Okay, VenuZ and Prismer, here's a bit more from a not-so-long-ago former newbie which may help you get the basics. Forgive me if this is too simplified, but at least for me, getting the concepts clear in my mind first, makes the messy details easier to sort out.
1) Pulsarcables carry two kinds of signals: MIDI signals and audio (digital, of course, not analogue) signals. Although the Pulsar cables all look the same, they're completely different. You can only connect MIDI to MIDI and Audio to Audio, and of course Ins to Outs. In and Out MIDI and Audio connectors in Pulsar devices are all pretty clearly marked, and it won't let you make wrong connections anyway. Try to keep your projects organised so signals move from left to right - it easier to see how the bits work together that way.
2) Regardless of MIDI or Audio, all the Pulsar devices and Modules can be thought of as three basic types: Hardware IOs, Software IOs and The Bits in the Middle (more on these in a moment).
3) First, the Hardware IOs. On the back of your Pulsar card you've got various plug connectors - ins and outs to the real hardware world. In Pulsar, the so-called Hardware IOs (Sources and Dests) connect these realworld connectors to the Pulsar Project environment. Think of these as the virtual leads on the back of the card's actual connectors.
If you plug something from the real world into your Pulsar card, you've gotta have the right Hardware IO in your Pulsar Project to complete that connection from the real world into the Pulsar virtual world.
I like to think of this a three part grouping:
RealworldHardwareDevice -to-
PulsarCardConnector -to-
PulsarProjectHardwareIO.
For MIDI connections and Digital Audio connections (S-PDIF, etc) into and out of Pulsar, it as simple as that. But for analogue audio IO, the model is slightly more complex:
RealworldHardwareDevice -to-
PulsarCardConnector/PulsarDAC(or ADC) -to-
PulsarHardwareIO.
Pulsar has converters on its board which are effectively bundled with the analogue connectors on the card. These are invisible to you in the Project, but when you use a Pulsar Hardware Analogue IO, there is a converter between the Project and the physical connector. All audio inside Pulsar is digital audio.
Another point: inside Pulsar these IOs are called Source and Dest. A Source provides a signal to the Pulsar Environment, a Dest(ination) takes a signal out of Pulsar. Again, keep Sources to the left, Dests to the right to maintain a left-to-right flow to keep things neater.
4) Now Software IOs. The Pulsar Software IOs connect Pulsar Projects to MIDI and Audio Application software running on your PC (your Fruity Loops, your Logic, etc.) PC-based MIDI sequencers and PC-based Audio recorders deal with Pulsar through one or more of these.
Just like on the hardware side: inside Pulsar these are also called Source and Dest. (And the manuals call them drivers, which indeed they are, in part.) Again, a Source provides a signal to the Pulsar Environment, a Dest takes a signal out, but of course this time the Pulsar Project is dealing with the application software, not the real world.
In a way, the same three part grouping concept holds here:
PulsarSoftwareIO -to-
WindowsOperatingSystem -to-
PCApplication.
5) The three part grouping is pretty much error free on the the real-world-to-Pulsar side, because there's just a dumb connector in the middle. But on the software side, you've got Windows in the middle, and you've got various settings to make, sometimes in all three parts of the grouping. I won't go into the details, but this is where many newbies (and some experienced Pulsarians!) spend a lot of time sorting out problems.
Basically think of it this way. You want Pulsar to talk with your Application software. (Maybe MIDI or Audio, In or Out)You pull a Pulsar Software source or Dest into your Pulsar project window. This thing basically opens a virtual port to the PC's operating system (Windows), and hangs up a sign saying "Í've got a MIDI (or Audio) outflow into the OS looking for a taker", (this is a Dest) or "Ï'm ready to receive MIDI (or Audio) inflow, looking for a provider". (Source)
Next, the Windows operating System mediates, and makes this port available to whatever application comes along to use it. There are often settings in Windows which govern how this is handled. Finally, in the Application, there is a way to lock onto this port, and a connection is thus established. There are almost always settings in the application to make this all work together correctly. As always, RTFM, and use "search" on PlanetZ forums to read old posts.
A general rule of thumb here is to decide what software IOs you want to use for a given purpose, and get them into your Pulsar project BEFORE opening the PC application (Logic, Cubase, Fruity, etc). Next, when you open the app, it will first look to Windows to see what ports are being offered, and try to lock into these. You then go and make the detailed settings in you app. If it still doesn't work, and you think the problem's not in the app itself, close the app, and change any Pulsar settings or Windows settings before re-opeing the app to try again.
Remember, when you have problems with software sources and dests, debug by thinking of the three part grouping concept:
Pulsar tries to establish a port,
Windows gets in the middle to mediate, and
the app tries to lock in and use the port.
Same basic concept for input or output, MIDI or Audio, details of course differ a lot.
6) Now, the Pulsar Bits in the Middle. One hard rule: to be of any use, the Bits in the Middle in your Pulsar project must have a connection to a Source of some kind on one side, and a Dest on the other side. This connection may be direct or indirect, but you should be able to trace it by following a path through Pulsar Project cablig.
You can basically subdivide these bits into two kinds: Same in /same out, and different in/out, depending on whether the respective ins and outs are both Audio (both MIDI), or one side MIDI, other side Audio.
MIDI in / Audio out bits are synths and samplers. Audio in / Audio out are effects, precessors, filters, and mixers and so on. (Note that some Pulsar effects can be dropped into slots on Pulsar Mixers, so you won't need In/Out cabling, but they are still functioning as audio in / audio out.
There are also a few MIDI in / MIDI out modules, such as MIDI merger or MIDI scope. Finally, there do exist some audio in / MIDI out modules, but they're rare, so forget them for now.
I won't go into all these any further here - you'll need to play with them to learn.
7) Lastly bulding projects. I strongly suggest you try a few live-play projects before trying to connect to your software applications.
For example, plug your keyboard MIDI Out into the Pulsar card's MIDI In. Inside the Pulsar Project window start with a MIDI Hardware Source, cable that to a Pulsar synth or sampler (something with MIDI In and Audio Out) and cable the synth's out to a Pulsar Hardware Audio Dest, (which remember is the other side of the D-A converter/analogue out connector on the Pulsar card). Then in the realworld again connect your monitor hardware (amp, spkrs, hardware mixer?) to the pulsar card.
What you are doing here is simply using the Pulsar card as a MIDI synth and routing platform, with no use of any application software at all. If you get that working, try adding some other Bits in the Middle into the chain. In particular, try adding a Pulsar Mixer between the synth out and the Pulsar Audio Dest.
As a second project, try to use an Audio in, assuming you have a mic, or an electric guitar with a direct box, or an outboard synth with a line out. For this, your Pulsar project will need to have an Audio Source (which will connect the audio in connector on the back of the card, together with the A-D converter, into the Pulsar environment).
For the bits in the middle, try some audio processors and a Pulsar mixer, then cable back out to your monitor via a Pulsar Audio Dest as above. (Watch out for feedback!)
9) If these work, then try recording some MIDI. There are basically two ways to do this. I'll show you one, the sequencer thru approach. For this you need to divide the first project above into two paths. Your outboard keyboard still connects to the Pulsar Project Hardware MIDI Source, but then cable this source directly to a Pulsar Software MIDI Dest. (In a moment we'll try to get the sequencer app to pick this up.) Then add a Software MIDI Source (which will provide the return from the sequencer) and cable this into a Pusar synth or sampler and on out through the audio part of the path to the Audio Dest and the monitor outs as above.
Once this project is set up, open your sequencer app. It should try to connect its MIDI in to the Pulsar software MIDI Dest, and its MIDI out to the Pulsar Software MIDI Source. For record monitoring you need to enable the thru on the sequencer. There will be other settings in the sequencer you'll need to fix to make this work right.
So, the path is now from your keyboard, into Pulsar, straight thru pulsar into Windows and the sequencer, where it is recorded. On record, the sequencer should send MIDI thru back into Pulsar, where the synth will be played so you can here yourself as you record MIDI. On playback, the sequencer should be sending its MIDI out also into Pulsar, again to trigger the synth.
10) Assuming you've mastered the above, finally, you're ready to try audio recording. Building on the projects above, add to the Pulsar Project a pair of Software Audio Source and Dest. ASIO is usally best if your app can support it.
The ASIO Dest will take Audio from something the Pulsar environment (maybe the out from a Pulsar synth or Pulsar mixer), and pass it on into Windows and your audio recording app for recording. The Source will take the audio playback from the app back into Pulsar. This one will be the most difficult to get right the first time. As always - RTFM and also search this forum when you run into problems.
11) The last complication will be to introduce outboard, hardware MIDI synths into the picture. I won't go into that now, but if you get comfortable with the above, it won't be so hard.
And by all means come back here with any questions to which you can't find the answer in previous posts. This is a helpful, friendly place, and in no time, you'll be a master.
Have fun!
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: dblbass on 2002-04-03 22:21 ]</font>
To start it, is there someone eho can help me maybe with a simple .pro file? I use Pulsar with Cubase 5, i would like to use it with for exmaples 8 Audio Tracks (wav samples and VSTi instruments), 8 Midi Tracks (Pulsar instruments using an external master keyboard or VSTi)... All using the Pulsar Mixer.. Well.. i'm a little confused now on how to do it 
