Some questions on SC48 and Protools

[ionStorm]

Hi! I'm new to the forum. I'm from Malaysia and i'm currently testing out a couple of mixers to see which one suits my church best (we're getting a new one!).

I had the opportunity to use it live for my weekend service and it ran without a hitch. There were however some things that I couldn't do and I was hoping I could get an answer in the forum.

1. Is it normal to be running at 60C? I'm quite worried that this might reduce the SC48's lifespan.
2. I learnt that the SC48 uses a regular HDD (2.5"?) to host the OS and some other files. Is it possible to change this to an SSD? I work with computers alot and HDD's fail all the time. I'm also hoping that an SSD (like an Intel X25-M) might allow the console to boot faster.
3. Is it possible to playback via Firewire from a typical player (ie. iTunes) while recording in Protools?
4. I don't fancy a Mac. Maybe I haven't got used to it yet but can I get the SC48 to run on a notebook with Windows 7, and use Protools? Preferably without any headaches involved.
5. A number of my friends have raised an eyebrow at Windows XPe. Is it possible for the SC48 to get infected with typical thumbdrive viruses? Also, with enough effort, is it possible to introduce a virus/trojan into the SC48?
6. Remote controlling the SC48 over WiFi was a really lousy experience using Ultra VNC. It was laggy, and the meter updates are slow. I'm using an old Pentium-M laptop. I'm running on 54G. Is that sufficient, or am I just doing it wrong?
7. Is it easy to replace a module in the SC48? My dealer/supplier says that Digidesign does not do repairs. The "Hardware Assurance" plan also seems a little expensive and out of reach.

Also, another two things that would make it better for my volunteers...

1. Will Digidesign ever implement a way for the SC48 to switch back and forth between FWx and Stage Inputs, just like how it's done with HDx? I don't think it's impossible. We would just need to specify the channels that the SC48 should be tracking.
2. Will Digidesign ever implement user management features like the M7CL? I need to lock out the options page from newbies. Who knows what they might mess up? I had a friend demonstrate to me some wonderful event triggers that wreaked havoc on the board.

Sorry to be coming out of nowhere and asking so many questions. We will be making a decision about which mixer to buy in about two weeks, so I need to get informed...and quickly.

Thanks in advance!

--
EJ

[noclevername]

The answers I can help with are in blue

Originally Posted by ionStorm

Hi! I'm new to the forum. I'm from Malaysia and i'm currently testing out a couple of mixers to see which one suits my church best (we're getting a new one!).

I had the opportunity to use it live for my weekend service and it ran without a hitch. There were however some things that I couldn't do and I was hoping I could get an answer in the forum.

1. Is it normal to be running at 60C? I'm quite worried that this might reduce the SC48's lifespan.
   I'm sure the monitoring system would warm if there was a problem.
2. I learnt that the SC48 uses a regular HDD (2.5"?) to host the OS and some other files. Is it possible to change this to an SSD? I work with computers alot and HDD's fail all the time. I'm also hoping that an SSD (like an Intel X25-M) might allow the console to boot faster.
   There has been a bit of discussion about that. See this forum...http://duc.digidesign.com/showthread...SD+Solid+State
3. Is it possible to playback via Firewire from a typical player (ie. iTunes) while recording in Protools?
   Yes, you need the core audio drivers and you can then patch the firewire input on your console to tracks 1+2
4. I don't fancy a Mac. Maybe I haven't got used to it yet but can I get the SC48 to run on a notebook with Windows 7, and use Protools? Preferably without any headaches involved.
   Yes, this is a cross platform program that runs a VNC. Win 7, Vista, XP, or mac or iphone will work. Do you mean the offline editor? That is Windows only. Protools LE is cross platform though.
5. A number of my friends have raised an eyebrow at Windows XPe. Is it possible for the SC48 to get infected with typical thumbdrive viruses? Also, with enough effort, is it possible to introduce a virus/trojan into the SC48?
   Anything is possible, but since it is XPe, the odds are greatly reduced. I heard about this happening on a lighting console running XPe, but it was an isolated incident. I have not heard of this being a problem on the forum at all. The moral is if you are worried, run a scan on your laptop or such before sticking it in your console.
6. Remote controlling the SC48 over WiFi was a really lousy experience using Ultra VNC. It was laggy, and the meter updates are slow. I'm using an old Pentium-M laptop. I'm running on 54G. Is that sufficient, or am I just doing it wrong?
   Faster is better. I run a 54G network and run into the same thing. Make sure the laptop has plenty of ram, and think about upgrading to a "n" wireless. I've heard that is much faster. Otherwise a hardwire ethernet connection would probably be very fast.
7. Is it easy to replace a module in the SC48? My dealer/supplier says that Digidesign does not do repairs. The "Hardware Assurance" plan also seems a little expensive and out of reach.
   
   Not sure about this one. I have the mix rack which was not too difficult.

Also, another two things that would make it better for my volunteers...

1. Will Digidesign ever implement a way for the SC48 to switch back and forth between FWx and Stage Inputs, just like how it's done with HDx? I don't think it's impossible. We would just need to specify the channels that the SC48 should be tracking.
2. Will Digidesign ever implement user management features like the M7CL? I need to lock out the options page from newbies. Who knows what they might mess up? I had a friend demonstrate to me some wonderful event triggers that wreaked havoc on the board.
   Suggest this on the feature site. I agree with you! http://avid.venue.ideascale.com/

Sorry to be coming out of nowhere and asking so many questions. We will be making a decision about which mixer to buy in about two weeks, so I need to get informed...and quickly.

Thanks in advance!

--
EJ

[ionStorm]

3. Is it possible to playback via Firewire from a typical player (ie. iTunes) while recording in Protools?
Yes, you need the core audio drivers and you can then patch the firewire input on your console to tracks 1+2

I've already tried that. I am using the Core Audio drivers, but I can't do both things simultaneously. I want to know if simultaneous operation is possible.

4. I don't fancy a Mac. Maybe I haven't got used to it yet but can I get the SC48 to run on a notebook with Windows 7, and use Protools? Preferably without any headaches involved.
Yes, this is a cross platform program that runs a VNC. Win 7, Vista, XP, or mac or iphone will work. Do you mean the offline editor? That is Windows only. Protools LE is cross platform though.

I'm a little concerned about getting it to run on a PC notebook, judging from all the horror stories i've read.
I couldn't get any audio out of a notebook I tried. Granted it's an old notebook (Dell Inspiron 510m I think), but it was using Windows XP and had a TI firewire chipset. I installed the standalone ASIO drivers (it used the Digidesign Firehose driver). I was trying it out with Sony Vegas/Acid. It just kept telling me there was no device connected.

6. Remote controlling the SC48 over WiFi was a really lousy experience using Ultra VNC. It was laggy, and the meter updates are slow. I'm using an old Pentium-M laptop. I'm running on 54G. Is that sufficient, or am I just doing it wrong?
Faster is better. I run a 54G network and run into the same thing. Make sure the laptop has plenty of ram, and think about upgrading to a "n" wireless. I've heard that is much faster. Otherwise a hardwire ethernet connection would probably be very fast.

I don't think upgrading the laptop is going to change anything. I believe the issue lies in how VNC transmits data. Gotta wait for Sheldon to reply this one...

[digidesigner]

Originally Posted by ionStorm

I don't think upgrading the laptop is going to change anything. I believe the issue lies in how VNC transmits data. Gotta wait for Sheldon to reply this one...

VNC on my Mac laptop is slow but the hardwired PC at the same network in the other hand is very fast controlling D-Show

[Mike Z]

Originally Posted by ionStorm

I've already tried that. I am using the Core Audio drivers, but I can't do both things simultaneously. I want to know if simultaneous operation is possible.

As you discovered, simultaneous operation is not possible as the FWx driver is not multi-client. You would either have to close Pro Tools to switch to the Core Audio drivers, or import the tracks into Pro Tools for playback through FWx.