Cubase Audio: Atari Falcon

Peter Buick has been living with Cubase Audio for the Atari Falcon since its inception. Here he reveals all about his relationship with the system, asks whether it is the ultimate marriage between MIDI sequencing and tapeless recording — and tries to save you a few months of frustration (and a divorce) along the way.

We all dream of working like the professionals, being able to cut out every breath and squeak and make a perfect recording. Tapeless recording is the professional's digital toy — and I wanted one. So when Cubase Audio came out for the Falcon, I took the opportunity of buying what I thought was a cheap system with a pedigree. Since then I have suffered months of frustration and I hope here to save you the same problems.

Cubase Audio for the Falcon has had a chequered history, which made me very cynical — until recently, when I managed to talk to the programmers directly and see a Beta version of the next free upgrade. However, my history of teething problems is worth recounting, as you may be experiencing similar problems, or it may help you with similar systems in the future. Don't get as depressed as I was about it, though. As they say on Crime Watch, "tapeless recording isn't like this for most people...".

Setting Up

My first problem was actually finding a Falcon to buy, as at the time of the launch they were like gold dust. Consequently I had to go for a minimum system fitted with 4Mb of memory and no internal hard drive. I then had to wait several weeks to get a list of compatible SCSI II hard drives to work with it, and find someone with a SCSI II cable (£30) actually in stock. I had heard a lot of horror stories about hard drives and incompatibility. A supposed expert had even told me "if you see it working with your own eyes, stick with it". I knew that SCSI wasn't a firm standard (as most Seagate owners will tell you), between manufacturers or even drive sizes in the same manufacturers' series. In the end, I went for a Steinberg‑recommended Fujitsu 1Gb drive — I needed the size, as I intended to do DAT editing too.

At this point I'm not totally convinced about how relevant the drive compatibility issue is, provided the drive is fast enough in terms of both sustained Data Transfer Rate (DTR) and access time. However, there are no real guarantees from anyone, and the only real test is to try a drive yourself; even then, you don't know how close to the limits the drive is operating — and once it fragments with data, will the system fall over? With this in mind, it's probably worth paying the extra for a Steinberg‑approved unit. But feel free to proceed at your own peril...

Now for the software. There was an upgrade path from Cubase to Cubase Audio, but I couldn't exchange my original dongle for the Audio version as I needed to use it with regular STs for various purposes, and at that time it wouldn't run in a non‑audio mode, so I had to shell out the full £799. Luckily I was using an external SMPTE synchroniser box, as I had always been dubious about dedicated hardware and multiple platforms. So I didn't fall into the trap of buying a Steinberg Midex — this unit can't work with the Falcon and Cubase Audio and needs to be upgraded to the expensive SMP2.

Having finally assembled my system, the fun started. My first problem was removing a mains ground loop between the hard drive and screen. This was the first sign that it wasn't going to be easy. Next up was input level control; the Falcon only has microphone level inputs on a 3.5‑inch stereo minijack, and using any external active device to control the level made it hiss like a snake or distort like a lemon. My own company (Intrinsic Technology Ltd) decided to modify our existing MixIT sub mixer and hence cured the problem for us and our customers. Alternatively, you can do the mod as supplied in the Cubase Audio manual, or pay £50 to a dealer to have it done. There was also a problem with an extra bass boost circuit on the input of early Falcons, and you can get this modified at your own expense too, if desired (or do it yourself — see the article on page 110 of this issue for details).

The Falcon's A/D/A converters then came under scrutiny, being compared by many reviewers to an average CD player. I decided to buy the Steinberg FDI Falcon Digital Interface, which provides an SPDIF digital input and output (coaxial and optical) and to use my DAT machine's A/D/A circuits as a converter.

The Mod Squad

I had been suffering from continual crashing and bombs appearing across the screen of my Falcon. Various theories had evolved — from TOS version compatibility to drive and memory requirements, as some machines seemed to work and others didn't. I was also alarmed to note that only Cubase Audio appeared to be affected. Adding the FDI caused my machine to crash instantly and I had to find an answer fast. It was time to do 'the mod'. I had discovered that one in three Falcons needed a modification done (this mod is dated Benelux 19/11/93), to stabilise the CPU clock signal by adding a NAND gate chip. Mine was one such machine, suffering from crashing and hanging or clicking when recording long stereo files. It's easy to know if you need this mod done, because bombs across the screen will tell you. I had bought my machine trade, and the distributor refused to do the mod under warranty, so I decided to invalidate my warranty and do it myself, saving the £50 charge. I managed to get hold of the mod from Atari UK by faxing them.

The modification involved cutting PCB tracks, adding a chip, and removing some surface‑mount resistors (which I'd never done in my life). This mod is not for those without an anti‑static earth strap kit or the nervous. I was particularly nervous when I booted up and the screen went haywire. Luckily I had just forgotten to add the ground wire for the new chip. Second time around it worked — big sigh of relief. All those years in the canteen at electronics college must have paid off (joke).

There is now a second version of the mod (Benelux 4/94), which is supposed to cure SCSI timing problems, but it may be unnecessary. "It doesn't seem to make much difference," said a Steinberg spokesman. This mod involves using a different chip, more jumpers and no track cut (whoopee). At this stage I haven't bothered doing this second mod. The "HD too slow" and "SCSI time out" messages current users have been experiencing may not be because of their hard drive's performance or the Falcon's SCSI port, because the Cubase Audio Beta test Version 2 seems to have removed it — at least for me. This fact is of little consolation to people like my colleague who rushed out and bought a faster drive. But now at least you know not to do anything rash.

Crash & Learn

To resume the story, the hardware modification did indeed cure my crashing problem. Then I found some problems with the FDI. My DAT machine (like most) defaulted to a 48KHz sample rate when using analogue inputs, and Cubase only supported an internal clock sample rate of 44.1KHz at that time. As I couldn't use my DAT machine as a D/A converter and a digital clock source at the same time (as that would cause a digital feedback loop), my files either played back on the internal clock at the wrong pitch (10% slow) or I had to use the Falcon's analogue outs whilst clocking from the DAT machine. Even two DAT machines didn't help originally, as my particular FDI was faulty and didn't allow digital to pass through; it later had to be exchanged. However, using my DAT machine as an external A/D/A converter with the FDI made an incredible sonic difference, like removing heavy curtains from in front of the speakers.

Now I had my FDI, I could potentially digitally edit my DAT masters. But then two new problems came to light. One day my hard drive partition crashed, taking all my recordings with it. This turned out to be a bug in the supplied Atari hard disk driver AHDI 6.04, which crashes the partition as it fills up. I upgraded to AHDI 6.06 and did all of my work again. "Oh well," I thought.

Next up, Cubase would nearly always hang after recording stereo files of over five minutes in length. It certainly didn't help me to do my DAT editing. I solved the problem, after many hours of trial and error, by always recording into a folder — but on the odd occasion it would still hang. Then I heard of a new hard disk driver from retailers System Solutions of Dulwich, which purported to fix the bug and be slightly faster. I nervously bought a copy — after all, Steinberg didn't write their software using this driver and all sorts of problems could ensue — but when I used it, it did seem to cure the bug. However, the speed increase was almost undetectable and it took ages to boot up. The excessive boot time later turned out to be because it wasn't configured properly, but then I only had a temporary manual, as it had only just been written. Leading edge of technology or what?!

Then one day Cubase Audio wouldn't let me transfer a DAT tape via the FDI. It kept locking up the hard drive at bar 32 or 71, despite there being enough hard disk space. I removed the System Solutions driver, but I still couldn't solve this problem at the time and had to record via the analogue inputs instead. While working on the same project, I also wanted to add a volume change to a second stereo file, but was constantly confronted by an error at that point. Happily, as discussed later, with Version 2 of Cubase Audio these problems disappeared with no effort on my part.

Various other bugs and faults occurred; occasionally, recording a file wouldn't create a Part in the Arrange window, and instead I had to import it from the Filepool. I would sometimes get no alert that the hard disk partition was full, at which point the software would hang, after it previously hadn't closed down a file properly. I suffered from frequent "HD too slow" and "SCSI time out" alerts, despite having a recommended hard drive. I simply had to work around these problems in the belief that eventually I could solve them.

I wondered if any of my problems were related to memory, but since I had not installed any desk accessories and was not running any auto folder utilities, I had never got the "Not enough Memory" for full performance message. I did consider upgrading the memory of my Falcon and discovered the following: the Falcon uses its own style of memory chips, which have to be thrown away (or traded in with a Falcon dealer or the owner of a 1Mb machine who doesn't need heavy tapeless recording). For this reason it is probably cheaper to buy a 1Mb machine and upgrade it by buying an upgrade board which can take SIMMS — or you could buy a 14Mb machine outright.

The first memory board I got hold of took the new large 80‑pin Mac SIMMS — no good for me, since I was planning on 'borrowing' the necessary SIMMs from my PC, which did not have the new type. The next board I got did take standard SIMMS, which I could borrow out of my PC (IBM — I Borrow Memory). Unfortunately the Falcon didn't like Siemens‑branded SIMMS and yes, you guessed it, that's what I had. So I put them in my Kurzweil K2000 instead. To this day I'm still using only the 4Mb in my Falcon, but I've got some great shaker samples.

Steinberg have told me that 4Mb is sufficient for normal use, excepting the use of RAM and sampler‑type tracks. Their exact words were "14Mb is not a must but is recommended especially for 16 tracks — but it should do without." However, with a slow or fragmented drive, the extra memory provides for more buffering.

Along the way, I've had to reinstall the program because it corrupted, de‑fragment my hard drive regularly and do recordings multiple times. I had thought it was just me — but then one day, all five of the Falcon/Cubase Audio owners I know suddenly admitted to the same problems, even those with 14Mb of memory and super‑fast Micropolis AV drives (hello Dave).

I have received comments like "Yes but it's very exciting technology", "But HD too slow doesn't mean anything" and "I don't recommend you do that" along the way. Only recently have I managed to contact Steinberg directly and make some progress. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and I wanted to share it with you — it's called Version 2 and I've actually seen it working.

Version 2

I've recently had the opportunity to play with the Beta test version of Cubase Audio V2 and it has restored my faith in the product. It solved most of my problems in one fell swoop, as well as giving me 16‑track recording — and there's something strangely sexual about having 16 knobs and sliders instead of eight...

But it's not all roses, as 16‑track mode doesn't allow the use of the internal effects and really is better with the full 14Mb of memory. Also, some of the offline effects won't work with 16‑track files, although there is a conversion function between the two (it takes 35 minutes for a 3.5Mb file). See the V2 upgrade box for more details.

The future is even more promising, as, if Steinberg have any sense, they will release more offline effects as chargeable upgrades — for example, features from their Recycle program (currently for the Mac platform only, and offering audio to groove quantise template, groove to tempo and automatic section extraction and replacement). Most importantly, they seem to have a real dedication to music on the Falcon, as well as lots of musically useful ideas. To date the Mac and PC versions of their products still lag behind, and they sold more versions of Cubase Audio for the Falcon in the first two months than they have ever sold of the Mac version.

So it's not all doom and gloom (or should I say crashes and upgrades?), because now with my modified Falcon and Version 2 of Cubase Audio (still in Beta stage) the system works and it is fabulous. Thank God — or more precisely Charlie Steinberg for supporting the Falcon platform.

Why Falcon?

So now that sufficient time has passed to uncover all the teething problems, what can I say? Well, it costs a lot more than you first think (see box 'The True Cost of the Falcon System') — although it's still probably cheaper than the competition — but if you already have an ST there is no new learning curve and 70% of your existing software will work.

One of the system's main strengths is its integration. Firstly there's the benefit of being able to adapt the sequencing techniques you already know to audio — no new learning curve. In addition, Cubase Audio on the Falcon provides a central workstation approach, and there is also provision to use external effects (in an automated way) in the V2 update, in conjunction with the FA8 audio output expander.

Further on the subject of integration, Steinberg's Studio Module has got to be their best‑kept secret, but only they can know why. This module for Cubase (£150) provides complete MIDI integration for your system (dependent on the MIDI specification of your particular equipment), making a complete MIDI equipment status dump possible, as well as the storing of sounds via system exclusive, patch changing by name, and a system exclusive editor (with MROS links). A graphical MasterTrack module (Cuetrax) is also supplied, which is ideal for film composers and video studios when working out hit points. Note that it is only advisable to use this with 14Mb of memory fitted if you're running Cubase Audio.

The benefit of Cubase Audio on the Falcon to pure sequencists is that audio parts can now be recorded (without the aid of a mega‑expensive sampler), including vocals, guitar, sax, and real drums. The system also means that you can get the most from your existing keyboards and effects. As each part can be recorded separately to hard disk, the full capability of the instrument can be used. No more note stealing, but layering instead, and customised effects for each sound. Now you can finally use your combination and performance sounds in a multitimbral way by audio‑recording them. The hard disk is continually re‑usable (assuming DAT backup tapes are comparatively cheap), the system provides almost instant access to song locations, and it offers digital domain potential for lossless copying and transfer, including the bouncing of tracks (internally) in the digital domain whilst adding effects — and the original files can be kept for retrieval. There is also the capability for automated mixing, including level, pan, mute and effects control — all editable from a mixer track. It is possible to run a system with just Cubase Audio and your instruments, as it has its own mixer and effects with a stereo input and output, and simply add the FDI interface for direct to DAT mastering. And if you're an Atari ST and Cubase owner already, you're halfway there.

However, a word of warning before you get too excited. Version 1 of Cubase Audio for the Falcon takes up to 30 seconds after each recording for file maintenance, regardless of recording time. This means that working with a live performer who makes a mistake a few bars in and stops is a real pain. In V2 this time has been reduced to 5‑12 seconds, but it is still significant compared to a totally MIDI environment, if not to tape.

Still, there is something truly incredible about recording audio to a hard disk and I still get a thrill seeing my hard drive light flickering as my music whizzes off. I still love the look of big open‑reel tapes, though, and feel far more secure in having something tangible to pick up. When a computer system plays you up, it's hard to know what to do other than "get the hammer out" — sorry, I mean "have a cup of tea and re‑boot the darling thing."

Summary

We all believe that a software product will be supported and upgraded and often accept the fact that it doesn't work. And yet with a hardware product we wouldn't accept this situation. If you bought a tape machine that couldn't record on all tracks, or a hardware sequencer that crashed or had unfinished commands, you'd get your money back. The problem with software is that there is not one single company which supplies all of the bits and therefore will accept responsibility. This has never been truer than with computer‑based tapeless recording.

The most reassuring thing about the Cubase Audio/Falcon system for me is that the main programmer (Charlie Steinberg) actually uses it himself after work. In fact, this is how he beta tests his updates. "I go home and if it doesn't work for me and my style of working then I keep updating it," as he told me just the other day. As I've suspected for some time, Steinberg is run by musicians for musicians.

If there has to be a dragon in this tapeless fairy story, it's Atari UK, who haven't supported the product properly, let alone sorted out free modifications where necessary. But they still have the chance to make the Falcon do for digital audio what the ST did for sequencing (ie. make it popular and affordable). Unfortunately the music market is a pin‑head compared to the computer market, so they might prefer to sell Jaguar games machines instead.

If you asked me whether I would buy a Cubase Audio/Falcon system again, you might be amazed to hear that, despite my catalogue of disasters, the answer is "Yes, probably — if it was Version 2."

"The most reassuring thing about the Cubase Audio/Falcon system for me is that the main programmer (Charlie Steinberg) actually uses it himself after work.""We all believe that a software product will be supported and upgraded and often accept the fact that it doesn't work. And yet with a hardware product we wouldn't accept this situation."