Port Compatibility across Cantabile Configurations

Cantabile
#1

I’m having an issue because I have various setup scenarios:

  • four different computers that can run C4,
  • four possible interfaces (RME Babyface, UCX2, UFX2 as well as Windows ASIO as a fallback),
  • four Cantabile Configurations (Setups), and
  • numerous rig designs.

I frequently change computers and rig designs (sometimes while in the car from a rehearsal to a gig) …

The issue: if a C4 song developed in one C4 Configuration (e.g. CFG-A) is opened in
another C4 Configuration (e.g. CFG-B), then any C4 routes involving a C4 port that are Enabled in CFG-A but Disabled in CFG-B will disappear in the Wiring view of the Routing diagram when I change from CFG-A to CFG-B.

In the Table View of the Routing, the route is marked as “[Port Name] (missing)”.

PortCompatibility_Screenshot 2023-05-21 054415
PortCompatibility_Screenshot 2023-05-21 0544151069×169 30.4 KB

Things generally work out in Cantabile. When I move back from CFG-B to CFG-A, those missing routes are preserved and restored. However, I cannot work with those routes in CFG-B.

The cure: I establish the PORT COMPATIBILITY rule:

	If a Cantabile Port is Enabled in any C4 configuration,
	it is Enabled in all C4 configurations.

I Enable the Cantabile port in CFG-B, but all channels are set to (unassigned).

Instead of setting ports like this:

[MyDevice In]
  CFG-A  Analog 3/4			Input port for MyDevice.
  CFG-B  DISABLED			MyDevice not used in this configuration ... or ...
							Analog 3/4 does not exist in this configuration.

… they are set up like this:

[MyDevice In]
  CFG-A  Analog 3/4			  Input port for MyDevice.
  CFG-B  ENABLED (unassigned) MyDevice not used in this config, but
							  enabled for PORT COMPATIBILITY.

Love to hear any thoughts folks might have …
… although this situation is pretty far afield of how most Cantabile users have designed their setups …

#2

With a C4 rig at home and the practice room, I understand your pain. My solution was to have hardware-identical DAC/ADC, MIDI IO, and USB Hubs to link them all. The computers are not the same, but the external IO hardware is the same. C4 plays well with this setup. Moving songs/sets/etc. from one laptop to the other is done with SyncToy.

I don’t use aliases, but could your problem be solved using aliases?

1 Like
#3

Thanks @easteelreath …

I’ve only used aliases for “I now have a better name for this Cantabile port” … never to have a port masquerade as another port. I don’t know what happens if Cantabile port A has an alias to Cantabile port B and you also (accidentally) have a real Cantabile Port B. Might not be pretty … and the specter of totally trashing things makes me shy away from that.

I’ve been using Dropbox with hardly any hitches … Cantabile stuff gets synched quite nicely across my machines in a few seconds. However, I need to take diligent care (on each computer) of where plugins store their presets and user presets and re-configure those plugins to use a Dropbox-shadowed folder.

Also because drive letters can be different on different computers, I’ve had to maintain Windows Junctions to make everything look the same to Cantabile (and Kontakt, and loads of other plugins and apps). Here’s one setup diagram I use to keep things straight:

SoundLib_DirectorySetup_HuskyShiba_200dpiC00_2023_0305a
SoundLib_DirectorySetup_HuskyShiba_200dpiC00_2023_0305a2040×1377 661 KB

#4

When I’m monkeying with things that could have a very bad outcome, I always use Macrium Reflect to mirror the OS/Program disk so I’m absolutely sure I can return to step zero. Unfortunately, Macrium only works on computers instead of my life…

1 Like
#5

For that, you need the One-Minute Time Machine:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXhnPLMIET0

(how’s that for an off-topic reply?)

1 Like
#6

HA! HA! I thought for sure it would be the Galaxy Quest Omega 13 scene.

1 Like
#7

Doing IT work for a living actually gives you that several minute time machine feeling when you run Macrium before guessing on a solution.