[Solved] SX3, Darc+ computer and MOTU 896: not working

[Malhomme]

Hello to all.

This is my first post, so I would start with a little introduction...


I have been living in mac world only for 15 years. I use still VST 32 5.1 on a 1999 mac G4 on OS9 and added a year ago a MOTU 896.
I had on a a creamware luna card and 2 UAD-1.
Eveything worked smoothly BUT showed it's age...

Recently I decided to switch to PC, because I wanted to keep my UAD and creamware card. There was no way to do that on mac.

I decided to keep a mac approach and bought a made to measure audio PC made by Direct Resolution...

here are spec from their site

CPU: Intel Core i7 2.66GHz QUAD CORE (8 threads HT)
COOLING: 120mm CPU cooler and exhaust fan
MAINBOARD: Gigabyte X58 motherboard
RAM: 3GB DDR3 1333MHz (3x1GB) Triple channel RAM
HDD1: 320GB OS drive
HDD2: 640GB Audio drive
PSU: 650W Quiet Modular PSU
GPU: HD3450 ATI dual ouput silent cooling
OPTICAL: DVD R/RW
FIREWIRE: 2x Texas Instrument firewire ports
CASE: DARC MKII 19" Rack case with acoustic insulation
OS: Windows XP Home custom install


So the idea was to sort of plug and play...

I wanted to get an old SX3 (required to import my 400 or so songs made in VST5).

Of course the step between VST and SX is huger than anticipated (I'm still into the manual).
At the same time, the step between OS9 or OSX and XP is also quite important. nad they both happen at the same time...

Here comes the problems:
Is XP, there is no sound. using play in the transport light the symbol, but no play occurs.
At startup, SX tries to test the config (I have also a M-audio 4x4 midisport midi interface) and fails when connecting to the 896.

When using a standalone simple synth (imposcar) with windows, it works, but cracks and pops like my old mac never did and a way a i7 based computer should not...

Of course I may have problems related only to cubase or only to MOTU drivers or only to the computer...

But this is probably more complex.
I resinstalled my old VST5. It seems to work. I had not time to get very far into tests but it seems to work.

So any idea is welcome...

[Malhomme]

Oh yes, I forgot, I also added a UAD-2 Duo in it.

But so far I'm only into playing back simple stuff...
The creamware card is not installed, nor did I use the UAD stuff...

[Daryl]

Contact Direct Resolution. That's what you pay them a premium for.

D

[TAFKAT]

Daryl beat me to it..,

Also, it sounds to me like they did not qualify or configure the audio hardware, so its a bit unfair to infer that they are in some way responsible.

One quick one while we're here...

Re the issue with SX wanting to test the hardware and failing , that is due to the fact that your have the driver set to the ASIO MME driver, which Steinberg in all its wisdom set as default on the initial install. Simply ignore testing the hardware at that point , instead cancel the test, then assign the MOTU ASIO driver in the audio hardware settings , close Cubase and then launch the application again and you should be fine.

[Malhomme]

Mmmm thanks Daryl that is very helpful...

I figure that the trouble were more complex than that.
VST32 connect swell to the MOTU 896 while SX3 not (though it worked one this morning, but the open inputs in the device were not avalable in the input channel).

I imagined more of a either MOTU driver issue or a obvious but missed setting in cubase (I'm still into the manual).

I find the step from VST 5 to SX3 bigger than what I imagined...

Edit: time to post and Tafkat beat me...

I try to ignore the MME thing indeed.
It works in an empty project (I just hear the click which is a good start nonetheless). CUbase VST32 old song imported still don't work... Frozen play tab.
I still have to resolve my input issues (I see one pair of imputs when I should choose between 5 pairs).

[D]

You see only one set of inputs because by default that is all that SX allocates. YOU have to assign the rest in VST connections. Maybe instead of reading manuals, you should try opening some dialogs and see what is there before assuming something is broken.

[Beat Productions]

You see only one set of inputs because by default that is all that SX allocates. YOU have to assign the rest in VST connections. Maybe instead of reading manuals, you should try opening some dialogs and see what is there before assuming something is broken.


Yeah, SX handles I/O a lot differently than Cubase 5.1. It's been a while, but I remember it being a bit of a learning cyrve...

[Malhomme]

You are all right: There is an obvious learning curve from VST to SX.

That is why I read the manual. I usualy do that (even if I learned VST 4 totally instinctively, I don't think one can do that anymore).

I uninstalled everything, drivers included.

Again don't forget this my FIRST PC. I have only been using Mac so far, and it proves also far more a problem than I thought. I imagined OS did not made real differences, aside cultural. I stand corrected, it takes me 3 times longer to do anything.

I restarted everything with VST 5.1, and it works quite well (still have to check on big projects - big means more than 40 tracks and at least 2 effects per track on inserts and VSTi + 2 effects sends - and manage to load them on the PC).

I reinstalled SX3. It works now on empty projects. It is indeed very much less intuitive, but I guess I'm getting old and I take more time to adapt...

I still have to figure why importing cuabse songs freezes play...

I will now make a search here and read what I can find about importing old cubase song, and what works or not, and if I should have them work from Mac VST 32 to PC VST 32 or if i can go direct VST MAC to SX PC... (like painfully add manually an extension to all songs files !)

[D]

Personally I think you're both daft. At least Malhomme has an alibi. I made the transition from VST 3.7 and was up and using SX within an hour.

:bouncy:

[TAFKAT]

Edit: time to post and Tafkat beat me...

I try to ignore the MME thing indeed.
It works in an empty project (I just hear the click which is a good start nonetheless). CUbase VST32 old song imported still don't work... Frozen play tab.
I still have to resolve my input issues (I see one pair of imputs when I should choose between 5 pairs).

O.K first things first...

After setting the ASIO driver correctly to the MOTU , test with a known working project from the installer DVD , or even one of my DAW stress sessions that you can download Here (http://www.dawbench.com/benchmarks.htm) , you'll need to use Blofelds DSP II for SX3, I didn't port the latest DAWbench DSP session to SX3 . You'll need the original Blofelds test session off the DVD for some source files. Instructions are in the download.

This way we can eliminate the VST sessions screwing things up, which they may well be.

If the MOTU is still not playing ball, you have some deeper issues with the unit on the system.

Let us know how you go.

You can also send me some VST5 files, and I'll open them in one of my PC systems here, first in VST5, and then in SX3 for you..

[Malhomme]

A little update (and thanks VERY MUCH Tafkat for the propositions...)


Here I am... After unistalling everything, restarting from scratch:
SX3 now works.. I CAN get SOME cubase songs to work allright, with and arm long list of error (both SX3 and VST5) for the construction of midi center through OMS on the mac doesn't translate at all on the PC

VST 5 definitely works normally...
AS I said I have to use big projects (data copy on it's way) and reconstruct my VST plug in folder on the PC (it will take a while) AND modifiy them on the MAC for they
- don't have extension most of the time
- mix many file format
- use instrument that are calculated on DSP cards which are not into the PC yet (I am not that insane, I will process part by part), and the creamware OS is a problem in itself (I even wonder if it will not stay in the mac with VST link)

So I imagine what will be in order will be:
- Modify in VST5 Mac (give extension to names of files, remove exotic parts and reassign for the moment "DSP Parts" to things like free sampler existing on both platform
- open in VST5 PC, correct what needs to. Assure that every track audio and midi can be assign to something. Figure out what to do with songs that changes time signature and tempo every other measure (I have a few of these)

- THEN only try to import in SX3

- Then ONLY bother people like Tafkat with my files if I can't find out what to do...


It seems that uninstalling and reintalling was the key to this.
I don't understand why, since I got the computer 3 days ago, but, well I guess that's PC land...
(never did that on the Mac in many many years)...

Do my working plan look like it's making sense ?

[Daryl]

It seems that uninstalling and reintalling was the key to this.
I don't understand why, since I got the computer 3 days ago, but, well I guess that's PC land...
(never did that on the Mac in many many years)...

Do my working plan look like it's making sense ?
You must stop trying to do comparisons between a fast new PC and an old, slow, dinosaur Mac. Things change. SX3 won't even work on a Mac less than 3 years old, AFAIK. Just move on.

D

[TAFKAT]

So I imagine what will be in order will be:
- Modify in VST5 Mac (give extension to names of files, remove exotic parts and reassign for the moment "DSP Parts" to things like free sampler existing on both platform
- open in VST5 PC, correct what needs to. Assure that every track audio and midi can be assign to something. Figure out what to do with songs that changes time signature and tempo every other measure (I have a few of these)

- THEN only try to import in SX3

That sound like a plan.., get them into VST5 PC, save them on the PC version and open in SX, I know it sounds like a plan, but you have been in the wilderness for a while ..LOL



It seems that uninstalling and reintalling was the key to this.
I don't understand why, since I got the computer 3 days ago, but, well I guess that's PC land...
(never did that on the Mac in many many years)...

Hmm, its not PC land Mate , I think its simply that you are swimming in unfamiliar waters , you'll get there..

I am wondering why you didn't get the DAW builder to qualify and install the hardware /applications , at least the MOTU and SX3 , especially since the PC platform was new to you. This is what I do for every one of my clients, regardless of their expertise, its the only way I can guarantee at least the DAW fundamentals are in place before the systems are shipped..

[Animus]

One thing that really fucked me switching over from VST mac to Nuendo pc was midi parts. Any muted midi notes in the midi parts would become unmuted, at least for me. I had to go through all the project files and fix it before transporting over.

[Malhomme]

OH This I can answer...

I made my order to a specialist that is in another country than mine (I'm french, I bought it from a UK specialist...

It explain why my own hardware could not be qualified...

It was a kind of bet between "I can afford it but I have to buy abroad" and "if I do this with a local business, I wouldn't be able to afford it".

The price tag was way different...

[TAFKAT]

One thing that really fucked me switching over from VST mac to Nuendo pc was midi parts. Any muted midi notes in the midi parts would become unmuted, at least for me. I had to go through all the project files and fix it before transporting over.

Hey Stacey,

Did you try importing them into VST5 PC ?

[Animus]

Hey Stacey,

Did you try importing them into VST5 PC ?

No I didn't. I figured it was just the mac to pc conversion thing and opening them in vst pc would yield the same result.

[Malhomme]

To me the trajectory really involves checking the VST 5 songs on the Mac, solving possible issues (my songs name never have 3 letter extensions for example) THEN open them in VST5 PC then import in SX3.

Which is going to be painful in fact, because it will kill my musical work for a while....