Hello, I’m new to Vst and live performances with PC and soundcard (yesterday was my third gig with this kind of setup).
I’ve solved my initial problems with the excellent brad’s guide (glitch free) and wonderful software. I’ve optimized every single item described in the guide on my pc (ASUS N552VW Laptop with core i7, 16GB ram, 1 256 GB builtin sata M.2 SSD, 1 TB SSD Samsung EVO). Now I can perform at 128-160 samples with lot of VSTs in Cantabile without crakles and glitches. The matter is: To enhance performances I’ve bought an RME babyface to replace my card, mainly (but not exclusively) following the enthusistics posts in this thread. The result is that performances are worsen… I’ve already started the RMA procedure and I’m going back with my previous soundcard, the ZOOM UAC-2 (usb3 bus). In my system, the Zoom soundcard performs better than the babyface. I haven’t made thorough tests on the babyface (it is already back in the box for the shipping), but for sure I have had no gain in performance with it… a lot of clicks and crackles at 128 samples, with just a piano load in cantabile…
This is my experience, for what it’s worth…
That’s very interesting - I’ve never heard of single problem with RME devices before.
Just to show how well Cantabile 3 works on a small system:
I use it in a church orchestra to play “Trumpet” (and variations) with Samplemodeling’s “The Trumpet 3”, several other orchestra wind “instruments” in Wivi Instruments “Brass” and “Woodwinds” and picking up the odds-n-ends with Garritan’s Personal Orchestra 5. These are all played through USB-MIDI with an Akai EWI5000. My audio interface is a Focusrite “Scarlett 2i2”.
This is all handled by a Dell Venue 8 Pro (5830) Tablet running Windows 10 (Anniversary Edition). I use a Plugable “UD Pro 8” powered hub to connect the EWI5000 and the Dell Tablet (and charge the Tablet, which has an odd charging format).
Dell Venue 8 Pro specs:
Processor Speed (GHz) - 1.8GHz
Processor Intel Atom processor - Z3740D
Hard Drive Capacity - 32GB
RAM Memory - 2 GB DDR3
SD Flash Card (to load most of my software) - 64GB
Have never experienced any audio glitches!
Now working connecting to an iPad (which runs “ForScore” for PDF sheet music and “OnSong” for Lyric/Chord Sheets). I’ll be using a iConnectivity “iConnectMidi2+” interface to connect the two tablets.
Most of my music system sits on my sheet music stand!
That’s awesome! Thanks for sharing!
Please keep us updated on your experiences using iConnectMidi2 
Another iConnectMidi user here - I’ve got a Midi4+ in my studio and a Midi2+ for live use. What I love about these interfaces is their routing capabilities - not only between physical ports, but also between attached machines. So I have my Cantabile machine AND my LivePrompter tablet both attached to this interface, along with my master keyboard, so I can send MIDI commands back and forth between LivePrompter and Cantabile to automatically load songs when I switch lyrics on LivePrompter, or to start scrolling on LivePrompter with a pedal press connected to a binding in Cantabile.
Previously, I had connected the two machines via rtpMIDI, but that connection is not always 100% stable - goes on the fritz when the tablet goes on standby, and on my last gig, the connection simply disintegrated in the middle of a set - not too pleasant. So I’m back to cables - and the iConnect is the cleanest solution - simply connect my PC, my tablet and my master keyboard to one little device and to some clever routing!
The only thing that’s missing is that the iConnect can’t charge my tablet - can’t get myself to shell out 125 Euros for the Plugable Hub… So I still have to charge my tablet in set breaks, but that’s not so much of an issue…
Cheers,
Torsten
They look like great pieces of gear!! Sadly no Android support, otherwise I’d have one!!
Neil
Has anyone used iConnect to route iPad music apps (e.g. SampleTank) into their Windows DAW? I have a bunch of good IOS apps which I’m rarely using.
In my situation (using the Dell Venue 8), the Plugable Pro 8 was the only option. We arrive at church at 8:00 AM for a sound check/rehearsal, play for 9:00 & 11:00 services and shut down around 12:15 to 12:30. The Venue stays charged, as does my EWI5000, with the Plugable hub. I normally keep the iPad (running ForScore) charged with its wall wart, but found out that the ICM2+ will charge it when I decided to go that route. I recently got a backup Venue 8 (less than 1/3 the release price) and Plubable hub so I can have a rehearsal/test setup at home (I leave my hub and audio device at church).
My task now is to decide the best method of loading songs - called up from Cantabile or ForScore (problem being that I can’t assign Song Numbers in Cantabile 3).
It looks like ForScore can send a MIDI program change for each song:
In the “MIDI” section of the metadata panel, you can assign a unique
command to each score and open it with some MIDI devices. You can also
save a list of commands to be sent out each time that score is opened. If
you plan to use the same set of commands more than once, presets make
it easy to save them and assign them to other scores later.
You can bind these to your cantabile songs: in a set list, you can assign a program change to each song. Now create a Binding in your background rack that reacts to program changes coming from your iPad via the ICM2+ and loads the corresponding song in the set list.
I have simply built a set list that contains my complete repertoire for my band and assigned a (banked) program change to each of my songs in LivePrompter (my own lyrics & chords teleprompter). Now each time I load a song in LivePrompter, the PC gets sent to Cantabile, and the corresponding song is loaded automatically. Best thing since sliced bread 
!
Should work exactly the same with your iPad and ForScore.
Cheers,
Torsten
Thanks, Torsten!
This info will help considerably. I’m now in the process of constructing the songs from our library (in Cantabile). I’ll then build a Master Set List and proceed from there.
I can understand why you wrote your own program … ForScore (I think) can only send MIDI when the song (PDF) loads … OnSong can use “Sticky Notes” from anywhere on the page, but doesn’t handle PDFs as well as ForScore.
At this juncture, I’m fine as far as my Live Setup. I hope to have a quicker method to transition between Songs/Instruments/Instrument Settings (i.e. Mute or Open)
Doug
Hi.
I use a Focusrite Saffire 6 four channel USB module. Two channels for front of house stereo and two channels for click tracks.
I use the Saffire MIDI for control of Cantabile via my keyboards (a trusty Yamha EX5 is still my master keyboard, but will probably be replacing it soon).
I also have a MIDISPORT 2x2 to provide additional MIDI ports, but currently only use Channel A IN for song transport control via our drummer’s electric drum pad for song starts and the odd sound effect on the drum pad (all controlled via Bindings/Triggers)
And I have DMXIS being driven by a MIDI track in Cantabile (I pair an audio track with a MIDI one for each song) to drive our DMX light rig so all lights are synced to the music.
I have all hardware in a 3U hard rack with all IO from modules brought to connectors on back panels for ease of connection at a gig.
Oh, I’ve also succeeded in using rtpMIDI to allow Cantabile to trigger another laptop over a simple network connection (single network lead!) which is running Show Cue Systems SCS11 software to provide our video show. So for each song there is a binding to send MIDI data to SCS11 to start the video file for a song.
It all works pretty well, and kudos to Brad for Cantible, I don’t know what I’d do without it! I’m getting to grips with V3 now. It is so much better than V2 (which was pretty good!)
Cheers
Derek
not really a problem… With the babyface I could perform almost without problems at 256 samples or above, but not at 128 or less (even 160 was an hazard) … With the zoom UAC-2 performances are slightly better, I can perform live without problems at 128 (safer at 160) , and the cost of the soundcard is 1/3 of the RME…
Just to share my experience, but maybe I’m a single case… I would like to know if other zoom users have done some comparison, too…
Hi everyone, just an update… I’ve thought it may be useful for cantabile users in search of a new soundcard…
It seems that my experiences with the zoom uac-2 soundcard are shared by a lot of zoom users (gearslutz and other forums): This soundcard performs really well in terms of latency (avoiding glitches, pops and similar), slightly better than babyface, and its costs is 1/3 of babyface… I tried the Zoom UAC-2 on my desktop PC too, and it performs slightly better than my RME fireface 800. I can play without any glitches at 96 samples… I’ve just ordered the UAC-8 too, I expect very similar performances (the driver is the same). The difference, compared to many other soundcards, seems to be not the bus (USB3) but the extremely well-written proprietary driver (after all, this is also RME strenght)… Of course, this sound card doesn’t have all the RME features, routing and software capabilities…
Intresting !
Pitty it isn’t more compact in form.
I’m thinking of a way to attach a soundcard to the bottom of my keyboard. Would save me some setup time. And then I could use a 19’ version also, f.e. the left bottom site of my keyboard…
Velcro won’t do it (I use it now to attach to my stand, but with extra elastic security.
Velcro comes lose in warm conditions.
Pitty because it’s very handy.