Waves Netshell Users Guide Waves Netshell Users Guide ................................................................................1 Introduction .......................................................................................................2 Hardware Overview .......................................................................................2 Software Overview.........................................................................................3 Hardware Installation .....................................................................................5 Software Installation ......................................................................................5 Working with the Monitor ...............................................................................5 Netshell Latency vs. Host Hardware Buffer Size ...........................................7 Audio Drop-Outs LEDs ..................................................................................8 Using the Netshell Plug-ins............................................................................9 Host Computer CPU Consumption Considerations .....................................10 Netshell Known Issues ­ V5.2 ............................................................................11 General ........................................................................................................11 Mac OS-X ....................................................................................................11 Windows ......................................................................................................13 Troubleshooting for PC................................................................................14 Troubleshooting for Mac ..............................................................................15 Introduction Thank You for purchasing your Waves Netshell product! The Netshell is a combined hardware/software technology that provides independent processing resources for Waves plug-ins running on a host computer. It takes the processing load off of the host computer, allowing you to use heavy-duty plug-ins that might otherwise be too process intensive. In this manual we will be referring to the Netshell as the combined Netshell software and APA hardware. The DAW will refer to your Digital Audio Workstation, including the host software recording application (i.e. Pro Tools, Nuendo, etc.) that you are using. HARDWARE OVERVIEW The Netshell hardware is the APA ­ Audio Processing Accelerator. There are 2 APA models: - APA32 ­ A 1U 19" rackmount unit designed for use in a machine room. - APA44-M ­ A half rack unit which is quiet, portable and more powerful. A rackmount adapter kit enables mounting one or two APA44-M units in a 1U rack space. The APA hardware is connected to the host computer via Ethernet. Connecting a single APA unit directly to the host computer can be done with the supplied crossed Ethernet cable. Connecting several APA units (up to a maximum of 8) requires an Ethernet switch (not a hub). The APA units and the host computer should be connected to the switch using standard (non-crossed) Ethernet cables. For more info on the Ethernet adapter and switch specs needed please check the APA product page on the Waves website at www.waves.com It is highly recommended to use a dedicated 1000Mbps Ethernet adapter in the host computer for connecting the APA units. This will ensure the necessary network bandwidth and prevent possible conflicts with other network applications. If you do not have a dedicated Ethernet adapter for the Netshell and you want to connect the APA(s) to an existing network, you can use an Ethernet switch to connect the APA(s) and the existing network to your host computer. Please note that while Waves has done the utmost to support such a configuration, it is not an optimal one and may compromise the Netshell's performance. SOFTWARE OVERVIEW Netshell enabled plug-ins These are the Waves plug-ins that can be run on the APA. They appear in the DAW plug-ins menu as a dedicated component named with the suffix `Net' (e.g. L3 Net). The Netshell plug-ins as of this release are: · · · · · · · · · · · L3 IR-Series (IR-1, IR-L, IR-360) LinEQ LinMB C4 RVerb RChannel (with external side-chain disabled) SoundShifter Morphoder TransX (Multi) Q-Clone Netshell Monitor The Netshell Monitor is an application used to scan and display the active APA units and to monitor the APA's `vital signs' which are CPU load, memory and network consumption. It also has an `Audio Drop-Outs' LED which alerts you with a glowing red light of any audio drop-out problems between the host computer and the APA(s). After an audio drop-out has subsided, the LED will change from glowing red to red and will stay red until you click on it with the mouse to reset it and switch it off. This works with the same principle of a `clip indicator' so that even if there was a very brief problem, you will be aware of it. Another function of the Monitor is to display the Netshell's inherent latency (explained later in this manual), and to allow you to set it. Finally, the monitor displays each APA's number (relevant when there is more than one active APA) and each APA's ID. The Netshell ID is also written on the sticker at the back panel of the APA unit. The ID shows you which units are connected and working properly. If one of the units is not working you can easily see which unit is not functioning properly. (Please see the Troubleshooting section on page 12.) OPERATION Working with the Netshell is easy. Simply connect the APA hardware to the host computer and install the Netshell software. HARDWARE INSTALLATION Please refer to your APA (Hardware) User's manual for instructions. SOFTWARE INSTALLATION The Netshell software is embedded in all the Waves bundle installers which contain Netshell enabled plug-ins. If you are a new Waves user, you will need to install the plug-ins bundle of your choice and follow the regular authorization procedure. If you are an existing Waves V5 user, simply update your plug-ins bundle(s) to the version that supports Netshell. No re-authorization is required for Waves V5 users. The software installation should be performed while the APA is connected to a power source and to the network but while the APA's power switch is NOT turned on. During the installation process the installer will ask if you want to add Netshell support or not. You should choose `yes' and follow the next installation steps. Choosing `no' will continue the installation process without Netshell support. Once the installation is complete you can switch the APA on and after it is active you will be able to launch your DAW and use the Netshell plug-ins. WORKING WITH THE MONITOR We recommend launching the Netshell Monitor right after the software installation. The Netshell Monitor is an important tool to use while working with the APA hardware as it monitors the APA's activity and resource consumption, alerts of problems and allows tuning the Netshell latency for optimal usage. If you launch the Monitor while the APA and the DAW are off, it will load with a blank window and the status bar will indicate "Scanning for APAs". At this stage the Monitor is continuously scanning the network for the existence of active APA units. If you switch the APA on at this stage, when it finishes its boot sequence it will show up on the Monitor window. When you switch the APA off it will disappear from the Monitor window. Note: The APA's boot sequence takes around 1 minute, depending on the APA model. Once the APA is active, you can launch your DAW and start working with the Netshell plug-ins. After you launch the DAW (or in some DAWs after you opened the first Netshell plug-in) the Monitor will stop scanning for APAs and its status bar will indicate "Displaying active APAs". If you switch another APA on at this stage, it will not be added to the list of active APAs on the Monitor. The list of active APAs will be refreshed and updated only once you close your DAW. Remember: If you have more than one APA connected, make sure they all have finished booting and appear on the Monitor window before you launch your DAW. If you launch your DAW when the APA is active (appears on the Monitor window) then your DAW should scan for the existence of Netshell plug-ins and display them in the plug-ins menus. If you launch your DAW when no APA is active then it should ignore the Netshell plug-ins and not display them. However, not all DAWs will abide by this rule. Some of them perform a preliminary scan of the available plug-ins which they cache and use in consecutive launches. NETSHELL LATENCY VS. HOST HARDWARE BUFFER SIZE The Netshell plug-ins process the audio sent to them on the APA hardware and then send the processed audio back to the host computer. Sending the audio to the APA and back involves a slight time delay referred to as Netshell latency. The Netshell latency is reported in samples to the host DAW, and in most of today's DAWs this latency can be compensated so as not to cause an actual time delay to the processed audio. The Netshell latency is dependent on the host sound device hardware buffer size and must be at least twice its value, measured in samples, in order for the Netshell plug-ins to work smoothly. The host hardware buffer size is set via the DAW menu or via the sound device's software interface. The value of the Netshell latency needs to be set manually, in accordance with the current host hardware buffer size. For that purpose there is an interface in the Monitor which allows you to select your desired Netshell latency value out of several values through a drop-down menu. The minimum selectable latency is 256 samples and the maximum is 16384 samples. Next to the "Netshell Latency" field, the "Max Host HW Buffer" field displays the maximum allowed host hardware buffer size for the selected Netshell latency. If you choose a certain Netshell latency value, you must make sure to adjust your host HW buffer size (through the DAW or sound device interface) to a value which is equal to or lower than the one displayed in Monitor's "Max Host HW Buffer" field. Likewise, if you change your host HW buffer size, you need to make sure that the Netshell latency is set to a value which is at least twice as high. Any change in the Netshell latency value requires closing an active DAW session and re-opening it in order for the latency change to take effect. It would therefore be more convenient to adjust your desired host hardware buffer size and Netshell latency before opening a session or creating a new one. AUDIO DROP-OUTS LEDS One of the Monitor's roles is to alert you of Netshell induced audio drop-outs which could be caused due to several reasons. The top bar of the Monitor contains an "Audio Drop-Outs" LED, and also each active APA graphical interface on the Monitor has such a LED on its top right side. Should audio drop-outs occur, the top bar LED as well as the LED of the specific APA "responsible" for the drop-outs will illuminate with a glowing red light. After the drop-outs cease, the LED will turn from glowing red to red light and will stay red to indicate that a drop-out has occurred. Clicking the LED on the Monitor's top bar will reset all LEDs. The LED has 3 states: Off ­ No audio drop-outs. Glowing Red ­ An audio drop-out is currently happening. Red ­ Audio drop-outs have occurred since the last LED reset. The most common causes for audio drop-outs are a mismatch between the host hardware buffer size versus the required Netshell latency, or an overload on the APA unit. The first thing to check if audio drop-outs occur is whether the current host hardware buffer size exceeds the value indicated in the Monitor's "Max Host HW Buffer" field. If it does, then the options are to either reduce the host hardware buffer size or to increase the Netshell latency. The Netshell was engineered in a way that should, in most cases, prevent loading more plug-in instances than the APA can handle. However, with some plug-ins (especially the IR-series and SoundShifter) changing some parameters can cause significant changes to their processing (CPU) consumption, thus possibly causing a heavily loaded APA to overload. Such an overload will inevitably cause audio drop-outs on the Netshell plug-ins running on that APA (which will cause the Monitor LED to illuminate). Reducing the load on the APA should remedy this situation. Other causes for drop-outs are a strain on the host computer's CPU or on the network adapter connected to the APA. If your host computer's CPU is heavily taxed due to native plug-ins or any other applications that are running on it, it may not have sufficient resources to regulate the network traffic and that may lead to Netshell audio drop-outs. If the network adapter you are using for the Netshell is not dedicated solely for the Netshell and you are connect ...