Universal Audio Realtime Rack - Manual (Page 15)

Realtime Rack Manual Chapter 1: Introduction 15
Realtime Rack System Overview
Realtime Rack has several components that comprise the complete Realtime Rack sys-
tem. A brief description of each component is provided below, along with a link to com-
plete details about the component.
Soundcraft Vi Series Consoles
Soundcraft Vi Series consoles (Vi1, Vi2, Vi4, and Vi6) are digital mixing/processing sys-
tems designed for use in a live sound environment.
Realtime Rack is designed for Vi console integration. Vi consoles integrate with Realtime
Rack via two simultaneous control protocols:
MADI – Digital audio streams are routed between Vi consoles and the Realtime Rack
hardware unit for signal processing via MADI optical I/O (all UAD plug-in signals are
processed in the Realtime Rack hardware unit, not in the Vi console). Use the Vi Con-
sole’s powerful Insert and patching system to route signals to and from the Vi console via
MADI.
Ethernet – Digital control signals, for saving and loading Realtime Rack configuration
snapshots, are routed between Vi consoles and the Mac computer running Realtime Rack
software via Ethernet.
Realtime Rack Hardware
The Realtime Rack unit is the 1U rack hardware that performs audio signal processing
on digital audio streams via MADI. The hardware unit contains four SHARC DSPs that
process the UAD Powered Plug-In algorithms. Each unit can process up to 16 MADI
streams, and up to four units can be combined to process a total of 64 MADI streams.
The Realtime Rack hardware is configured and controlled by the Realtime Rack software
application.
For complete hardware details, see
“Chapter 2: Hardware” beginning on page 21 .
Realtime Rack Software Application
The Realtime Rack application is the software interface for the Realtime Rack hardware
unit. The software configures and controls the hardware unit(s) and UAD Powered Plug-
Ins. The application runs on select Mac computers and it interfaces to the Realtime Rack
hardware via Thunderbolt.
Note: Although UAD Powered Plug-Ins are operated via the Realtime Rack soft-
ware, the signal processing is performed on the hardware unit’s SHARC DSP, not
the computer’s CPU.
For complete details about the software application, see “Chapter 4: Realtime Rack Ap-
plication” beginning on page 38 .