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This is an old revision of ParisIntro made by admin on 2008-04-08 14:03:57.
Introduction to PARIS
PARIS stands for Pro Audio Recording Integrated System.
By definition, PARIS is a digital audio workstation, or DAW. It is a hardware/software tracking and mixing environment, normally including a hardware-based DSP "daughterboard" (with the exception of the EdsFiveHundred EDS500 cards; systems based on the EdsFiveHundred EDS500 do not have this "daughterboard"). The "daughterboard" is based around the proprietary EsP2 ESP2 processor, which is also used by Ensoniq in the DPPro 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 one of the only DAWS in its current price range (well under $500 for a full "Bundle 3" system) to combine the advantages of hardware with the flexibility of software. Viewed as a DAW, PARIS is sorely lacking in amenities. Viewed as "analog tape deck plus analog mixer - yet with immense advantages", PARIS snaps into better focus.
These advantages include:
1) the potential of true zero-latency monitoring under nearly all circumstances
2) particularly well-designed AD/DA conversion, leading to audio quality that still stands up credibly to 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 then-current drives (now largely been nullified by technological advances).
5) an analog-like response to "ParisIntoTheRed pushing into the red" or "spanking" PARIS. Some argue this to be due to the ParisPatent covert inclusion of analog-modelling technology.
6) dedicated hardware control surface that reacts with the promptness of integrated hardware
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 mitigated or nullified by PARIS' inherent audio quality and today's most common destination formats).
6) a non-standards-compliant GUI - constrained-expansion windows that fit neither Apple or Windows guidelines; hard-coded key bindings
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, which was manufactured in the following varieties:
- EdsFiveHundred EDS500, basic EDS card without effects
- EdsOneK EDS1000, containing (x number of?) ESP2 DSP chips
- EdsOneKx EDS1000x, the designation for an EDS1000 sold with connecting cables for multi-card use
- Audio interface, connected to the EDS via a CAT5 (Ethernet) cable:
- Mecmod MEC, a Mecmod Modular Expansion Chassis designed to hold expansion modules such as:
- 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.
Various third-party initiatives specific to PARIS include:
- XpDriver XP Drivers which essentially permit nearly-full PARIS functionality (difficulties remain with multiple ADAT modules) under WinXp Windows XP
- ParisAsio ASIO Drivers which permit third-party software such as Cubase a certain amount of access to the PARIS hardware.
- MacOsxDrivers Mac OSX drivers (an apparently abandoned initiative to create drivers enabling 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
- MichaelArnao Michael Arnao's attempt at porting the WaveBoy WAVEBOY plugins to PARIS, circa 2002 (status unknown)
Other initiatives designed to be of use to (but not specifically limited 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)
Finally, the PARIS EQ, generally held to have a desirable sound, have been ported into VST as plug-ins so they can be made available in non-PARIS DAWs.
Key PARIS Persona
This is a partial and evolving list, sure to grow. If you see a missing figure, please add it in!
Stephen St. Croix (born Stephen Curtis Marshall; b. 1948 - d. 2006 - R.I.P. Stephen) IntelligentDevices Intelligent Devices - PARIS software
EdmundPirali Edmund Pirali, IntelligentDevices Intelligent Devices - PARIS software
BillMauchly Bill Mauchly - Ensonq designer - DP4 CPU design - PARIS mixer code
JohnSenior John Senior - analog portions of PARIS
MatthewCraig Matthew Craig - PARIS ASIO drivers
ChuckDuffy Chuck Duffy - WinXp drivers, PARIS Skunkworks Plug-ins
ChrisThoman Chris Thoman - WinXP drivers
SteveDellaMaggiore Steve "Artguy" Della Maggiore - keeper of invaluable PARIS newsgroup archives
DougWellington Doug Wellington - maintainer of the parisFAQs.com website; OSX driver development (status unknown)
MikeAudet Mike Audet - Mike Audet PARIS Plugins
AaronAllen Aaron Allen - PARIS "Brian Tankersly" tutorial DVD
BrianTankersly Brian Tankersly - for many years a tireless advocate and resource for PARIS
MichaelArnao Michael Arnao - ex-Ensoniq - porting WaveBoy WAVEBOY plugins to PARIS 2002 (status of project unknown)
