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R/E/P => Recording - Engineering & Production => Topic started by: Augustine Leudar on December 06, 2012, 02:25:52 PM

Title: 256 channel out system - recommendations ?
Post by: Augustine Leudar on December 06, 2012, 02:25:52 PM

Hi,
I am looking for economical ways of building a 256 channel out system which will be connected to 256 speakers for a wavefield synthesis system. I do not need a desk - or even inputs.
You can get an RME HDSPe MADI FX for around £1000 which will do 192 channel out.
Question 1
anyone know how to do a 256 channel system ? - can you expand the rme with an extra 64 channels somehow ? They would all need to be controlled by the same clock so they were perfectly synchronised - perfect timing is even more important than usual in WFS systems.
Question 2 -
Does windows still only support 254 channels ?
Question 3 :
Can anyone think of a cheaper way of doing this:

RME ADI 648 MADI Breakout MADI to ADAT 4 * £ 1,749.00
RME HDSPe MADI FX £1099
32* behringer ADA8000 ADAT converters : £4800

Total £12,966

Title: Re: 256 channel out system - recommendations ?
Post by: Hollis on January 18, 2013, 03:16:23 PM

D.O.TEC ANDIAMO (http://www.directout.eu/en/products/andiamo.html) is a 32 ch 1U analog/MADI converter. Not sure what the cost is but perhaps that would be cheaper, and even if it's the same price it would be simpler connection.

The SSL MadiXtreme (http://solid-state-logic-en.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/solid_state_logic_en.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=1784&p_created=1221836369&p_sid=kjmUJDgl&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_srch=1&p_lva=1064&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX3Jvd19jbnQ9NCw0JnBfcHJvZHM9MTAyJnBfY2F0cz0wJnBfcHY9MS4xMDImcF9jdj0mcF9zZWFyY2hfdHlwZT1hbnN3ZXJzLnNlYXJjaF9ubCZwX3BhZ2U9MSZwX3NlYXJjaF90ZXh0PWhvdyBtYW55&p_li=&p_topview=1) can do 128 on a single PCIe slot, and you can put as many as you want in a computer. So that's half the space as the RME.

I don't know how many channels Windows OS drivers support, but ASIO may be your better bet. Clocking would naturally come from your computer, or WC the devices in a chain.

Title: Re: 256 channel out system - recommendations ?
Post by: Mo Facta on January 21, 2013, 02:16:33 PM

Maybe you should consider some sort of Audio over Network protocol, such as Dante.  I know that the new Focusrite RedNet system uses Dante, is scalable and can handle up to 128 bi-directional channels on one PCI-e card:

http://global.focusrite.com/rednet (http://global.focusrite.com/rednet)

I don't know, however, if you can use more than one PCI-e card.

Cheers :)