remote controll PT via network- this works

[DamienY]

Here’s a little thing is just discovered for remote recording, it made my life a bit easier, and recording fun again.

REMOTE CONTROLLED PROTOOLS OVER A NETWORK, it works faultlessly. I ran this for 8hrs, no crashes, dropouts nuttin.

I have a small home studio (set up in a spare bedroom) and I had a problem. I wanted to record my band, with me playing, live……..ok nothing new here….we play in the lounge/dining rooms at the other side of the house, about 15 meters away from the record button. Ok nothing new here either.

The normal solutions I didn’t want to use;
Me in the control room, everyone else wherever.
Hit record, then run……….
Buy long cables 4 my motor mix
Buy long cables 4 key/mouse/monitor.

What did I do…..VNC. http://www.realvnc.com/

this is vnc's blurb, from theie web site

“VNC stands for Virtual Network Computing. It is remote control software which allows you to view and interact with one computer (the "server") using a simple program (the "viewer") on another computer anywhere on the Internet. The two computers don't even have to be the same type, so for example you can use VNC to view an office Linux machine on your Windows PC at home. VNC is freely and publicly available and is in widespread active use by millions throughout industry, academia and privately.”

I use protocols le 6.1.1 on a pc (P4 2.8 1gig ram, 10/100/1000 nic), I linked this pc with my laptop (pIII 900 128 meg ram, 10/100 nic) via a 15m x-over cable (actually 2 normal and 1 x-over with joiners). I ran vnc server on the protools box, vnc viewer on the laptop, then REMOTE CONTROLLED PROTOOLS OVER THE NETWORK. All worked faultlessly until I turned it all off, never a crash.

I was able to go into the control room to make changes, or make changes on the laptop, all changes made on either was mirrored on the other.

Why is this good, well to record roughs live I now run audio, click AND DATA to the lounge, look at the other humans. (what a change, I almost thought my writing partner was a pc screen)

I can record with full PT functions, without being in the control room, I can change anything remotely.

Does it FEEL like im using the gun pc, no, the screen refresh isn’t really good, it feels like an old version of doom (huh what shot me). BUT I turned infinite hold on the meters so I can see if anything goes into the red, I recorded at a safe level, so nothing did distort.

These are LIVE roughs, but the best I have done so far as I was with the other people(Vibe).

Using the 10/100 nic means there is bugger all headroom (processing power) taken from the pt pc. The laptop was only drawing the screen bits so it had no problems at all.
I hope this helps someone else, it made my life easy.

email if you want more info

Damien
[email protected]

[LurkerAtTheThreshold]

Very cool! Thanks for the tip.