SpaceF Modular Mixer in 2016 (anyone using it with XITE1?)

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53E7
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SpaceF Modular Mixer in 2016 (anyone using it with XITE1?)

Post by 53E7 »

Is the best mixer for XITE1 one of the stock mixers since they are optimised for XITE1? Is the SpaceF Modular Mixer in use by anyone currently? I'm not a wizard on the mixing board so I'm not someone who would benefit the most from the advanced capabilities available in the Modular Mixer. I have enjoyed messing around with the Modular Mixer with my PCI cards and would like to know if that's a sensible plugin to transfer or if I should just stick with the stock mixers.
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Re: SpaceF Modular Mixer in 2016 (anyone using it with XITE1

Post by jksuperstar »

It works, but routing a large (32chan) mixer with all components can be tricky. Sticking to DSPs 7-10 works the best. This, is also where the stock STM24 and STM48 get placed. I like the modular mixer as I built effects into the mixer instead of using a ton of aux channels on the standard mixers (plus it has stereo aux!). Otherwise, for standard mixing duties, the STM mixers are great. I did the built in effects for live/improvised uses.
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Re: SpaceF Modular Mixer in 2016 (anyone using it with XITE1

Post by mausmuso »

I tend to use the MB7 module a lot as a stems mixer out of the back of a STM 24 when mixing.
I agree with JK, putting together a large mixer with these modules can be problematic with DSP usage
Great concept though.
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Re: SpaceF Modular Mixer in 2016 (anyone using it with XITE1

Post by yayajohn »

Try Roy's DAW mixers and see if they suit you. I have been testing the updated DAWMix24 on my Xite Scope 5.1 64bit and it is working great.

http://forums.scopeusers.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=33979
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Re: SpaceF Modular Mixer in 2016 (anyone using it with XITE1

Post by dawman »

For live work RoyT mixers are solid.
SpaceFs MB7 with the 247 Stem works great.
Been using STM 1632X lately as my needs are meager.
SpaceFs AUX Bleeder is really great though
Lots of cool ways to bleed Delays into Reverb and Chorus.
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Re: SpaceF Modular Mixer in 2016 (anyone using it with XITE1

Post by spacef »

Hi there,
That's my default project modular mixer setup under xite-1 / win 7 pro 64 bits, for quite a while now, a few years I think.
I am using it without a problem with studio one v3, and various external sources (synths, mic, guitar , bass etc).
I have several gates, Vincos, Eqs etc in the channels in the default project. I can add modulators, synths etc if needed, but i confess i under-use the xite in favour of vstis and hardware synths these days, eventhough I would not change it (xite/mod mixer) for anything else for direct inputs of synths, guitars, mics etc. it works perfect for live too (i am just rehearsing stuff for fun, hoping that i will be able to bring my whole setup on a scene in a few month, which is just a matter of working a few tracks, and finding a couple of other musicians (and a big car or a truck because my setup begins to be heavy and big ;-)

(pic is 80% of real size).
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Re: SpaceF Modular Mixer in 2016 (anyone using it with XITE1

Post by dawman »

Cool the way DSP 18 gets maxed out.

I find that leaves room for everything else after the last 4 are packed.
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Re: SpaceF Modular Mixer in 2016 (anyone using it with XITE1

Post by spacef »

dawman wrote:Cool the way DSP 18 gets maxed out.

I find that leaves room for everything else after the last 4 are packed.
Yes, dsp 18 is fully used, then the dsp 17 is less than 15%, and the few first ones are around 30 / 40%.
I can still load many stuff.

Also, I don't use DSP allocation, I let Scope do its thing by itself, it works just fine that way.
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Re: SpaceF Modular Mixer in 2016 (anyone using it with XITE1

Post by Marco »

Where is the Modular mixer available? Where to buy? Or free?
:wink: out and about for music production. Are you still configguring your Studio :lol: music first!
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Re: SpaceF Modular Mixer in 2016 (anyone using it with XITE1

Post by spacef »

Hi Anabella, I just sent you a PM, but basically, the reason why it is not available is because I cannot provide support because I don't have much time right now, nor can I send help files or manuals as everything was lost when spacef-devices was hacked and I lost the web files. It was also made on Scope PCI and eventhough everything works fine, may be there are ways to optimize it for Xite, which means rebuilding it almost from scratch, and I currently don't have much time to do that seriously.
Thanks for your interest.
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Re: SpaceF Modular Mixer in 2016 (anyone using it with XITE1

Post by spacef »

dawman wrote:Cool the way DSP 18 gets maxed out.

I find that leaves room for everything else after the last 4 are packed.
There is something to know when this DSP is packed, because you might think that Xite won't let you add any connection.
In fact it is possible, but needs a little bit of project-rebuilding.
You may get messages like "no more connections from DSP x to DSP Y (or DSP "d"). In fact that's how you can add many connections:

- First make a backup copy of your working project, just in case.

- then you need to remove a couple of modules from the project: check on the DSP meter that the dsp that was full is now less full.

- save that project. I save it as a default project, so it loads imme di ately on scope restart, and dsp allocation is not "polluted" by a previous project.
- Exit the Scope application, then re-start it : that's how you really "flush" xite's "memory of connections" that are still there even if DSPs look half used (meaning even with a less full dsp, you can't add connections until you have exitted and restarted scope app.

- Now, once the project is restarted, load again the modules that you need (the ones that you removed), and connect them as usual: it should work without problem. And add the connections that you couldn't add: now you can.

- Save your new project with the additional connections,

- re-exit scope, and restart it: the new project should load fine (and Xite will put all the connections on the last DSP(s) ) .

That's something I posted somewhere on Z already, but worth posting again, as I needed to add 4 connections to ADATs, and Xite won't let me, while I had no problems adding devices and effects here and there. I even used ligheter devices, but it did not work. That's how I remembered that scope in xite keeps a trace of the connections, and has to be "flushed" by closing the app and restarting it.

So try to remember that trick: when Xite says that it has no more connections availale between 2 DSPs, the solution is most of the time to remove a few modules/devices to free like 25%-30% of that DSP. Then save, then restart, and add modules and do connections only when scope app is restarted, because at this moment it is still "dynamic" and the application did not yet allocate all the connections of the modular mixer to the DSP 18.

With that trick, you can add a lot of connections to a project that said you could not a few minutes ago.

Generally, it's enough to remove 1 router/stem. but it depends on each project. You will quickly find out though. You can always make tries to see which individual module frees the most of DSP 18, and save a preset of that module to be recalled later on, then apply the full procedure above-described.

And remember, the important thing is to exit and restart scope to flush its "memory of connections between dsps", otherwise, it won't let you go anywhere.... Myself, at some point I even switched thee Xite rack off and restarted the PC, but I am not sure it is necessary. Exiting and restarting scope with less modules on that DSP 18 is the real trick.

Happy modular mixing :-)
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Re: SpaceF Modular Mixer in 2016 (anyone using it with XITE1

Post by Spielraum »

spacef wrote:... as everything was lost when spacef-devices was hacked and I lost the web files. ... I currently don't have much time ... .
das ist sehr schade :cry:
good luck in 2017!!
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Re: SpaceF Modular Mixer in 2016 (anyone using it with XITE1

Post by Tau »

Great advice, I didn't know this.

I always use the MB7 on my projects, btw.
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Re: SpaceF Modular Mixer in 2016 (anyone using it with XITE1

Post by spacef »

mausmuso wrote:I tend to use the MB7 module a lot as a stems mixer out of the back of a STM 24 when mixing.
I agree with JK, putting together a large mixer with these modules can be problematic with DSP usage
Great concept though.
maus
The next version of the router will uses approximately 1300/1400 cycles less than the current version. That's for the 24 channel 7 stereo bus version with all connections and dsps activated. Internal connection can also be disconnected by groups of 4 in case it is needed (not the case in current version which only has dsp management, not internal connections) + you can lower the number of active channels too (I will still do the various versions anyways - if I survive this project until it's done :-p ).

It's not really the dsp usage that can be problematic, it's more about the number of connections available between dsps that can is annoying, but there are workaround as explained a few posts above...
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Re: SpaceF Modular Mixer in 2016 (anyone using it with XITE1

Post by JoPo »

spacef wrote:And remember, the important thing is to exit and restart scope to flush its "memory of connections between dsps", otherwise, it won't let you go anywhere.... Myself, at some point I even switched thee Xite rack off and restarted the PC, but I am not sure it is necessary. Exiting and restarting scope with less modules on that DSP 18 is the real trick.
I don't know how I missed this Mehdi advice ! Excellent ! Merci !

I noticed also that sometimes, when a heavy project won't load while you loaded it the day before easily, one can try to "reboot", or I don't know the exact word, the PCIe card in the computer. Just switch off the PC power supply and the Xite unit, then wait for 2 or 3 mn in order capacitor to empty.
> > > > > > > > > > > > --- Musica --> here ! ---< < < < < < < < < < < <
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Re: SpaceF Modular Mixer in 2016 (anyone using it with XITE1

Post by spacef »

Better late than Never: i will keep your trick to try in extreme cases :-)
It's funny because after reading your post, i had to restart the sdk, and in the menus I had a thumbnail view from the previous project still showing... clicking on the preset icon removed it. Never happened to me before reasing your post, lol :D

The word you are looking for is probably "reset" (the pci-e ports etc).

Here, it is really not a problem of DSP power.. DSP are plenty and powerful...... (nb : if you hold your breath, you will have to hold it until mid-october.... as yopu see there are a few things to check and correct, and what you see is not even half of the modular mixer v2 ) . However, I abandon the concept of STEMS and will stick to the ROUTERS - at least for the moment - routers are much easier to manage and use.....
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Re: SpaceF Modular Mixer in 2016 (anyone using it with XITE1

Post by jksuperstar »

spacef wrote:
mausmuso wrote:I tend to use the MB7 module a lot as a stems mixer out of the back of a STM 24 when mixing.
I agree with JK, putting together a large mixer with these modules can be problematic with DSP usage
Great concept though.
maus
The next version of the router will uses approximately 1300/1400 cycles less than the current version. That's for the 24 channel 7 stereo bus version with all connections and dsps activated. Internal connection can also be disconnected by groups of 4 in case it is needed (not the case in current version which only has dsp management, not internal connections) + you can lower the number of active channels too (I will still do the various versions anyways - if I survive this project until it's done :-p ).

It's not really the dsp usage that can be problematic, it's more about the number of connections available between dsps that can is annoying, but there are workaround as explained a few posts above...
True, not really about DSP calculation power, but the interconnects between the dsps. Anyway, am I reading that you are developing the modular mixers again? If so, great! I still use them in most projects!
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Re: SpaceF Modular Mixer in 2016 (anyone using it with XITE1

Post by Bud Weiser »

spacef wrote:
...

And remember, the important thing is to exit and restart scope to flush its "memory of connections between dsps", otherwise, it won't let you go anywhere.... Myself, at some point I even switched thee Xite rack off and restarted the PC, but I am not sure it is necessary. Exiting and restarting scope with less modules on that DSP 18 is the real trick.

Happy modular mixing :-)
Thank you, great advice.

Is all that valid for XITE-1 and devices (stock & 3rd party) in general or just only for usage w/ the SpaceF Modular Mixer(s) ?

IMO, upcoming SCOPE versions should come w/ some kind of "coldboot"- (software-) button,- "flushing" XITE-1´s (SAT-) connections memory on demand to avoid SCOPE- and computer restart every time running into any connection errors, typical communication connection issues between chips.
Or,- better do it all in the background automatically.

I also wonder,- when any previously used project is closed & saved and a new one is in the works after loading a "New Project" file basic I/O configuration,- adding devices one-by-one while watching DSP meter,- why in the world (quote from above) "Scope in XITE-1 keeps a trace of connections" of any previously used and finished project ?
What´s the sense ?

To me, that appears as some kind of DSP offload bug which should be eliminated in an hopefully upcoming update/upgrade for SCOPE/XITE.
Now, w/ the appearance of the new website design, I really hope for such an efficient update/upgrade coming SOON ... :D

Bud
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Re: SpaceF Modular Mixer in 2016 (anyone using it with XITE1

Post by spacef »

Is all that valid for XITE-1 and devices (stock & 3rd party) in general or just only for usage w/ the SpaceF Modular Mixer(s) ?
it's an Xite thing (for the moment at least) but it is more likely to happen often with things that require a lot of connections between modules over several dsps, such as the Modular Mixer. As a general rule, all Mixers involves a very high number of connections, especially internally, and eat up this ressource more quickly than, for ex, a synthesizer whith high polyphony (there are not a lot of connections inside a synth, or at least, the number is not comparable with what's inside a mixer). So the game on a mixer is either to make the internal connections dynamic (ie activate channels at user request, and after a while you don't have connections anymore, but you have advanced in your project more quickly) or to spread smaller modules over several dsps, resulting in less connections from a dsp to another, which brings the possibility to never run into connections limits, or at least, much later in the project -- but in that case, it is the users who want to use a classic mixer looking device (all in one device). There are other tricks such as bringing features without connections (such as in most SpaceF Mixers, where the solo sections has very few connections contrary to a more classic solo section which is in fact like another mixer inside the mixer (mixer for solo + mixer for "not solo" and you switch between both when you engage a solo button, or "kill" the solo... don't talk to me about "kill mute", it won't happen before long because of this :-) ). On Modular Mixer, it is the large stems and routers which involve a high number of internal connections, especially the "stems" modules which are Routers with channels and other features. I'm working on that as we speak (new routers).

I can't answer for the rest. It is possibly a limitation by analog devices themselves rather than xite. I don't know.
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