Solid State Logic Soundscape Mixer manual

soundscape mixer  DSP-Powered Mixing Software for PC based Audio Workstations Reference Guide Version 4.3 English Version[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 2 of 109 Table 0f Contents 1. Introd uction ............................................................................................................... ........ 5 How to use th e manuals ........................................................................................................ ...........................[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 3 of 109 Placing mixer elements in t he mixer column .................................................................................... ............... 49 Signal routin g in the mixer column ............................................................................................ ....................... 49 Using the [...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 4 of 109 Control/Edit toggle [E] ....................................................................................................... ...................................... 87 Take Snapshot ................................................................................................................. ................[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 5 of 109 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, insta lling PCI cards and the basics of recording and playing back digital audio, you could probably just set the system up and feel com[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 6 of 109 configuration is different, because you are using a different version of Windows, because you are using different Windows settings, or because the lo ok of the SSL Soundscape Mixer can vary (e.g., the Toolbar can be moved around the main window ). The screenshots themselves were not al ways made using the SSL Sou[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 7 of 109 2. Mixer The SSL Soundscape Mixer runs on the Motorola DSP chips of the SSL So undscape Mixpander card. The Mixer structure and routing are user defi nable 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 inser[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 8 of 109 You can load different mixers to experiment wi th 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:Soun dscapeMixsslMixer. NOTE:  Mixers  created  in  older  versions  of  the  so[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 9 of 109 output to a sequencer track, and then mute the re al-time effect to save pr ocessing 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[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 10 of 109 DSP resources and Mixer Auto Routing Assigning a mixer column to a DSP NOTE:  This  section  assumes  that  Mixer  Edit  mode  is  select ed  (press  [E]  to  switch  between  Mixer  Edit  mode  and  Mixer  Control  mode)  and  that  the [...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 11 of 109 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 pr[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 12 of 109 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 appl[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 13 of 109 Viewing the Mixer The SSL Soundscape Mixer can be displayed in ei ther 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 compute r keyboard. There is also an optio[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 14 of 109 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  on e  mixer  column,  and  a  hor[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 15 of 109 an EQ in after the send. If you need one aux iliary send in a mixer column and eight in anot her 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,[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 16 of 109 Output pan and balance controls Output pan and balance sliders can be clicked and dragged with the mo use. 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 respecti vely increases or decreases the value in steps of 1. − Right-clickin[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 17 of 109 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 re lative to e ach other while they are moving, un[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 18 of 109 Right -clicking an inactive solo button solos the corre sponding output and all the outputs that have the same fader  and  mute  group assignment. It also silences all the outputs that have bot h a different fader and mute group assignment and the same solo group assignment as any one of the soloed outp[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 19 of 109 Creating/Editing a Mixer To create a Mixer, select “New” under the File me nu. If a Mixer is already open, you will be given the option to save it. Then a blank Mixer will appear. Clicking on the Mix Control/Edit toggle selects either “Mixer Control" mo de or “Mixer Edit” mode, and the Mix Control[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 20 of 109 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 ?[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 21 of 109 Releasing the mouse button when the outline appe ars as a dashed line will undock the Toolbar:[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 22 of 109 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. Rele ase the mouse button when the outline is shown as a solid line. DSP power limit The “P” value reported in the Mixer window’s Stat us Bar is the average percentag[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 23 of 109 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[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 24 of 109 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 belo w. This type of configuration should be avoided, because the presence of [...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 25 of 109 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 configuratio n of an existing mixer element, click on it with the Element Info tool in Mixer Edit mode. A wind ow containing t[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 26 of 109 Assignable inputs/outputs The assignable inputs and outputs connect mixer elements across mixer colu mns, 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. In stead they ar e indicated by an “A”, and this me ans [...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 27 of 109 Recorder inputs/outputs The recorder inputs and outputs are specific to th e track insert elements. They are indicated by an "R" in our diagrams. The track in sert elements are designed as a practical way to connect to a recording application such as an audio + MIDI sequencer. Therefore, they are assig[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 28 of 109 The recorder inputs allow au dio 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. NO[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 29 of 109 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 mi[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 30 of 109 For mono  in ‐  stereo  out , the input is mono, but the input sig nal needs to reach both inputs of a stereo output element. This mixer column configur ation should only be created i n order to use a stereo process or effect on a mono source (e.g., a m o n o t o s t e r e o c h o r u s o r r e v e[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 31 of 109 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 [...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 32 of 109 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 cont rol. This configuration, just like the stereo in - mono out configuration described above, can be used to insert a 2 in/1 out mixer[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 33 of 109 4  in ‐ stereo  out  mixer  columns  This configuration would be used for Dolby Surro und encoding, which will be descri bed 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[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 34 of 109 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 si gnal, (such as the mono multi EQ in the ex ample below), [...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 35 of 109 The mono  in ‐  mono  to  5.1  out configuration is similar t o 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 m ixer column, as seen wi thin the Mixer. T[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 36 of 109 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) [...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 37 of 109 The Front, Rear and F/R (Front/Rear) divergence controls allow the sound to blend gradually, respectively between the front speakers (as if the fr ont 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 s[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 38 of 109 – 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. NOTE:  The  output  routing  of[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 39 of 109 NOTE:  The  Dolby  Surround  process  uses  matrix  encoding  to  combine  4  channels,  (Left,  Center,  Right  and  Surround)  into  a  mono  and  stereo  compatible  stereo  signal.  This  can  be  decoded  by  a  Dol[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 40 of 109 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 receiv e multitrack submix es via ADAT or AES/EBU ports. Input and output selection Each mixer column has at[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 41 of 109 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 [...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 42 of 109 Understanding the signal path The following diagram shows an exploded view of a possi ble 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 wit[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 43 of 109 MULTI FX Out 15-16 U1 In 15/16 U1 Muted inputs Muted inputs Sequencer tracks 1/2 EQ’d Signal EQ’d Si g nal EQ’d Si g nal Multi FX return Tracks 1 to 4 & Multi FX return Sequencer tracks 3/4 Final mix out 13-14 U1[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 44 of 109 Step by step mixer column T o f u l l y u n d e r s t a n d t h e m i x e r c r e a t i o n p r o c e s s , i t c a n b e u s e f u l t o t h i n k o f a p a r t i c u l a r m i x e r column configuration, then set out to create it. Yo u can follow this step by step example to create a stereo mixer column with a[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 45 of 109 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. A mixer column will appear w[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 46 of 109 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  eleme[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 47 of 109 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 a n d D S P A s s i g n t o o l ( w h i c h i s u s e d f o r modifying elements or routing) by clicking its icon…: …and click on the track insert element. A menu wi[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 48 of 109  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. This time, select “multi EQ 4-Band (Stereo)”, then release the mouse button:  The multi EQ module will now be d[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 49 of 109 8. The required mixer column has now been crea ted. While you are in Mixer Edit mode, please take some time to experiment with the other to ols. It is possible to move or copy any mixer element within a mixer column using the Move or Copy tool . It is al so poss ib le to mov e o r co py an entire mixer column to[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 50 of 109 back (i.e., if an audio sequencer records from th is particular track insert, it will record the equalized signal). Using the internal buses The Mixer has a number of inter nal digital buses for each SSL So undscape Mixpander installed in the host computer. These can be used to distribute or group signals that a[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 51 of 109 down increases or decreases the value continuo usly. 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.) r[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 52 of 109 Clicking a track insert elemen t 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” bo x determine[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 53 of 109 Sends Several types of send elements are available: mono , stereo (with a balan ce 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 inte rnal bus, external output or stream can be selected as the se[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 54 of 109 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 , i t c o m e s[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 55 of 109 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 connecte[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 56 of 109 Double-clicking the multi EQ element will ope n 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 attenu ator, wh ich is provided for the cases where boosting certain frequencies in the EQ causes overload . Note th[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 57 of 109 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 “G ain”, can be edited using the knobs or the value boxes: − The knobs can be “clicked and dragged” with the mouse. Once a k n[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 58 of 109 The EQ curve can also be edited directly in the curve display: − The center frequency for each EQ band is repr esented in the curve display by a “node”. Each node has a number, so that they ca n all be identified easily even if they have been moved around a lot (any of the EQ bands can be set to any center[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 59 of 109 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 usua l way. Alternatively, double-clicking in the value box wil l call up a dialog box where the required value can be entered: Of course, there is room for creati ve uses of the sampl[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 60 of 109 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  o[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 61 of 109 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 [...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 62 of 109 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 dete rmined by the mouse button pressed first. Double- clicking a parameter value ca[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 63 of 109 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 inpu t signal is not affected by the “width” setti ng (described below). If the Lock Mid mode is not activated (button not [...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 64 of 109 – Switch Outputs button: Interchanges the output channels. – Toggle 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: Clicking this button cuts the side M[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 65 of 109 Graphical  display  The display provides a visual repr esentation of the perceived soun dfield, as defined and modified in real time by the parameter controls, and co ntributes to the intuitive operation of the MS Decoder. The direction and length of the M and S vectors (dotted lines) re present the orient[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 66 of 109 Bass  Shelving  section  – Gain M (-6.0, 6.0 dB): Bass shelving gain setting of th e mid MS matrix input signal. This parameter is used in combin ation with the “Gain S” parameter mainly in order to enhance the stereo perception at lower frequencies. NOTE:  The  Q ‐ factor  of  the ?[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 67 of 109 SDX100 compressor/expander/noise gate, the Sa turated 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 ar[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 68 of 109 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 availabl e. If the number of av ailable streams become s insufficient for the number [...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 69 of 109 Operationally, VST plug-ins within the SSL Soun dscape Mixer gen erally 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 tool s, their settings are saved as part of the Mixer, and automation works in the[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 70 of 109 If a processing overload occurs in the host P C, a warning messag e 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 [...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 71 of 109 VSTi mixer elements Everything written in the previous section ab out VST plug-ins also applies to VSTi (VST instrument) plug-ins. In addition, for VSTi plug-ins , when their main window is open, clicking t he arrow to the right of the “Port” and “Chan” fields will call up menus where a MIDI input port a[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 72 of 109 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. Typicall y, launching the SSL So undscape Mixer application without the command line switch when such a plug-in is insta lled results in an[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 73 of 109 NOTE:  Using  this  comma nd  line  switch  may  sl ow  down  the  performance  of  the  Console  Manager  application,  although  this  is  generally  unlikely. [...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 74 of 109 3. Control Surfaces and Automation The SSL Soundscape Mixer can be controlled fr om 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 P C, it can be[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 75 of 109 …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 checki ng or unchecking the corresponding box, and can be enabled or disabled globally for all the parameters of the mixer element using[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 76 of 109 4. Status Bar The Status Bar is located at the bottom of the SSL Soundscape Mixer window. It can be show n 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 [...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 77 of 109 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 t he option to save it. If you c lick Yes you wi[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 78 of 109 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:SoundscapeMixssMixer. If a Mixer is already active when you click this it em, the same dialog box will appear as when you click “New Mix?[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 79 of 109 If the Mixer you are opening has one or more colu mns 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. Upon clicking “OK” the Mixer[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 80 of 109 In the bottom section of the dialog box you can spec ify what action sh ould be taken the next time this situation occurs. Clicking “Cancel” in the main dialog box will abor t the procedure. In that case the Mixer will not be loaded and the following message will be displayed: Save [Ctrl]+[S] Clicking “Sav[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 81 of 109 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.[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 82 of 109 Close Clicking “Close” closes the SSL Soundscape Mi xer window. However, the Mixer remains active a n d t h e wi n d o w c a n b e r e o p e n e d b y c l i c ki n g t h e s y s t e m t r a y i c o n . T h i s i s t he s a me a s c l i c k i n g t h e Close button in the top right corner of the SSL Soundscap[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 83 of 109 6. View Menu Toolbar Ticking or unticking this item determines whether the Toolbar wi ll be shown as in the picture below…: …or hidden as shown here: NOTE:  This  setting  applies  regardless  of  the  current  position  and  docked/undocked  statu s  of  the  Toolba[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 84 of 109 Status Bar Ticking or unticking this item de termines 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.  Un[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 85 of 109 If the “Use hierarchical mixer element selection menu” option is enabled (ticked), the menu is broken down into several sections: a smaller ma in menu, and pop-up submenus. All the standard mixer elements can be accessed fr om 3 main menu items: Version 2.xx Mixer, Version 2.xx Mixer (Part B), and Version 2.[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 86 of 109 Error status The “Clear Error Status”, “Watch for Errors” and “Keep Error Status until Clear” items of the Vi ew 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 equivale nt to clicking “Clear Error Status”.  Cle[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 87 of 109 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] C l i c k i n g t h i s i t e m o r p re s s i n g [ E ] o n t h e c o m p u t er keyboa rd switches be[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 88 of 109 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  S[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 89 of 109 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 t h e M a s t e r D e v i c e . T h e M a s t e r C l o c k m o d e o f a n S S L S o u n d s c a p e a u d i o c a r d c[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 90 of 109 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 un it’s eight-channel AES/EBU connector A. ADAT A, ADAT B, ADAT C These options are available w[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 91 of 109 Synchronization This option is not applicable to th e 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 con[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 92 of 109 Sample Rate When the mouse pointer is on “Sample Rate”, a su bmenu 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 o[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 93 of 109 some Soundscape format DSP-powered plug-in de mos (mentioned in the “Main Mixer” line if installed) and the VST/VSTi functionality (mentioned in the “Main Mixer” line if VS T/VSTi dll files are present in the Soundscape VST folder). The Mixer Password for a new SSL Soundscape audio card can be found on t[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 94 of 109 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 bo x will require confirmation that you wish to cancel the password input: Click “Yes” to close the window, or “No” to make further corrections. The SSL So[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 95 of 109 Native mixer elements Sample Buffer Size Clicking this item calls up a dialog box which c an 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 demand[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 96 of 109 Auto Route Mixer Ticking or unticking this item respectively enab les or disables the Mixer Auto Routing function. Please see the “DSP resources and Mixer Auto Rout ing” section of the “Mixer” chapter for details. Save Settings Clicking this item saves curren t parameter values set under the Settings men[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 97 of 109 9. Help Menu Clicking “About SSL Soundscape Mixer” under the Help menu op ens the “About SSL Soundsca pe 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 syst[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 98 of 109 10. Troubleshooting Hardware installation problems Several problems relating to the insta llation of PCI cards are listed below. Shared Interrupts (IRQ s) 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 som[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 99 of 109 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 becaus e 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 tra[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 100 of 109 Error status indications Processing Overrun (PO) When the Mixer’s DSP power requirement exceeds av ailable resources, a Processing Overrun (PO) indication will be visible in the St atus Bar, indicating that at the time of the message, the DSP did not have enough time to keep up with the proc essing demands of[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 101 of 109 Index 4 4 in - stereo out mixer columns ............................................................................................... ....................33 A ADAT A, ADAT B, ADAT C (Master Clock) ......................................................................................... ...90 Additional inform[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 102 of 109 D Delete tool ................................................................................................................... ....................................19 Disclaimer .................................................................................................................... ...............[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 103 of 109 H Hardware installation problems ................................................................................................ .................98 Help Menu ..................................................................................................................... .................................9[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 104 of 109 Additional information regarding VS T/VSTi plug-in compatibility .................................................72 Assignable inputs/outputs ..................................................................................................... ..................26 Assigning a mixer column to a DSP ............[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 105 of 109 Sample delay line ............................................................................................................. .........................58 Sends ......................................................................................................................... ............................[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 106 of 109 P Pan ........................................................................................................................... ........................................16 Passwords (Settings Menu) ..................................................................................................... ...........[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 107 of 109 Save Settings ................................................................................................................. .............................96 Specific hardware settings .................................................................................................... ...................91 Va[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Page 108 of 109 Error status .................................................................................................................. ...............................86 Full Column Size .............................................................................................................. ......................[...]

Soundsca pe Mixpander Visit SSL at URL: http://www.solid-state-logic.com © 2007 Solid State Logic All Rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions Solid State Logic, SSL are trademarks of Solid State Logic All other product names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners No part of this publication ma[...]