Help setting up patchnet

[qtvaudio]

Hi Avid System 5 Community

I'm in the process of installing a System 5 alongside Protools AAX and have a few probably really obvious questions regarding Patchnet; I'm really not getting it!
Is anyone prepared to talk me through the basics?

[Steven1145]

Where are you based? Might be worth looking for someone who can do a hands-on training session for you.

sent from my Galaxy S7 Edge

[qtvaudio]

Hey

I'm in Qatar so nobody around to teach me...and I doubt there will be budget for onsite training just yet; I'm working it out as I go...feels a bit like reinventing the wheel though when someone who knows would just go "oh yeah you need to do that".

What I'll do in here is post more specific questions as I progress if that's ok?

Thanks

R

[Steven1145]

Hey, no worries. Try to group a few questions together and I'll try to find the time to do a quick tutorial video to answer them.

[qtvaudio]

Hey Steven/ Avid S5 users

Here's an update;
I think Ive pretty much worked out most of patchnet...

One question regarding this right now is whether it is better to route our outboards as Channel Inserts or as Aux Sends; Ive opted for aux sends right now; from what I can gather the Inserts sit in the processing path after the S5's own DSP, and we will mainly use them as outboard preamps. Later on I might want to put then on mix buses as processors though.

Group buses in Patchnet are for sending and returning from a DAW or recorder, right? So I've set up one of the frames as a dedicated IO to our ProTools MADI HDs. Am I correct in thinking that these are not the same as Control Groups in the console?

Regarding S5...is it possible to use the dual-panner module without the Film Panel? As it stands we have a unit with no ethernet port, so how would one assign the panners to a target strip/channel? If not why on earth did they supply us with one?

Many thanks

[Steven1145]

Originally Posted by qtvaudio

Hey Steven/ Avid S5 users


One question regarding this right now is whether it is better to route our outboards as Channel Inserts or as Aux Sends; Ive opted for aux sends right now; from what I can gather the Inserts sit in the processing path after the S5's own DSP, and we will mainly use them as outboard preamps. Later on I might want to put then on mix buses as processors though.

It depends which sort of outboard. Typically any dynamics would be used as inserts in your channels or Mix busses. Beware that the Mix Bus insert button is NOT automated, so you'll have to be wary of switching it in and out during a mix.
Any reverb or other FX outboard is better used from an Aux send, with returns patched to DSP channels.

Group buses in Patchnet are for sending and returning from a DAW or recorder, right? So I've set up one of the frames as a dedicated IO to our ProTools MADI HDs. Am I correct in thinking that these are not the same as Control Groups in the console?

Group busses are indeed used for sending a record Source to a multitrack recorder or DAW. The Record tracks from the DAW then need to be patched to Channels, quite like in a Split analog console configuration (vs In-Line config).
In a Film mix configuration, you will be using Mix Busses to send the Mix and Stems to the recorder/DAW. That way you can listen to the bus output or the DAW return in the Monitoring section (Bus/Tape switching, AKA PEC/Direct ).
Control GROUPS on the other hand are akin to VCA, except that they also have the power to control EQ, DYN and any other processing on the slave Channels.

Regarding S5...is it possible to use the dual-panner module without the Film Panel? As it stands we have a unit with no ethernet port, so how would one assign the panners to a target strip/channel? If not why on earth did they supply us with one?

Yes it is. On my first S5 we had a 401J module with only panners and a VGA screen. The panners are not connected via RJ45, but with 9 pin Serial Cables. The first panner is to be plugged into the serial port of your FIRST CM408 fader module, and the second is plugged into the serial port of the Second CM408 module.

Hope that helps.

[qtvaudio]

Hi Steven

Brilliant! Thank you for that, really useful and appreciated; now I have a few things to get on with!

Regarding the inserts; I'm concieving we will use one of the Pre-Dyn units ie Millenia or Avalon on our voice over mic, the rest is mainly a mix of dynamics and eqs that I would put inline on mix busses

One more question; we have a TC reverb that doesnt have an analog card; we'd need to feed it from AES out on our 713/703s...I can't see these digital outputs in patchnet, at least they arent apparent. The other thing is there are four(?) extra analog ins/outs on these units...again its not apparent where these appear in patchnet. Any knowledge on this?

Many thanks

R

[Steven1145]

The Euphonix DA and AD have an AES in or Out , which is accessed in patchnet as Sources or destination 25 and 26.
I don't know if the extra 4 sockets you refer to are accessible on top of the 24 analog in or out ports.

sent from my Galaxy S7 Edge

[qtvaudio]

Hi Steven

Re joysticks...We have exactly that unit and that doesn't appear to work. I've pugged them into Com1 on both the first and second CM408 surfaces as you suggested. It's very frustrating that thi sis not mentioned at all in the installation manual.

Thanks

Robin

[Steven1145]

You need to reboot the desk for the joysticks to be recognised.
I know one of mine sometimes doesn't come online, probably some interference within the module (I have a 403 in which I inserted a custom-made plate containing my Colin Broad SR4 synchroniser).
Or you could have faulty joysticks.
Do the switches on the joysticks light up at all? On boot do they do their little calibration dance?

sent from my Galaxy S7 Edge