Is it possible for me to network my old pc with my new iMac? The pc has 1 GB RAM and the iMac has 2 GB, I would LOVE to network the 2 together and have one run my VDL2 sounds and the other run my GPO sounds.
Can anyone out there refer me to a good website that would explain this type of stuff?

Thanks.

Ralph - you definitely can do this. There are a few ways to go about it.

Do you have a networking hub or switch setup? If so, you can run MIDI out of your Mac into the PC using MIDI Over Lan CP (http://www.musiclab.com/products/rpl_info.htm). This is really cool because it bypasses the need to have a separate midi interface on each computer. It will require you to setup each machine on a static IP address within the network, but that's generally easy once you get the hang of it. Doing this will generally require a router, hub (or better yet, a gigabit switch...basically the same concept as the hub), and cables going from the hub to each of your various machines. Once the IP is assigned for each computer, they can communicate to one another through MOL.

If you'd rather not fuss with the networking stuff, you'll need a midi interface (such as a Midisport 1x1 if you only need one port) on EACH machine. Connect a MIDI cable from the Imac MIDI interface's OUT, to the PC's MIDI interface IN. On the PC, set your MIDI-IN in VDL, to it's MIDI interface (since this is where it'll be receiving from). Tracks that are set to play on the Imac through its midi interface (the midisport for example) will be directed to the PC's midi interface, which you've set as VDL's input. Voila...two machines working together.

Using multiple machines like this is a great way to take the CPU load off your main computer.

So will all of the sounds play through one computer, or will they only play through the speakers of the computer that has the sounds loaded on it?

Audio would come out of each computer, so you may want to use a mixer when you're writing. You can get a modest 12 channel Mackie mixer for minimal investment.

There's another thing called FX Teleport, however it's Windows only so it wouldn't work with your Imac. It's pretty cool, and essentially hosts plugins on other networked machines, and routes audio back via Ethernet to the main machine. Of course, using this would mean using VDL2 (or any other VI's) as plug-ins rather than standalone.

Ideally, you should have at least a pair of outputs on the slave machine so you could then route them to the inputs of your main machine. I used to do this with a Delta 44 on each machine, but have since gone digital with MOTU 2408 on the main machine and RME on slaves. Using ADAT optical to route audio is great since it will send 8 channels of audio via one lightpipe cable. Needless to say, the more you choose to expand your rig, the more gear starts to burn a hole in your wallet.

A couple other forums that may be helpful to you on this subject:
http://www.kvraudio.com
http://www.northernsounds.com
http://community.sonikmatter.com/forums/

I'll definitely check those sites out! I looked into the MOL, and wasn't too impressed. I went into THEIR forum and hardly any of the questions asked had been answered, some of them WEEKS old!

I appreciate the help.

I can speak from experience on MIDI Over LAN because I use it. It's [b]really[/b] cool. I had a similar reaction when I first found their website, mainly because I didn't quite know exactly what it was. They do have a demo that you can try, which is what sold me on it. Sure beats all the midi boxes clunking around my workstation. :)

If you use it, that's all I needed to hear!

I found another program called Wormhole, and their tech guy says it will play back through one computer. I think the latest version of MOL will as well. Wormhole is only $50, for those on a budget out there.

www.plasq.com/wormhole

Good call with Wormhole. I've heard of it, but never used it before. The good thing about it (as opposed to FX Teleport) is that it's cross-platform. I believe you may still need something like Midi Over LAN to transmit MIDI data, but something like wormhole might be a solution for routing audio back into your Mac from the PC. If they have a demo, be sure to try it out first. You may need to launch VDL2 as a plugin on your mac (first) so that it will call out to the PC slave which will then play it, and transmit audio (via network) back into whatever host application is running on the mac. Perhaps if this is the case, you may be able to bypass the Midi Over LAN, and do it internally on the Mac. Be sure to check for any latency hits that may come from sending the audio via the network. If you do this, be sure all machines (and the switch/hub) are gigabit.