Recommended PC Specs For Myriad

Myriad is not particularly draconian on it's PC requirements and in general, any modern PC will have no problem handling Myriad. That said, the system will only ever be as stable as the platform it is running on, so the following recommendations should be observed whenever possible to ensure maximum reliability and stability.

PC Hardware Specification Recommendations

Ensure you use the following:

Intel Chipset Based Main Board - our experience has shown that Intel chipset based boards provide the most reliable platforms.

Stick With Intel Chips - Again, other CPU's may cut the cost slightly but our experience shows that Intel based systems tend to offer the best reliability. Pentium 4's are the best but Celeron CPU's are also fine for use on Myriad systems. Just make sure you have adequate cooling whichever chip you go for.

Allow plenty of RAM - Nowadays, RAM does not tend to be a problem as 512MB is usually the starting point. 512MB of RAM should be adequate for most Myriad systems.

Matrox G550 Video Cards For Dual Screen - Some graphics cards handle dual screens in different ways. Avoid any potential problems and use the Matrox G550 if you want a dual screen Myriad system. The cards are reliable and work well with Myriad. If you want to use a different card, make sure it can be configured so each monitor is a separate screen in windows, not just an extended desktop.

Consider HD Mirror Cards - Both hard disks and hardware mirror cards are cheap nowadays so it pays to consider adding hardware mirrors to your mission critical Myriad PC's even if the actual audio and data is stored on a central server. A hardware mirror protected Myriad workstation can survive if one of the hard disks fails and you won't lose any data or be off air. If you are storing the audio / data locally then this type of setup is a must.

Think About Cooling - Whilst PC's sitting in a studio need to be quiet, they also need to be well  ventilated. When PC's get hot, they become unstable and when playout systems become unstable, everyone is unhappy. Make sure that your PC has adequate cooling to deal with the environmental temperature all year round and that the positioning of the PC allows proper air circulation. If you are using Echo Layla sound cards (as recommended) then you may also want to consider additional fans to keep these hot beasts under control.

Operating Systems

We currently recommend that Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 is used on all Myriad workstations (particularly if you are running Myriad v3 or higher). Myriad has also been extensively tested on Windows 2000 Professional but as Microsoft has already stopped supporting this OS and P Squared plan to stop supporting it at the end of 2005, it is recommended that all users upgrade to Windows XP Pro as soon as possible.

Under no circumstances use XP Home, Windows Millennium, Windows NT4 or Windows 95 (SR1 or SR2) or XP Pro Service Pack 1. We can not offer any type of support to systems running on these operating systems. Many customers are also using Windows 98b, however, we regret that we can no longer offer support for systems running on this platform and would recommend any station still using Windows 98 (in any flavour) to seriously consider upgrading to Windows XP Professional.

Sound Cards

In theory, any Windows compliant multi-channel sound card that allows 'multi-client audio**' and independent playback volume control of channels through the standard 'wave' interface, is compatible with Myriad. We would strongly recommend the either the Echo Layla 3G or Echo Mia sound cards depending on whether you are building a studio workstation (you need a Layla) or a playout / sustain workstation (a Mia might be better). For more details on the Echo product range visit www.echoaudio.com.

Alternatively, we also recommend the Delta 10/10 (4 stereo output) sound card by MidiMan (www.midiman.co.uk) which offers almost identical features to the  Layla 3G but at a slightly reduced cost. Other cards in the Delta range (such as the Delta 10/10Lite and Delta 4/4) are also compatible with Myriad however, some (like the Delta 4/4) are only suitable under certain curcumstances.

We usually keep a good stock of both Echo and Delta cards and can offer competitive prices, so if you want any more details, contact sales@psquared.net for an up to date price.

Other cards that people use include Digigram (using the PCX drivers) and mixtures of standard Sound Blaster(tm) type cards but P Squared can not specify the effectiveness of these solutions.

Other Specialist Equipment

There are one or two other things you may wish to consider when putting together the specification for a Myriad system. They are:

PCI1750 Hardware I/O Card - This card has 16 digital logic inputs and 16 digital logic outputs and allows Myriad to interact with the outside World. Typical uses include: fader starting, switching studios and switching external sources (like news) on and off. P Squared usually have PCI1750's in stock and can dispatch the same day if necessary. Contact sales for more details.

Rugby (Radio) Clock - If you want Myriad to work around 'Real World' events such as News then Myriad will need to know what the correct time is in order to prepare. The simplest way of doing this is with an external radio clock that plugs (typically) in to the serial port and keeps the PC's clock accurate. You can also derive the correct time from a number of sources on the Internet although some customers have reported that this solution is prone to failure. Once you have one PC with the correct time, it is a fairly simple matter to make all the other PC's on your Myriad network set their time from the correct one (see FAQ on how to do this). P Squared can offer a range of time solutions to suit your needs. Contact sales@psquared.net for more details.

The Myriad Keyboard - Covered in more detail Here. The Myriad Keyboard provides a convenient and robust way of performing everyday Myriad functions from a single input device. The keyboard incorporates a standard QWERTY keyboard and a range of additional coloured keys that control key events in Myriad. Ideal for live assisted shows, the Myriad Keyboard is highly recommended for any studio installation and can be customised to individual customers needs. Myriad Keyboards are only available from P Squared so contact sales@psquared.net for more details.

Put It All Together

If you have got this far through the page having read all of the above then well done, you should have a good idea about the kind of system that will allow you to get the most from Myriad. If you have skipped directly to this section then don't worry, the specification below is ideal for any Myriad installation and if you do not stray too far from it, you should be fine.

Standard Myriad Workstation Specification

Please note that we will be happy to provide a custom specification, pre-built and tested to meet your stations needs. Contact sales@psquared.net for more details.

** Multi-client audio is a term used to describe the way in which a soundcard that includes several playback channels, can be accessed by Windows. Let's say you have a sound card that has four stereo channels. If windows can access each of these channels as if it were an individual sound card then this would be multi-client audio. If Windows can only access the overall sound card  (not the individual channels) then it is not multi-client audio compliant.

Myriad v3 Screen Shots

Related Links

• What Is Myriad?
• Key Features
• The Standard Package
• Expanding Myriad
  • Voice Tracking
  • Split Transmission
  • Advanced Tools Pack
• Myriad Keyboard Options
• Myriad And Your Station
• Recommended PC Spec
• Compare Versions
• Myriad Support
• Download Manual