Soundscape Mixpander

Page 5 of 59
1. Introduction

How to use the manuals

The SSL Soundscape product range has been designed from the ground up to be easy to use. If you
are familiar with the Windows environment, installing PCI cards and the basics of recording and
playing back digital audio, you could probably just set the system up and feel comfortable running
a session within an hour. However, the SSL Soundscape Mixer offers a wealth of powerful and
helpful features that you will only discover quickly by reading the SSL Soundscape Mixer
Reference Guide, as well as this Installation and QuickStart Guide. It is therefore advisable, at
some point, to read them both from cover to cover. For example, the Mixer is fully configurable,
and while a few ready-made Mixers are provided, it is absolutely necessary to read the “Mixer”
chapter of the Reference Guide early on to take full benefit from its capabilities. If you are new to
digital audio recording, reading the manuals first is highly recommended. Please make sure you
understand the Master Clock and Sample Rate concepts and that you understand the Mixer
software’s routing possibilities. It is also a good idea to have the system switched on while you
read the manuals, so that you can experiment with the features you read about. We trust that you
will soon feel confident creating and using your own mixer configurations. However, even when it
has become second nature, the comprehensive Table of Contents and Index (located respectively at
the beginning and end of each manual) will provide convenient ways to check specific information
whenever you need it.

Reading conventions

Key commands and key combinations

Some functions of the SSL Soundscape Mixer can be accessed through the use of computer
keyboard keys or key combinations, as well as by using a mouse or other input device. In this
manual computer keys will be shown between square brackets. For example, the key for the letter
“E” will be written: [E]. Key combinations will be written using “+” signs. For example, pressing
the “D” key while holding the “Control” key will be written as [Ctrl]+[D].

Menus

Where appropriate, to indicate a “path” under one of the main menus, the following format will be
used: menu: Header|Submenu 1|Submenu 2|Submenu3|Item.

Screenshots

The appearance of the SSL Soundscape Mixer software on your computer screen may be different
from the screenshots in this manual. This could be because your SSL Soundscape hardware