DiGiCo SD SoundGrid I/O

User Guide
 Contents
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................................. 3

HARDWARE AND CONNECTIONS ................................................................................................................................... 4

GETTING STARTED ........................................................................................................................................................... 5

Connect the Hardware ..................................................................................................................................................... 5
One I/O......................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Add I/Os ....................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Download and Install Software ........................................................................................................................................ 7
Configure the System ...................................................................................................................................................... 8
Manual Device Configuration ....................................................................................................................................... 9
Automatic Device Configuration ................................................................................................................................... 9
Device Firmware ........................................................................................................................................................ 10
Identify a Device on the SoundGrid Network.............................................................................................................. 10

USING AN I/O DEVICE WITH A DAW .............................................................................................................................. 11

Waves Inc
2800 Merchants Drive, Knoxville, TN 37912 USA
1-865-909-9200
www.waves.com

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 Introduction
The DiGiCo SD SoundGrid I/O card enables engineers to control Waves plugins directly from a DiGiCo SD12 console
and to capture the power of the SoundGrid network system. Each DiGiCo SD SoundGrid I/O card provides 64 channels
of bi-directional audio.

A SoundGrid I/O device is part of a SoundGrid network. SoundGrid is the Waves high-speed networking protocol for
moving audio, clock, and other information between a host system and I/O devices—and between I/O devices
themselves. A SoundGrid host configures the network, assigning servers and I/O devices to mix, process, or record,
depending on the host. SoundGrid I/Os link to the SoundGrid network with standard Ethernet cable.

SoundGrid is scalable. Connect one I/O device to a DAW and you have a high-quality sound card. Add more I/Os and
your system becomes more flexible and powerful. Depending on the host application, a SoundGrid host can assign up to
sixteen I/O devices. Complete SoundGrid systems can be networked together to share devices.

Add a server to a SoundGrid system to offload plugin processing from the host CPU to a SoundGrid DSP server. This
dramatically increases processing power and enables greater plugin counts—it also provides very low system latency.

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 Hardware and Connections
The SD SoundGrid I/O has one SoundGrid Ethernet port. Use this port to connect to the SoundGrid network host. When
more than one connection is necessary (e.g., additional I/Os or a server), all Ethernet connections must be made through
a 1GB switch. See this support article for a list of supported switches.

The port has two LEDs to indicate network status:

OK Solid yellow indicates a full duplex link is active.

ACT Flashes red to indicate activity.
When the ID button on the SoundGrid device rack is pressed, the ACT
LED on the front panel changes from flashing red to solid red.

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 Getting Started
Configure SoundGrid and assign your devices as follows, however large or small your system.

Connect the hardware

Install the software
Configure your system

Connect the Hardware

One I/O
In this illustration, the single SD SoundGrid Ethernet port is used to connect the console to the SoundGrid host
application’s SoundGrid ASIO/Core Audio driver for plugin processing and/or DAW playback/recording. The interface is
connected directly to the host using a Cat 5e Ethernet cable or better.

Host computer with SoundGrid application

DiGiCo console with SoundGrid I/O

The host computer’s LAN port that’s connected to the SoundGrid network should be used for SoundGrid only. Do not
share this port with the internet or other networks.

In this configuration, all plugin processing is carried out on the host computer. The speed and power of the host defines
overall latency.

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 Add I/Os
Adding I/O devices not only increases the number of I/O channels, but lets you have separate devices for stage and
FOH, or live room and control room. Use a "star" network configuration with a 1GB Ethernet switch when you need
more network ports than the interface card provides. Only use switches tested and approved by Waves.

In this example, one card port is connected to a host computer and an additional SoundGrid I/O, so a 1GB switch is needed.
Configure the network in a “star” configuration. See this support article for a list of supported switches.

Host computer
DiGiCo console with SoundGrid I/O
Additional SoundGrid I/O
1GB Ethernet switch

You can connect and assign up to 16 SoundGrid I/O devices to the network, depending on the SoundGrid Host
Application. All SoundGrid I/O devices, hosts, and servers are connected through the Ethernet switch. You can also add
more computers to enable streaming between hosts.

ADD A SERVER
To add a server to your SoundGrid system, just connect it to the Ethernet switch and configure it in your host application.
This moves all DSP processing from the host computer to the server, which provides a higher plugin count and enables
the eMotion LV1 and ST mixers. Visit the waves.com hardware pages to learn more about SoundGrid servers. Consult
your SoundGrid host application’s user guide for specific instructions.

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 Download and Install Software
INSTALLING A NEW SOUNDGRID HOST SYSTEM
Installing the Waves SoundGrid host application will also install applicable device drivers and ASIO/Core Audio drivers.
Your devices will appear in the Inventory of your host system. If a device is not visible in the Inventory, you may need to
install a specific driver from Waves Central—please see below. First, however, check the device’s connections and
power.

ADDING AN I/O DEVICE TO AN EXISTING SOUNDGRID HOST SYSTEM

If you are already using a Waves SoundGrid host application and your device does not appear in the Network Devices
list, use Waves Central to update the host application, which also updates the device drivers—or install just the missing
device driver from Waves Central. 1
Waves Central
All Waves software is downloaded and installed via the Waves Central application. To install a specific device
driver, launch Waves Central and follow these steps:
Choose All Products
Search for the driver by name
Choose the driver and click Install

If you are new to Waves products, begin by downloading the Waves Central installer from the Waves Download
Page. See the Waves Central User Guide for instructions on how to install drivers, plugins, and applications.

LICENSES
You do not need a license to use this device. However, many hosts or specific host configurations do require a license.
Refer to your host’s product page for details.

1
The SoundGrid QRec host is installed with any I/O.
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 Configure the System
A SoundGrid network is configured and devices are assigned in a host’s Setup window. At the heart of this window are
racks where devices are assigned. Any compatible device that’s part of the host’s SoundGrid network will be available for
assignment. This collection of devices is called the Inventory. Setup is similar with all hosts: identify the host’s LAN port,
select a device slot, and use the drop-down menu to choose an available device.

Please consult the user guide of your host application for specific instructions.

SoundGrid QRec

SoundGrid Studio Setup Window

All SoundGrid devices are configured in the same manner. Throughout this section, we show DiGiGrid IOS as an
example.

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 Manual Device Configuration
You can assign, remove, and manage a device manually. Click on the plus or arrow
symbol in a device slot to open its the Device Menu, then select a device.
Any device not already used will be available for assignment. If no other devices are
SoundGrid QRec assigned, the current device will become your clock master. Drivers and servers are
assigned in the same manner.
See the user guide of your host system for specific instructions on device
assignment and I/O channel patching.

SoundGrid Studio

Automatic Device Configuration

Certain SoundGrid hosts—including SoundGrid Studio, eMotion LV1 or SuperRack SoundGrid—offer an Auto-
Config tool. Once your devices are connected and powered up, click Auto to start the configuration.

Auto-Config chooses the correct LAN port on the host computer and scans the SoundGrid network for devices. It then
patches the devices to the host. We recommend that you let Auto-Config take care of things, at least when you are
getting started. If later you add, remove, or swap a device, Auto-Config will reconfigure your inventory and re-patch.

Note that SoundGrid Studio assigns the SoundGrid driver automatically. SuperRack SoundGrid and eMotion LV1 require
that the SoundGrid ASIO/Core Audio driver is assigned manually.

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 Device Firmware
An I/O that is using outdated or incompatible firmware will not work properly in a SoundGrid network until its firmware is
updated. The color of the FW button in a device slot indicates the current firmware status.

Grey Compatible firmware

Blue Compatible firmware, but a newer version exists
Red Firmware not compatible and must be updated in order to use

SoundGrid Studio SoundGrid QRec

If a device requires updated firmware, click on the FW button to start a hardware scan. Do not disconnect the device or
turn off the computer before Done appears. Once the update is ready, turn the device off and on to reset.

Identify a Device on the SoundGrid Network

Click on the ID button to activate a hard-to-miss “ACT” LED on the panel

of the corresponding hardware device.

SoundGrid Studio SoundGrid QRec

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 Using an I/O Device with a DAW
Setting up SoundGrid devices with a DAW involves these steps:
PATCH THE I/O DEVICE AND THE SOUNDGRID ASIO/CORE AUDIO DRIVER
When using a DAW on a SoundGrid network, the SoundGrid ASIO/Core Audio driver serves as a bridge between the I/O
device and the DAW. It enables the I/O to communicate with the DAW, and it provides patches. Patching an I/O to the
SoundGrid ASIO/Core Audio driver differs slightly among hosts. When you use a host’s Auto-Config tool, the host input
channels are patched automatically, in an order based on rack. The order of the devices in the Device Rack determines
the default patching order. Please refer to your SoundGrid host’s user guide for details.
CONFIGURE THE DAW FOR SOUNDGRID
1. Set the DAW playback engine to “Waves SoundGrid.” The SoundGrid driver channels will now appear in the DAW
I/O preferences and in the Input/Output selector in each DAW channel.
2. Route the DAW inputs and outputs to SoundGrid.

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