How to Set up SuperRack SoundGrid on DiGiCo SD7

Jun 06, 2023

Follow these instructions to set up a fully redundant DiGiCo SD7 & Waves SuperRack SoundGrid setup, incorporating two mirrored SD7 engines with separate yet mirrored SoundGrid setups.

Shopping List

Let’s start with a list of all hardware, software and peripherals you will need to set this up:

One Digico SD7 Console with two Waves I/Os for DiGiCo SD consoles, one on each engine. Both engines must be SD version v.1143 or above.
Two computers, running either Windows or Mac that fully support SuperRack SoundGrid, each with:
- SuperRack SoundGrid installed and licensed separately on each host computer.
- Two identical bundles of Waves plugins installed and licensed separately on each host computer. Plugins version must be identical on both computers.
  Important note: Mirroring is supported only when both host computers run the same OS version, the same version of SuperRack, and the same version of Waves plugins. For example: two computers, each running Windows 10, SuperRack V12, and V13 Waves plugins; or two computers, each running macOS 10.15, SuperRack V12, and V12 Waves plugins.
Two USB Flash Drives for Waves licenses (optional).
Four SoundGrid Servers to process plugins, we highly recommend that they all be of the same model and generation.
- Two servers are a valid and supported setup, but will only provide engine mirroring redundancy, not server redundancy per engine.
Two identical SoundGrid supported network switches. Do not use more than three switches between each host computer and the console.
Eleven SoundGrid compatible Ethernet cables at supported lengths (you should always have extras with you). Nine cables if you choose to use only two servers.

Setting up

Install and Activate Waves SuperRack SoundGrid and Plugins on both host computers:
- Ensure that both computers fully support running SuperRack SoundGrid and your Waves plugin versions. Only Waves V11 plugins and up support mirroring. Waves V10 plugins do not support mirroring, and Waves V9 plugins are not supported at all by SuperRack.
- Install and activate Waves licenses on host computer A:
  - Download Waves Central and follow the steps to install:
  - Open Waves Central and select “Licenses”.
    1. Select the licenses for SuperRack and any plugin/s or bundle/s you own.
    2. On the right pane, select the Target Device for Licenses. Either the computer or a USB flash drive.
    3. Click on Activate.
  - Select “Install Products”.
    1. Under My Products, select the following to install:
      - SuperRack SoundGrid
      - Waves bundle/s or plugins you own licenses for and wish to install and activate in this setup.
        Note you should have a second set of licenses available to install and activate on computer B.
    2. Click “Install”.
  - Repeat on Computer B!
    Version of SuperRack and plugins must be the same on both SuperRack systems.

Connect the network:

If you have DiGiCo SD7 Quantum engine/s click here for specific instructions.
Mark all your hardware and cables! Associate switches and servers to Engines A or B.
Connect the following to Switch A with compatible ethernet cables at supported lengths:
- DiGiCo Digital Engine A
- Waves I/O A
- Host Computer A
- Server #1 - A Primary
- Server #2 – A Redundant
Connect the following to Switch B with compatible ethernet cables at supported lengths:
- DiGiCo Digital Engine B
- Waves I/O B
- Host Computer B
- Server #1 - B Primary
- Server #2 – B Redundant
Power everything up.
Do not connect an ethernet cable between Switches A and B for now!

Set up Waves on both SD7 engines:

On Engine A, go to Options > Console tab.
Under Enable External Waves MultiRack click YES and make sure the NIC of the console is chosen as Waves Network.
Restart Engine A.
Repeat steps 1-3 on Engine B.

Setup SuperRack

Launch SPRK on Computer A.
In the Setup tab, under Port, choose the host computer’s LAN port that is used for SoundGrid. When a valid SoundGrid Port is recognized, the link status will show “Up” and the speed should show 1GBps.
Assign the DiGiCo SD I/O and server in the I/O, Devices, Hosts and Servers panel respectively.
Patch your rack inputs and outputs.
- Set up remote control for Engine A:
  - In SuperRack’s Setup tab under Controllers, assign the Console Remote Control module.
  - Click on the gearbox to open the panel.
  - Under Port, assign the same NIC as the SoundGrid network NIC. (Step 4.b) and click Apply.
  - Assign the console and click Apply. The status should change to Connected.
  - At this point, if you might see an error message “The remote control library installed on the console is not the latest version. Please install the latest version”. This indicates that the remote control software installed on the console requires updating.
    How to fix: either update your SD console software version, which will update the remote control software, or contact DiGiCo support or Waves Support for assistance.
Repeat steps 1-4 on Computer B!
Connect a compatible ethernet cable between Switches A and B.

Setup Engine and SuperRack Mirroring:

The instructions below assume that you properly configured network communication between the two consoles/engines about to be mirrored.

In the SuperRack Setup tab under Controllers, assign the Mirror Control module on both computers.
Click on the gear wheel to open the panel.
Under Port, select the same port as the SoundGrid network.
On DiGiCo engine A, go to Network and click "send session to selected".
Once both SuperRack B and Engine B have received the session, click 'Mirror to selected'.
When done, both Mirror Control modules in SuperRack A & B should read: "Mirroring Established" and the console's network window should show 'Waves Mirrored' with a green OK.

Loading and Saving Sessions

Sessions are saved on the SuperRack computer and are loaded when the console sends a request. If a session with the same name already exists in the Integrated Sessions folder on the SuperRack computer, that session will load.

If a file of the same name is not present on the SuperRack computer, an empty session will be created but it won’t be saved. You will need to save the session again from the console so that a session with the same name will be saved on the computer as well.
Synchronized session files are saved on the SuperRack host and the console.
An “SES” file is saved to the console computer: (D:\Projects).
An “.sprk” file is saved on the SuperRack computer.
- Mac: /Users/Shared/Waves/SuperRack/Integrated Sessions.
- PC: C:\Users\Public\Waves Audio\SuperRack\Integrated Sessions.
Refer to the manual to learn how to:
- Copy console session files to SuperRack computer.
- Convert the snapshot titles in a SuperRack session to work with the new DiGiCo Integration format.