Just to fuel the VIA chipset debate:-
I run a VIA VT8366 Chipset Soltek SL-75DRV mobo with a 750 Athlon and 384MB of DDR 266 RAM. Even if I load an STS3000 with http://www.innerverse.com/earlyfirst/ high end reverbs it's as solid as a rock and very fast. Is the VT8366 the VIA chipset to go for ? When you only pay 40GBP for a chip why bother with 200GBP Intel ??
Nigel.
VIA Chipset on rocket fuel !!
The true test is pulling in 32 channels of ASIO, each loaded with a different 4 minute wave file, routing them through Pulsar (BigMixer?) with 2 reverbs running and maybe 4 channels of STS. This is a typical "work horse" project for many musicians. How many channels of audio can you push while running BigMixer, STS3000 (w/ 32 voices) & 2 reverbs?
On an 815/BX chipset, you can get a couple reverbs, 32 voices of STS4000, BigMixer, a couple delays, and at least 38 audio channels running through 32 ASIO channels, while copying Quake3 from one directory-to-another (just to test of course!) -- all without any problems or hickups...
On an 815/BX chipset, you can get a couple reverbs, 32 voices of STS4000, BigMixer, a couple delays, and at least 38 audio channels running through 32 ASIO channels, while copying Quake3 from one directory-to-another (just to test of course!) -- all without any problems or hickups...
My dad is bigger than your dad and more importantly knew Lloyd George. Anyway I have comfortably recorded 16 to disk via 16 ASIO inputs from Pulsar II thru 16 chan mixer whilst putting a different effect (many instances of delay and reverb) on about half to make each stereo pair sound different.
Now I'm off to try your challenge and see if I can make it make me my supper at the same time.
Cheers
Nigel.
Now I'm off to try your challenge and see if I can make it make me my supper at the same time.
Cheers
Nigel.
This is not to dis you, or your system. Just that for the same price, you can have one that performs about twice as good. Some people will be happy with much, much less, you only need as much performance as you'll use.
In one fairly simple mastering project, I ended up with 38 channels of audio (most of the time not playing at once, but still a track). I don't really think it's out of the question to need about 32 channels of audio, 2 reverbs, and maybe an STS all playing at once.
In one fairly simple mastering project, I ended up with 38 channels of audio (most of the time not playing at once, but still a track). I don't really think it's out of the question to need about 32 channels of audio, 2 reverbs, and maybe an STS all playing at once.
Holly smoke !!!! The results
That took some doing and thank god for my Korg ES1 for audio source.
Right, this is what I managed:-
Path thru audio systems
4 ADAT Audio in - 16 In on Big Mix
16 On big mix - 32 ASIO - Cubase
32 Cubase Grouped - 32 ASIO Pulsar in
32 Pulsar ASIO - 2 * 16 Dynamixer
2 * 16 Dyna mixer - 4 Chan
4 Chan Mix - Pulsar Audio out for noisy mon
Loaded Miniverb and Delay
Then recorded 24 tracks (sorry not 32 got fed up) 1 minute long in cubase to ATA100 disk. While monitoring thru all that PCI ASIO.
Played back 24 and monitored others thru ASIO
Loaded Inverse.com PT2036L (PCI Bus killer and DSP greedy)
Continued playing back cubase and all ASIO monitoring.
No crash or PCI bus complaints.
Complaints from my Wife (it's 11:30pm in UK) to quit messing with computer.
But hey come on thats not bad is it ??
Much much more than I ever need !! (famous last words)and not bad for a $40 chip
Anyone else tried this ?? I'm sure the Intel is best bang for bucks BUT the AMD gives it all and survives with style. Bed beckons.
Goodnight
Nigel.
PS I'll try and crash it tommorow.
That took some doing and thank god for my Korg ES1 for audio source.
Right, this is what I managed:-
Path thru audio systems
4 ADAT Audio in - 16 In on Big Mix
16 On big mix - 32 ASIO - Cubase
32 Cubase Grouped - 32 ASIO Pulsar in
32 Pulsar ASIO - 2 * 16 Dynamixer
2 * 16 Dyna mixer - 4 Chan
4 Chan Mix - Pulsar Audio out for noisy mon
Loaded Miniverb and Delay
Then recorded 24 tracks (sorry not 32 got fed up) 1 minute long in cubase to ATA100 disk. While monitoring thru all that PCI ASIO.
Played back 24 and monitored others thru ASIO
Loaded Inverse.com PT2036L (PCI Bus killer and DSP greedy)
Continued playing back cubase and all ASIO monitoring.
No crash or PCI bus complaints.
Complaints from my Wife (it's 11:30pm in UK) to quit messing with computer.
But hey come on thats not bad is it ??
Much much more than I ever need !! (famous last words)and not bad for a $40 chip
Anyone else tried this ?? I'm sure the Intel is best bang for bucks BUT the AMD gives it all and survives with style. Bed beckons.
Goodnight
Nigel.
PS I'll try and crash it tommorow.
Thanks for testing, it's great to get some numbers.
24 Channels & 1 PT2036L Reverb is not bad at all... MUCH better than my previous VIA experience.
However, 38 channels, 32 STS Voices, and 2 Timeworks reverbs (probably comparable PCI wise to PT2020S) is a piece of cake on the 815/BX chipset.
Just out of curiousity, and to further test the "tweaked VIA," how many PT2020S's can you run at once? I realize it's not a good real-world example, but it's a good benchmark. I run out of DSP before I can get 4.
Now, I'm not sure how many DSPs you have, nor how many Creamware cards, but <a href=http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pulsar-sc ... 22364>here is another guys attempt at Pulsar2 + Luna2 + KT266 chipset</a>. It didn't work out too well.
Finally, you do realize that the <a href=http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pulsar-sc ... 81>current Athlon performance leader is the AMD760 chipset</a>? The performance of this board is very close to the BX/815/Intel camp, to the point where right now, at this point in time 7-2001, the Asus A7M266 / 1.4Ghz AMD solution looks to be the fastest and most proven system for Pulsar...
But again, if you're getting the performance you need from your system, then go make music!
And thanks for providing some tests for the rest of us...
24 Channels & 1 PT2036L Reverb is not bad at all... MUCH better than my previous VIA experience.
However, 38 channels, 32 STS Voices, and 2 Timeworks reverbs (probably comparable PCI wise to PT2020S) is a piece of cake on the 815/BX chipset.
Just out of curiousity, and to further test the "tweaked VIA," how many PT2020S's can you run at once? I realize it's not a good real-world example, but it's a good benchmark. I run out of DSP before I can get 4.
Now, I'm not sure how many DSPs you have, nor how many Creamware cards, but <a href=http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pulsar-sc ... 22364>here is another guys attempt at Pulsar2 + Luna2 + KT266 chipset</a>. It didn't work out too well.
Finally, you do realize that the <a href=http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pulsar-sc ... 81>current Athlon performance leader is the AMD760 chipset</a>? The performance of this board is very close to the BX/815/Intel camp, to the point where right now, at this point in time 7-2001, the Asus A7M266 / 1.4Ghz AMD solution looks to be the fastest and most proven system for Pulsar...
But again, if you're getting the performance you need from your system, then go make music!
And thanks for providing some tests for the rest of us...I just wanted to add that the main VIA chipsets to avoid at this point are:
VIA KX133 (& variants)
VIA KT133
VIA KT133A
It seems like the KT266 chipset works, but from all the tech-sites and one Creamware user's results, I'd say avoid it and go straight for an AMD760-based solution. It should only be $30 more, and it will be more solid. I can post more information about why AMD760 vs. Others (alimajik/kt266/kt133a) if anyone cares.
VIA KX133 (& variants)
VIA KT133
VIA KT133A
It seems like the KT266 chipset works, but from all the tech-sites and one Creamware user's results, I'd say avoid it and go straight for an AMD760-based solution. It should only be $30 more, and it will be more solid. I can post more information about why AMD760 vs. Others (alimajik/kt266/kt133a) if anyone cares.
So, it sounds like the KT266 works if you can get it setup right. Good results. (I still wouldn't suggest you buy a VIA if at all possible )
A few links for your Chipset Reading Pleasure:
<a href=http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.html?i=1451>VIA KT266 Socket-A DDR Chipset: Third time's a charm?</a>
<a href=http://www.anandtech.com/chipsets/showd ... i=1455>VIA KT266: Second Round K.O.
</a>
<a href=http://www.anandtech.com/chipsets/showd ... i=1483>AMD 760MP & Athlon MP - Dual Processor Heaven</a> -- the one I'm very excited about, especially with WinXP + Creamware OS3.0. Of course I plan to offer a solution @ Infinite Vortex based on this chipset as soon as the ASUS A7M266DP comes out
<a href=http://www.anandtech.com/chipsets/showd ... 484>NVIDIA nForce Computex 2001 Preview</a> -- the chipset to watch for, this could be realllly nice.
)A few links for your Chipset Reading Pleasure:
<a href=http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.html?i=1451>VIA KT266 Socket-A DDR Chipset: Third time's a charm?</a>
<a href=http://www.anandtech.com/chipsets/showd ... i=1455>VIA KT266: Second Round K.O.
</a>
<a href=http://www.anandtech.com/chipsets/showd ... i=1483>AMD 760MP & Athlon MP - Dual Processor Heaven</a> -- the one I'm very excited about, especially with WinXP + Creamware OS3.0. Of course I plan to offer a solution @ Infinite Vortex based on this chipset as soon as the ASUS A7M266DP comes out
<a href=http://www.anandtech.com/chipsets/showd ... 484>NVIDIA nForce Computex 2001 Preview</a> -- the chipset to watch for, this could be realllly nice.
I've just bought an Asus A7M266 so it should be interesting to find out how well my tests on the VIA perform on the ASUS with the DDR Memory etc. I managed to create the PCI bus errors after loading the reverb again then saving the project so I guess I was pretty close to max with the first set of tests.
I'll keep you posted with the results.
Cheers
Nigel.
I'll keep you posted with the results.
Cheers
Nigel.
