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Open Sound Control (OSC) Command Reference Set »
CSC FAQ
Read the FAQ but still having problems? Check our "Known Issues" section here
- Can I run CSC on my laptop?
Can I run CSC on my laptop? Yes you can, but desktop PCs generally give better and more stable performance. Laptops are usually bundled with all sorts of applications which sit in the background using resources and control power management and hotkeys on the laptop. If you are confident you have turned off all these and have no power management to turn a hard drive off during a show, then you should be OK. On board laptop soundcards are not usually very good either, it would be advisable to invest in a PCMCIA, FireWire or USB solution.
- What Sound Card do I need to use with CSC?
What Sound Card do I need to use with CSC? CSC interfaces with a subset of the Microsoft DirectX API called DirectSound. As such, any sound card used needs to have DirectSound drivers. These are normally inlcuded as part of the newer WDM driver model, so in most cases this shouldnt be a problem. However, when choosing multi channel sound cards ensure they support multi-DirectSound so that all outputs are visible and not just a single stereo pair. The cards from Echo, ESI, MOTU and M-Audio generally have good driver sets.
*UPDATE* Since the inclusion of ASIO drivers in v3.3, CSC is able to communicate in multichannel mode with many more soundcards than those listed below. In short, if it works with your favourite DAW application, then CSC should be fine!
Tested Sound Cards
Below is a list of mutichannel professional soundcards known to work with CSC. This list is not exhaustive, and if you wish to submit a card please email support@ctrelectronics.co.uk
- Echo Layla (PCI + 1U Rack)
- Echo Indigo (PCMCIA 4-channel)
- E-MU 1820 (PCI + Breakout Box)
- ESI WaMi Rack (PCI + 1U Rack) - Windows Vista/7 driver doesnt declare all outputs
- Lynx L22 (PCI + Optional Daughterboards, eg, LS-ADAT, AES)
- M-Audio Delta 44 (PCI + Breakout box)
- M-Audio Delta 66 (PCI + Breakout box)
- M-Audio Delta 1010 (PCI + 1U Rack)
- M-Audio FW410 (Firewire)
- MOTU 828 MKII (Firewire 1U Rack) [With Full Wave Support Option 'On']
- MOTU 2408 (PCI + 1U Rack)
- RME Fireface 800 (Firewire) [With Interleaved Option 'Off'] - some problems noted on v2.9 and above
- RME HDSP Series with new WDM drivers (PCI)
- What licensing options are availble to me?
What licensing options are availble to me? The CSC download file will install a fully functional demo of the Pro version. In order to unlock Saving, a license file must be purchased. This is a unique file, registered to a user or show. For more details on the exact license requirements, check the Purchase page in the CSC section of this site. There is also an LE license file, which is much cheaper, but locks out certain parts of the program. If you are only doing small amounts of audio and MIDI work, and just want a method of putting together a computerised cuelist, this is the option for you. Check the features page of CSC to see the differences between the versions.
- Is it possible to transfer shows between computers with CSC?
Is it possible to transfer shows between computers with CSC? Yes, but there are considerations to take into account. CSC has 2 modules to help with this process. The "Copy Audio to New Folder" and "Export Show to New Folder" dialogues allows the show file to be scanned for all audio files in use in the show and export them to a new folder for moving to a new computer. When the show is moved, CSC will prompt the user for the location of the new files, or offer to search itself. It will also realise the sound card allocation is (probably) different, and prompt the user to reallocate buss mappings as appropriate for the new machine. Once that is complete, the show should run as it did before.
- Can I remote control CSC?
Can I remote control CSC? Yes. Since every show is always different and there are so many different ways of triggering cues, CSC offers many remote options. Cues can be globally triggered by MIDI, individual cues can be controlled by MIDI, the cuelist can be controlled by a remote "button box" connected to the computers joystick port, or the application can track as a slave via TCP/IP. For remote programming, a screen viewer such as VNC is recommended. An iOS application capable of running on an iPad and iPhone can also be used for remote triggering.
- What sort of Audio Files can CSC Play?
What sort of audio files can CSC play? The "show critical" side of CSC, the playback commands, have been designed to be as stable as possible and use as little computer resources as possible. As such, CSC will only allow uncompressed 44.1k and 48k, 16 bit PCM ".wav" files to be streamed. Trying to decode several MP3 or other compressed streams, all probably different sample rates, and mixing them to multiple outputs is just risking too much of the stability of the system. After all, it only takes one audio glitch to ruin a design! Any compressed files should be converted to .wav before including them in a show.
v3.2 and above will convert and import up to 15 different types of audio files to the type required by CSC so just drag and drop your MP3s without thinking too much.
- I have an old machine - Do I have to have Windows XP to run CSC?
Do I have to have Windows XP to run CSC? No, but CSC has been developed and tested on Windows XP. There is no reason it will not run on Windows 2000, and it will most likely run on Windows 98/ME, although there are known buffer issues on this version of the OS. Windows XP is a much more stable operating system than the previous versions of Windows and CTR strongly advises and supports using this or a later operating system.
*UPDATE* CSC is now developed on Windows 7 and compiled under XP to include backward compatibility. We do not recommend the used of OS versions prior to XP, and support XP, Vista, 7 and 8.
- My Hotscene keyboard shortcuts dont always work. Whats wrong?
My Hotscene keyboard shortcuts dont always work. Whats wrong? Since CSC is a modular window design, only certain windows are enable to receive the hotkey presses, since other windows need keyboard input and cannot be firing cues whilst the operator is trying to update the Notes Window, for example. In order to make sure keyboard shortcuts are received, ensure either the hotscene window itself, or (in v2.18.3 onwards) the cuelist have focus, ie. is the currently active window.
- Windows Vista/7/8?
Windows Vista/7/8? CSC has been tested on Windows Vista and Windows 7/8 and the software itself runs without problems on both of those platforms. However, the important issue will be with the soundcard driver used, as these all need to be Vista/7/8 verified. So unless you are 100% certain the soundcard driver is stable - and declares all its outputs to Windows as WDM stereo pairs, it is advisable for the stay with XP. Also noted with Vista/7 is the removal of hardware DirectSound support. Vista and 7 continue to support this audio driver with an emulated API wrapper. This can mean sync between outputs is less efficient. Sync between players should not be affected. So for tight multitrack performance, XP is recommended, although later drivers for Windows 7 are showing good sync performance.
*UPDATE* Since the inclusion of ASIO drivers in CSC v3.3 any soundcard supporting this driver model should have no problems - including sync and latency - with CSC.
Known Issues
We are continually developing this software, and as its range of applications is so extensive it is impossible to test it in every scenario. Whilst we try our best to resolve any problems before a release, if you do find a bug please report it to us at bugs@ctrelectronics.co.uk stating exactly which version of the software you are using.
CSC 2.3.x
- Pan Positions jumping during show running. If the WavMixer and WavPlayer are simultaneously open it has been found that sending an empty cue - i.e. no "Play", "Stop" or "Fade" command entered, the currently selected player in the WavPlayer window can reset its Pan position to centre. This has been fixed in 2.4.
Suggested Workaround:Either close the WavMixer window during playback or set the WavPlayer window to an unused Player, ie. 16.
CSC 2.5.x
- Error is generated when Program Change previewed. If a program change event is previewd from the MIDI Control Window on the "mixer" channel using Bank Change Control before any MIDI data is added to cuelist, a module error message is generated.
Suggested Workaround: Have at least one piece of MIDI data stored before previewing events.
Vista
- CD Player. If left open can use up memory when no CD is inserted in drive.
Suggested Workaround: Ensure CD in drive or close CD module.
General Issues
- Anti-Virus Software. Certain types of anti-virus software are stopping effective streaming by scanning wave file chunks everytime they are collected from disk. This results in stuttering playback or repeated sections of audio.
Suggested Workaround: It is recommended that any machine used for audio playback has anti-virus software removed or disabled and this machine is not connected to the internet. if antivirus is essential then ensure a lower file scan level.
- Hibernation. Hiberating a machine with CSC running then releasing from Hibernation seems to corrupt audio playback, and files jump the first few seconds.
Suggested Workaround: Fully close and reopen CSC after any hibernation.
- Gameport Unconnected: Some soundcard drivers create a problem by trying to scan the Joystick port when there is no joystick present and it causes the audio to stutter quite dramatically during playback.
Suggested Workaround: Disable Gameport Control when no controller is connected.
