=====Introduction to PARIS===== PARIS stands for **P**ro **A**udio **R**ecording **I**ntegrated **S**ystem. By definition, PARIS is a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_audio_workstation digital audio workstation]], or [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_audio_workstation DAW]]. It was originally introduced in 1997 and was discontinued by 2001, victim of corporate restructuring and the demise of a chip foundry which manufactured a crucial component. PARIS is a hardware/software tracking and mixing environment, normally including a hardware-based DSP "daughterboard" for onboard FX (the exception is the [[EdsFiveHundred EDS500]] cards; systems based on these cards do not have this additional DSP "daughterboard"). The "daughterboard" is based around six of Ensoniq's proprietary [[EsP2 ESP2]] processors, which are also used by Ensoniq in the DP series of effects processors. The PARIS software also has some rudimentary MIDI capabilities, generally disabled by users. ---- PARIS is an unusual platform because it remains to this day one of the only DAWS in its current price range (sometimes found under $300 for a full "Bundle 3" system) to combine the advantages of hardware with the flexibility of software, and to do so with extraordinary sonic quality. Viewed in comparison to a modern DAW, PARIS is sorely lacking in amenities. But viewed in a different light, PARIS snaps into better focus - as a great-sounding and extremely cost-effective alternative to a high-quality analog tape deck and analog mixer (yet with great editing advantages); as a high-grade summing bus; as a "real time" effects processing rack; as a mixer for live applications with additional recording capability included; as a "studio mainframe" that combines elements of several of the above elements and does away with the need for a bulky hardware mixer. **PARIS' advantages include:** 1) the potential of **true extreme-low-latency monitoring** under nearly all circumstances 2) **particularly well-designed AD/DA conversion**, leading to audio quality that still stands up credibly by present-day standards. 3) **integrated hardware-DSP-based effects** which permit, for example, zero-latency monitoring through compression and reverb without external mixer 4) a high-throughput **interleaved file format (.paf)** which permitted high track-counts from hard drives (an advantage now largely nullified by advances in drive speeds). 5) **dedicated hardware control surface** that reacts with the immediacy of hardware 6) and above all, superior sonics and an **analog-like response** to "[[ParisIntoTheRed pushing into the red]]" or "spanking" PARIS. Some argue this to be due to 1) [[ParisPatent covert inclusion of analog-modelling technology]] and 2) extremely skilled and visionary implementation of gain structure. **PARIS' limitations include:** 1) **obsolescence**: last official software release was Paris V3.0 in 2000; support discontinued and now solely user-driven; parts in increasingly short supply. 2) a **resulting slippage in comparative features** with modern DAWs, including such now-taken-for-granted-as-essentials as "grid support for multiple tempos" 3) a **resulting lack of direct support for current operating systems** (third party initiatives have met with both success - Win XP drivers - and failure - Mac OSX drivers) 4) a **resulting lack of compatibility with newer filetypes**: no support for filetypes beside mono .paf, 'wav and .sd2; minimal support for interleaved stereo files (limited to export and import); rudimentary OMF support; no REX file support. 5) a **resulting lack of support for samplerates above 48k** (this is argued by devotees to be offset by PARIS' inherent audio quality and today's most common destination formats). 6) a **GUI that is non-compliant with modern standards** - constrained-expansion windows that fit neither Apple or Windows guidelines; hard-coded key bindings; no contextual menus; lack of support for wheel mice ---- ===PARIS consists of four discrete components -=== - one or more [[EdsCard EDS card]] - a 5-volt PCI card which effectively forms the core of the system and generally cannot be used with any but PARIS software (PARIS' ASIO drivers are discussed elsewhere), which was manufactured in the following varieties: - [[EdsFiveHundred EDS500]], basic EDS card without effects - [[EdsOneK EDS1000]], containing a total of six ESP2 DSP chips - [[EdsOneKx EDS1000x]], the designation for an EDS1000 when sold with internal connecting ribbon cables for multi-card use - Audio interface, connected to the EDS via a SCSI-type HD50 cable: - [[IfTwo IF2]] - [[FourFourTwo 442]] - [[Mecmod MEC]], a [[Mecmod Modular Expansion Chassis]] with four analog I/O, SP/DIF I/O, Word Clock I/O onboard. Designed to hold up to a total of nine expansion modules (although only sixteen channels of I/O can be used at any given time) including: - [[AeightIp EDS-A8iT-24]], expander module with eight 24-bit inputs (TRS) - [[AeightOp EDS-A8oT-24]], expander module with eight 24-bit outputs (TRS) - [[AdAt ADATio]], expander module with eight channels of 20-bit ADAT lightpipe - [[SmpTe SMPTE]], expander module enabling SMPTE (initially available, but practically useless until Mike Audet corrected a number of limitations and bugs) - [[ParisSw PARIS software]], a cross-platform software "front end" for the EDS card and peripherals: - [[PsThree Version 3.0]], a paid update - [[PsOlder Versions prior to 3.0]], distributed with PARIS or available as free downloads - The [[CeeSixteen C16]], a hardware mixing and control surface, available in two functionally identical versions: - [[CeeSixteenBlack black]] or "original" C16 - [[CeeSixteenBlue blue]], a later cosmetic change with new silkscreening that identified functions added or remapped in V3.0 software. - both versions connect to the EDS card via a Cat5 (ethernet) cable, using a proprietary protocol similar to (but incompatible with) MIDI. - this template re-labels "black" C16s for use with V3.0 in C16 Pro mode: [[http://kerrygalloway.com/PARIS%20resources/c16_pro_label_02.pdf C16 Pro Label Template]] (right-click to save to disk; PDF, 350k) ---- ===Various third-party initiatives specific to PARIS include:=== - [[DriverXp XP Drivers]] ([[ChrisThoman Chris Thoman]]) which essentially permit full PARIS functionality (small difficulties reported with multiple ADAT modules) under [[WinXp Windows XP]] - PC [[DriverAsio ASIO Drivers]] (Matthew Craig) which permit third-party software such as Cubase access to the PARIS hardware on PC. - (incomplete, presumed abandoned) [[DriverOsx Mac OSX drivers]] ([[DougWellington Doug Wellington]]) to permit PARIS functionality under [[MacOsx Mac OS X.x]]. - additional EDS plugins: -[[ChunkWorks Chuck Duffy's]] "[[ChunkWorks PARIS Skunkworks]]" (aka "[[ChunkWorks Chunkworks]]") plugins -[[MikeAudet Mike Audet's]] ongoing augmentations of, and additions to, PARIS plugins -(incomplete, status unknown) porting [[BillMauchly Bill Mauchly's]] [[WaveBoy WAVEBOY]] plugins to PARIS, circa 2002 - [[MikeAudet Mike Audet's]] reworking of the basic software subsystems: -[[PcslUpdate Paris Studio Control Library]] (PSCL) updates which permit PARIS systems to operate on multiprocessor computers -Updates of the [[AdatdllUpdate ADAT.dll]], which in combination with advances in the PSCL ++promises to break++ has now successfully broken previous limitations in running multiple ADAT cards per MEC on Windows XP -An update of the software for the [[SmpteUpdate SMPTE module]] which addresses bugs that had rendered it essentially useless. -New developments in the Scherzo subsystem to further improve compatibility with multiprocessor CPUs. ---- ===Other initiatives related to the PARIS platform have been:=== - AnalogX's PARIS utilities (DX plugins designed to address limitations in PARIS, but in most cases compatible with other DAWs as well) - [[MatthewCraig Matt Craig's]] porting of PARIS EQ to VST format for use in other DAWs - Doug Wellington's current work to build a motorized fader C16 replacement. ---- =====Key PARIS Figures===== //This is a partial and evolving list, and is sure to grow. If you notice a missing PARIS figure, please add them in!// ---- ==Official Development== [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_St._Croix Stephen St. Croix]] (born Stephen Curtis Marshall; b. 1948 - d. 2006 - R.I.P. Stephen), [[IntelligentDevices Intelligent Devices]] - PARIS software, also responsible for the graphic design of Paris [[EdmundPirali Edmund Pirali]], [[IntelligentDevices Intelligent Devices]] - PARIS software [[BillMauchly Bill Mauchly]] - (Ensoniq designer) DP4 CPU design, PARIS mixer code; [[WaveBoy WAVEBOY]] plugins [[JohnSenior John Senior]] - analog portions of PARIS [[MichaelArnao Michael Arnao]] (Ensoniq s/w engineer) Responsible for Ensoniq FX development, 1992-; symbolic assembler for ESP2 chip ---- ==Post-Official Development== [[ChuckDuffy Chuck Duffy]] - originator of the Paris Newsgroup and its community, WinXp drivers, PARIS [[ChunkWorks Skunkworks]] Plug-ins [[MatthewCraig Matthew Craig]] - PARIS ASIO drivers [[ChrisThoman Chris Thoman]] - WinXP drivers [[MikeAudet Mike Audet]] - Mike Audet PARIS Plugins; updates to Paris Studio Control Library and the functionality of the adat and SMPTE modules [[SteveDellaMaggiora Steve "steve the artguy" Della Maggiora]] - keeper of invaluable PARIS newsgroup archives [[DougWellington Doug Wellington]] - maintainer of the [[http://www.parisfaqs.com/ parisFAQs.com]] website; [[DriverOsx OSX driver]] development (status unknown) [[AaronAllen Aaron Allen]] - PARIS "Brian Tankersly" tutorial DVD [[BrianTankersley Brian Tankersley]] - for many years a tireless advocate and resource for PARIS [[JohnBercik John Bercik]] - keeper of the invaluable [[http://www.kfocus.com/paris PARIS Notes]] repository ---- ==Power Users== [[SakisAnastopoulos Sakis Anastopoulos]] - pioneered the use of Paris as a mastering environment, wrote tutorial on Dithering [[Derekvonkrogh Derek Von Krogh]] (synthesist/producer/sound engineer) - pioneer Paris power user [[DougJoyce Doug Joyce]] - for many years a tireless explorer of the outer fringes of Paris hardware