use the manuals The SSL Soundscape product range has been designed from the ground up to be easy to use. If you are familiar with the Windows environment, installing PCI cards and the basics of recording and playing back digital audio, you could probably just set the system up and feel comfortable running a session within an hour.
Soundscape Mixpander configuration is different, because you are using a different version of Windows, because you are using different Windows settings, or because the look of the SSL Soundscape Mixer can vary (e.g., the Toolbar can be moved around the main window). The screenshots themselves were not always made using the SSL Soundscape Mixer’s default settings.
Soundscape Mixpander 2. Mixer The SSL Soundscape Mixer runs on the Motorola DSP chips of the SSL Soundscape Mixpander card. The Mixer structure and routing are user definable and offer unrivalled flexibility for the use of real-time plug-in effects, EQs and processors. VST and VSTi plug-ins running on the host CPU can also be inserted directly in the SSL Soundscape Mixer environment.
Soundscape Mixpander You can load different mixers to experiment with by clicking “Open” under the File menu. A standard Windows dialog box will appear allowing you to select a mixer. The default path for mixer files is: C:\Soundscape\Mix\sslMixer. NOTE: Mixers created in older versions of the software are generally compatible with newer versions.
Soundscape Mixpander output to a sequencer track, and then mute the real-time effect to save processing power for other purposes. NOTE: Pressing the BP button (bypass) for an element does not reduce the DSP power consumption, as the element is still instantly available. Only muting the element with the Mute tool will reduce the DSP power used. Each mixer element consumes a certain percentage of DSP resources and the total percentage of DSP processing (P) and memory (M) resources used (i.e.
Soundscape Mixpander DSP resources and Mixer Auto Routing Assigning a mixer column to a DSP NOTE: This section assumes that Mixer Edit mode is selected (press [E] to switch between Mixer Edit mode and Mixer Control mode) and that the I/O and DSP Assign tool has been selected for the left mouse button by clicking on its icon: Clicking in an empty area of a mixer column running on an SSL Soundscape Mixpander DSP with the I/O and DSP Assign tool calls up a list of the available DSPs for that card with their
Soundscape Mixpander Mixer Auto Routing Mixer auto routing can be enabled or disabled by respectively ticking or unticking the “Auto Route Mixer” item under menu: Settings. If it is enabled, the SSL Soundscape Mixpander’s DSP resources will be allocated automatically when the mixer configuration is edited. This may override prior DSP resources assignments that have been made manually. For instance, a mixer column that has been assigned to DSP 4 may be reassigned to DSP 5.
Soundscape Mixpander Basic mixer column structure This diagram shows signal routing through a stereo input mixer column that uses an output element with fader. The signal can be fed via any of the external inputs, it can be internally sent from another mixer column via one of the “buses” or it can be received from a Windows application via a streaming input.
Soundscape Mixpander Viewing the Mixer The SSL Soundscape Mixer can be displayed in either of two modes: full column size or small column size. Both options are available under the View menu, by clicking the corresponding View button in the Toolbar or by pressing the [X] or [Q] key on the computer keyboard. There is also an option to have the SSL Soundscape Mixer window “Always on top” under the View menu.
Soundscape Mixpander NOTE: Once a Mixer has been loaded, it remains active even if the window is closed. The Mixer contains 128 mixer column slots, each of which can contain one mixer column, and a horizontal scrollbar is provided for navigation across the Mixer window. A vertical scrollbar appears when necessary, i.e., whenever one or more mixer columns cannot be entirely viewed in the SSL Soundscape Mixer window.
Soundscape Mixpander an EQ in after the send. If you need one auxiliary send in a mixer column and eight in another column, just create them as required, and so on! Mixer controls overview Mixer columns can have the following standard controls and buttons: − In all cases: an input element and an output element with mute buttons, and a name field. − On most plug-in elements (not track inserts, peakmeters or sends): a bypass button.
Soundscape Mixpander Output pan and balance controls Output pan and balance sliders can be clicked and dragged with the mouse. It is also possible to change the value in the box, to the right of the slider: − Right-clicking or left-clicking in the box respectively increases or decreases the value in steps of 1. − Right-clicking or left-clicking in the box and holding the mouse button down respectively increases or decreases the value continuously.
Soundscape Mixpander Faders Whenever several output faders are assigned to the same fader and mute group, clicking and dragging any single one of them with the right mouse button will cause all the faders in the group to move together. The grouped faders keep their original position relative to each other while they are moving, until one or more of them reaches minimum or maximum level and cannot move any further.
Soundscape Mixpander Right-clicking an inactive solo button solos the corresponding output and all the outputs that have the same fader and mute group assignment. It also silences all the outputs that have both a different fader and mute group assignment and the same solo group assignment as any one of the soloed outputs.
Soundscape Mixpander Creating/Editing a Mixer To create a Mixer, select “New” under the File menu. If a Mixer is already open, you will be given the option to save it. Then a blank Mixer will appear.
Soundscape Mixpander NOTE: When the mouse pointer is placed on a tool icon, a tooltip is shown near the mouse pointer and a description of that tool’s function is displayed in the Status Bar at the bottom of the SSL Soundscape Mixer window: The Toolbar itself can moved to the top, bottom, right side or left side of the SSL Soundscape Mixer window. It can also be undocked and used as a separate window which can itself be moved or resized in the normal way.
Soundscape Mixpander Releasing the mouse button when the outline appears as a dashed line will undock the Toolbar: Page 21 of 109
Soundscape Mixpander To dock the Toolbar again, drag the Toolbar window back to the top, bottom, right side or left side of the main SSL Soundscape Mixer window. Release the mouse button when the outline is shown as a solid line. DSP power limit The “P” value reported in the Mixer window’s Status Bar is the average percentage per DSP of the available clock cycles which is required to run the SSL Soundscape Mixer at the selected Sample Rate (taking the Varispeed setting into account if applicable).
Soundscape Mixpander Basic principles: mixer element inputs/outputs, connecting mixer elements Each mixer element has at least one input and one output, and some elements have many more. These individual inputs and outputs come in three categories: "fixed", "assignable", and "recorder". It is helpful to visualize them in order to understand the signal flow within a mixer column. Fixed inputs/outputs The fixed inputs and outputs connect the various mixer elements within a mixer column.
Soundscape Mixpander Fixed inputs and outputs always connect to an output or input with a matching number. For instance, an element with a single mono output, (output 1), will always connect to the left side input, (input 1), of a stereo element, as shown below.
Soundscape Mixpander It is important to take account of this when building a Mixer, because the two configurations shown above would look the same within a mixer column: If you need to check the input/output configuration of an existing mixer element, click on it with the Element Info tool in Mixer Edit mode. A window containing the relevant information will be displayed.
Soundscape Mixpander Assignable inputs/outputs The assignable inputs and outputs connect mixer elements across mixer columns, to the external inputs and outputs of the SSL Soundscape hardware, or to the host PC via the “streams”. In our diagrams they are not numbered. Instead they are indicated by an “A”, and this means that their routing can be determined freely using the I/O and DSP Assign tool.
Soundscape Mixpander Recorder inputs/outputs The recorder inputs and outputs are specific to the track insert elements. They are indicated by an "R" in our diagrams. The track insert elements are designed as a practical way to connect to a recording application such as an audio + MIDI sequencer. Therefore, they are assignable only to “streams” linking the SSL Soundscape Mixer to the PC and vice versa. Track insert elements are color-coded according to the stream(s) they are assigned to.
Soundscape Mixpander The recorder inputs allow audio data to be received from the recording application for playback. The diagram to the right shows how, when the sequencer is in Play mode, audio data received at the recorder inputs of a stereo track insert element is sent to the multi EQ element below via fixed outputs 1 and 2.
Soundscape Mixpander Mixer column input/output configurations When you select the Create tool and click in an empty mixer column slot in “Mixer Edit” mode, a menu appears, prompting you to create a new mixer column. If you have several units (SSL Soundscape cards) in your system, the menu will let you choose the unit that the mixer column will be created for. Several mixer column configurations are available, always including “built-in” input and output elements.
Soundscape Mixpander For mono in ‐ stereo out, the input is mono, but the input signal needs to reach both inputs of a stereo output element. This mixer column configuration should only be created in order to use a stereo process or effect on a mono source (e.g., a mono to stereo chorus or reverb).
Soundscape Mixpander For stereo in ‐ mono out, only the left side of the stereo input will be connected to the mixer column’s output. This configuration can be used to insert a 2 in/1 out mixer element such as a mono compressor with side-chain input. The main signal will reach the compressor via input 1, the key signal will reach the compressor via input 2. Only the main signal will reach the compressor’s single output. A typical stereo in - mono out mixer column, as seen within the Mixer.
Soundscape Mixpander For stereo in ‐ mono to stereo out, only the left side of the stereo input is connected through the mixer column, but it splits into stereo at the pan control. This configuration, just like the stereo in mono out configuration described above, can be used to insert a 2 in/1 out mixer element such as a mono compressor with side-chain input. The only difference is that the output can be panned left or right as required with the mono to stereo output element.
Soundscape Mixpander 4 in ‐ stereo out mixer columns This configuration would be used for Dolby Surround encoding, which will be described later, and to insert a 4 in/2 out mixer element such as a stereo compressor with side-chain input (the Drawmer SDX100 was used in the example below). The main signal must reach the compressor via inputs 1-2, the key signal must reach the compressor via inputs 3-4. Only the main signal will reach the compressor’s outputs.
Soundscape Mixpander Mixer column input/output configurations for surround mixing For mono in ‐ mono to LRCS out, the signal path through the mixer column is mono, allowing mono processes or effects to be applied to the signal, (such as the mono multi EQ in the example below), before it is positioned in the soundfield using the surround panner. A mono in - mono to LRCS out mixer column, as seen within the Mixer. The same mixer column, presented as a connection diagram.
Soundscape Mixpander The mono in ‐ mono to 5.1 out configuration is similar to the mono in ‐ mono to LRCS out configuration, except that the output element has six individual outputs for L, R, C, LFE, Ls and Rs. A mono in - mono to 5.1 out mixer column, as seen within the Mixer. The same mixer column, presented as a connection diagram.
Soundscape Mixpander For mixer columns with a mono or stereo to LRCS or 5.1 output, double-clicking the output element just next to the small surround panner, or in the output assignment box will open the Surround Panner window: The panner features individual pan dots for the Left (white or mono) and Right (red, stereo panner only) input signal(s).
Soundscape Mixpander The Front, Rear and F/R (Front/Rear) divergence controls allow the sound to blend gradually, respectively between the front speakers (as if the front speakers were brought closer to each other), rear speakers (as if the rear speakers were brought closer to each other) or front and rear speakers (as if the all speakers were brought closer to each other). Higher values create more separation.
Soundscape Mixpander – Four "L <-> R Pan Relation mode" buttons allow the pan dot positions to be controlled independently, or allow the dots to be linked so that their positions are automatically mirrored horizontally, vertically or diagonally when moving either pan dot.
Soundscape Mixpander A pair of mixer columns configured for Dolby encoding/decoding The same pair of mixer columns, presented as a connection diagram. A A A A 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 1 2 A A 1 2 A A 1 2 A send element in the first mixer column sends the stereo signal to the second column via buses 5 and 6 for decoding.
Soundscape Mixpander Other mixer column input/output configurations In addition to all the above, mixer column can also be created with 4, 6 or 8 inputs and outputs. These can be used for example to handle receive multitrack submixes via ADAT or AES/EBU ports. Input and output selection Each mixer column has at least one (built-in) user selectable input and output and may have any number of send elements.
Soundscape Mixpander NOTE: The front panel routing matrix of the XLogic Alpha‐Link unit is deactivated when the Alpha‐Link is used with a Mixpander and the SSL Soundscape Mixer. Input and output availability If the active Mixer file references inputs or outputs that are currently not available on the SSL Soundscape hardware, the corresponding input or output labeling is displayed in red.
Soundscape Mixpander Understanding the signal path The following diagram shows an exploded view of a possible routing which includes an external multi-effects unit connected to an SSL Soundscape Mixpander via a pair of analogue inputs of the Xlogic Alpha-Link. Mixer column 1 (Drums) has its input muted so that the signal starts with recorded tracks 1-2, received from an audio sequencer via track insert 7-8.
Soundscape Mixpander MULTI FX Out 15-16 U1 In 15/16 U1 Muted inputs Muted inputs Sequencer tracks 1/2 Sequencer tracks 3/4 Multi FX return Tracks 1 to 4 & Multi FX return EQ’d Signal EQ’d Signal EQ’d Signal Final mix out 13-14 U1 Page 43 of 109
Soundscape Mixpander Step by step mixer column To fully understand the mixer creation process, it can be useful to think of a particular mixer column configuration, then set out to create it. You can follow this step by step example to create a stereo mixer column with a stereo track insert assigned to streams 9-10 and a 4 band multi EQ. 1. Click “New” under the File menu.
Soundscape Mixpander 3. Click in a vertical mixer column slot with the Create tool, hold the mouse button down, select the required type of mixer column and release the mouse button. In this example we have opted for Stereo Input/Stereo Output with Fader and Equal Power Panning in mixer column slot 1: 4.
Soundscape Mixpander 5. Still using the Create tool, click anywhere within the blank area of the mixer column. A menu will appear where all available mixer elements are listed and can be selected. Select “Track (Stereo)” and release the mouse button to create a stereo track insert: NOTE: The available mixer elements listed in the menu vary depending on what optional plug‐ins are installed on your system, so the menu may not look exactly like the one in this example.
Soundscape Mixpander 6. We had set out to create a track insert assigned to streams 9-10. Therefore, we need to modify the track insert assignment. Select the I/O and DSP Assign tool (which is used for modifying elements or routing) by clicking its icon…: …and click on the track insert element. A menu will appear listing all the possible stereo stream pairs.
Soundscape Mixpander 7. Next, select the Create tool again, click in the blank area of the mixer column under the track insert. The mixer elements menu that you used to create the track insert will appear again.
Soundscape Mixpander 8. The required mixer column has now been created. While you are in Mixer Edit mode, please take some time to experiment with the other tools. It is possible to move or copy any mixer element within a mixer column using the Move or Copy tool. It is also possible to move or copy an entire mixer column to another mixer column slot.
Soundscape Mixpander back (i.e., if an audio sequencer records from this particular track insert, it will record the equalized signal). Using the internal buses The Mixer has a number of internal digital buses for each SSL Soundscape Mixpander installed in the host computer. These can be used to distribute or group signals that are to be sent to an internal effects processor or a master fader.
Soundscape Mixpander down increases or decreases the value continuously. The other mouse button can then be held down as well to speed up the process even more. − Double-clicking in a value box often calls up a dialog box where the required value can be entered using the computer keyboard. − Buttons (Bypass, Mute, Solo, etc.) respond to mouse-clicks. In some cases right-clicking them gives access to some extra functions (e.g., the “On” buttons in the multi EQ window).
Soundscape Mixpander Clicking a track insert element with the I/O and DSP Assign tool (in Mixer Edit mode) calls up a menu which can be used to change its stream assignment: Double-clicking a track insert element (in Mixer Control mode) opens the following dialog box: Checking or unchecking the “Mix input always” box determines whether the signal received at the input of the mixer column will be mixed with the signal received via the track insert.
Soundscape Mixpander Sends Several types of send elements are available: mono, stereo (with a balance control), mono to stereo (with a pan control), with or without Equal Power Panning. Any number of sends can be inserted anywhere in a mixer column as required. Any internal bus, external output or stream can be selected as the send destination using the I/O and DSP Assign tool (in Mixer Edit mode).
Soundscape Mixpander EQ 2-band The 2-band EQs are fully parametric, allowing band pass or notch filters with variable Q (bandwidth), cut and boost and center frequency. You can place as many EQs as you need in a mixer column and all will be active simultaneously. If you are interested in the technical definition of Q, it comes from the parameter that is used to specify the Quality Factor (Q) of an inductor (coil), that in a passive filter determines how selective (narrow) the filter is.
Soundscape Mixpander Double-clicking an EQ 2-band element opens the following window: The response of the EQ is shown in the curve display and you can adjust the parameters using the faders or value boxes in the usual way. Multiple EQ windows can be opened at the same time, so for identifying which EQ elements the window is connected to, the mixer column and element numbers are shown in the title bar. Just below the title bar there is a field where the name of the current preset is displayed.
Soundscape Mixpander Double-clicking the multi EQ element will open the following window, where all the parameters can be edited in several ways: Below the curve display, to the left of the window, there is an input attenuator, which is provided for the cases where boosting certain frequencies in the EQ causes overload. Note that if the signal overloads, the EQ curve will change from blue to red, and this even happens in the small multi EQ display within the main Mixer window.
Soundscape Mixpander mouse pointer is held on one of the buttons, a banner will also appear displaying the corresponding curve type name. The other parameters, “Frequency”, “Q-factor”, and “Gain”, can be edited using the knobs or the value boxes: − The knobs can be “clicked and dragged” with the mouse. Once a knob has been “grabbed”, the distance between mouse pointer and knob determines the resolution of the knob’s response. Finer adjustments become possible as this distance is increased.
Soundscape Mixpander The EQ curve can also be edited directly in the curve display: − The center frequency for each EQ band is represented in the curve display by a “node”. Each node has a number, so that they can all be identified easily even if they have been moved around a lot (any of the EQ bands can be set to any center frequency, so the node for EQ Band 1 could end up being between the nodes for EQ bands 3 and 4). The nodes can be “clicked and dragged” with the mouse.
Soundscape Mixpander The signal can be delayed by up to 255 samples. The value can be edited directly in the value box using the mouse buttons in the usual way. Alternatively, double-clicking in the value box will call up a dialog box where the required value can be entered: Of course, there is room for creative uses of the sample delay line.
Soundscape Mixpander The various controls and their operation have been described in the “Mixer controls overview”, “Output pan and balance controls”, and “Fader and mute groups, output mute buttons, solo groups and solo buttons” sections of this chapter. NOTE: As well as sending a duplicate of the signal to the selected destination, an output element also passes the original signal through to the next element below it in the Mixer column where it is inserted.
Soundscape Mixpander MS Decoder NOTE: The MS (“mid‐side”) recording technique consists of combining (matrixing) two signals, typically from one cardioid and one figure of eight condenser microphones, to create a stereo signal.
Soundscape Mixpander The gain and width parameters for the MS signal can be adjusted directly in the mixer column using the mouse buttons. If you hold down both mouse buttons the values can be changed more quickly, and the direction of the change is determined by the mouse button pressed first.
Soundscape Mixpander The editable parameters are as follows: Input section – Lock Mid button: If the Lock Mid mode is activated (button highlighted): ...then the relative gain of the mid MS matrix input signal is not affected by the “width” setting (described below). If the Lock Mid mode is not activated (button not highlighted): ...then the relative gains of the mid and side MS matrix input signals vary at the same time and in opposite directions. – Gain (-36.0, 6.
Soundscape Mixpander – Switch Outputs button: Switch Outputs button Interchanges the output channels. – Toggle Mid On/Off button: Mid On/Off button Clicking this button cuts the mid MS matrix input signal (as shown above), so that the effect of the MS matrix on the side signal can be monitored easily. – Toggle Side On/off button: Side On/Off button Clicking this button cuts the side MS matrix input signal (as shown above), so that the effect of the MS matrix on the mid signal can be monitored easily.
Soundscape Mixpander Graphical display The display provides a visual representation of the perceived soundfield, as defined and modified in real time by the parameter controls, and contributes to the intuitive operation of the MS Decoder. The direction and length of the M and S vectors (dotted lines) represent the orientation and gain of the mid signal microphone and side signal microphone respectively.
Soundscape Mixpander Bass Shelving section – Gain M (-6.0, 6.0 dB): Bass shelving gain setting of the mid MS matrix input signal. This parameter is used in combination with the “Gain S” parameter mainly in order to enhance the stereo perception at lower frequencies. NOTE: The Q‐factor of the shelving filter is constant and equal to 0.7. – Gain S (-6.0, 6.0 dB): Bass Shelving Gain setting of the side MS matrix input signal.
Soundscape Mixpander SDX100 compressor/expander/noise gate, the Saturated Fat distortion and cabinet modelling processor and Final Mix mastering processor by Acuma Labs, the SSL Console EQ and Filters by Solid State Logic and the Soundscape EACM EQ1 and EQ2.developed by Algorithmix and Solid State Logic. New DSP Effects Plug-ins are constantly being developed for the SSL Soundscape platform, please check our website for the latest information.
Soundscape Mixpander column will use the same streams. Available streams are assigned automatically to VST plug-ins, taking into account that streams already used by a Windows application or assigned to a mixer input, output or send element are not available.
Soundscape Mixpander Operationally, VST plug-ins within the SSL Soundscape Mixer generally behave in a similar fashion to Soundscape format DSP-powered plug-ins and Soundscape mixer elements in general. They can be moved or copied using the relevant tools, their settings are saved as part of the Mixer, and automation works in the same way as for other mixer elements. However, the text box at the top of the main plug-in window behaves a bit differently.
Soundscape Mixpander If a processing overload occurs in the host PC, a warning message is displayed, the VST mixer elements turn red and the Mixer is deactivated: Click “OK” to close the message box. To reactivate the Mixer, its configuration must be changed. This can be done quickly by selecting the Mute tool, and muting and unmuting one of the mixer elements.
Soundscape Mixpander VSTi mixer elements Everything written in the previous section about VST plug-ins also applies to VSTi (VST instrument) plug-ins. In addition, for VSTi plug-ins, when their main window is open, clicking the arrow to the right of the “Port” and “Chan” fields will call up menus where a MIDI input port and MIDI channel respectively can be selected by clicking their name. NOTE: In order to use VST instruments, a MIDI interface must installed on the host computer and correctly configured.
Soundscape Mixpander Additional information regarding VST/VSTi plug-in compatibility A command line switch is needed to enable certain VST or VSTi plug-ins to work in the Soundscape environment. Typically, launching the SSL Soundscape Mixer application without the command line switch when such a plug-in is installed results in an “object initialization” error and the program does not open.
Soundscape Mixpander NOTE: Using this command line switch may slow down the performance of the Console Manager application, although this is generally unlikely.
Soundscape Mixpander 3. Control Surfaces and Automation The SSL Soundscape Mixer can be controlled from a hardware control surface and supports full MIDI automation via the SSL Soundscape Console Manager program, which can be downloaded from the Solid State Logic website. When Console Manager is installed on the host PC, it can be launched by clicking “Connect to Console Manager” under the Settings menu of the SSL Soundscape Mixer application.
Soundscape Mixpander …will call up a window where all the automatable controls for that element are listed: The automation can be enabled or disabled for each individual parameter by respectively checking or unchecking the corresponding box, and can be enabled or disabled globally for all the parameters of the mixer element using the “Enable all” and “Disable all” buttons. Clicking “OK” will save the changes and close the window, clicking “Cancel” will undo the changes and close the window.
Soundscape Mixpander 4. Status Bar The Status Bar is located at the bottom of the SSL Soundscape Mixer window. It can be shown or hidden by ticking or unticking “Status Bar” under the View menu. When it is visible, it can be hidden by right-clicking it and unticking “View Status Bar”: The Status Bar shows information about the percentage of DSP resources used by the Mixer, as described in the “Mixer” chapter.
Soundscape Mixpander 5. File Menu New [Ctrl]+[N] Clicking “New”. will create a new, empty Mixer, as described in the “Mixer” chapter. If a Mixer is already active when you click this item and has been edited since the last save, the following dialog box will appear, giving you the option to save it. If you click Yes you will be presented with a standard Windows “Save” dialog box.
Soundscape Mixpander Open [Ctrl]+[O] Clicking “Open” calls up a standard Windows dialog box which can be used to open a mixer file stored on the PC. The default path for mixer files is C:\Soundscape\Mix\ssMixer. If a Mixer is already active when you click this item, the same dialog box will appear as when you click “New Mix” in the same conditions (see above). If the Mixer you are opening includes one or more mixer elements which are not available (e.g.
Soundscape Mixpander If the Mixer you are opening has one or more columns which refer to units that are not available (e.g., cards that you have removed from the computer), the following dialog box will be displayed: Select “Skip this column” if you want to load the Mixer without these columns.
Soundscape Mixpander In the bottom section of the dialog box you can specify what action should be taken the next time this situation occurs. Clicking “Cancel” in the main dialog box will abort the procedure. In that case the Mixer will not be loaded and the following message will be displayed: Save [Ctrl]+[S] Clicking “Save” updates the last saved version of the active Mixer to the current state of this Mixer.
Soundscape Mixpander Save As Clicking “Save As” calls up a standard Windows dialog box where the Mixer can be named or renamed and the save destination changed: Previous mixers This section of the menu displays a list of the most recently used mixers. Clicking a mixer’s name will load it.
Soundscape Mixpander Close Clicking “Close” closes the SSL Soundscape Mixer window. However, the Mixer remains active and the window can be reopened by clicking the system tray icon. This is the same as clicking the Close button in the top right corner of the SSL Soundscape Mixer window. Exit Clicking “Exit” closes the program. If the currently active Mixer has been edited since the last save, the following dialog box will appear, giving you the option to save it.
Soundscape Mixpander 6. View Menu Toolbar Ticking or unticking this item determines whether the Toolbar will be shown as in the picture below…: …or hidden as shown here: NOTE: This setting applies regardless of the current position and docked/undocked status of the Toolbar.
Soundscape Mixpander Status Bar Ticking or unticking this item determines whether the Status Bar placed at the bottom of the SSL Soundscape Mixer window will be shown as in the picture below…: …or hidden as shown here: NOTE: Right‐clicking the Status Bar calls up a pop‐up menu. Unticking “View Status Bar” in that menu will also hide the Status Bar. Small Column Size [Q] Clicking this item (or pressing [Q] on the computer keyboard) selects a narrow view mode for the SSL Soundscape Mixer window.
Soundscape Mixpander If the “Use hierarchical mixer element selection menu” option is enabled (ticked), the menu is broken down into several sections: a smaller main menu, and pop-up submenus. All the standard mixer elements can be accessed from 3 main menu items: Version 2.xx Mixer, Version 2.xx Mixer (Part B), and Version 2.xx Mixer (Part C).
Soundscape Mixpander Error status The “Clear Error Status”, “Watch for Errors” and “Keep Error Status until Clear” items of the View menu are also available in a pop-up menu that can be called up by right-clicking the Status Bar. Double-clicking the Status Bar is equivalent to clicking “Clear Error Status”. Clear Error Status Error codes may be displayed in the Status Bar: PO for processing overruns, SU for streaming underruns, INACT for inactive.
Soundscape Mixpander 7. Edit Menu Tool selection The first section of the Edit menu lists the editing tools, and clicking on any item in this section assigns the corresponding tool to the left mouse button. Control/Edit toggle [E] Clicking this item or pressing [E] on the computer keyboard switches between the Mixer Edit and Mixer Control modes, as described in the “Creating/Editing a Mixer” section of the “Mixer” chapter. It is equivalent to clicking the Control/Edit toggle button in the Toolbar.
Soundscape Mixpander 8. Settings Menu NOTE: Some options that appear in the Settings menu apply to the SSL Soundscape Mixtreme and Mixtreme 192 hardware. Options that do not appear in the Settings menu for the SSL Soundscape Mixpander or that are not applicable to that card are not described in this manual. NOTE: When an XLogic Alpha‐Link unit is used with a Mixpander, its front panel controls are disabled for the parameters that can be adjusted under the Settings menu.
Soundscape Mixpander When the mouse pointer is on “Master Device” a submenu listing the hardware units (SSL Soundscape audio cards) installed in the PC is displayed. Clicking the name of a card selects it as the Master Device. The Master Clock mode of an SSL Soundscape audio card can only be set to “Internal” if that card is the Master Device.
Soundscape Mixpander When AES/EBU-A 1-2, AES/EBU-A 3-4, AES/EBU-A 5-6 or AES/EBU-A 7-8 is selected, the SSL Soundscape hardware is slaved to the AES Clock signal received via the corresponding AES/EBU input pair of the XLogic Alpha-Link unit’s eight-channel AES/EBU connector A. ADAT A, ADAT B, ADAT C These options are available when the SSL Soundscape Mixpander is connected to an XLogic Alpha-Link MADI AX or Alpha-Link AX.
Soundscape Mixpander Synchronization This option is not applicable to the SSL Soundscape Mixpander hardware. Specific hardware settings When the mouse pointer is on “Specific hardware settings” submenus will be displayed allowing hardware settings to be defined. The example shown here is based on an SSL Soundscape Mixpander connected to an XLogic Alpha-Link MADI SX.
Soundscape Mixpander Sample Rate When the mouse pointer is on “Sample Rate”, a submenu appears that lets you select the Sample Rate. In a multiple unit configuration, Sample Rates that are not supported by the Master Device will appear dimmed. Note that if the Master Device supports Sample Rates higher than those supported by other SSL Soundscape hardware units in the system, these Sample Rates should not be selected even though they will appear as available in the submenu.
Soundscape Mixpander some Soundscape format DSP-powered plug-in demos (mentioned in the “Main Mixer” line if installed) and the VST/VSTi functionality (mentioned in the “Main Mixer” line if VST/VSTi dll files are present in the Soundscape VST folder).
Soundscape Mixpander When all the required passwords have been entered, click the “Save” button to enable them and exit the window. If you click “Cancel” a dialog box will require confirmation that you wish to cancel the password input: Click “Yes” to close the window, or “No” to make further corrections.
Soundscape Mixpander Native mixer elements Sample Buffer Size Clicking this item calls up a dialog box which can be used to set the Sample Buffer Size for native mixer elements: The default buffer size for native mixer elements is 128 samples. Typically, it should be raised if the PC is struggling to cope with the processing demands. Multiples of 64 up to 1024 can be used. If an invalid value is entered, the closest valid value below it will be used instead.
Soundscape Mixpander Auto Route Mixer Ticking or unticking this item respectively enables or disables the Mixer Auto Routing function. Please see the “DSP resources and Mixer Auto Routing” section of the “Mixer” chapter for details. Save Settings Clicking this item saves current parameter values set under the Settings menu to the registry. NOTE: Parameters such as the current window size and screen position are saved as part of the mixer file.
Soundscape Mixpander 9. Help Menu Clicking “About SSL Soundscape Mixer” under the Help menu opens the “About SSL Soundscape Mixer” window: Some essential information is displayed in this window: − The version number of the SSL Soundscape Mixer software. − The serial number of each SSL Soundscape audio card in your system. This number is required when a plug-in password must be generated. Clicking “OK” will close the window.
Soundscape Mixpander 10. Troubleshooting Hardware installation problems Several problems relating to the installation of PCI cards are listed below. Shared Interrupts (IRQs) on the PCI bus Typically for PCs that have 5 PCI slots there are 4 PCI slots and 1 AGP slot, but as there are only 4 IRQ lines assigned to PCI, there will sometimes be one IRQ line that is shared between two slots. This interrupt line is connected on the motherboard to two slots (e.g.
Soundscape Mixpander High speed SCSI cards High performance SCSI cards like the Adaptec AHA-2940UW or other Ultra-Wide SCSI host adapters can block the PCI bus because of the high data rate, which may cause audio interruptions or clicks. If you experience clicks while using a high performance SCSI card, try reducing the maximum transfer rate.
Soundscape Mixpander Error status indications Processing Overrun (PO) When the Mixer’s DSP power requirement exceeds available resources, a Processing Overrun (PO) indication will be visible in the Status Bar, indicating that at the time of the message, the DSP did not have enough time to keep up with the processing demands of the current Mixer.
Soundscape Mixpander Index 4 4 in - stereo out mixer columns ...................................................................................................................33 A ADAT A, ADAT B, ADAT C (Master Clock) ............................................................................................90 Additional information regarding VST/VSTi plug-in compatibility......................................................72 AES/EBU-A 1-2, AES/EBU-A 3-4, AES/EBU-A 5-6, AES/EBU-A 7-8 (Master Clock)...
Soundscape Mixpander D Delete tool .......................................................................................................................................................19 Disclaimer ........................................................................................................................................................ 6 Dolby Encoding and Decoding ...................................................................................................................
Soundscape Mixpander H Hardware installation problems .................................................................................................................98 Help Menu ......................................................................................................................................................97 Serial number (of SSL Soundscape audio card) ....................................................................................
Soundscape Mixpander Additional information regarding VST/VSTi plug-in compatibility .................................................72 Assignable inputs/outputs .......................................................................................................................26 Assigning a mixer column to a DSP .......................................................................................................10 Basic mixer column structure .........................................................
Soundscape Mixpander Sample delay line ......................................................................................................................................58 Sends ...........................................................................................................................................................53 Signal path (understanding the...) ..........................................................................................................
Soundscape Mixpander P Pan ...................................................................................................................................................................16 Passwords (Settings Menu) ..........................................................................................................................92 Peakmeters......................................................................................................................................................60 PO .
Soundscape Mixpander Save Settings ..............................................................................................................................................96 Specific hardware settings .......................................................................................................................91 Varispeed ....................................................................................................................................................
Soundscape Mixpander Error status .................................................................................................................................................86 Full Column Size .......................................................................................................................................84 Hierarchical mixer element selection menu (Use...) .............................................................................84 Keep Error Status until Clear..............
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