Brand:

• Soundcraft

Models:

• Vi2
• Vi4
• Vi6
• Vi200
• Vi400
• Vi600

Summary:

This article explains the supported DSP card configurations for the Vi6 Local Rack, including historical two-DSP systems and the differences between three- and four-DSP configurations.

Note: Although this article refers to the Vi6 Local Rack, the information applies equally to Local Racks used with Vi2, Vi4, Vi200, Vi400, and Vi600 Control Surfaces.  The term Vi6 Local Rack is used throughout this article because it is the name most commonly used to refer to this generation of Local Rack.

Historical Background:

When the Vi6 was originally introduced, the Local Rack was equipped with two DSP cards.  This early configuration supported up to 64 input channels and 32 mono or 16 stereo busses.

Shortly after the product launch, additional DSP cards were introduced to increase the available processing power and expand the console's capabilities.  Three- and four-DSP configurations subsequently became the standard for Vi6 systems throughout most of the product's lifecycle.

DSP Configurations:

Two DSP Cards

Although an original two-DSP Vi6 Local Rack may still operate with either a Vi6 or a Vi600 Control Surface running V6.x software, correct operation cannot be guaranteed with this configuration.

If you choose to use a two-DSP configuration, the system should be thoroughly tested to verify that it operates correctly.  Any functional limitations or unexpected behavior should become apparent during normal operation.

The recommended minimum configuration is three DSP cards.

Three DSP Cards

With three DSP cards, the available DSP resources must be allocated either to channel expansion or to expanded bus functionality. You can select the operating mode in the Settings tab. This function was introduced with software version V4.8.

Two operating modes are available:

• Channel Expansion – 96 input channels with 32 mono or 16 stereo busses. 
• Bus Expansion – 64 input channels with 32 mono or stereo busses. 

This allows the system to be configured according to the requirements of the application, although both expanded channel count and fully expanded bus capability cannot be used simultaneously with only three DSP cards.

Four DSP Cards

With four DSP cards installed, the console provides the maximum processing capacity without requiring any configuration changes.

The system always operates with 96 input channels and 32 mono or stereo busses, and the DSP allocation option is no longer available on the Settings page.