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  • Best Way to setup a 2018 Macmini/Windows Vienna Ensemble Pro 7 slave with a 2013 Macpro ?

    Hey guys,

    I really need help for my Vienna Ensemble Pro setup. I've been using Vepro for years but don't know much about it and I'm not familiar with network or NAS etc ! I've been using big orchestral vepro templates but inside my macpro (with Logic ). Now I bought a macmini and I want to set an external Vepro slave server. I usually have 1 Kontakt per instance loaded with 16 instruments. Plus vienna players, omnisphere etc.
    Setup: Macpro 2013/Catalina/Logic X/Vepro 7
    Here are my questions:
    -How do I connect the 2 mac: ethernet or thunderbolt ?
    -Is it possible to share the kontakt librairies between 2 macs without losing ssd speed ? Will I be able to load these libs stored on macpro drives on macmini vepro server ? Or do I need to buy new drives to connect to the mac mini ?(Then I'd have duplicated libs...)
    -Should I use bootcamp or parallels on macmini to get best network results ?

    If you have any suggestion about the easiest fastest setup tell me !!

    Thanks a lot


  • You could thunderbolt both together. 

    The more classic route is a 1Gb switch and set the IPv4 addresses to manual on both mac's

    My setup is similar

    Daw : Nuendo iMac 192.168.100.10

    VSLONE : 2013 Mac Pro 192.168.100.20

    VSLTWO : 2013 Mac Pro 192.168.100.30

     

    The Oddball not currently working :

    VSLTHREE ( HP z440 Windows 10 ) 192.168.100.40  

     

    Sharing Drives / Libraries :

    don't try to access the same literal file that's already in use, especially a Kontakt library. In programming this is akin to merge conflicts. While you might be able to run Kontakt on the local client and host the library on the server...you're way better off to have each computer have its own local library. 

    a NAS is better suited to : Time Machine, project backups, storing large files / folders. also a nice way to store all the DMG files you have to download to install everything. 


  • Thanks for your reply. Macmini is running windows and is connected to macpro using ethernet port. The second macpro ethernet port is connected to my internet router. So is it possible to have a local ethenet between macpro and macmini/windows slave ? And have the 2nd macpro ethernet port connected to internet ? Do you know how to configure ipv4 on a PC for this use ? thanks


  • Okay so you actually have an easy setup!

    In windows you'll go to control panel and network settings, find the ethernet port that's being specifically used for VSL and edit its PROPERTIES. Also make sure network discovery is on and that you your network is set to private

    When you setup MANUAL IP addresses, the easiest way is thinking top - down. or more correctly, client - server.

    So your daw computer would be something like 192.168.100.10 ( that's actually mine! lol! )

    your VSL servers would then be 192.168.100.20 / .30.. etc.  

    to test your connections you can run terminal ( Mac ) or cmd: ( pc) and ping the addresses from your client / daw and see if you get a ping back from your server. then in windows you can "run" and type in the addresses and it should also connect. There is a Remote Desktop app as well which you can screen share, if you can see your Mac mini screen on your Mac Pro, you're almost 100%. You might need a couple restarts in windows to get everything 100% then.

    Multiple ports - YES!! One port can be internet and the other can absolutely be VSL. <--- you can connect one port to the router and if you want, get a switch, connect the other port to the switch and connect all vsl machines to the switch , a switch creates a network.

    https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/73866/how-to-change-network-settings-from-public-to-priv.html


  • last edited
    last edited

    @michael-stram said:

    you can connect one port to the router and if you want, get a switch, connect the other port to the switch and connect all vsl machines to the switch , a switch creates a network.

    https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/73866/how-to-change-network-settings-from-public-to-priv.html

    -But on client/Macpro if ethernet 1 is connected to internet will I be able to get internet on my Macmini/server connected to Ethernet 2 ?

    -I tried Microsoft Remote to get Windows Desktop on my Macpro : it works but a bit slow...and I wonder if it's safe to have this connection + VSL at the same time. Isn't it better to buy a screen/mouse/keyboard for the VSL server ?

    -if I don't use the same Kontakt instrument at the same time in Logic and in windows VSL server, can I share the kontakt library folder without any problem ? It would avoid also to buy a second SSD and duplicate my libraries. But I wonder if loading instruments in Kontakt will be as fast using ethernet connection as SSD ...


  • I do believe in macOS you can bridge the ethernet physical connections so that you can share internet. If you HAVE to share internet. 

    The honest safest best bet answer to libraries : one library rig per machine. Hosting libraries on say a NAS is asking for trouble..I and several others have tried it. a NAS has its own computer and OS inside it. and it can be laggy as far as throughput..becuse its just for storage and not working off of.

    I use MRD ( Remote Desktop )to work on my windows tower everyday. I just leave my machines on and wake/sleep my main Mac. Works perfect. I use Apples / macOS to screen share into my 2013 MP's. 

    Happy Holidays!!!