Everything you need to know about Source Connect!

Have you ever heard anything about Source Connect? I just recently found out about it, and I’m very excited to share with you what I’ve learned.

Source Connect it's a system that’s been here since 2005 and has been developed through the years, facilitating especially, the recording process carried out remotely. It is extremely stable and battle-tested, and has all the features that studios need. Many people around the world use it to work at a distance with voice actors, musicians and producers to make collaborations even when they are not close together. This software has resolved many issues, especially in our new COVID-19 pandemic era, where we have to find out ways to record from separate places. And even after the pandemic, it continues to help reduce the time, financial, and environmental costs of travel and commuting involved in recording work. 

So, how does Source Connect work? That is a very important question and there are a few important things we need to consider if we are planning to start using Source Connect. It is not a very friendly platform so it is very important to take the Standard Certification Course in order to understand better, however, it is not obligatory. Here at Green Road Recording Studio in Costa Rica, the chief engineer, Federico Hencker is already certified and he has been showing me how this tool works.

First of all, there are three different Source Connect versions. Source Connect Standard 3.9, Source Connect Pro 3.9 and Source-Connect Pro X 3.9. Each of them have different compatibility and are used for different functions. It all depends on what you need and what you have. The most common is Source Connect Standard. 

There are three things you need to have in order to use any Source Connect version. You need to create a Source Elements account, (I’ll leave the link in the description if you are interested in creating one), have your mac’s operating system above Mountain Lion (version 10.8) and have a download and upload internet speed of at least 10mbps. Source Connect is usually used with ProTools DAW, so in order to use it with ProTools of course, you will need to have ProTools installed in your personal or studio computer, also have an iLok license and iLok account.

I’m going to focus this blog on the ProTools DAW use, since it is the one that we usually use in most professional studios. If you already use ProTools you know what an iLok is, but if you don’t, basically, an iLok is a third-party company that provides software licensing for many audio software companies. It is used to give a software purchaser the right to use it and protected from unauthorized use. It can only be used on one device at a time. The iLok license usually comes with an iLok dongle or USB drive, but to use Source Connect the physical key is optional. You just need the iLok license and iLok account. The iLok account is completely free. When you purchase Source-Connect, you will be sent a code for a license, and you will need an iLok account to activate your iLok license.You will need to activate it in the computer you will use Source-Connect on, or in an iLok dongle attached to that computer.

After all that is set and done you’ll need to connect your interface, headphones and microphone, and get ready to start the signal flow process in your computer, the last step before start recording. The Source Connect screen will pop up and you’ll need to choose your output and input, buffer size, sample rate and quality. As you may know, this all will depend on the project you are working on. 

A last thing to consider. There’s an option in the pop up window that says “port:” make sure it says “port: open”. When your ports are open and you and your partner have an active connection, you will be able to send audio data back and forth using Source-Connect. You will see lights flashing next to ‘send’ and ‘receive’ to show that data is being successfully sent and received. 

When you first begin using Source-Connect, you may see other port messages such as “Port UPnP” or “Port Not Mapped”. Port UPnP means Source-Connect is attempting to open ports in your router (attempting to give the postal worker instructions). If your port message does not change to open, treat the situation as if the port is “not mapped”. If the port is not mapped the postal worker is not sure where to send the packets! About 80% of the time that postal worker will figure it out and you will still be able to connect. You will still receive audio in this situation. But this is not a consistent solution. Without clear instructions the postal worker can make mistakes and lose parts of the recording. In the Standard Source Connect certification you’ll find step by step how to troubleshoot your ports in case they are not opening. Same as all the steps to create your account in iLok, Source Connect Elements, test your internet speed, find out what mac operating system you have, etc.

In some cases, if the ports don’t open, there’s an option called Q manager. Q Manager allows lost packets to be recovered if you are working with a recording studio who is running Source-Connect Pro. This makes Q Manager really important for working while traveling, or in other situations where you may be unable to have ideal network conditions. 

One extra thing to consider if you want to achieve a great sound while using Source Connect is your acoustic environment. Not many people will be able to record in a professional recording environment while using the software, so it is important to be aware of our environment. Make sure to isolate yourself from background noise. The ideal and recommended scenario is to record in a room with a noise floor under -40dB to -65dB RMS. Use soundproofing materials in order to reduce sound from around you. Also, make sure to minimize acoustic reflections. To achieve this, you can do some acoustic treatment in your room and use acoustic panels and diffusers. 

Source Connect is definitely one of the tools with a lot of success nowadays. Revolutionizing the way we can record and the music and entertainment industry. Here at Green Road’s it allows us to work with production companies from abroad allowing us to record their voice over artist while they are spending time here in Costa Rica. It is a great tool and we are happy to have it available. Now that you know how it works, will you use it? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for reading!