LCD for the booth

[skiroy]

I want to add a small lcd in the booth for when Im tracking myself. I have a dual monitor card with two monitors hooked up right now. My card has also a s video. My question is can I use this s video for a third monitor or does it only work if one of the others are disconnected?Do I need a second video card?

[DSD_Mastering]

Your best solution would be to get a Matrox Triplehead 2Go interface. You can use your own graphics card, but it would extend the desktop of one of your monitors so you have more real estate where you can have videos or transport bar or whatever on an additional screen.


Regards,

[skiroy]

Why would I spend $400.00 when I can buy a cheap Vga card.

[Koed]

I think the problem with your S-Video output is that it will have to output VGA 640x480. This will force the other monitors into the same resolution.

You're better off getting a triple head card or an extra video card.

Just makte sure to check which slot type you have available for the new card on your motherboard.

[RKMusic]

Another option is to setup another PC and use Virtual Network Control (VNC) to control your DAW. You can use just about any old computer you might have laying around. A laptop works nice too. I have a spare P4 desktop computer that sits outside my tracking room with long cables for keyboard, mouse and video. I installed a small VNC server app on my DAW (MacBook). The P4 is running Linux. I installed a VNC client app on the Linux machine (Remote Desktop something, I can't remember exactly the client) and it works great.

I normally connect my MacBook to a 22" widescreen monitor and use both screens, however when tracking, I disconnect the second monitor as it makes it easier to use VNC. Less scrolling since the VNC machine is only using a 15" LCD.

[MustacheVerra]

The cheapest solution would be to buy very long cables and just un-plug and plug your third monitor when you're tracking. No elegant but if you can easily access the back of your PC then it's not such a big deal.

What i would do is buy an extra mouse and keyboard and buy very long cables for those. Then buy a VGA cable for you monitor.

Basically, you should leave 2 mouses and 2 keyboards connected at all time and connect your third monitor when needed. Switching monitor cable live is usually not a problem, but switching mouse and keyboard cable live usually is.

Hint: You can add VERY long cables to SP2 mouse/SP2 keyboards but i wouldn't do it with a USB mouse or keyboard. So use your USB mouse and USB keyboard where its closes to your DAW...

[skiroy]

Does anyone know the length you can go on digital cables? I was told that VGA is not a length problem but my Card is only 2 AV connections. If I put it on a adapter to adapt to a VGA cable does the shorter Digital cable length rule still apply?

Cause what I could do is get one of those video splitter boxes. Run a Digital to VGA adapter from one output off my card to the splitter. Then one back to the main screen and the other to the booth. Im just not sure if this would make the 1 of the 2 mains a vga connection and make it look the 2 screens different. And I dont know if this would still be considered a digital cable situation and the length to my booth for my 7" monitor be to long.

[DSD_Mastering]

We use CAT 5e/6 extenders for all our KVM switches and DVI/VGA extenders. You can go hundreds of feet!


Regards,

[T.H.Reid]

Have you thought about using Frontier Designs Tranzport? It works for me beautifully for remote controling a session. YMMV. Cheers, Thomas

[MustacheVerra]

Originally Posted by skiroy

Does anyone know the length you can go on digital cables? I was told that VGA is not a length problem but my Card is only 2 AV connections. If I put it on a adapter to adapt to a VGA cable does the shorter Digital cable length rule still apply?

Cause what I could do is get one of those video splitter boxes. Run a Digital to VGA adapter from one output off my card to the splitter. Then one back to the main screen and the other to the booth. Im just not sure if this would make the 1 of the 2 mains a vga connection and make it look the 2 screens different. And I dont know if this would still be considered a digital cable situation and the length to my booth for my 7" monitor be to long.

You would need a really good splitter box. And by that i don't mean one of those you can get for 40$. I hear it's pretty expensive, like 200$ for a good one. The cheap one will work but the image will be blurred(on both monitor). I tried it and you're not gonna like it. That's why i suggested you switch cables directly on your computer.

The Frontier Designs Tranzport sounds like a good idea. But you will still need a long VGA cable. A good VGA not cheap one. Make sure you ask your PC store about the quality and length of your VGA cable.

[spunkadellic]

forget the monitor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

just get a wireless keyboard to control transport

no one used a graphic interface to record for many years - computers have spoiled us!

[author]

Originally Posted by MustacheVerra

The Frontier Designs Tranzport sounds like a good idea. But you will still need a long VGA cable. A good VGA not cheap one. Make sure you ask your PC store about the quality and length of your VGA cable.

The OP may not need an LCD, if he gets a Tranzport. You can do a lot on that; arm, record, play, etc.

[MustacheVerra]

Originally Posted by author

The OP may not need an LCD, if he gets a Tranzport. You can do a lot on that; arm, record, play, etc.

I guess you're right.

Good point about the wireless keyboard too! I guess I'm old fashion.

[skiroy]

Yeah but Id love to see where Im at for when Im done with lead.Then can go to next track arm and do the backround. But anyways if I just get a $20 pci vga card and add it to my PC with a long vga cable wont this solve the problem and be the easiest cheapest solution? Are there any Cons with this option?

[MERC476]

You can do that and buy this software.

Realtime Soft UltraMon

[skiroy]

Will this act as a driver for all three. Cause I have a dual monitor asus and it uses Nvidia control panel for the card. Im concerned that if I add a 3rd its going to conflict with that. But I guess this is different than a driver. I suppose I dont need the control software. Would I just install all the drivers and use this software as the control software for all 3?

[MERC476]

No, it won't act as a driver but it will allow you to assign a particular screen to the monitor you want and also mirror nonitors also. Now you may want to make sure that the drivers for the new card don't conflict with the drivers to your current card.

[skiroy]

If I get the same manufacturer card should I be good?

[MustacheVerra]

Originally Posted by skiroy

If I get the same manufacturer card should I be good?

I don't know. I would personally avoid using a second video card. At least i would stay away from cheap cards. Also, i don't think Nvidia is very good with multiple cards. I'd go with Matrox instead.

Just make sure you consult you pc hardware store.

And unless I'm mistaken a second video card will use more CPU right?

[T.H.Reid]

Originally Posted by skiroy

Yeah but Id love to see where Im at for when Im done with lead.Then can go to next track arm and do the backround. But anyways if I just get a $20 pci vga card and add it to my PC with a long vga cable wont this solve the problem and be the easiest cheapest solution? Are there any Cons with this option?

One con to this could be if you don't have any way of getting the cable into the booth without drilling another hole! When I built my booth I calculated all of the lines I would need and built a box to contain it all, but after I finished with it I realised I had no way of controlling a session when I was recording alone. I built a very tight booth with almost complete sound isolation, and a wireless keyboard wouldn't work thru all the gyprock layers. That's when I got Tranzport, and I could NOT get along without it. On it's small lcd screen, you can see if signal is passing, see where you are via bars/beats, set markers, arm record, mute any track, undo any take, etc. Sorry about the long post, but unless you are doing ADR or something else to picture, Tranzport is the most elegant solution to your problem. Inexpensive, also. Cheers, Thomas

[skiroy]

Will it show me what track Im on? And can I switch to a different track? If so and I can see it then I dont need a screen.

But someone told me to use a dvi spliter.Not the cables but the little box. I guess it amps the signal to avoid the blurry screen that the above poster described.What is the length limit on a dvi cable?

He also said to use a dvi to vga adapter coming out of the dvi splitter so I can go as a vga cable from the adapter (off the spliter) to my lcd in the booth.This would be of course to run a longer length cable via using a vga cable.But what I dont get is,just because I use a dvi to vga adapter,does that make the connection anolg(vga). I would still think its just a digital signal running through a VGA cable,thus still limiting the cable length.

[T.H.Reid]

[quote=skiroy;3876994]Will it show me what track Im on? And can I switch to a different track? If so and I can see it then I dont need a screen.
What daw are you running? I use nuendo, Tranzport is programmed for most of the major daws, and so to answer you, yes. It is made for people who need to record in booths, etc. Get it. It's only drawback is that it eats AA's. Thomas

[skiroy]

Man that would solve all this LCD mess.Im on Sonar and PT.