Event EZBus

  • Thread starter Thread starter Barclay
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Roland Digital Mixers

Thanks, guys, they look like interesting products (at least from what I was able to tell from the poorly-translated German page!)

I wonder of the newer mixer is available in North America yet?

BB
 
Hmmmm....8 channels I/O with Adat optical?

Is that really possible via a USB interface?

Don't get me wrong, I love my Tascam US-428 (6 channels i/o- 4 in/2 out), but my understanding was that 6 was the physical limit of channels that USB could handle--- at 24 bit...

Hmmm....those ADAT channels are 16bit, right? Would that free up enough bandwidth to add those 2 channels?

Any, I looked at the event website and thats a pretty snazzy box! Lotsa features for a USB device and seems pretty flexible. If it works the way they say it does its a good device.

Take care,
Chris
 
Chris, on the Event EZbus, I believe only 2 channels go in/out via USB. The other channels (to get up to 8) have to go via the ADAT in/out on the controller to an in/out ADAT on the soundcard. At least that is the way I understand it.

I've got my music store guy looking into the availability of the new Roland SI-24 in North America. It looks pretty sexy.

BB
 
I just posted a poll over at the Event forum to hopefully find some of the other 17 people on the planet who actually bought an ezbus.... :-) So now I find this thread.

I'm a newbie but I've actually lived on earth for several years now...so, mind if I dump a week's worth of thinking here?

Let me just say that I bought EZBus based mostly upon the great concept as I am new to DAW recording. After messing around with this thing for the entire week, I'm getting worried that the implementation could be too complex. Or the learning curve is a tad viscous. But wait.. maybe it will be great if I could just figure out how to assign sends and returns correctly. Or get it to drive SONAR MIDI tracks....

Part of the problem is Event's sad web site and lack of response via email. Did they run out of money or what??? It took me many bounces around the site and docs to actually figure out that Windows 2000 was really not supported much. That's understandable for new product against a dated OS, no......so I upgrade to XP Pro only to then dig out a one liner buried somewhere that implies that MIDI only works via USB in Windows ME...or does it...there are contradictions everywhere in the so called reference guide.

I guess I'll have to actually PHONE them up if I want to figure out the rest of this thing. I usually can figure things out myself, being a Scientist and all, and believe me I've read the manual and tutorials more than once. I even read the TASCAM 428 manual online looking for clues on trying to get a clue!

I'm using a Soundblaster LIve card but it also has problems - apparently Creative's WDM drivers don't work with Sonar and EZBus so you have to tell Sonar to use them as MME's. This I find out AFTER upgrading to WDM. Should have stayed with XP's default drivers. I hacked out the registry well enough to get rid of all Creatives WDMs and deleted all their EMU files per their directions. But XP is so darned smart. REboot and it just stupidly reinstalls Creatives latest....XP feature I guess.

So now I"ve got to figure out a better sound card option...which leads me to thinking about the Event "EZ8" card as one would think this should work best with the EZBUs...only problem is I can't find one cause maybe they are not released yet. But who knows because maybe Event is not even really there anymore... Anyone know? Event has yet to reply to my email on this one too.

Originally I was going to get a Tascam 428 then saw EZBus advertised in the Guitar Center flyer. It called to me. Maybe it was lonely. It seemed to offer more bang for the buck! Which it appears is true...as far as the hardware goes. You get 18 TRS plugs, 2 XLR mic inputs, faders, trims, S/PDIF and MIDI ports, optical and Coax ADAT. And all those lovely buttons and knobs. And USB. Cool. Gonna make it simple to hook up to the PC...or does it....what's this I hear about USB limitations...oh, I need to use MIDI cables to drive MIDI in SONAR because I'm running XP (which was birthed before EZBUs??????)

But anyway, where was I.....more bang for the buck...yeah...instead of having to buy many different components the EZBus provides it all in one system. However, to pull this off they implement all the busing and routing with DSPs and software. This is where it gets confusing because everything must be configured with the 8 buttons and 2 display lines. The problem here is you are trying to configure maybe hundreds of different possible parameters and values within a two line display. Event I hope your listening. Oh, your marketing fluff says you can store up to 31 mix configurations. No clue on what each one is and where I would use it....doc-u-men-ta-tion.

It maybe that if I play with this thing another two weeks (or years) I'll actually figure it out but without better documentation I'm in the dark on many parameters and functions. And I really believe this could be a great system if Event would spend the money to produce a real reference guide and clean up the web site. Some of their web pages still have 1999 as the copyright stamp!!! Scary.

Reference manual (version one) seems to be just a draft. Found tutorial version 1.1. Can't tell the difference. Many items are just ...like "this button is called such and such and these are the two choices" without actually explaining what, why or how to implement them......

Either this box is trying to be a "jack of all trades, master of none" or maybe a boon to home recording. Well, we'll see...

So, now I can either return for a refund before its too late and go look at that Roland SI-24 or take my chances on getting stuck (or be plum happy) depending on Event coming through on documentation and support. I may be stepping on Event's feet here but hey, if your gonna build such a great product you better remember who your selling it too.

I really want to believe but right now .... but I think I'll go lay down
 
WOW, ther really are others out there that have this thing they call the EZBus (I think they shoud rename it to: Not So EZBus). By the recommendation of Event, I in fact upgraded to XP from Win2K. I have finally been able to use the thing as a computer interface (by the way Top Scientist, have you given this option a try. The EZBus can be used as a computer interface via USB. You can do this without a sound card). I was able to get to the point of dumping the Cubase data to the unit, (by the way, you will need to do this each time since it is not stored), BUT THE DUMB THING STILL WON'T CONTROL THE SOFTWARE.

Another issue is that this thing wants to just come and take over your system and not allow you to use any other hardware. One thing to keep in mind, if you do want to use it for anything other than a mixer, you need to have it turned on before you turn your computer on. It also needs to be turned off after the computer is shut down. On multiple occasions, I turned it off before turning off my computer and every time, my system locked up at various stages. Again, the main reason for my purchase was for a control surface since I already have a Delta 1010 and this is the only thing I can't get to work. Granted, since my last communication with Event (about 2 weeks ago), I did everything that was instructed and was able to get to the point I am at now. I have tried a couple of times as a control surface since then and I can not get it to work.
 
Some things are working better now although I'm still wandering in the foothills of this majestic mounta..., well,, you know....

Hey Guit, seeing as you went back to Tascam instead, here is a few things for the other 16 EZBus owners. Hehe.

SONAR_16TRACK_DefaultSong.CWP is the name of the preconfigured CakeWalk Project you open in Sonar. Pull up console view and the EZBus faders move the Sonar faders on screen. Also you must load the Sonar profile and shove this down into the EZBus.

To get the transport keys working, Sonar has a OPTIONS|KEY BINDINGS config page where I was able to assign EZBUs keys (play, rewind etc) which work regardless of any templates or profiles loaded. What a revelation that these two actually talk! I press EZBUs "play" button and Sonar starts playing. Of course I was online at the time and it inadvertantly launched a missile somewhere in Kansas, oops.. sorry MOm...these things are sssoooooo complicated...(just kidding...)

What I'm trying now to figure out is how to get my MIDIMAN midi keyboard controller (Oxygen 8) to drive the Sonar softsynths. Originally I had this connected via USB (as is the EZBus) but my computer crashed everytime EZBus and OXYGEN 8 were on at the same time. I also read somewhere that the Oxygen 8 works better through pure MIDI hookup. But, since upgrading to XP I have not gone back to recreate. I first think I should be able to send midi controls through the EZBus but will need to play more as I don't think Sonar sees the Oxygen.


Not sure if this helps with Cubase at all.
 
Hi JC Lives,

When you say:
"I actually have my thrid unit. The first two had very noisy power supplies..."

Do you mean like a "hum noise" always there from the moment you power on EzBus, even when nothing else but the headphones are connected?

I'm just saying this because i bought one EzBus from a friend, and that's exactly what's happening to me.
How could i stop this "hum"? Any idea?

best regards,
jafre
 
7 1/2 yr. old thread you addressed

if 'hum' is specifically due to EZbus not much you can do

you might chk with individual from whom you acquired and see if they experienced similar problems

next step would be to double check power source. Wall Warts are notoriously noisy and attempting to fix induced noise with replacement can be problematic

Unless you're dealing with pretty significant 'mains' issue (dangerous wiring, complete lack of 'ground', etc.) there might not be a lot you can do. the noise you describe can result from ground issues at any point along the power supply chain; from unit shielding, ground issues in either (or both) design and 'build'; they can also be result of decay of single component in the unit itself. A ten year old consumer device can easily have a problem with a single pot or condenser that is simply too costly to diagnosis and repair

If you haven't tested it with other power supplies you might . . . also test it, not only with nothing plugged into it, but with it not plugged into anything (i.e. usb to computer . . . desktop/laptops are even more notoriously noisy then wall warts) You might also double check it at different location, while not high on my list of obvious suspects, IR sources, neon lights, cell phones, wireless handsets for land phone lines, dimmer switches can all cause noise problems with audio gear. EZbus was designed before everybody and their second cousin were 24/7 attached via wireless com devices I have found a lot of older stuff to be more sensitive to spurious crap then some of more current boxes (when gigging in late 70's & 80's my 50's vintage guitar amp was a notorious antenna/amp for CB . . . as it was Leslie West loud I spent a lot of $ trying to fix . . . gradually I gigged less moved to better venues and the CB craze died out . . . amp was not debilitated by anything but some portion of the CB band)

reason for replying is that I had (still have for that matter, at the time is was introduced I reviewed both it and the somewhat similar Tascam/frontier US428 and on the whole preferred the build of the EZbus . . . if I were using synths and tone generators live it might come out of retirement) an EZbus that I used as personal mixer for live singer songwriter shows (that also let me record them, and rather easily interface my gear (via ADAT) with recorders/mixers that had ADAT input) and never experienced the type of 'hum' you describe. While it might have been a consistent it was not a universal problem

good luck
 
EZBuss hiss.

I know this is an old thread but there isn't much EZBus discussion online.

I have an EZBus but I've never really used it properly. Bought it about 7 years ago but usually used a sound blaster instead.

I tried it with my new Macbook Pro (Snow Leopard) and it works great except for a hiss when recording. When the track or master volume is increased on the EZBuss, the hiss gets louder.

This is plea to any EZBus owners out there that have this problem and have fixed it. Or have it and don't have the hiss problem.

I have to use a step down adapter from US to UK so maybes this converter is causing the hiss?

Also I accidentally plugged a UK kettle lead in and blew the fuse inside a year a go. I opened the EZbus and replaced the fuse with a same rated fuse. Maybes this blowout caused circuit board damage? Strange how everything works find except this annoying hiss.

After all these years I really want to start making some use of it.

The hiss is like a high pitched sound, a bit like what you would get when lying in bed after being to a loud gig and your ears are rining.

So it's a tinitus-style hiss ha.

If anyone has any other tips that could reduce or remove the hiss (I'll try replacing power converter first) I'd be much obliged.
 
anyone still using the event ezbus? Does anyone know how it works? I bought it in 2002 with another mixer. I have been using it for audio but now I want to record video shows and never learned how to work the ez buz away for anything else other than a interface system.
 
starscream said:
I have to use a step down adapter from US to UK so maybes this converter is causing the hiss?
If anyone has any other tips that could reduce or remove the hiss (I'll try replacing power converter first) I'd be much obliged.
Click to expand...
I've read on one of the forums that the hiss may appear due to the low voltage in European grids - 220V vs required 240V (i.e. it should double the US 120V ) - of course, with appropriate setting of the voltage selector switch. They found that the hiss appears when the voltage drops below 233-224V. Here is the discussion:

Durasevich: "When the voltage is above 233V, the hiss dissapears"
 
You know you're answering the question from someone who only ever posted once, 2 years ago, in a thread that was started 12 or so years ago?
 
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