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Author Topic: Multi-track recording with Soundcraft Si Compact/Expression?  (Read 44008 times)

Samuel Rees

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Multi-track recording with Soundcraft Si Compact/Expression?
« Reply #30 on: November 19, 2013, 02:07:55 PM »

Interesting. 16x16 would have been an absurd, arbitrary restriction designed to make people buy the next card up.... though this is coming from the company who brought us only 2 fully parametric channel EQs filters on second gen digital console :)

I don't think you'll be able to do that off the bat. It's my understanding that stageboxes supporting Dante cards won't be available for some time. This was from a conversation with a Soundcraft rep at AES. That said I think Soundcraft has been failing to communicate with its user base and consumers on these issues. It's difficult to plan a system with all these things coming "down the road".
« Last Edit: November 19, 2013, 02:15:02 PM by Samuel Rees »
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John Vengrouskie

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Re: Multi-track recording with Soundcraft Si Compact/Expression?
« Reply #31 on: December 03, 2013, 11:46:55 AM »

Interesting. 16x16 would have been an absurd, arbitrary restriction designed to make people buy the next card up.... though this is coming from the company who brought us only 2 fully parametric channel EQs filters on second gen digital console :)

I don't think you'll be able to do that off the bat. It's my understanding that stageboxes supporting Dante cards won't be available for some time. This was from a conversation with a Soundcraft rep at AES. That said I think Soundcraft has been failing to communicate with its user base and consumers on these issues. It's difficult to plan a system with all these things coming "down the road".

indeed i have this EXPRESSION 24 right now sitting waiting 965For an answer to the "live+recording " solution and growing frustration.  Im faced with (damnably) actually RETURNING  this thing and hating going with presonus or other option... Or desperately wanting SOUNDCRAFT  to make the clear obvious no- confusion choice to be able to run an EXPRESSION seriies console with BOTH mini stagebox expansion AND no-other-box MacBook recording solution. 
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Soundcraft Si Expression2

Samuel Rees

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Multi-track recording with Soundcraft Si Compact/Expression?
« Reply #32 on: December 03, 2013, 11:55:42 AM »

Been reading PSW for years but new here now as a member.
 
Over a week ago I had talked with Soundcraft and been told the FW cards were in UK and would be in the US by a week or so. A day later a different Soundcraft rep said "February".
Live work and recording are equal values to me here and dispite the instant-plug FW aspect of the Presonus, I just went ahead with the Expression2 even WITH the trepidation of the RealSoonNow aspect of the firewire and Dante cards.

With an older Macbook being my main location recording tool (with analog consoles) along with an RME Fireface800 as the gateway with 2 ADAT preamp sets piggybacked to it, the firewire is legacy. Knowing the Yamaha line and what Dante is, but not being masterfully conversant with its implementations, I'm unclear about Dante and gigabit ethernet straight into the macbook (sounds simple on the surface) as well as simultaneously running a digital stage link to a Mini Stagebox, and all I'd need is the Dante card in the Expression... or not?

THanks for a LOT of good reading up to now. Hope I measure up.

It's my understanding Dante cards are shipping now in the US. Yes, it's as simple as that. You get the card, CAT5e or better cable into your Mac, install Dante Virtual Soundcard which came with your purchase, select DVS in your DAW, done. 
« Last Edit: December 03, 2013, 11:58:42 AM by Samuel Rees »
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Jason Lucas

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Re: Multi-track recording with Soundcraft Si Compact/Expression?
« Reply #33 on: December 03, 2013, 03:03:55 PM »

indeed i have this EXPRESSION 24 right now sitting waiting 965For an answer to the "live+recording " solution and growing frustration.  Im faced with (damnably) actually RETURNING  this thing and hating going with presonus or other option... Or desperately wanting SOUNDCRAFT  to make the clear obvious no- confusion choice to be able to run an EXPRESSION seriies console with BOTH mini stagebox expansion AND no-other-box MacBook recording solution.

If you get a MADI audio interface you can have both.
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There are three things I hate: Harsh highs, hollow mids, and woofy bass.

Ian Routley

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Re: Multi-track recording with Soundcraft Si Compact/Expression?
« Reply #34 on: December 14, 2013, 05:55:53 PM »

As I am in a similar situation (looking to record from an Expression Si 3), I have been watching this thread for a while, and information has evolved a little over that time.


Multi-Digital I/O -- will apparently record 32 channels, so not the limitation as supposed earlier in the thread.  This seems to be around the US$400 mark.  If you use a PC then you can use the USB port into your DAW using the soundcraft driver (not for Mac though  ... for reasons unclear).  Cheap ... but no option to concurrently run a stagebox (ie no second slot)

Dante -- was originally my first choice, but as supposed earlier, this is much more expensive (the card is approximately 4x the Multi-Digital card, at around the US$1600 mark, from what I have read, or RRP AU$2300 here in Australia)  Dante enabled stageboxes seem to be few, and quite high end (read: expensive).  It is unclear to me how well they will integrate, particularly as the card does not seem to be shipping yet.

So from my point of view this brings me back to MADI, which seems to be the way Soundcraft are heading (given the architecture of their stageboxes).  The stageboxes also come with the card, which (on the face of it) makes it more economical than (say) Dante.

Again, from reading around, it does NOT seem that it is as simple as just connecting everything together with some Cat5, and routing the appropriate inputs / outputs and 'away you go'.  There is even a suggestion that you can not do both simultaneously, without the use of an auxiliary card IN the stagebox.

Has anyone actually run a multitrack recording from an Expression console into a PC/Mac, whilst using a digital stagebox via MADI.

What hardware was used?  Cat5 / Optical?  How many tracks? etc.

(apologies for the long first post)
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Samuel Rees

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Multi-track recording with Soundcraft Si Compact/Expression?
« Reply #35 on: December 15, 2013, 01:48:09 AM »

My dealer said around $800 USD for the Dante card. Soundcraft claims at some point you'll be able to buy a new mini stagebox but with a Dante card in it instead of a MADI card, it's vaporware for now. Notice that the MADI on the stagebox is mounted on a card.

The bummer here is that Soundcraft doesn't have that configuration out right now, and there's always the outside chance it'll never come to sale.
« Last Edit: December 15, 2013, 02:02:01 AM by Samuel Rees »
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Ian Routley

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Re: Multi-track recording with Soundcraft Si Compact/Expression?
« Reply #36 on: December 20, 2013, 04:37:17 AM »

From the Aus distributor's website:
" Prices in Australia are $625 (MDC) and $2375 (Dante) including GST "

So Dante nearly 4x the price of MultiDigital (RRP)

Can anyone in the US actually get either of these cards yet?
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Ian Routley

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Re: Multi-track recording with Soundcraft Si Compact/Expression?
« Reply #37 on: December 23, 2013, 03:05:22 AM »

Ok.  After a little more research,  Dante card available online for US$940

Multidigital IO available for $399

Given the Multidigital is a 'one-trick pony', I'll opt for the more expensive Dante option now.  Worst outcome is there is never a Dante based stagebox, and I paid extra simply for recording capability.  Lucky I couldn't find someone with the Multidig card in stock!
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John Vengrouskie

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Re: Multi-track recording with Soundcraft Si Compact/Expression?
« Reply #38 on: December 24, 2013, 02:07:48 PM »

Given the Multidigital is a 'one-trick pony', I'll opt for the more expensive Dante option now.  Worst outcome is there is never a Dante based stagebox, and I paid extra simply for recording capability.

STELLAR. Had this thing sitting for a month waiting for a resolution on this. (wasn't there a quote on the SOUNDCRAFT fb page claiming a "stagebox and recording solution" answer a while ago?)
Meanwhile friends and folks are running around FWing their Presonus boards into laptops with simple gleeful abandon while I need to dole out another $400-$1k just to even DO that (FW or DANTE) at ALL -and- obviate the stagebox option. Choose mini-stagebox (MADI) and then no recording.

This doesn't feel like My Father's Soundcraft...

JV SOUNDSCENES DC

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Soundcraft Si Expression2

Jesse gray

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Re: Multi-track recording with Soundcraft Si Compact/Expression?
« Reply #39 on: January 29, 2014, 01:57:04 PM »

Does anyone know if Soundcraft has an ADAT-only expansion card in the works? We have the adat hd24 and are not wanting to make the leap into digital recording yet. I know they have the multi card, but that only has 8 channels of lightpipe, not the 24 we need.   
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ProSoundWeb Community

Re: Multi-track recording with Soundcraft Si Compact/Expression?
« Reply #39 on: January 29, 2014, 01:57:04 PM »


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