--- ben racher <bracher@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: > Hello, > > I'm starting a student radio station at IUPUI in > Indianapolis, Indiana > and I want our entire audio infrastructure to be > based on Linux. I've > got a rough sense of all the apps we need and what > apps to setup on > which computers, but I thought I'd run the > blueprints by you guys to see > if you could give me any feedback. > > Streaming/Web Server: Runs apache and icecast or the > icecast mod for Apache. During the last week or two I've been running icecast/oddcastv3-jack with Ardour and Ardour/JAMin and streaming my DM-24 mixing consol over a DSL line. It has been reliable. I suppose something like this could work in the radio both and would allow a live talkback microphone for the DJ. I suppose there's some non-jack based solution for the live mic. > Automation Computer: Runs some sort of playback > program, I've been > keeping my eyes on LiveSupport > http://www.campware.org/ to schedule and > automate the station when DJs aren't present. > > Audio Archive: File Server for our digital library, > probably all FLAC > files, maybe Ogg, but I think we want FLAC in case > we want to burn CDs. > > And this is the part that I need help on... > > Production Computer... so I've been tooling around > with JACK and Ardour > and MusE (not to be confused with MuSE) and other > JACK apps and its all > really cool and exciting. I never got the sound > input to even really > work in linux until a couple weeks ago. Yay for the > 2.6.8+ kernels. So > here are my thoughts on setting up a workstation, > and I don't even know > if this is possible, but that's why I'm mailing you > guys. One department > has kindly donated a brand new Dell Poweredge Dual > Xeon 2.4 ghz somethin > or other. Sounds like an excellent production machine. I'm running a single AMD 2600+ on a dual capable board. The rest of our computers are from the > university junkyard of > midgrade PowerPC G4s and Pentium 3s. So the > Poweredge is our gem > computer out of all the other crappy computers. Is > there any way for me > to set up the speedy new poweredge as some kind of > audio production > renderfarm, and get the PPCs and the Pentium 3s to > connect to it as > production terminals? Cause, although multi-tracking > on the G4s and > Pentium 3s is possible, doing extensive work with FX > plugins is probably > out of the question. I don't know if rendering effects on a farm is going to work because of latent returns. Or maybe that asumption is completely wrong. There is jack_upd and jack_rtp which can be used to connect the ends of localhost ports together. Then you could experiment with running jack-rack or whatever on one machine, JAMin on another, etc. That would be pretty fun. However, I suspect the production of requirements of most Radio stations to be pretty well handled without assembling this type of system. I'd probably try to inch my way in and maybe you'll discover none of that is needed. Although, JAMin has a pretty hefty appetite and it's suitable for what you're doing. It seems like a perfect candidate for the UDP or RTP stuff. > See what I'm getting at? Also, the Poweredge also > has about a 500gb raid > system with it, which would be nice to use for > storing our audio on and > maybe even using as our digital archive as well, but > that might be > pushing it if we are doing audio production work on > it as well? Actually, that's worth experimenting with too. I have an ICP vortex four channel hardware raid controler. I used to run the studio machine as a dual 2600+. I'd test with rsync over lan, compiling ardour or kernels, printing a dozen tracks in an Ardour session, and mastering in another control room at the same time. Oh, I'd check email and copy files around locally. Basically I'd just start as many tasks as I could. Performance was awesome! I'd > imagine this might be the case, but I don't see why > ftping flac files on > a local network would be too much of a burden on the > raid drive or dual > processors. The raid controler handles all the disk i/o overhead. During disk i/o the CPUs are eating donuts and drinking coffee. Another reason why it would be nice to > be able to connect to > a poweredge remotely to do audio work, is that it > the poweredge makes > about as much noise as a 747. So... its not exactly > an audio production > friendly unit. I've got my server in one of those big old Digital rack cases that's about the size of a fridge. I keep it in a bathroom on the end of a 50ft keyboard, mouse, monitor, ADAT, USB, wordclock snake/leash. It's so noisey and physically imposing that it's difficult to relax while taking care of business. > So these are my thoughts. Am I crazy... or is there > some magical way to > make this happen? I don't think you're crazy. I know you are! Seriously, it sounds like lots of fun and I think you have plenty of very usable gear. ron > - Ben Racher > bracher@xxxxxxxxx > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - You care about security. So do we. http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail
