Recording 32 channels from another program ?

    Augustine Bannatyne - Leudar
    Jul 15 2012 | 4:03 pm
    Hi all, I am running a wavefield synthesis program on windows - but it doesn't have a record function. It generates 32 discrete channels of audio simultaneously. I am using a 32 channel RME soundcard. I was wondering is there anyway of inputing the 32 channels of audio from the HDSPe mixer into max so I can record them ?
    • Christopher Dobrian
      Jul 15 2012 | 4:47 pm
      I haven't tried that many channels myself, but I have done eight channels via ReWire with no trouble, and I think it's possible to communicate via ReWire with as many channels as the host and client softwares support, up to a maximum of 256.
    • Augustine Bannatyne - Leudar
      Jul 15 2012 | 5:05 pm
      thanks - how exactly did you implement rewire in max ? bear in mind Im not sure if the wfs software is rewire compatable.... There must be a way of just reading the outputs of the soundcard into max though......
    • Christopher Dobrian
      Jul 15 2012 | 6:24 pm
      See rewire~. It's pretty straightforward to use.
    • Darwin Grosse
      Jul 15 2012 | 7:13 pm
      You can also check out the article series I wrote about Rewire back in 2006:
      https://cycling74.com/tutorials/rewire-essentials-1-from-maxmsp-to-your-host/
      From long ago, but still a useful overview.
      [ddg]
    • Augustine Bannatyne - Leudar
      Jul 16 2012 | 9:27 am
      Hi, Thanks. Unfortunately my host software is not rewire compatible. RME have some fantastic software bundled in their drivers which allows you to record the audio stream via a kind of loopback (digital back into the outputs) . I am still interested if there is another way of doing this in max though (apart from rewire) ....
    • dtr
      Jul 16 2012 | 2:46 pm
      I guess you could do it with soundflower. Haven't used that in a while but if I remember correctly you can make a setup so that your WFS software outputs to soundflower channels, which are input in Max for recording, and which Max can output to the RME at the same time if necessary.
    • pid
      Jul 16 2012 | 4:44 pm
      this is all very easy with JACK + Max, and even easier with jack + pd. or the RME option good too. avoid rewire at all costs.
    • Jeff Merkel
      Jul 17 2012 | 5:53 am
      +1 using Jack with Max, especially if you're on Mac. I had a similar situation recently where I was moving 40+ tracks from card to different applications. I was doing some spatialization processing and remapping that needed to to come in as either 5.1 or 10.2 from a different computer running Pro Tools, brought into Max where I did the processing, over to Nuendo for recording synced to timecode (6 original tracks, 16 B-format tracks, 16 discreet speaker tracks), then the 16 discreet tracks out to the speakers. I searched high and low for solutions and this one is by far the best I could find. Rewire~ is all well and fine, but most apps can simultaneously send and receive through rewire.
      On PC Jack is a little less user-friendly, but still rocks! Good luck!