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MultiRack SoundGrid is the host application that gives you control over Waves plugins on the SoundGrid platform.

Both Mac and Windows compatible, MultiRack SoundGrid consists of virtual effects racks, each of which can contain up to eight plugins. It allows you to program up to 1000 Snapshots per Session, so you can seamlessly change setups between or even within songs.

There are 4 basic components in a MultiRack setup.

Plugins (compressors, EQs, delays, etc.)
process the audio.

Racks, like hardware, hold multiple
plugin processors.

Snapshots are presets which store
your plugin and Rack settings.

Sessions store the settings for all
plugins, Racks, and Snapshots, as
well as information about the
setup design and signal flow.

To get started with MultiRack SoundGrid, here’s all you need to do:

1

Setup Hardware

  • Insert M-Waves card into Port B on the Mix Rack.
  • Connect Ace network between iLive and Mix Rack with network cable.
  • Connect network ports of Mix Rack and M-Waves card with Cat6 network cable.
  • Connect network ports of Host/Recording Computer and M-Waves card with Cat6 network cable.
  • Connect network ports of Impact server and M-Waves card with Cat6 network cable.
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2

Install Waves

  • Download and run the installer on Host/DAW computer.
  • Choose Version 8 when prompted:
  • Click Next to continue.
  • In "Select Products" menu choose: MultiRack SoundGrid Application, SoundGrid Driver, and All SoundGrid Compatible Plugins.
  • Click Next to continue and follow prompts finishing setup. Reboot if prompted.
  • Connect Authorized iLok with Waves V8 licenses to your host computer.
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3

Install iLive Software

  • Install iLive Editor on host/DAW computer. For more information, click here.
  • Change Static IP on host/DAW computer according to the console settings. Read the console manual for more information.


  
4

Setup iLive Software

  • Open iLive Editor and choose your configuration. Consult iLive Editor Manual for correct operation.
  • Select connected Mix Rack and load GUI.
  • Confirm M-Waves setup by clicking Patch menu, under Port B tab you should see M-waves.
  • Insert Waves on Channel 1: under Send and Return choose Port B:Waves, then set insert to 1 for Send and Return.
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5

Setup SoundGrid Driver

  • Open SoundGrid Driver Control Panel.
  • Under Local LAN Port choose SoundGrid connected Network adapter.
  • Driver Mode: choose Networked.
  • Click Driver Button to turn it On. The button will turn green when On.
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6

Setup MultiRack Preferences

  • Open MultiRack , go to Edit menu > Preferences.
  • Choose SoundGrid connected Network adapter,
    click Apply then Ok.
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7

Setup MultiRack Inventory

Go to Edit menu and choose Inventory from the menu. Assign ID to all connected devices in Inventory Window. Click drop down menus next to available devices and assign all devices to 1. If you have the redundant server, then assign Ids to servers consecutively.

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8

Setup MultiRack Connections

  • Go to Edit Menu > Connections. Double click to add new connection.
  • Add connections: 64 channels for Processing and 64 channels for Recording. Turn all connections ON by checking the boxes left of the devices. Click Apply, and then Ok.
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9

Add Racks and Set Signal Flow

A Rack is a chain of plugins used to process audio signals, whether mono, stereo, or mono-to-stereo. With hardware, signals flow from a console’s channel insert or aux track, are processed with outboard gear, and then return to the console. MultiRack SoundGrid follows the same principle, except that processing takes place in virtual Racks filled with software plugins instead of hardware racks.

The first step in building a MultiRack SoundGrid processing setup is to create empty Racks, into which you load plugins. Set the input and output channels for the Racks you’ve created.

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10

Add Plugins for Sound Processing

Once you’ve created Racks and assigned their I/O channels, it’s time to add plugins to each Rack. Each Rack can hold up to eight plugins, and the signal always flows from left-to-right. You can always rearrange the plugin order by clicking and dragging.

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11

Using Sidechain

  • Load a Sidechain-controllable plugin, which will be marked “SC”.
  • From the Sidechain input menu, choose Key.
  • Right click on the plugin and choose Enable Side Chain from the dropdown menu.
  • The plugin's Bypass button will turn yellow.
  • On certain Sidechain plugins you will need to enable External Key.

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12

Create Snapshots for Easy Recall

Snapshots are used to save settings for songs and sections within songs. A Snapshot is sort of a “super preset,” a picture of all of the Racks in your Session. Snapshots are contained and saved as part of your Session file. A single Session file can contain up to 1000 Snapshots.

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13

Organize Racks into Groups

Since each MultiRack SoundGrid Session can hold up to 64 Racks, you can organize similar Racks into groups to better manage your Session. Grouping Racks offers several advantages:

  • You can group similar Racks together (such as all drum channels), and they will share a common group name.
  • Groups are color-coded, making visual identification of similar Racks much easier.
  • Since software processing can cause latency, you can align the latency per group.
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14

Overview Window

Once you’ve loaded several Racks, you’ll want a convenient way to watch everything happening within your processing environment. The Overview Window displays a condensed view of each Rack, so you can keep an eye on the entire processing setup.

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15

Hot Plugin Panel

The Hot Plugin Panel is a floating window that provides quick access to your Hot Plugins. To show the panel, go to the View menu and choose View Hot Plugin Panel. The Panel holds 8 buttons that serve as shortcuts to your Hot Plugins. A plugin is represented by Plugin name, the Rack number and name.

  • Select a plugin you want to designate as Hot.
  • Right click on the plugin
  • Choose a Hot Plugin number (1-8) from the Set a Hot Plugin submenu.
  • Click on the Plugin button to open the plugin’s GUI in Rack View.
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