Wave-USB Sample Delay Effect using a DAW
Here's an overview of how to use the Wave-USB and a DAW to generate a delayed laser image on a 2nd scan head. This has created some rather unique effects!
The basic requirements for this would be a pair of ADATs, a USBStreamer (or MCHStreamer), a digital audio workstation (DAW), two laser projectors and an laser image source.
The configuration that will be shared below is a good bit more elaborate but will be documented here for anyone interested in exploring this path.
I am by no means a pro when it comes to DAW software. There may be a much better/easier way to accomplish what's presented here.
The basic requirements for this would be a pair of ADATs, a USBStreamer (or MCHStreamer), a digital audio workstation (DAW), two laser projectors and an laser image source.
The configuration that will be shared below is a good bit more elaborate but will be documented here for anyone interested in exploring this path.
I am by no means a pro when it comes to DAW software. There may be a much better/easier way to accomplish what's presented here.
The Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) is the core of this effect. I suspect any Windows PC DAW that supports ASIO and VST3 plug-ins will work. Core Audio, native on Apple products, doesn't require ASIO.
For the DAW, I am using N-Track v10. At a minimum, the Extended edition is required to allow for the use of plug-ins and Midi control.
There are several steps needed to configure N-Track for use with the Wave-USB. I have created a template file to help configure the tracks and set the plug-ins however, some basic configuration needs to be completed prior to using the template. Follow the steps below to prep N-Track for the template.
For the DAW, I am using N-Track v10. At a minimum, the Extended edition is required to allow for the use of plug-ins and Midi control.
There are several steps needed to configure N-Track for use with the Wave-USB. I have created a template file to help configure the tracks and set the plug-ins however, some basic configuration needs to be completed prior to using the template. Follow the steps below to prep N-Track for the template.
There are two VST3 plug-ins that I use, one called Sample Delay and the other called Flipper. Once downloaded and extracted, the .VST3 files will need to be placed in this folder: C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\
Verify that the Wave-USB is connected and recognized in the MiniDSP Control Panel prior to starting N-Track.
The first time you start N-Track, it will likely default to your sound card. From the settings menu, select Audio Devices
You may have quite a few devices listed. If you click Advanced, you can uncheck MME, WDM and Wasapi.
Select the MiniDSP ASIO Driver. 48K sample rate is more than adequate for laser shows however, if you require a higher sample rate, the Wave-USB supports up to 96K and the Wave-USB Pro supports 192K.
Select the MiniDSP ASIO Driver. 48K sample rate is more than adequate for laser shows however, if you require a higher sample rate, the Wave-USB supports up to 96K and the Wave-USB Pro supports 192K.
From the main screen press F5, then F6 on your keyboard. This will show the input VU meters (left side) and the output VU meters (right side). At the top right side, click the 3 dot bar for the channel settings, then click Select I/O Channels. Make sure that the 4 upper check boxes are selected on both sides. The TOSLINK's can remain unchecked. By default the output side will only have the top box selected. Click OK twice to return to the N-Track main screen.
N-Track is now ready for the template to be loaded. Template file below. This file will setup the 8 input/output tracks and and set the plug-ins. The Delay plug-ins are added to XYRGB and the Flipper plug-ins are added to XY.
It's important to note how the tracks are setup. Track 1 has an input from Channel 1 and outputs to Channel 1 and Channel 2. The far left toolbar is the Timeline Track Mixer, if you don't see this, select View, Mixer and Timeline Track Mixer. Selecting Track 1, you will see that the pan slider is all the way Left. If you select Track 2 (input CH2, output CH1/CH2) the pan slider will be all the way to the right. This cycle repeats for all 8 channels.
Within the Timeline Track Mixer, you will find the plug-ins that are active.
It's important to note how the tracks are setup. Track 1 has an input from Channel 1 and outputs to Channel 1 and Channel 2. The far left toolbar is the Timeline Track Mixer, if you don't see this, select View, Mixer and Timeline Track Mixer. Selecting Track 1, you will see that the pan slider is all the way Left. If you select Track 2 (input CH2, output CH1/CH2) the pan slider will be all the way to the right. This cycle repeats for all 8 channels.
Within the Timeline Track Mixer, you will find the plug-ins that are active.
Selecting either plug-in from the Timeline Track Mixer will open the console for the plug-in. Flipper is setup for tracks 1 and 2 (X/Y) to allow for a software driver inversion of the track. Sample Delay is setup for tracks 1 thru 5, which covers X/Y and RGB. At this point, you can test the functionality of the sample delay plug-in by selecting a track and then selecting the plug-in for that track and adding delay. However, this is a little tedious because you have to choose each track separately in order to open the associated plug-in console.
There are two different control methods that I've explored. The easiest being a simple Midi controller and assign the same control knob or slider to X/Y and another control knob or slider to RGB. Additionally, adding a couple buttons to control the flipper plug-in. While this worked extremely well, I didn't want to dedicate an entire Midi controller when I only needed 2 knobs and 2 buttons.
The second method utilized TouchOSC and Pangolin's Beyond and will be detailed below.
There are two different control methods that I've explored. The easiest being a simple Midi controller and assign the same control knob or slider to X/Y and another control knob or slider to RGB. Additionally, adding a couple buttons to control the flipper plug-in. While this worked extremely well, I didn't want to dedicate an entire Midi controller when I only needed 2 knobs and 2 buttons.
The second method utilized TouchOSC and Pangolin's Beyond and will be detailed below.
Still working!
