how to midify and motorize an Optifile VCA system ?

MIDIbox HUIs
1

Hi all !

i have an old audio mixer, a TAC Matchless 26/24/8/8, and i recently installed an Optifile Tetra (VCA automation) in my mixer.

These VCA are great but i’d like to have a midi out for my optifile (optifile is a “stand-alone” automation, sync with SMPTE) and i dream about replacing my analog ALPS faders by motorized faders (and touch-sensored !!)

I’d like to keep the quality of my VCAs and to have the flexibility of a motorized desk.

so, is it possible to merge a midibox LC project with a VCA system ?

i found some lines about that in the forum, but not enought…

Thanks !! ;D

2

hi;

i don’t know anything that isn’t possible with this platform :wink:

the faders you now have serve an audio (volume) function; so if you can find (build? ;D) the right motorfaders wich also have an additional audio track it could be “fairly easy”…

3

yea, but i’d like to reuse my 24 vca from my optifile system, very good quality ! (and not really cheap price…)

the vca from optifile works with DC on the faders, but communicate via a “numerical connexion” to the computer (optifile rack), i’d like to put a midibox stuff instead of the optifile rack, but i’d like to keep the “numerical connexion” of the optifile… i don’t know if it’s so clear… :-\

i try to find the schematics of the optifile to show you

4

… you might have one of the best VCA systems (I don’t know)… but VCA is never really as good as passing the signal through a real motorized fader.

I know, it’s hard to throw away something that was “state of the art” a few year ago and expensive as hell… but think about forgetting the VCAs and replacing the original faders by some motorized ALPS V-Type with a linear and a log taper (dual-taper).

Greets, Roger

5

thanks screaming rabbit, i think you’r right.

and yes it will be very hard for me to unistall and sell my optifile…

i don’t know the faders you speak about, i searched but did’nt find the one you called “V-Type”

where can i buy some ALPS motorized “V-Type” fades ?

thanks

6

another question :

what would be the latency of my 26 faders with a midi based automation system like the midibox LC ?

found on the Optifile Tetra page :

Unlike most midi-based automation systems limited by the serial link to 12 fader modifications per frame, Optifile Tetra can handle up to 64 faders and mute changes per frame, yet it will retain the same high quality resolution throughout the display. Thanks to its 12 bit (4096) A to D converter, the actual fader resolution is greater - .19 dB compared with .78 dB usually found on midi-based systems. These enhanced specifications make Optifile Tetra a true professional system.

i know, this is maybe an “old” opinion, but because the sound will be modified only once the fader has reacted, is it not a kind of problem ?

7

i don’t know the faders you speak about, i searched but did’nt find the one you called “V-Type”

where can i buy some ALPS motorized “V-Type” fades ?

… you get them from:

www.albs.de

… this type:

http://www3.alps.co.jp/WebObjects/catalog.woa/PDF/E/Potentiometer/SlideMixers/RSN1M/RSA0K11V900C.pdf

what would be the latency of my 26 faders with a midi based automation system like the midibox LC ?

… the latency shouldn’t be a problem. The LC works with 11Bit (pitchbend) and 8 faders per MIDI port. So you’ll use 4 MIDI ports for 32 faders.

Greets, Roger

8

i’m back again,

i still want to modify my VCA system, but i can’t buy 24 motorized faders (would be really too expensive)

so i wonder : if i forget about motorize my faders, now i just want to midify my actual optifile

my faders are digitized and controlled by my VCAs,

for the moment these last ones send digital data to my optifile computer which answers back a digital data to control the VCAs

i’d like to build a midibox which can receive the vca datas, transmit them into midi (to my computer), then receive the midi data (from my computer) and transform them into VCA data to control back my faders…

here is the VCA schematic for info http://www.vixneiv.com/images/schemaoptifile.png

9

hi,

i came here recently from the prodigy forum(group diy)

there is a thread there all about console automation,

as a result i’ve been talking qty deals with alps in the uk,

here’s the thread,

http://www.prodigy-pro.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17345&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

let me know what you reckon,

maybe you’d like to come in on a group buy sometime in the hopefully

not too distant future to get the price down?

10

I’ve been lurking that forum for years, finally need to post, and now I’ve been waiting like a month to get nameised to join  :frowning:

11

hi,

i came here recently from the prodigy forum(group diy)

there is a thread there all about console automation,

as a result i’ve been talking qty deals with alps in the uk,

here’s the thread,

http://www.prodigy-pro.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17345&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

let me know what you reckon,

maybe you’d like to come in on a group buy sometime in the hopefully

not too distant future to get the price down?

… here are the prices I had in Germany when I did a bulk order:

http://home.tiscali.ch/screamingrabbit/Pages/UCAppsBulk_Order/BULK_Start.htm

… you just should be aware, that you can’t drive the V-Type faders clean with the MBHP Motorfader Module.

Greets, Roger

12

hi

stryd_one, you could try popping jakob at gyraf.dk an email,

he’s a moderator and maybe able to tell you what the hold up is?

screeming rabit/roger,

what do you mean by-

… you just should be aware, that you can’t drive the V-Type faders clean with the MBHP Motorfader Module.

and does that also apply to the alps rk12 series(i presume theyre like the 11type but with the extra track)

would you mind pointing me to a thread that explains a work around if their is one,

(spot the newbie! ;D)

thankyou

13

… you just should be aware, that you can’t drive the V-Type faders clean with the MBHP Motorfader Module.

http://www.ucapps.de/mbhp_mf.html

I presume theyre like the 11type but with the extra track

… yes

Greets, Roger

14

hi

thanks for that, i did read that page a while ago when i first started thinking about

using the midibox platform for audio faders,

i’ll read it again..and again.. and maybe ask some questions after the weekend..

thankyou

15

Im in a similar position. I have a Soundtracs IL3632 with VCA automation but the tracmix automation computer bit the dust and isn’t even remotely worth fixing or replacing. I don’t use automation very much anyway but even still, the computer is old, they want $1500 for a replacement and the automation it provides is pretty clunky anyway.

Since all the channels have their VCA cards still intacted I figure it is probably possible to use MIOS as a method of controlling it. That way I can use the automation function within the daw (whilst sending audio to the console from a prefader send in the daw).

I’m in the process of reverse engineering the VCA cards so it should become pretty clear if this will work or not. I don’t know about scrapping a working automation system though… I always thought Optifile was pretty good. It might almost be worthwhile to sell your Optifile automation setup and jump in with Safe as Milk and the gang at the lab. Like you said, the Optifile setup wasn’t exactly cheap.