The Concept Of A Virtual Mixing Console (Vmc) - Studer D950 Operating Instructions Manual

7.2.2

The Concept of a Virtual Mixing Console (VMC)

Make and Edit a Configuration
Date printed: 05.08.03
The Session Configuration Tool will tell you exactly how many DSP and
I/O boards you will need in order to run a certain configuration defined by
the number and type of channels, the number of summing buses, and the
number of physical I/O interfaces. As a consequence, there is no finite
maximum number of channels on the Studer D950/Vista – the maximum
can be anywhere between 100 and 300 channels.
The Studer D950/Vista Digital Mixing System bases its operation on the
concept of a Virtual Mixing Console (VMC). The VMC is a software
structure that runs on the Studer D950/Vista control PC and consists of
two parts:
• Console configuration (structure)
• Current audio settings of the console (data)
Structure The VMC describes all the parameters of a certain console configuration,
such as the number of input channels, the number of multitrack buses,
whether there is EQ on each channel, etc.
Data Moreover, the VMC is a real-time data container that keeps the current
settings of a console, such as "input channel 13 EQ gain = +12 dB",
"master 4 fader = –10 dB", etc. The VMC will only keep data for the
channels and console parts that are defined in the structure part of the
VMC. Active controls on the console, such as the faders, rotary encoders,
pushbuttons and the GC keyboard/trackball control, but also the Snapshot
system and the AutoTouch+ Automation system can write data to the
VMC. Other console parts, such as lamps, displays, and the GC screen can
read data from the VMC and display them. It can generally be said that
almost all settings and conditions of the Studer D950 and Vista console are
a part of the VMC.
The Session Configuration Tool can be used to make a new configuration,
or to edit an existing one. This is the first part of the process of preparing a
SW V3.3
D950/Vista Digital Mixing System
ConfigTool 7-9