SQ5, Slink and Dante

[viperius]

I have and SQ5 and recently acquired a Dante 32×32 v3.
I also have a stage box ab168
Instruments plugged into stage box via slink mapped to channels 1-16 all working fine for FOH

I want to be able to take those same 16 channels and do a few things:
1. Record using Cubase/Ableton
2. Playback from Cubase/Ableton
3. send those same 16 channels to another PC (Know I will need extra network switch for this one)

Question 1 – is this possible
Question 2 – Step for a hint please on how to achieve

Thanks in anticipation

Kenny

[Tobi]

This topic ist largely covered, Here in the Forum,in Docs and YouTube. Did you have a Look and did Not understand?

Best Regards,
Tobias

[tourtelot]

The AB168 is not Dante enabled if that is the root of your question. So IIRC, the AB168 will only work as a stage I/O box over SLink. If you want to move into multiple devices; computers, stage boxes, etc, you’ll need to use a Dante stage box like the DT168, some networked switches, Audinate Dante Virtual Sound Cards on your computers, and embrace the whole Dante network platform. It is not 100% necessary to use switches for a Dante network; Dante devices can be daisy-chained under some circumstances.

But I would advise looking at the Audinate website, as well as others like Youtubes for your start into Dante. There is a learning curve.

D.

[viperius]

@Tobi it seems quite complex and this is my first attempt at using Dante though I do understand networking fairly well

@tourtelot Yip I know the the stage box is not Dante my question was more around can slink and Dante co-exist.
Can I use the Dante card to take some of the channels and send them off to other Dante enbaled devices.

[tourtelot]

Yes, you will be able to take any inputs that come into your SQ from the stage box and distribute them with a Dante network. You will not, of course, be able to take inputs directly from the stage box and distribute them via Dante. Or send to outputs via Dante. I haven’t really puzzled out if tie-lines in the SQ would allow you to send inputs to, let’s say, a recorder on your PC with little in the way. The preamps in the AB168? Are they good enough that you’d be happy with them as your only preamps? That’s one of the great things about a fully functioning Dante rig is I can send the outputs from my Dante enabled preamps (think Grace or Millennia) directly to the recorders (plural) and not rely on my SQ for anything other than a 2-mix and monitoring (well, talkback and playback as well).

I’d be curious if you find that using an SLink stagebox and then routing via Dante works for you in the end. Please let us know.

D.

[Tobi]

Sorry — but no, its really not complex.

Just use Tie Lines to copy stuff from “SLink-World” to “Dante-World”. Then just use Dante Controller for patching and then record (or playback).

Best Regards,
Tobias

PS: The video shows how to patch from SLink to the IO-Port — that is what you need. Just imagine you have a Dante Card installed, not another SLink card.

[tourtelot]

Ah, good video!

And I agree with Tobi that it is easy to get input sockets out to a Dante card (and I didn’t know until today that was possible. Thanks!). But what happens after you get the patch made on the SQ may not be so easy.

I am warning the OP that getting educated in the Ways of Dante was not without its challenges for me and I have been a tech-geek for a lot of years. I am more than glad that I climbed the curve and wouldn’t go back to a non-Dante rig for anything. Simple rigs are pretty simple but big Dante networks take learning actual networking skills. As I said above, YMMV.

D.

[viperius]

I tried this today and it was that simple, thank you all for your suggestions and input. I suspect not that I am playing with Dante there will be more questions but for the time being I have a big smile on my face….

[nottooloud]

Don’t even need tielines, just input direct outs. I do this all the time, Dante multitrack to one computer and a mixed feed to the video computer.

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