Master slave configuration for PCs

[vignesh.vijay]

Hi,
I am looking to upgrade my pc and would probably be keeping my old pc with me since there is no resale value to it. I am looking for some guidance on
1. what exactly is master slave PC configuration?
2. Is there any advantage of setting up master slave config for music production?
3. Any basic tutorials on how to set two computers up for master slave?

My current pc config is as follows:
Intel i7-5960x Haswell E processor
3 TB SSD
32 GB DDR4 RAM
Gigabyte X99-UD4 motherboard

Thanks a lot.

[mjolnir]

I'm assuming it means maybe MIDI Master --> Slave etc. configuration.
I'm interested in this topic too, since it might mean some other synchronization, like in Reaper, etc.

[whyterabbyt]

1. what exactly is master slave PC configuration?

There's no 'exactly' in that you can do this via several different technologies, but basically it means you have one main system and one or more secondary systems. The main system does 'stuff' but relies on the secondary systems to do other 'stuff'.
What that stuff is probably depends a bit on the technology, but the expected setup in audio work would be that main system runs the DAW and/or plugins, and the other system(s) run(s) more plugins.

2. Is there any advantage of setting up master slave config for music production?

You have the combined horsepower of more than one system

3. Any basic tutorials on how to set two computers up for master slave?

Not in general, as it depends entirely on how you do it. There are tutorials for the commercial software applications that exist to help you do this, though.

At the simplest level, though, you dont need 'extra' software; you can basically just be treating a secondary system as a hardware synth, so connect it to your DAW via MIDI, just like you would for a hardware synth, it runs a DAW/host that you set up running some plugins, and that then sends audio (out of its soundcard), into your main system's soundcard just like a hardware synth would.

At a different level you can use software solutions between networked PCs that do a fairly equivalent thing over networking, from within your DAW.

BC Connector (or Fader Hub I think) can be used for this, it sort of does the MIDI/Audio scenario from inside a plugin, so connects audio and MIDI over network connections, ie from your main system DAW to another DAW or software on the secondary system, or even between applications on the same system.
ReaStream plugin (by Reaper devs) is quite old now, but does the most basic/core working subset of this and is free.

Whereas (if I remember rightly) VSL Pro actually launches plugins 'transparently' for you on the secondary system but basically acts as though they're running locally.

[vignesh.vijay]

awesome, thanks for the info.
Are there any alternatives for VSL pro or is VSL pro the best to use for this?

[Jim Roseberry]

As someone who builds/sells DAWs for a living:
You'll be more productive with a single fast machine (vs a VE Pro Master/Save configuration).
The logistics with multiple machines will slow down productivity.

The only reason to run multiple Master/Slave machines is if your project simply can't be run on a single machine.
With the power of a 14900k or 9950x, that's highly doubtful.

I'd suggest relegating the older machine to "office" duty... or other more general-purpose task.

[whyterabbyt]

The only reason to run multiple Master/Slave machines is if your project simply can't be run on a single machine.
With the power of a 14900k or 9950x, that's highly doubtful.

Well, no its not the only reason. Its actually also a viable option for not losing access to legacy plugins or tools.

[Jim Roseberry]

The only reason to run multiple Master/Slave machines is if your project simply can't be run on a single machine.
With the power of a 14900k or 9950x, that's highly doubtful.

Well, no its not the only reason. Its actually also a viable option for not losing access to legacy plugins or tools.

I understand keeping an older machine around to run older hardware/software.
I still maintain that the logistics of running multiple Master/Slave machines is a PITA and drags down productivity.

I have numerous TV/Film composer clients.
For years they ran multiple Master/Slave machines... and dealt with the logistics because they had no choice. A single machine couldn't run their full scoring template.
Now, most are running a single fast machine... which allows them to be more productive.
More time composing... less time fiddling with switching between machines, dealing with VE Pro, etc. Simpler logistics

[vignesh.vijay]

I would have to test out my new pc once I have it.
Sometimes when I work on a 50 min independent movie,for the amout of vst, plugins i use I am having to work on each scene as separate project.
Not just time consuming, but also the flow/transition from one scene to another doesn't work as i need it to be.

I am not doing any 3 hour movie yet. So may be when arrow lake arrives, it would solve my current problem. Have to wait and see.

[Jim Roseberry]

I would have to test out my new pc once I have it.
Sometimes when I work on a 50 min independent movie,for the amout of vst, plugins i use I am having to work on each scene as separate project.
Not just time consuming, but also the flow/transition from one scene to another doesn't work as i need it to be.

I am not doing any 3 hour movie yet. So may be when arrow lake arrives, it would solve my current problem. Have to wait and see.

FWIW, Arrow Lake may be a slight step backward (performance wise).

[audiojunkie]

It looks like Open Source is gonna come to the rescue!

There are several ways to set up a Server/Client setup. It's actually rather easy. You will need an unmanaged Gigabit Ethernet switch. A nice cheap one can be seen here for an example:

NETGEAR 8-Port Gigabit Ethernet Unmanaged Switch (GS108) - Desktop or Wall Mount, and Limited Lifetime Protection

https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Ethernet ... 54835&th=1

Every machine that you include in your server farm (and your client system, aka your main system) will need a gigabit network card.

From the perspective of your main computer, the one you will do your work on, the main computer is the client. All other computers that you attach are considered servers--because they will be serving the plugins to your main computer which will have your DAW.

The software you will need, is called Audiogridder. It works great for this. You will install the server of the Audiogridder software onto your server computers, and you will install the VST version of the Audiogridder software onto your client computer (the one that has your DAW).

When you want to use a plugin that is on one of your server computers, you will load the Audiogridder VST into your DAW, and use it as if it was installed onto the same computer as your DAW.

This is a very simplified explanation, but it should be enough of an overview that anyone can get things figured out and going.

Another alternative, is to set up your network like I recommended in the above Audiogridder instructions, but instead of using Audiogridder, you can use Blue Cat Audio's Patchwork application on each computer that you will treat as a server. You would then use the Blue Cat Audio Connector plugin to connect to patchwork.

These are the two main network based ways to do things without getting into using equipment from Dante or such.

I hope this is helpful!

Best wishes!

[audiojunkie]

The only reason to run multiple Master/Slave machines is if your project simply can't be run on a single machine.
With the power of a 14900k or 9950x, that's highly doubtful.

Well, no its not the only reason. Its actually also a viable option for not losing access to legacy plugins or tools.

I understand keeping an older machine around to run older hardware/software.
I still maintain that the logistics of running multiple Master/Slave machines is a PITA and drags down productivity.

I have numerous TV/Film composer clients.
For years they ran multiple Master/Slave machines... and dealt with the logistics because they had no choice. A single machine couldn't run their full scoring template.
Now, most are running a single fast machine... which allows them to be more productive.
More time composing... less time fiddling with switching between machines, dealing with VE Pro, etc. Simpler logistics

I would agree that a server/client setup can be a PITA and drag down productivity if you are used to being more mobile (I use a laptop).

However, if the user is used to coming to a desktop computer and working on it to do music, and if mobility isn't a concern, things can be set up to the point that, from the client computer's (your main DAW computer's) perspective, it is seamless. One need not even know that there are extra computers attached these days. In the old days, with hardware synths, samplers, etc, there was a lot of messing around and configuring with Midi. However, in this day and age, it is as simple as choosing a plugin for a track from your DAW, and using it. For example, let's say you wanted to use U-he's Diva in divine mode... All you would need to do in your DAW is choose the Audiogridder plugin, and then from within the Audiogridder plugin, you would choose Diva. From that point on, you would simply use Diva (from within the Audiogridder plugin) as if it was installed on the computer your DAW is installed on. There's really not much more messing around with it once it is set up and configured these days.

[vstdls]

You most likely won't need a master/slave configuration if upgrading to a newer machine. The previously mentioned Audiogridder or ReaMote are probably where I'd start if you just want to do it anyway though.

Depending on your sata port count on that motherboard, you can slap it full of disks, Install TrueNas, and have some excellent NAS for project backups, sample/library storage, etc. That's another option to keep benefiting your workflow without retiring a still-pretty-capable machine.

[vignesh.vijay]

Is VSL pro over rated or not recommended?

[Freaqpeak]

For me Audiogridder has been really buggy and isnt updated. Some plugins just wont work.

Master/slave is the wrong words btw. Audiogridder and others are just servers. Your DAW(s) are the clients.
I really have to check bluecats Connector. I have 44 cores unused on my file/webserver/backup etc running a hypervisor (truenas scale)....
You also get very good disk performance with Truenas if you have alot of memory,
no need to have large local disks in your daw (helps with heat/noise).
If you already have a server in your closet, why not use it. You just need to install the plugins on both machines. Or select the most cpu hungry/most used plugins...

To be honest, I like setting up things like this, if you dont, you will probably waste your time. A clean Windows installation on 2nd computer should be easy enough though.

[AdvancedFollower]

The only reason to run multiple Master/Slave machines is if your project simply can't be run on a single machine.
With the power of a 14900k or 9950x, that's highly doubtful.

Well, no its not the only reason. Its actually also a viable option for not losing access to legacy plugins or tools.

I understand keeping an older machine around to run older hardware/software.
I still maintain that the logistics of running multiple Master/Slave machines is a PITA and drags down productivity.

I have numerous TV/Film composer clients.
For years they ran multiple Master/Slave machines... and dealt with the logistics because they had no choice. A single machine couldn't run their full scoring template.
Now, most are running a single fast machine... which allows them to be more productive.
More time composing... less time fiddling with switching between machines, dealing with VE Pro, etc. Simpler logistics

Yes, back then single/dual core CPUs were the norm, maybe 4 cores if you get the absolute top of the range, so you'd link up several machines to get the equivalent of maybe 8 or 16 cores. Computers today are so much more powerful and parallelized it's like having multiple computers linked up, but inside one single chip. A modern mid-range CPU will typically have 8 cores or even 16+. HEDT platforms like Threadripper go up to 96 cores, and you can get even more crazy with Epyc and dual-socket motherboards.

Getting hundreds of GB of RAM isn't unreasonable either if you really need it.

Same goes for storage. Hard drives used to max out at a couple of hundred MB/s so if you had huge sample libraries you had to distribute the I/O. Now there are NVMe drives that can theoretically hit 14,000 MB/s, a 70-fold increase. If that isn't enough, you can run two of those drives in RAID0 and double the bandwidth to 28 GB/s which is approaching RAM speeds.