Re: [linux-audio-dev] VST link (open?)

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Subject: Re: [linux-audio-dev] VST link (open?)
From: Paul Davis (pbd_AT_Op.Net)
Date: Wed Jan 23 2002 - 03:36:58 EET


>I agree. So let me rephrase the question. Is there any movement or
>interest in having a multi-node audio system that can be controlled from a
>master host that uses a communication protocol that will provide more then
>just sync info? For example, it would be really sweet to have a node that
>just does effects processing and has no need to waste any of its cycles
>driving a gui. It could just be a "server" in the same sense that a
>black-box commercial effects unit would be.

>I know this can be done now with MTC and or STMPE sync between two or more

as mentioned elsewhere, no it can't be done with MTC or SMPTE sync.

>>Once we can tell, I can pretty much guarantee that JACK, as an
>>existing synchronous execution engine, will evolve to support similar
>>functionality, unless Steinberg are doing something incredibly wierd,
>>or patented.
>
>Sound very interesting. It would be really nice to have the ability to have
>a signal routing sub-system (including remote) that would allow both audio
>data and sync information to travel in full duplex across a single wire
>(maybe Firewire or TOSLink) to multiple nodes (ie. a Beowulf type system for
>audio).

this isn't at the level of JACK. such things would probably be
user-space ALSA PCM devices. Routing audio data back and forth is a
transport issue and doesn't have so much to do with synchronization as
it might at first appear. You might say that the transport mechanism
becomes the sync mechanism, rather than it using a sync mechanism. Perhaps.

>I currently run a AMD T-Bird 1.2ghz, 1 gig of RAM, Adaptec U160 and a 10k
>rpm IBM drive, and I have very little trouble kicking it in the pants when
>running large mixing sessions with lots of audio tracks and VST plugs
>(running at 24/48). Seems to me that no matter how fast a single box gets,
>we will still push them to their max (and beyond) at some point.

Some people (Universal Audio, TC) think you should be adding DSP cards
rather than building a distributed network over ethernet or
whatever. Its actually supposed to be quite hard to max out a
Creamware SCOPE system, for example, and likewise for a Kyma/Capybara
system.

--p


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