klogic: Setting up your new Logic TDM RIG

SETTING UP YOUR NEW LOGIC TDM RIG

Apple supplies a TDM Guide with every copy of Logic Pro 7, which is greatly appreciated. It's crucial reading for anyone wishing to dive into a hybrid Digidesign DSP/native Logic solution. Unfortunately, it doesn't provide step-by-step instructions on how to set everything up, especially when dealing with ESB, HTDM, Epic TDM, and a multiple audio engine environment. In fact, I'm not aware of step-by-step instructions anywhere, so... here it is.

There's actually a Logic TDM environment included on the second installation DVD. You can either start with that, or build it from scratch yourself by reading on...

b BEFORE YOU START

• This is important: INSTALL YOUR DIGIDESIGN HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE FIRST. Even if you have no intention of using the ProTools app, it still needs to be in your computer. Carefully follow the installation guides which came with your ProTools|HD or ProTools MIX system. The following instructions assume your Digidesign hardware setup and I/O configuration has already been taken care of. It's also a good idea to run DigiTest (~/Applications/Digidesign/ProTools/ProTools Utilites) to ensure everything is working properly.

• Go ahead and install Logic Pro 7.

• Open Logic and you should see the default template song. Under the Audio menu, select "Audio Hardware & Drivers".

• Click on the Core Audio tab. UNcheck "Enabled". Click on the DAE tab. Check "Enabled". Logic TDM won't let you use multiple bit rates simultaneously, so select your global bit depth. Figure out how many tracks you plan on recording. Let's say we never record more than 48, so we'll select "48 Tracks (1 DSP)" or "48 Tracks (3 DSPs)" depending on how hard you want to push your HD or MIX cards.

• Click on the Direct TDM tab. Check "Enabled". Make sure "Universal Track Mode" is checked. Close the preferences window.

You've now told Logic which two engines you want access to (DAE and Direct TDM). Note that while you certainly could run Core Audio simultaneously with a third-party interface (or your Mac's built-in I/O), it's not recommended, and indeed, isn't really necessary, unless you want to be a show-off.


BUILDING YOUR LOGIC TDM ENVIRONMENT

• Open your audio environment (double-click on an audio track in Logic's arrange window or press 3). Resize this window to fill up the entire screen. Logic probably built you 32 Audio objects (tracks), a handful of Aux objects, sixteen busses, a Master fader, and as many output objects as you configured in ProTools' I/O Setup.

• Select all these objects (COMMAND-A) and in the object parameter box (left side of the window), under "Device", select "DAE". Your cursor should briefly turn into a little TDM icon, indicating that Logic's successfully communicating with the DAE engine.

• The easiest way to make more tracks (we want 48, remember?) is to copy and paste existing Audio objects. Select faders 17 through 32, press COMMAND-C, and then COMMAND-V. When asked whether to replace existing selection, click "no". It looks like nothing happened, but Logic actually pasted sixteen new audio objects directly on top of the old ones. Without deselecting, move these new objects off to the right and place them directly behind Audio objects 1-32.

• Without deselecting, rename the first new object "Audio33". All your new objects should now be sequentially named/numbered.

• Even though they're named correctly, you still have to assign them to the correct tracks. Unless there's a new shortcut I'm unaware of, this is done manually, track by track. Select Audio object 33, and in the object parameter box, under "Channel", select "Track 33". Repeat this procedure for each of the new sixteen audio objects.

You now have 48 tracks with which to inflict audio chaos upon the masses. Next we need to build some objects for our native softsynths.

• Select any sixteen Audio objects, copy/paste them, and move the new objects below Audio object 1. You may need to change your screen's resolution to see two rows of faders— Mine's set to 1280 x 1084. Otherwise, plan on scrolling left and right a lot.

• Without deselecting, in the object parameter box, under "Device", select "DTDM". The objects are now subject to your computer's native processing.

• Without deselecting, name the first new object "Instrument1". This should sequentially name/number all your currently selected objects.

• Select the first new object, named "Instrument1". In the object parameter box, under "Channel", select "Instrument 1". For "Instrument2", select "Instrument 2", etc. Follow this procedure for all sixteen Audio Instrument objects.

• Click and hold the input box on any of these objects. You should see a list of all available softsynths. Click and hold the output box. Under "output", you should see four options: "ESB 1-2", "ESB 3-4", ESB 5-6", and "ESB 7-8". These are bridges spanning the native and TDM realms. Assign them all to ESB 1-2 or you can sequentially assign them, so Audio Instrument 1, 5, 9, and 13 go to ESB 1-2; 2, 6, 10, and 14 go to ESB 3-4; etc. This way, if you're only going to use four synths in a particular song, each one gets its own stereo bus. Before we can hear these objects, however, we need to build the other side of the bridge.

• Select any eight DAE Audio objects, copy/paste them, and move the new objects down, just to the right of your new Audio Instrument objects. Leave a space so you can keep them separate.

• Without deselecting, name the first new object "Aux 1". This should sequentially name/number all your currently selected objects.

• Because 95% of the time, your synths will be in stereo (and since most third-party synths ONLY instanciate as stereo), we'll go ahead and turn these eight mono objects into four stereo objects by clicking the little button under Aux 1, 3, 5, and 7's meters.

• In the object parameter box, under "Channel", assign Aux 1 to "AuxStereo 1-2", Aux 3 to "AuxStereo 3-4", etc.

• Assign the input of Aux 1 to "ESB 1-2", the input of Aux 3 to "ESB 3-4", etc.
Essentially, what you've done is built a native mixer INSIDE the DAE mixer. Each Audio Instrument object (softsynth) is routed out any of four stereo busses into the DAE mixer via ESB. It's mighty flexible, though for those of us who mix outside the box and would like dedicated outputs for more than four stereo synths, eight stereo ESB busses would've been ideal.

Note that DTDM objects don't have to be Audio Instrument objects. They can also be audio tracks, auxes, or busses, so your native mixer could potentially be much more elaborate. Plus, they can utilize Audio Unit plugins or if you implement the FXpansion wrapper, VST plugs.

What's nice is that DTDM tracks/synths can be processed natively and then when bussed via ESB to a DAE Aux, be further manipulated by TDM plugs. It's the best of both worlds.

b EVEN MORE FLEXIBILITY

If you're one of the lucky few to own Epic TDM and the HTDM Enabler (now discontinued), you can run many of Logic's plugins and softsynths on the TDM engine instead of Direct TDM, opening up even more native horsepower. This is also how TDM-based synths, such as the Virus Indigo, McDSP S1, and Apple's own EXS24 TDM are utilized. In fact, if you only plan on using EXS24, you could probably get away with not enabling DTDM at all.

Setting up TDM synths is completely different than in the above example, however.

• Simply out of convenience, I like to put my TDM synths down by my DTDM Audio Instrument (native synth) objects, so all my synths' faders are together. So let's move our bottom row of objects over and build (copy/paste/change name and assignment) a stereo DAE Aux object to the left of them.

• Unlike the Audio Instrument objects, where synths are assigned via the object's input, TDM synths are pulled up as an insert. In this case, let's load up an instance of Virus Indigo.

• Now the only way to trigger the Indigo is if our MIDI environment sees it. So let's open our MIDI environment (in the Arrange, hold down CONTROL and double-click a MIDI track), and under the "New" menu, select "Instrument". A little keyboard icon should appear. In the MIDI object parameter box (left-hand side of the window), under "Port", you should see "Indigo 1a". Select it. Name the object "Indigo". Close the environment window.

• In the Arrange, click-hold a track, and under "MIDI Instruments", "Indigo" should show up. Select it, and play away!

Because it's kind of a pain to do this every time one wants to trigger a TDM softsynth, I've simply left two TDM Indigos and a couple of ESX24 TDMs open in my Autoload.

Now you're ready to make tracks with almost TOO much power at your fingertips.