Soundflower into Pro Tools

[JMDNYC]

I think I know the answer, but I just wanted to ask:

Does any one know if you can rout Soundflower outputs into Pro Tools inputs?

Is there some clever way to use the plug-in inputs on an Aux track?

(Is the answer "no, you dummy. Why don't you just buy an ADAT firewire interface and run ADAT cable into the 192?")

[dtmprod]

Assuming you have a digital output on your puter, could run an adat cable from that into your convertor...

[John_Toolbox]

There might be a way to do this with Bidule... I know you can get bidule inputs into pro tools as a rewire device, I'm using it to bring in ethernet audio from audioport universal. So if you can access soundflower i/o in bidule(which I'm pretty sure you should be able to), then yes.

The only problem with this on a TDM system is it eats up voices since the bidule rewire inputs to pro tools come in as RTAS plugins.

[JMDNYC]

That would work. However, my question was an extension of a conversation on another forum about the limits of using Bidule in rewire mode. Soundflower would be a way to use Bidule as a VI host in standalone mode.

I'm hoping Vienna Ensemble Pro is going to solve a lot of these VI problems.

[John_Toolbox]

my question was an extension of a conversation on another forum about the limits of using Bidule in rewire mode

What limitation are you referring to, just out of curiosity?

[JMDNYC]

I hope it doesn't break any forum rules to include a link to another forum. Here it goes:

http://vi-control.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12671

The general consensus I've read is that Bidule works better in standalone with a hardware connection than via Rewire. I had just built a template with Bidule using Rewire, and it didn't hold up in a moderately demanding session. I ended up putting all the instruments back directly into Pro Tools. I don't know if it's because Rewire is relatively old technology or if it's that it only uses one core of multi-core machines.

[JMDNYC]

Originally Posted by dtmprod

Assuming you have a digital output on your puter, could run an adat cable from that into your convertor...

I do have a cable from the digital out running into the 192. I had that set up for using Soundminer before they got the rewire working properly for that. The only trouble about using it for standalone VI's or for Bidule is that I usually need more than one stereo pair, either for stemming or for a reverb send. I know, I know, I'm too picky...

[John_Toolbox]

Originally Posted by JMDNYC

I hope it doesn't break any forum rules to include a link to another forum. Here it goes:

http://vi-control.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12671

Interesting thread. I was not aware that rewire devices were limited to one core.

Originally Posted by JMDNYC

The general consensus I've read is that Bidule works better in standalone with a hardware connection than via Rewire. I had just built a template with Bidule using Rewire, and it didn't hold up in a moderately demanding session. I ended up putting all the instruments back directly into Pro Tools. I don't know if it's because Rewire is relatively old technology or if it's that it only uses one core of multi-core machines.

Standalone with hardware works better for two reasons, one is that it is seen by the os as a separate app this way. I think(please correct me if I'm wrong)that as a rewire device it is seen as "part" of the rewire host, thus limiting it's ability to take advantage of your remaining ram/cpus. This is only an issue if you are running lots of cpu/ram intensive plugs inside your host app, which it sounds like you are.

Just to give you an idea of what I'm doing, I'm running bidule as a rewire device with PT 6.4.1 in a mix system on a dual 1.0 G4. I am streaming 32 channels of rewire into the mix system with bidule. The catch is that my VI's are on a separate PC, so what I have in Bidule is 16 stereo instances of AudioPort Universal VST(Takes 32 channels of audio from the PC over the ethernet). The only RTAS in PT is the rewire inputs. This runs without a hitch for 12 hours straight. Much different situation than yours, yes, but it does work. In your case the whole point of the mac pro is to use that 16GB of ram on the single machine so you don't have all the wires and computers that I do. One other trick that does work, is to copy the Bidule app and rename it. You can then open these as separate programs, and make as many as your system will handle. I haven't tested it under heavy load because all my machines have 4GB of RAM or less, but it does work as far as I can tell, and since the Bidule license allows you to run as many copies of it as you need, I don't think it technically breaks the EULA.

If you have some R&D time, here's what I would try:

1. Start with a clean PT session, no RTAS other than your rewire inputs

2. Create a bidule rewire device.

3. Open a renamed standalone bidule app.

4. Connect the rewire bidule to the standalone bidule with soundflower.

Just an idea... one flaw I can already see in it is there are only 16 i/o via soundflower.

[tripit]

I've been asking Digi to please give us a route into PT from native for a while now. I think there are enough users who could benefit from this. It's seems ridiculous that we have route out and back in physically.

[JMDNYC]

Originally Posted by John_Toolbox

1. Start with a clean PT session, no RTAS other than your rewire inputs

2. Create a bidule rewire device.

3. Open a renamed standalone bidule app.

4. Connect the rewire bidule to the standalone bidule with soundflower.

Just an idea... one flaw I can already see in it is there are only 16 i/o via soundflower.

That's a genius suggestion, John. I'll try it soon as I get a chance. I don't think the 16 ins is a big handicap, as I was using that anyway. Also, I don't know if Stylus can receive host sync if it's in a "shelled" bidule. It would work if RMX were in "slice" mode instead of "groove" mode. Maybe it could reside in the first, rewired, layer, and Kontakt 3 and Play could be in the standalone. The one thing I would be curious about is the latency that was preventing me from playing a very rhythmic piano part. The standalone would be receiving midi from the IAC bus instead of the rewire bus, so maybe that will be better.