Using G4 as a PCI expansion Chassis?

[Archmart]

Hey Hey!

Awhile back there was something mentioned about using a a G4 as a PCI expansion chassis, but I can't seem to find it in a search.

I've got a Dual 1.8 G5 with the PCI-X slots and an old G4 400 sitting around doing nothing. Could I make use of it?

Thanks,
Archmart

 

[Dragon_Huang]

Maybe a Fxpansion Mac version might work.....

Hm...Not really sure...

but just a clue..

 

[ptram]

Archmart,

Since I'm losing any hope there will be a solution to my problems with the UAD card on the G5, and at the same time I can't live with the idea of not using the UAD plug-ins, I'm looking for something like this.

At the moment I'm investigating on a solution similar to Logic Node between logic (on the G5) and the UAD's host (on the G4).

An alternative solution is this one, I'll try as soon as I have some spare time for experiments: since I have an ADAT audio interface connected to my G5, and an ADAT audio card in my G4, I'll connect both computers via TosLink.

The G4 will be considered as a digital, 8-channel external FX processor. I'll manage it from the G5 via VNC, whose slugginesh over an Ethernet 10Mps shouldn't give me problems for simply launching the host and choosing presets.

Logic, running on the G5, will send signal to the ADAT ports, and receive it back on Aux channels with the I/O plug-in assigned. Latency should be negligeable.

The problems are that (1) one can only have 8 mono/4 stereo UAD effects, and (2) that you need a host multichannel software on the G4 (obviously, Logic's key only works for a single Mac...)

Not the best solution, but at least it will let me use UAD plug-ins in critical situations.

Best regards,
Paolo

 

[Trace]

Hey Hey!

Awhile back there was something mentioned about using a a G4 as a PCI expansion chassis, but I can't seem to find it in a search.

I've got a Dual 1.8 G5 with the PCI-X slots and an old G4 400 sitting around doing nothing. Could I make use of it?

Thanks,
Archmart

I've got that same machine and a used Magma chassis. I also have an old G4. I like the Magma, it didn't cost me much and I get a very good level of performance with my 4 UAD-1's.

I read your ideas for using the G4 as a sort of UAD Node. I considered that too. Actually what i've been thinking is more along the lines of having one machine handle the Audio while the other handles VSTi's and Samplers. I'll see how that all works out when I get a Processor upgrade for my old 350Mhz G4.

Is there some reason why you haven't tried the Magma route?

 

[ptram]

Hi Trace,

\"Is there some reason why you haven't tried the Magma route?\"

As for me, because it is overly expensive. For the same price (or even less), I would go for a second Mac to create a second working point.

Paolo

 

[Giles117 DP]

So a used Magma between 300 and 400 is too expensive and you can get a new mac for that price????

Hmmmmm

 

[Demetrious]

The only way i can see this working is if there was a cross platform version of Teleport FX.

Logic nodes can only be used for SOME of logic fx and instruments.

I don't know how logic will deal with PDC runing on 2 macs using the sound card option you have mentioned.

The 2 great ideas of Steinberg would have been good Sytems Link and the Ping Tool make that 3. V-Stack aint half a bad idea too. It's just a pitty about the sound of Steinberg's audio engine. come to think of it the Mackie DXB could also do with the Ping Tool. as well as ALL DAWs

 

[ptram]

Hi Giles,

So a used Magma between 300 and 400 is too expensive and you can get a new mac for that price????

Never found a used Magma. A shop on eBay listed two or three of them some months ago, at a price way over 1000 USD. To which, shipment price in Europe had to be added.

A Mac mini can be had for about 499 USD. So, it looks like a better bargain to me.

Paolo

 

[Archmart]

Hey Hey!

I would love to go Magma at some point, but the reasons I don't jump into a Magma right now are:

1) 300-400 bucks is still 300-400 bucks more than using the G4 I have sitting here collecting dust (if it's possible... and although it seems no one currently thinks it is, I was just asking because I think someone had suggested it sometime back)

2) With all this PCI/PCI-X/PCI-Extreme business... I'm trying to hold off on buying anything until the dust has settled.

(I'd love to buy a Flexi-Pak, by the way, but 1) I can't get an answer as to whether, as already an UltraPak owner, I'll be able to save some of the voucher for future plug releases - Multiband! - or if I have to buy redundant copies of plugs I already have. and 2) I'd hate to be newly 2 deep into UAD-1s when a PCI Extreme version comes out. Oy!)

(Right now, I'm also holding off on upgrading my Mbox to an 002R (or M-Audio with a Project/Mix) because it really seems likely that something's coming out soon to replace either the 002 or 002R.)

As I understand it, the Magma solution doesn't actually solve the problem of limited instances of UAD-1 plugs because it's still plugged into one of the PCIX slots and thus is still using the AMD 8131 chip and thus is still either using the AMD mode and bogging down the host processor or without AMD mode, creating it's own problem. So I can't figure out why it is even suggested as a solution to the AMD 8131 problem, although I do understand that it would provide a 4th slot to max out my system with UAD-1s, which would be nice...

The projects I've got to work on right now are not in and of themselves time critical, but they ARE hopefully going to be great stuff for my demo-reel, so I don't mind waiting a bit. Ok... that's a lie... I'm completely running out of patience because I'm just anxious to get to work... but I'd hate to buy an 002R and then find they've replaced it or the 002 with something that way outdoes it days later.

I've been working on a project, a live concert recording, that I've been actually bouncing to disc for each instance of a UAD-1 plug. It's an hour and a half long and I keep thinking I've got the magic combo of plugs and mix so I go through 1.5 hours of bouncing for each plug I'm using (I can only get one or two to run at a time). That makes it 10.5 hours of bouncing to get the final product, which of course I then listen to in several places and then reject.

(parenthetically),
Archmart

 

[beubbo]

The only way i can see this working is if there was a cross platform version of Teleport FX.

Archmart,

Wormhole2 (via ethernet) from Plasq company ( http://plasq.com/wormhole/ ) seems to be what you're asking for

thanks relating us the results if you give Wormhole2 a try

 

[Trace]

As I understand it, the Magma solution doesn't actually solve the problem of limited instances of UAD-1 plugs because it's still plugged into one of the PCIX slots and thus is still using the AMD 8131 chip and thus is still either using the AMD mode and bogging down the host processor or without AMD mode, creating it's own problem. So I can't figure out why it is even suggested as a solution to the AMD 8131 problem, although I do understand that it would provide a 4th slot to max out my system with UAD-1s, which would be nice...

I have the very combination that you speak of with a AMD 8131 G5, Magma & 4 UAD-1's. My system runs just fine. I've done extensive testing with my rig and have found that the performance of G5 with AMD 8131 and UAD-1 in a Magma is not as bad as it might seem. Really it depends on how you work. I personally use mostly the best UA plugs in my sessions and it just so happens that the 8131 limitations only slightly effect those plug ins. Its possible to get maximum instances of some of the best plugs. Its only when you try to get extremely high instances of the lower powered plugs that you can run into a problem.

I'm also using a FW audio interface that that leaves all the PCI bandwidth to my UAD-1's. I find it to be a very acceptable situation for now.

Here is my last performance test:

Dual G5 1.8Ghz PCI-X
2.5 Gb of Ram
Yamaha O1X
7 Slot 33Mhz Magma Chassis
4 UAD-1's

OSX 10.3.9 - UAD vs 4.0
I set the MIN-GNT PCI Latency to 48
AMD 8131 Comp DMA mode is off
Running 24 Channels in Cubase SX 3.0.1, ASIO Buffer at 512, 44.1k
I've posted the most plug ins I could get to run stable with no Host CPU overload:


24 - Dreamverb - 20% G5 CPU & 95% UAD DSP (24 is max - so that's 100%)

40 - CS-1- 30% G5 CPU & 87% UAD DSP/92% mem (40 is max - so that's 100%)

16 - Plate 140 - 15% G5 CPU & 85% UAD DSP/43% mem (16 is max - so that's 100%)

8 - Nigel - 8% G5 CPU & 70% UAD DSP//48% mem (8 is max - so that's 100%)

28 - 1176LN - 25% G5 CPU and 95% UAD DSP (32 is max - 4 Less than max)

24 - Pultec Pro - 20% G5 CPU & 92% UAD DSP (28 is max - 4 less than max)

40 - Pultec - 28% G5 CPU & 93% UAD DSP (48 is max - 8 less than max)

40 - Fairchild 670 mono - 28% G5 CPU & 92% UAD DSP (48 is max - 8 less than max)

64 - LA2A - 45% G5 CPU & 95% UAD DSP (88 is max - so that's 24 less than max)

72 - 1176SE - 50% G5 CPU & 91% UAD DSP (128 is max - 56 less than max)

80 - Cambridge EQ's w/5 Bands - 58% G5 CPU & 89% UAD DSP (184 is max - 104 less than max)

 

[Archmart]

Hey Hey!

You're right... that doesn't seem too bad in a lot of ways.

Archmart