Device switcher project: any interest?

A friend asked me to build him the device which can take a care of next things:

3 or 4 microphone inputs
3 or 4 insert devices
Phantom on microphone inputs (switchable)
All this in 1RU, maybe with remote control.

The purpose is change mics and pre's on-the-fly, without any patch,
or change compressors on bass drum (for example).
It simply can be done with 12-16 relays, some logic, etc.

Any interest?

From my point of view its a very good idea.
In recording sessions you can compare mics/mic preamps for the vocals for example on the fly without patching. No need to record them first, just listen anf find out, which is the best combination for this singer.

Absoltutley time saving  ;D

If you will do such a goodie, i am in.

Wolfgang

Yes interested, a real time saver when recording +1

4 would be great.

This is a product I have already been working on for quite some time, I hope to have it ready soon.....

@nielsk: I am faster

Cool than. Do we need memory (16x store/recall'able presets)
and level matching between "presets"?
I.e. something like a level "after all" which can be stored with the preset.

I.e. preset1: 1272, SM57
    preset2: 1272, ELA-M251
    preset3: PGA2500 pre, U-87, phantom

To compare this on-the-fly, it is good to have "level trim" after the pre's to equalize levels.

Thoughts?

Hi Igor,


    what a brilliant idea! I would love to say that I had had the same idea - (it seems SO simple!) - but that would NOT be true! Just the switching should be fine for most purposes, i think. Personally, just switching (between 2 or three sources, and two or three devices would be awesome! esp if you could switch mic, preamp and comp seperately), would be fine - no need to store.


    Kindest regards,


    ANdyP

Cool than. Do we need memory (16x store/recall'able presets)
and level matching between "presets"?
I.e. something like a level "after all" which can be stored with the preset.

I.e. preset1: 1272, SM57
    preset2: 1272, ELA-M251
    preset3: PGA2500 pre, U-87, phantom

To compare this on-the-fly, it is good to have "level trim" after the pre's to equalize levels.

Thoughts?

Click to expand...

 8) Yes that would be great!  ;D Seems like the Igor and Bob Katz project you did is taking you into other nice level   and i don't know for others, but things that can help going faster without the need of patching, comparing etc... is great stuff i think, really! could be the type of gear you were looking for Igor, something everystudio would like to have in their arsenal, or maybe i'm totally wrong???
I think SSL is building a digital controlled patchbay, that would go along their Xdesk and all.
I think easy connectivity in the analog world is a killer, i'm really looking forward to this...

PS: Storing can be nice, maybe not necessary, but still having it is always welcome, if this doesn't cost much???

OK, soooo....

I have a Magic chip which takes care of 8 switches and 8 outputs.
It has 3 pins which set 8 types of logic:
-------------------
PGM LOGIC:

1). 8X (LATCH)
SW1...8->OUT1...8

2). (1 OF 8 )
SW1...8->OUT1...8

3). 2X( 1 OF 4 )
SW1...4->OUT1...4 ( 1 OF 4 )
SW5...8->OUT5...8 ( 1 OF 4 )

4). 4X (LATCH) AND ( 1 OF 4 )
SW1...4->OUT1...4 (LATCH)
SW5...8->OUT5...8 ( 1 OF 4 )

5). 2X (LATCH) AND 2X (1 OF 3)
SW 1,2->OUT 1,2 (LATCH)
SW 3,4,5->OUT 3,4,5 (1 OF 3)
SW 6,7,8->OUT 6,7,8 (1 OF 3)

6). 2X (LATCH) AND 2X (ONE-KNOB, 1 OF 3)
SW 1,2->OUT 1,2 (LATCH)
SW 3->OUT 3,4,5 (1 OF 3) LOGIC: 100-010-001
SW 4->OUT 6,7,8 (1 OF 3) LOGIC: 100-010-001

7). 2X (ONE-KNOB, 1 OF 4)
SW 1->OUT 1,2,3,4 (1 OF 4) LOGIC: 1000-0100-0010-0001
SW 2->OUT 5,6,7,8 (1 OF 4) LOGIC: 1000-0100-0010-0001

8 ). 2X (LATCH) AND 1X (ONE-KNOB, 1 OF 3) AND 1X (ONE-KNOB, 3 STATE)
SW 1,2->OUT 1,2 (LATCH)
SW 3->OUT 3,4,5 (1 OF 3) LOGIC: 100-010-001
SW 4->OUT 6,7 (3 STATE) LOGIC: 11-10-01
-------------------

Than, logic Nr 4 can take a care about situation when 4 inputs goes to a record chain,
or, logic Nr3 will take care of preamp's/mic's choice.....

Than, we simply adding here level control (THAT1240+PGA2320+THAT1646)
(At the output of chain)
With another Magic chip used to control PGA2320....
And of course with a pair of high quality caps at it's input and phan-tomB-protecting circuit
(to avoid phantom pass to the output if selected by mistake),
this will save converters at least.....

Than, all these funny Magic chips are controlled by two-wire interface from
another Magic Chip which tells them "store this into memo 5, stupid ass!!!!"
or "now, recall memo 9, or I will send you into Gaza sector!!!" and has rotary, 2x7-seg's, STORE and RECALL buttons.



All this can be of course modular, NO WANT LEVEL- NO DO,
NO WANT RECALL-NO INSTALL........

Thoughts?
Emotions like Beavis and Butthead do (Hhhehehheheheh....CCCCcCcCOOOOl....heheheh"
are more than welcome!

Hhhehehheheheh....CCCCcCcCOOOOl....heheheh  
That looks like Magic, i just have to read that again sorry  , but i think i get it...

This is what I have been working on:
"The Producers Choice"
8 mic inputs, 8 preamp inputs & outputs, 8 compressor (or EQ/ whatever) inputs and outputs, one final output w/ mute. Each section has a rotary switch for selection and an 8 segment display.
At this time all connections are D-Sub 25, as you can tell it would take a big box to put them all on XLR, but not impossible.
I have a working prototype, sending out for the test version prototype PC board.

would be nice :
-use 2 or more  mic inputs/preamps simultaneously with phase shifting/phase aligning
-parallel processing some inserts (crush 'n b )


I am in, even if it is only the switching part!

Any of those "magic chips" do MIDI? could be cool for changing patches, remote control etc.

I love magic chips 

Is a magic chip also capable of USB when it is tired of MIDI only
I still use MIDI but more and more people prefer the  random latency introducing virtual stuff :-\

wowi said:

I love magic chips 

Click to expand...

Yes but do you like salt and vinegar OR salt and sauce with yours? 

I have a friend of me that is a programmer of PIC chips, he builds crash test machines for the industry, and lately he's working on using USB for his machines, for simple tasks like save and load, and maybe some other things. And from what i understood, it's that first of all not all PICs, because i believe Magic chip is based on that, well not all PICs allow USB, and you still need some memory inbedded for making it to work well if you need to save and load, so maybe the 24 pins chip will be unsuffisant in terms of memory and you'll have to go on the 40 pins ones like the 18F4550.
Second he told me that even if USB seems pretty easy in it's task, the programming is not that easy, USB is the format of this time and is used all over the place, so he's moving up to it, and of course if Igor would move up to it also, that would be great  
But even without USB, this gear would be great to have.

PS: but maybe Magic chip has nothing to do with PIC  ??? 

Well, MIDI or MIDI over USB, not a huge deal to me. I know from a uC side, a real MIDI port is a lot easier to add to a project than a a USB one I'm sure Igor is up for it! I'd write a plugin to control it either way!

Well, MIDI or MIDI over USB, not a huge deal to me. I know from a uC side, a real MIDI port is a lot easier to add to a project than a a USB one  I'm sure Igor is up for it! I'd write a plugin to control it either way!

Click to expand...

Ok, i'm getting more and more interested in this, i'd like to know more actually, i'm working on that on my free time (not much), means PIC programming, C and C++Language etc..., it needs some tools but it's very interesting...

The usb \MIDI fuctionality you describe could be a project on its own supporting multiple projects.
Consider switching your analog gear in bypass through the sequencer or control  relay based attenuators by the sequencer .

The usb \MIDI fuctionality you describe could be a project on its own supporting multiple projects.
Consider switching your analog gear in bypass through the sequencer or control  relay based attenuators by the sequencer .

Click to expand...

Yes a lot like the Patchbay SSL will be releasing but in Ethernet.

http://www.solid-state-logic.com/music/xlogic%20x-patch/