• Registered: 2016-06-18
  • Posts: 29

Topic: Product suggestion: Dual-computer audio interface

to cater for live performers whose plugin and processing needs are not met by a single computer or OS.

For example, I am currently planning to get a Digiface USB to pipe audio from a second computer to my Babyface Pro since I need both Mac and PC as audio sources (as well as the processing power of 2 computers). I need Mac to access Alchemy synth and to process USB audio from HW synths (via macOS aggregate device) and I need PC to handle plugins (remarkably is more stable than Mac in my testing with intensive use of Omnisphere & Keyscape plugins). A single audio interface with two USB/TB connections would make this all a lot more convenient.

An essential feature of such a product would be a MIDI superhighway between the two computers via the audio interface. So MIDI passed into one computer via USB is routable superfast to the other computer. That is a problem I am trying to find a solution for with my setup.

2 Reply by ramses (edited by ramses 2017-05-21 17:52:06)

  • ramses
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  • Registered: 2012-10-14
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Re: Product suggestion: Dual-computer audio interface

Get 3 digiface USB.

1 computer for recording only and as clock source.

1 Win7: connect ADAT OUT 1 (+2 ) OUT to recording computer ADAT 1 (+2) IN
1 Mac: connect ADAT OUT 1 (+2) OUT to recording computer ADAT 3 (+4) IN

For clocking purposes, from recording computer
- ADAT 1 OUT to Win7 ADAT 1 IN
- ADAT 2 OUT to Win7 ADAT 2 IN

Alternatively you can do this also with 3 RayDATs if you prefer PCIe.

I think that its not worth the effort to develop such a product, as only a few people could require it.
This would make the unit too expensive.

And also from driver and firmware perspective it might be challenging to develop this just right and working.
What looks nice maybe from a high level perspective might turn out to be a bitch when programming.
From operational perspective this might also be vulnerable during recording, as you need to ensure,
that clock and ASIO buffersize are the same for both PCs, ....

BR Ramses - UFX III, 12Mic, XTC, ADI-2 Pro FS R BE, RayDAT, X10SRi-F, E5-1680v4, Win10Pro22H2, Cub13
  • cyrano
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  • Registered: 2015-04-28
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Re: Product suggestion: Dual-computer audio interface

There actually is one product you can connect to two computer simultaneously for audio and MIDI. But it has few channels, and is hardly in RME's class of quality. It's interesting, though. It's the iConnectivity iConnectAudio4+

4 channels in and 4 out, several MIDI ports. I know only one user though. And he mainly bought it for MIDI and it is sufficient for monitoring and recording one channel occasionally. He's happy with it and I'll admit it sorted out his wiring big_smile

MB Pro - 2 X FireFace 400, FF800 & DigiFace USB
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  • Registered: 2016-06-18
  • Posts: 29

Re: Product suggestion: Dual-computer audio interface

Thanks Cyrano, as you say there is an RME solution today. But I think you are mainly focussed on the studio scenario where multiple boxes are fine and recording is the main application. I am focussed on the live performance scenario where there is already too much gear to drag around and set up (and potential points of failure) and where the limitations of a single laptop/computer for soft synths and effects become quickly apparent.

This idea may be commercially interesting to RME as there are a lot of keyboardists moving to computer-based performance rigs and other companies offer things such as flexible real-time DSP processing etc whilst many RME devices so far seem quite studio-centric to me. Adding e.g. support for two computers on something like the UFX+ might also be useful in the studio for backup recording etc. (Addressing your last point I don't there is any need to force buffer size alignment as e.g. on macOS this is even app-specific. For each RME HW input you could simply have two software playback channels in TMFX - one for each computer and which carry independent audio....)

Just an idea for consideration....

  • vinark
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Re: Product suggestion: Dual-computer audio interface

I think the only way this would be doable is if it were in fact 2 audio interfaces in one box with one set of converters. And 2 total mixers going to one set of channels. One audio interface needs to be able to crash or shut down while the other keeps running. Thunderbolt only would be to limiting, I would prefer USB and firewire. But I don't see a real advantage over 2 interfaces in one rack except maybe price. If this would be like 1.5X$ of a single unit with the same specs.

Vincent, Amsterdam
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  • Registered: 2016-06-18
  • Posts: 29

Re: Product suggestion: Dual-computer audio interface

Another nice benefit of this would be to connect both iPad and computer to the same interface. iPad could be used for recording live sound via something like Cubasis (might be a more convenient recording solution than DURec?) and live control (TotalMix FX). Computer could be fully dedicated to plugins.

I don't really see extreme additional complexity in having 2 SW returns for each channel that could be mixed in TotalMix FX. And if the interface has USB3 and Thunderbolt connectors anyway, no extra connectors would be required.

(As I mentioned in my first post, a great additional extra would be a super fast and reliable wired MIDI connection between the devices : ) )