Topic: MOTU Traveler

[nic]

umm, what are poly-broadcast files?.

 

[wbrisette]

umm, what are poly-broadcast files?.

BWF (Broadcast WAV File) is a format that allows you to have multiple channels in a single file. Normally a WAV file can only have either 1 or 2 channels. Today's multichannel recorders needed a way to put multple channels in the same file, thus BWF was developed. It was originally developed by MS & IBM (when they worked together) Zaxcom was one of the first to actually use it for the DEVA II, then it was adopted by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and turned into a real standard.

Lots of stuff now using BWF files or at least reads some form of them *(they really aren't very different from normal WAV file, they simply have a section of data that contains scene, take, and notes data, along with number of channels)*

A mono BWF file just contains a single channel. I asked them for support of poly (or multiple channel) files.

Wayne

[nic]

umm, what are poly-broadcast files?.

BWF (Broadcast WAV File) is a format that allows you to have multiple channels in a single file. Normally a WAV file can only have either 1 or 2 channels. Today's multichannel recorders needed a way to put multple channels in the same file, thus BWF was developed. It was originally developed by Zaxcom for the DEVA II, then it was adopted by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and turned into a real standard.

Lots of stuff now using BWF files or at least reads some form of them *(they really aren't very different from normal WAV file, they simply have a section of data that contains scene, take, and notes data, along with number of channels)*

A mono BWF file just contains a single channel. I asked them for support of poly (or multiple channel) files.

Wayne

ah...yeah, no matter what format you export to, your only options are mono or stereo.

do you have another program that can create these poly files?
if so, have you tried bringing in the SDII files or exporting to another format then combining them into the poly file?

[wbrisette]

do you have another program that can create these poly files?
if so, have you tried bringing in the SDII files or exporting to another format then combining them into the poly file?

It's only a pain using mono files because you have to keep track of them. I typically use either a 3 or 4 mic setup, thus have 3 or 4 channel files. It is simply much easier to use a single file than 3 or 4 separate files. However, DP allows me to use the timecode data in the files to align them, so it's really easy either way to get the mutlple files aligned and then bounce them to a two channel recording.

Wayne

[nic]

if all 3 or 4 of your channels are recording through the same AD then you have no need for timecode unless your synching them with a video source or other external source. they will be aligned automatically.

[wbrisette]

if all 3 or 4 of your channels are recording through the same AD then you have no need for timecode unless your synching them with a video source or other external source. they will be aligned automatically.

One really cool feature of the DEVA is the ability to have 10 seconds of "buffer", so I can stop and start the unit multiple times and not loose any sound/data. I've done this a few times, To get things all channels & segments perfectly aligned, timecode is necessary. But you're right normally timecode data isn't necessary. But, it's there, so why not use it. ;-)

Wayne

[Steve J]

In this morning's deliveries, I received a MOTU Traveler. It must be an omen of which brand of laptop I'm going to be purchasing. There's only a disc for Windows stuff...and a disc plus a couple manuals for Mac. Wonder which flavor has the better support?! 

[Steve J]

Well, first experiences have been mostly favorable. Since I'm in between laptops at the moment, I tried the Traveler out with a tower (Pentium IV 1.4g, 512mb ram, Firewire 400 hub installed) that has Soundforge 6.0 and Wavelab 5 installed already. I did this late last night; so I only had a chance to test basic operations.

I had no problems getting the unit to communicate with the computer and the drivers installed easily. I started by doing a simple recording test with a couple SM57's into channels 1 & 2. Soundforge 6.0 was first,  using both the MOTU Mix and Analog driver selections. Test recorded at 24/96, worked just fine...although I see that I'll have to get used to how the pad & input trim work with different mics (as expected).

Wavelab next. No problem configuring for two channel using the WDM MOTU Mix or Analog selections; and I was able to do stereo 24/96 with no problem. However, when I switched to the MOTU Firewire driver for the ASIO drivers, I ran into an odd situation. The screen that pops up in Wavelab allowing one to assign the various channels did not open to it's full size...so you could only see about 1/3 of the window. Consequently, only two channels were visible to assign; and though I did get a recording using the ASIO drivers, I was only able to get two channels. Sort of defeats the reason for using the ASIO in Wavelab (well...it is for me anyway). It might have been because I was only feeding signals to two channels; but during the next phase of testing I plan to increase the number of inputs systematically and see where it goes. I have a feeling that the more I work with this unit, the more it will become apparent that a Mac is the smart(est) choice for the new laptop.

[dgale]

I have a feeling that the more I work with this unit, the more it will become apparent that a Mac is the smart(est) choice for the new laptop.

Whatever you get, make sure you get lots of foreign power adapters for that Europe tour you'll be doing this summer 

Hey, wait...if you get a Mac, how are you going to stuff HD's full of goodies for me as I still plug away on the ol' Dell?  I guess I better get that DSL line after all.

[Dr.FOB]

I've had my Traveler for about a month now with two outings in the can.
I'm a Windoze user so the documentation was minimal, 1/4 PC - 3/4 MAC.
Following the instructions, all drivers and configuration programs loaded nicely.
Preliminary trials with Vegas worked well.  Looking at other s/w for increased flexibility.

The first outing proved to be just a test of the mic pre inputs as no board feeds were allowed.  As such, I chose to run 24/96.  Each set ran 84+ minutes:( as if they new it would overrun a CDR... First listen is great, but no DVDA burned yet.

The second outing,3/30, I had expected to get my choice of board signals and ended up with only the PA mix due to the nature of the  channel assignments with multiple artists in rotation.  I ran the board together with a 24/48 digi out of the V3 from my mics.  This box allows for 8 analog, 8 ADAT light pipe(or 2 toslink), 2 SPDIF & 2 AES/EBU concurrent inputs.  Very Schweet!  Though I haven't tested it yet, the SPDIF, Toslink, & AES/EBU outputs can be configured to output 44.1/48K independantly, as a multiple of the input settings.  I made the mistake of assigning my inputs to a stereo channel.  The show ended up being a 3.5hr. non-stop rotation of artists with no set breaks, and then an encore.  I was not running WL and made the mistake of assigning my inputs to stereo channels instead of individual mono channels.  As such, I picked a point at about 1:45 and stopped the recording, saved, and restarted.  This will yield a gap in my mixdown, but since I ran another lappy as backup, the audience will remain continuous.  I restarted again before the encore and added in another 6 analog channels just to get more info pumping through the firewire input.  On my 1.8Ghz PM box with a 60G 7200rpm drive I only ran @ 2% CPU/1% HD load.

Awesome powering options with this box as well.  Least usable for me is firewire from a 6pin interface, my laptop only has the 4pin style.  The other two are great, both are 9-24VDC.  One is a polarity independant pin & sleeve socket, the other a 4-pin XLR.  The box is rated 1A @ 12V.  I suspect this is running all channels with phantom on the 4 mic inputs.  I ran my 10.8V 6.8Ahr LI-Ion pack for over 4 hours before changing cells, just for good measure.  No low voltage/shutdown signals are provided that I have found.

Overall I am extremely pleased with the MOTU box.  I haven't even started to explore the capabilities but lust for even more channels already....  My goal is to be able to capture concurrent independant channels for live surround projects.  I think this is just the right box.
Havin' a good time...
Jim

[Steve J]

I have a feeling that the more I work with this unit, the more it will become apparent that a Mac is the smart(est) choice for the new laptop.

Whatever you get, make sure you get lots of foreign power adapters for that Europe tour you'll be doing this summer

Hey, wait...if you get a Mac, how are you going to stuff HD's full of goodies for me as I still plug away on the ol' Dell? I guess I better get that DSL line after all.

Oh...so I guess I should cancel my plans for Saskatoon & Manitoba and start planning for Europe? Wait...I don't even have my passport...or a solid itinerary yet!! 

Eh...details, details.

[Steve J]

Overall I am extremely pleased with the MOTU box. I haven't even started to explore the capabilities but lust for even more channels already.... My goal is to be able to capture concurrent independant channels for live surround projects. I think this is just the right box.
Havin' a good time...
Jim

I'm with you here: just can't wait to see what all this thing can do. Until I make the "final" choice for a lappy, I'll continue to test out on a Windows tower. I've got a couple shows next week that would be perfect to try it out; but I probably won't be ready to 'field test' for a few weeks yet. Damn...new toyz is meant to be used!!

[dgale]

I have a feeling that the more I work with this unit, the more it will become apparent that a Mac is the smart(est) choice for the new laptop.

Whatever you get, make sure you get lots of foreign power adapters for that Europe tour you'll be doing this summer

Hey, wait...if you get a Mac, how are you going to stuff HD's full of goodies for me as I still plug away on the ol' Dell? I guess I better get that DSL line after all.

Oh...so I guess I should cancel my plans for Saskatoon & Manitoba and start planning for Europe? Wait...I don't even have my passport...or a solid itinerary yet!! 

Eh...details, details.

Who said anything about cancelling plans for Saskatoon and Winnipeg?  Jeez, what's a few thousand miles to catch a couple shows?  As for a passport, have no fear - you can get one in San Fran in 48 hours if needed and besides, you don't need to hit Europe until July, so plenty of time to trot down to the PO and fill out the application.  You can use that photo of you taping in TX on my website for your passport photo - that'll throw the customs guys a curveball   

[doliam]

anyone try to power this off a battery pack in the field yet?  I have a Traveller arriving today and don't want to get rid of my UA5 until I know I can power the Traveller in the field.  I'll have power alot of times I am using it, but I do want a backup in case I don't get power.  My laptop won't last for long enuf if I draw more power from it, so powering via firewire is not an option.  Anyways, i'm looking for suggestions on how to power this thing... any help would be appreciated.

[Steve J]

I normally have AC access also when I'm out recording; but just in case, I'm getting a 12v setup tomorrow. I went the EC90 route. Just like you, I want to be sure to have a fallback.

FWIW, I did some testing over the weekend, powering the Traveler (w/ two sets of mics with phantom on) off the Firewire bus of my Powerbook running on the (stock) battery alone. I was really surprised how well it did. Guess the fact that the Traveler uses so little of the processor's capacity aids in the laptop's battery life. We'll see about how much the Traveler sucks up from the EC90 when I do more testing this weekend.

So far, I'm really pleased with the Traveler from an operational standpoint. It's been easy to install, setup and record (the Mac helps there, I believe ); but I guess the jury is still out on sound quality until I've gotten a few shows under my belt. It's really cool to be able to fit the Traveler & the Powerbook together in the same case that I used to carry my old Dell lappy alone.