Panning

[Barry]

Hi!

I've just started production week for my first show using this software. I am confident it will perform spectacularly. I do have one question.

I have several thunderclap effects that I have programmed with SCS to pan left to right to simulate a moving storm. In tech rehearsals I have been trying to hear the pan effect, but I cannot.

I have my PC hooked to the board via: PC stereo headphone jack into a stereo 1/4 shielded cable and then to a L/R RCA adapter, and into a L/R send channel on the board.

Besides not being the best way to connect to the board(lots of noise), will this set up allow my pan effect to be heard correctly through the mains?

Barry

[jmgordon]

Have you specified speakers in "View/Options/Sound Devices" ? This needs to be left blank as default, otherwise panning is disabled.

As far as noise is concerned, have you got the headphone output at a sufficient level? Assuming the stereo input channel you are using on your board has a gain control, I would set the headphone level close to max and cut back on the gain so that with the fader at 0 (unity) you achieve the maximum level you want. If the headphone level is too low (i.e. not much above the noise floor) you will have to set the gain much higher and hence boost the noise as well. If there is no input gain, just an output level, I would still juggle the levels so that you have maximum signal going into the board, as long as you avoid clipping.

Malcolm

[Barry]

I have the PC master volume and wave volume both at about 95%.

I still get some buzz, but I haven't tried lowering the gain and boosting the slider, yet.

If I turn the gain all the way down on the channel, will my FX still come through?

Barry

[Richard Simpson]

Is your pc a laptop? Note that some laptops give mains hum buzz when powered from the mains. Try yours with the power supply unplugged. If it is quiet now, try using it via a D.I. box and earth lift it.

[Barry]

Laptop.

I don't think I have the time or the budget left to get a DI box for this show. However, if that does turn out to be the problem, my laptop battery, when fully charged, has a 2 1/2 hour limit. With the screen dimmed, even more.

I'll give it a go tonight. It'll be great to get some gain back into my FX.

Thanks!

Barry

[Barry]

Just to update everyone on the outcome of my show:

Unplugging the laptop solved the noise problem. The thunderstorm panned across the stage beautifully, and all of my cues worked!

I am so grateful for this program. I don't know how I could have gotten through this show without it.

Thanks!

Barry

[paul3263]

Unplugging the laptop solved the noise problem. The thunderstorm panned across the stage beautifully, and all of my cues worked!


Barry

I had a weird thing happen when unplugging the Lap top, Music played played really well, but any sound effects .Wav Files could not be heard, I checked the volume controles on the lap top and made sure all volumes including wav were at max. The music plugged was much lounder then unplugged. I ended up unplugging the lap top in for Pre-show, plugging up with Master on the board all the way down bringing it up just before sound effects. ???