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Virtual outputs – Mia and MiaMIDI
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Virtual Outputs - Mia and MiaMIDI
Most audio cards with a pair of analog inputs and outputs will appear to software
as having just that, a single pair of inputs and outputs. When one application
appropriates the card for its use, all other software is “locked-out” from using the
card at the same time.
Quite often, musicians find it useful to play back from multiple applications
simultaneously. A good example would be playing back digital audio while at the
same time using a software synthesizer for MIDI. Another example would be
using multi-track editing software. Before multiple tracks can be played back on a
stereo device, they must be mixed down within the software to the two output
tracks. This takes up extra CPU cycles that might otherwise be dedicated to
software effects or some other task.
Mia/MiaMIDI gets around this by combining the use of “virtual” outputs with its
“multi-client” drivers. Mia/MiaMIDI appear to software as if they have eight
separate outputs. These are mixed together with Mia/MiaMIDI’s on-board DSP to
produce the actual or “physical” outputs that connect to external equipment
without any CPU intervention. Any virtual output can be sent to any actual output
along with any combination of other virtual outputs. The levels and routing of the
virtual outputs is fully controllable with Mia/MiaMIDI’s Console, which is
described later in this manual.
An example of this would be using Tascam’s GigaStudio with Cakewalk’s
SONAR. GigaStudio could be set up to play back through Mia/MiaMIDI’s outputs
7 and 8. SONAR, which combines MIDI sequencing with digital playback, could
then play back its MIDI output through GigaStudio while using Mia/MiaMIDI’s
outputs 1 through 6 for six separate tracks of digital output.
This gives Mia/MiaMIDI most of the advantages of products with eight separate
analog outputs, without the added expense of the extra converters or having to use
an external mixer to mix the outputs down to a final pair of stereo outputs.
Virtual outputs are not available on Gina24 or Layla24.
Virtual outputs – Mia and MiaMIDI