Xite upgrade idea for portable

[ChristianB]

HI

Just got that idea that would add a great option and futurability to the XITE hardware....
But it would mean to give up our ASIO scope driver and just see your XITE as a Nord modular engine a NOAH... or a Kyma.
No more hassle about : what is the best chipset, mb, cpu... x32, x64, xp, 7, vista, 10

I would love to have a cable (HDMI, USB, Thunderbolt) without the need of an expresscard or a PCIe.
Meaning that this cable is only to SEE, VIEW the Scope interface nothing else.
The audio in-out would be thru the Adat, aes, or analogue and the midi communication via the i-o port.
Of course with that setup a second audio interface is needed.

Hope it is possible ! ?

[dawman]

Interesting.
I'd have to use an RME or UAD but would be nice.

[garyb]

thunderbolt IS PCIe.
usb is totally not a good idea.
there won't be a cable like this, i'm sorry.

you want the XITE to be a self-contained PC, but i think you haven't considered what such a thing would cost. people already whine about the price of an XITE. what you want will double or triple the price or more, when the costs of development are factored in. right now, you can permanently connect the XITE to a 1 space rack mounted PC and have exactly the setup you mentioned, using the 2 space rack as a dedicated synth/fx/mixing platform external to your main PC.

[ChristianB]

Gary
I don't see it as a self contain PC but a thing like the Nord Modular where the cable (midi or USB depending on the Nord Mod model)) is only there to send and receive presets. But ... I'm a dreaming composer not an electronic engineer!!!
For my new setup I only use XITE as a synth and some ModIV FX, of course I have an RME UC for the rest.

Your PC 1U rackmount only for Xite is interesting ! Do you have any recommendation ?

Does anybody tried a Thunderbolt 3-to-PCIe card expansion box into a Laptop PC ?
Something like :
https://www.akitio.com/expansion/thunder3-pcie-box
or :
http://www.sonnettech.com/product/echoe ... eltb3.html

I have all those ideas because I'm disappointed by the performance of Xite via expresscard on a laptop, if the performance is better via the PCIe into a expansion box to thunderbolt 3... I would buy it.
PS.: I don't want to go into troubleshooting mode.

[garyb]

the performance of the Expresscard is largely a function of the controller in the laptop.

the Sonnet Technologies Expresscard to Thunderbolt works well, i would expect the PCIe to Thunderbolt to also work, but there haven't been any tests that i know of.

the Nord is an integrated PC, as are most modern synths.

as to a 1 space solution, you would need to make one. that could be really cheap if you only wanted to run the XITE. heck, you can get a Core2 Duo HP XW4400 PC for less than $100 on ebay, if the whole thing was going to sit on or near your desktop. that PC could run the XITE and then you're set. otherwise, i cheap motherboard/processor, some ram, an ssd(for super quick boot times < than 90 seconds) and a 1 space case with a riser cable are all that you need. actually, a 3 or 4 space rack computer would be even cheaper to make, and quieter, since the bigger fans can run slower.

[sunmachine]

Another idea for a one space solution with zero noise is to get a (used) MacMini and to put it in a Sonnett RackMac Mini for example.

Like so: http://www.hitfoundry.com/issue_26/mac_mast.htm

image.jpeg (105.57 KiB) Viewed 11881 times

[garyb]

good one. i forgot about that.

[dawman]

I can relate to bigger fans running quieter.
My triple 20mm Supermicro fans are on silent as we speak running benchmarks.
The BIOS allows them to adjust their speeds according to temps.
They're set to 35 degrees below maximum, where they kick in.

Using Intels nifty diagnostic tool it runs CPU @ max while testing iGPU/CPU.
The fans are loud as hell. I'm watching trailers in the next room and Day-amen, those suckers are working.
I love it.

I don't trust anything I can't hear...

[ChristianB]

Hey sunmachine
Nice set up !!!
Can you confirm some :
How many Asio source and dest ?
Also, on the DSP meter can you go over the half without receiving popups of error from Scope?

[garyb]

the DSP meter thing depends on what you load, not the motherboard.
i have loaded XITEs until the meter is full, many, many times. there are a number of resources involved and they are limited by design of the chips themselves, and by God.

didn't you just want a system that allowed the XITE to be used pretty much standalone? ASIO doesn't enter the equation in that case.

[ChristianB]

Looking at some Sonnet Thunderbolt™ 3 Desktop Expansion Systems...

The PCIe card for XITE is ? (Can't find the infos in tech spec of Soniccore website)

- low-profile PCIe card; half-length
or
- full-height, half-length

thanks

[garyb]

full height, very short.

[dawman]

You can swap the PCI slot housing on the small PCB/connector card to a low profile sized card connector too.
Have seen UAD Based 2U racks that make me feverish.
4 x Cards, each 2U.
Don't need no stinkin' Bricasti.

[Jez]

Hi ChristianB did you end up getting the Sonnet Thunderbolt 3 PCIe expansion box?

Jeremy

[jksuperstar]

I use a PCIe extender cable, which allows me to fit my Mini-ATX motherboard in a 1U rack, and the PCIe card is rotated 90deg from the norm. Works like a charm

If it weren't for the full-height mounting plate, the XITE PCIe card would be 1/2 height, so a small amount of metal work could make it 1/2 height. But mounting parallel to the motherboard using an extender card or cable is in my opinion better.

[ChristianB]

I did a reply 6 hours ago in the quick reply box but it seem to not have worked!

Jez
Yes I bought the sonnet PCIe expension to thunbolt 3, a month ago and it improve sighificantly the overall power of XITE when compare to my previous expresscard experience!
But I have'nt got time to try running Scope asio driver... I'm only using Modular and FX thru midi and ADAT and the ASIO interface is RME UC.
I have a Lenovo P70 i7 skylake.

And I agree with JK about : If it weren't for the full-height mounting plate, the XITE PCIe card would be 1/2 height, so a small amount of metal work could make it 1/2 height.

That's what I thought when I received the Sonnet Express SE 1... that with just a bit of metal binding the Scope PCIe would have fit into a Sonnet express SEL.

[Jez]

Thanks for the update Christian B. So no bandwidth issues yet? I recently received my XITE and can see that by cutting the back plate you could fit it in the smaller SEL...

[dawman]

You can take the full heights plate off and use a small plate.
I received a small plate on the last XITE-1 Holger sent me.
Never use it, but they are swappable.

[ChristianB]

About bandwidth... Garyb once wrote that it is matter of balanced elements in a scope session!
I would add ... Especially with an Xite 1-D!
Luckily, i still have my old pc tower with 3 pulsar card to load my monster modular IV.
I had time to try a scope session with asio2 flt (32 sources)(8 dest) ... With Cubase 9.5
It is very stable!

[robinette]

I would love to have a cable (HDMI, USB, Thunderbolt) without the need of an expresscard or a PCIe.

Hope it is possible ! ?

I think that it is possible. Thunderbolt 3 has PCIe, and Xite communicates via PCIe.

You just have to make an adapter/interface. On one end HDMI and the other Thunderbolt 3.
Within that adapter would have to be that small interface (as there is in the Xite Expresscard).

I do not know what difficulties it involves. I guess it's more a matter of driver programming.

This bet would resurrect a platform adapting to the new times.

A greeting.