Im using Vienna Ensemble Pro 7 with three servers (older PC hardware) to balance CPU usage. Everyrhing works perfectly.

Now it seems to be interesting to use Waves SoundGrid to transport sound inside the studio with a single network cable.

I tested it with a single SoundGrid server and VEP 7 in the same dedicated 1GB network without problems, so I can confirm they don't disturb each other per se.

Does anybody know if I'll get in trouble when using with Waves SoundGrid interfaces side by side with VEP 7 if both run under heavy load in the same 1 GB dedicated network?
Will they interfere with each other or is the used bandwidth of both relatively small even under heavy use?

 

Depends on what the heavy load is in your case. Of course they don't disturb each other if there's no real traffic. Keep adding tracks and stress test the system so you get to know its limits. Worst case scenario you'll find you need to get 10 gig NICs for all your computers, a 10 gig switch and upgrade your cabling. Can't tell you how many tracks you'll use on VEP and SG, how many of these will be transmitting at once, and what samplerate they will be at. Test and you shall see.

 

I’d be very curious to hear about your tests. I’m running a hybrid rig using VEP 7 with 3 boxes - Mac and 2 slave PCs on a 1gb network — so far so good but haven’t tried the Soundgrid system yet

 

As you'll know, dedicated networks are recommended for both VEP and SoundGrid.
SoundGrid uses it's own proprietary network protocol. It doesn't need an IP address for every host but uses the NIC's MAC addresses instead.
VEP 7 on the other hand needs an IP addresses so it's most likely the standard Layer 3 Ethernet IP protocol what acording to informations from Waves may result in conflicts.
Therefore, it is not so obvious that the two can coexist (independently of the network load).
So this is the good news for now.

As far it's VEP, my servers are the limiting factor, not the network load. It typically uses some MBit/s per server. So I won't stress the 1GB network much with three servers.
Did you ever measure your VEP servers network loads (with e.g. Netlimiter)?

What I don't know is what SG hardware demands from the network and if problems occour with more network traffic.

 

Interesting tech background from Waves. Here's a description of the bandwith Soundgrid uses in a dedicated network:
https://www.waves.com/soundgrid-301-part-8-network-bandwidth-capacity?playlist=eab381b9-27db-40d4-98c5-a6a760fea857

 

"some MBit/s" depends on the amount of tracks you're using and the samplerate. 1GBit is just 1024 MBit, so some Mbits can add up if combined with SG. The latency/buffer setting in VEP will also influence the amount of traffic going through the network.

There's no way to know unless you test it. Heavy use means different things to different people. Check what your current traffic is and make your decision according to data. Other people might be using VEP and/or SG differently than you.

 

Hmmm cool - thanks for the update. I’ve never measured because it hasn’t been fully stressed - just lazy. So far, I’m able to run all the VST/VSTI I need on the slaves - mostly the intensive Acustica audio and Kontakt instruments stuff - then the rest is handled by outboard gear. If I could go back in time - probably wouldn’t have shelled out the ridiculous money for all the analog gear - just waiting for my Flock audio digital patch bay which along with 32 channels of analog summing will tie the hybrid rig together nicely - best of both worlds hopefully playing well together.