background image

 

 
62                            

User's Guide HDSPe MADIface

 © RME

 

 

27. Tech Info

 

 
Not all information to and around our products fit in a manual. Therefore RME offers a lot more 
and detailed information in the 

Tech Infos

 on our website, section Support. These are some of 

the currently available 

Tech Infos

 
Synchronization II (DIGI96 series) 
Digital audio synchronization - technical background and pitfalls. 
 
Installation problems - Problem descriptions and solutions. 
 
Driver updates Hammerfall DSP – Lists all changes of the driver updates. 
 
DIGICheck: Analysis, tests and measurements with RME audio hardware 
A description of DIGICheck, including technical background information. 

 

ADI-8 Inside 
Technical information about the RME ADI-8 (24-bit AD/DA converter). 
 
Many background information on laptops and tests of notebooks: 
HDSP System: Notebook Basics - Notebook Hardware 
HDSP System: Notebook Basics - The Audio Notebook in Practice 
HDSP System: Notebook Basics - Background Knowledge and Tuning 
HDSP System: Notebook Tests - Compatibility and Performance 
 
The digital mixer of the Hammerfall DSP in theory and practise 
HDSP System: TotalMix - Hardware and Technology 
HDSP System: TotalMix - Software, features, operation 

Summary of Contents for Hammerfall HDSPe MADIface

Page 1: ...m HDSPe MADIface PCI Express Digital I O System ExpressCard Interface 64 Channels MADI Interface 24 Bit 192 kHz Digital Audio 128 x 64 Matrix Router MIDI embedded in MADI TotalMix 24 Bit 192 kHz 9 Syn...

Page 2: ...Update 12 10 3 De Installing the Drivers 13 10 4 Firmware Update 13 11 Configuring the MADIface 11 1 Settings Dialog 14 11 2 Settings Dialog DDS 16 11 3 Clock Modes Synchronization 17 12 Operation and...

Page 3: ...le Rates 32 20 4 Channel Count under Core Audio 32 20 5 Repairing Disk Permissions 32 20 6 Various Information 32 21 Hotline Troubleshooting 33 Connections and TotalMix 22 Connections 22 1 MADI I Os 3...

Page 4: ...cording a Subgroup Loopback 53 25 6 Using external Effects Devices 54 25 7 MS Processing 55 26 TotalMix MIDI Remote Control 26 1 Overview 56 26 2 Mapping 56 26 3 Setup 57 26 4 Operation 57 26 5 Simple...

Page 5: ...User s Guide HDSPe MADIface RME 5 User s Guide HDSPe MADIface General...

Page 6: ...r higher Mac OS X Intel 10 4 8 or higher ExpressCard interface a free ExpressCard 34 slot 4 Brief Description and Characteristics All settings can be changed in real time 8 available buffer sizes late...

Page 7: ...ot only easily slides out but can also be moved to the side quickly loosing contact Mechanically the ExpressCard slot is weak and lets the card slide out easily We recom mend to fix the card or the ca...

Page 8: ...ited manufacturer warranty of 6 months from the day of invoice showing the date of sale The length of the warranty period is different per country Please contact your local distributor for extended wa...

Page 9: ...einberg Media Technologies GmbH ASIO is a trademark of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH Copyright Matthias Carstens 12 2010 Version 1 2 Current driver version Windows 3 085 Mac OS X 2 76 Firmware 11...

Page 10: ...user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver Co...

Page 11: ...User s Guide HDSPe MADIface RME 11 User s Guide HDSPe MADIface Driver Installation and Operation Windows...

Page 12: ...river Software Update dialog The refore this dialog has to be started manually after the failed driver installation Hit the Win key type Device Manager start the Device Manager by selecting it from th...

Page 13: ...y installed driver Start the program pcie_fut exe The Flash Update Tool displays the current revision of the MADIface and whether it needs an update or not If so then please press the Update button A...

Page 14: ...avoided as this can cause unwanted noises Also please note that even in Stop mode several programs keep the recording and playback devices open which means that any new settings might not be applied...

Page 15: ...tput sig nal MADI can be a 56 or 64 channel sig nal 96 kHz Sample rates higher than 48 kHz can be transmitted using the normal 48K Frame or using a native 96K Frame at the card s output Input Status D...

Page 16: ...allows for a simultaneous change of speed and tune during record and playback From align ment to other sources up to crea tive effects everything is possi ble DDS allows to intentionally de tune the c...

Page 17: ...Master In certain cases however AutoSync may cause feedback in the digital carrier so synchronization breaks down To remedy this switch the clock mode to Master Thanks to its AutoSync technique and l...

Page 18: ...p Blaster clone and select this one as Preferred Device in Control Panel Multimedia Audio The screenshot to the right shows a typical configuration dialog as displayed by a stereo wave editor After se...

Page 19: ...or this to work select the WDM playback device Loudspeaker of the MADIface in XP Control Panel Sounds and Multimedia Audio and Use only default devices has to be checked Additionally the loudspeaker s...

Page 20: ...tioned above but also the 8 channel interleaved devices and adds the channel number at the end HDSP MADI 1 2 is the first stereo device HDSP MADI 3 4 is the next stereo device HDSP MADI 1 2 3 4 are th...

Page 21: ...access playback channels already occupied Therefore DIGICheck is able to analyse and display playback data from any software no matter which format the software uses Multi Client and Multi Channel us...

Page 22: ...ributes or similar dialog The screenshot to the right shows a typical dialog used for changing basic parameters such as sample frequency and resolution in an audio ap plication Any bit resolution can...

Page 23: ...project Mono channels Double Speed Quad Speed MADI 1 to 16 MADI 1 to 16 MADI 1 to 16 MADI 17 to 32 MADI 17 to 32 MADI 17 to 32 MADI 33 to 64 MADI 33 to 64 MADI 33 to 64 13 3 Known Problems If a compu...

Page 24: ...t performance problems on slower ma chines when using ASIO and GSIF at the same time Please note that the Windows driver fully supports multi client operation including the combina tion WDM ASIO So fo...

Page 25: ...le functions Level Meter High precision 24 bit resolution 2 8 64 channels Application examples Peak level measurement RMS level measurement over detection phase correlation measure ment dynamic range...

Page 26: ...r Windows 2000 XP on single CPU systems To use ASIO at lowest latencies under Windows 2000 XP even when only having one CPU the system performance has to be optimized for background tasks Go to Contro...

Page 27: ...User s Guide HDSPe MADIface RME 27 User s Guide HDSPe MADIface Driver Installation and Operation Mac OS X...

Page 28: ...boot the computer when installation is done 18 2 Driver Update In case of a driver update it s not necessary to remove the old driver first it will be overwritten during the installation 18 3 Flash Up...

Page 29: ...if it can be avoided as this can cause unwanted noises The status displays at the bottom of the dialog box give the user precise information about the current status of the system and the status of a...

Page 30: ...nly have to oper ate with the same sample frequency but also be synchronous with each other This is why digi tal systems always need a single device defined as master which sends the same clock signal...

Page 31: ...ion In some cases also or only a repair of the disk permission will help We have also received reports saying the driver update could not be installed on the system disk shown red crossed during the i...

Page 32: ...Speed Quad Speed MADI 1 to 16 MADI 1 to 16 MADI 1 to 16 MADI 17 to 32 MADI 17 to 32 MADI 17 to 32 MADI 33 to 64 MADI 33 to 64 MADI 33 to 64 20 5 Repairing Disk Permissions Repairing permission can sol...

Page 33: ...ecord doesn t Check that there is a valid signal at the input Check whether the Hammerfall DSP has been selected as recording device in the audio application Check whether the sample frequency set in...

Page 34: ...34 User s Guide HDSPe MADIface RME...

Page 35: ...User s Guide HDSPe MADIface RME 35 User s Guide HDSPe MADIface Connections and TotalMix...

Page 36: ...hing the MADI input from coaxial to optical The currently active input is indicated by a lit LED The BNC output is built according to AES10 1991 The output s impedance is 75 Ohm The output voltage wil...

Page 37: ...ete implementation of the ADM functions Integration of external devices Use TotalMix to insert external effects devices be it in the playback or in the record path Depending on the current application...

Page 38: ...38 User s Guide HDSPe MADIface RME...

Page 39: ...rom an Inline desk so that the row Software Playback equals the Tape Return of a real mixing desk Top row Hardware inputs The level shown is that of the input signal i e fader independ ent Via fader a...

Page 40: ...ing the application for the first time a default file is loaded sending all playback tracks 1 1 to the corresponding hardware outputs with 0 dB gain and activating phones monitoring Hold down Ctrl and...

Page 41: ...een channels 7 and 8 The present pan value is also being displayed below the fader Please carry out the same steps for Out 2 now in order to route it to output 8 as well In short While editing the Sub...

Page 42: ...adjusted accordingly and all fader settings remain stored The same is true for Quad Speed operation 192 kHz with 16 channels 23 5 Submix View Such a wide range of possibilities make it difficult to m...

Page 43: ...back and forth be tween a signal distribution complete input monitoring a stereo and mono mix and various submixes without any problem If any parameter is being altered after loading a preset e g movi...

Page 44: ...output All outputs 0 dB Level display set to RMS 3 dB View Submix active Note This preset is Default offering the standard functionality of a I O card Preset 2 Description All channels routed 1 1 inpu...

Page 45: ...hree des tinations Monitor Phones described below The microphone level is adjusted with the channel s input fader Monitor Phones 1 2 3 Use the drop down menu to select the hardware outputs where the s...

Page 46: ...right mouse click on the grey name field brings up the dialog box Enter Name Any name can be entered in this dialog Enter Return closes the dialog box the grey label now shows the first letters of th...

Page 47: ...alMix also supports combinations of these keys If you press Ctrl and Alt at the same time clicking with the mouse makes the faders jump to 0 dB pairwise and they can be set pairwise by Shift Alt in fi...

Page 48: ...n all faders will be treated as stereo pairs and moved pair wise Hotkey L MS Processing Macro for a quick configuration of routing and phase for Mid Side encoding and decoding See chapter 25 7 Level M...

Page 49: ...ey 3 or 0 The latter is a point often overlooked but nonetheless important A RMS measurement shows 3 dB less for sine signals While this is mathematically correct it is not very reasonable for a level...

Page 50: ...eld Shows the current gain value as dB Orange gain field This routing is muted Blue field Phase 180 inverted To maintain overview when the window size has been reduced the left and upper labels are fl...

Page 51: ...level setting You just need 2 seconds to be sure no unwanted routing is active anywhere and that all levels match precisely Example 2 The Matrix allows you to set up routings which would be nearly im...

Page 52: ...en the menu Edit It shows Copy In 5 Now select the desired new input for example In 8 The menu now shows Paste In 5 to In 8 Click on it done If you are familiar with this functionality just use Ctrl C...

Page 53: ...ding channel is no longer sent to the recording software but still passed through to TotalMix Therefore TotalMix can be used to route this input signal to any hardware output Using the subgroup record...

Page 54: ...and the panorama fully to the right Adjust the input level at the reverb unit to an optimal setting Next the output of the reverb unit is connected to a free stereo input for example 5 6 Use the Tota...

Page 55: ...de channel represents L R During record the monitoring needs to be done in conventional stereo As TotalMix can invert the phase it also offers the functionality of a M S decoder The menu Options inclu...

Page 56: ...ace elements Element Meaning in TotalMix Channel faders 1 8 volume Master fader Main Monitor channel s faders SEL 1 8 DYNAMICS reset fader to Unity Gain V Pots 1 8 pan pressing V Pot knobs pan center...

Page 57: ...ature causes heavy overload of the MIDI port when ganging more than 2 faders In such a case or when using the Behringer BCF2000 turn off this option When Full LC Display Support is turned off only a b...

Page 58: ...Mono 2A 42 F 2 Talkback 5E 94 A 6 Monitor Phones 1 3F 63 D 4 Monitor Phones 2 40 64 E 4 Monitor Phones 3 41 65 F 4 Preset 1 36 54 F 3 Preset 2 37 55 G 3 Preset 3 38 56 G 3 Preset 4 39 57 A 3 Preset 5...

Page 59: ...otocol requires feedback of the received commands back to the hard ware controller So usually TotalMix will be set up with both a MIDI input and MIDI output Un fortunately any small error in wiring an...

Page 60: ...60 User s Guide HDSPe MADIface RME...

Page 61: ...User s Guide HDSPe MADIface RME 61 User s Guide HDSPe MADIface Technical Reference...

Page 62: ...the driver updates DIGICheck Analysis tests and measurements with RME audio hardware A description of DIGICheck including technical background information ADI 8 Inside Technical information about the...

Page 63: ...Optical via FDDI duplex SC connector 62 5 125 and 50 125 compatible Cable length up to 2000 m Generates 56 channel and 64 channel mode plus 96k Frame Standard up to 64 channels 24 bit 48 kHz S MUX 96...

Page 64: ...alanced coaxial cables with 75 Ohms BNC plugs they are not expensive and easy to get The optical interface is much more interesting due to its complete galvanic separation but for many users it is a m...

Page 65: ...ded data Example The MADIface is set to 44 1 kHz internally clock mode Master and a mixing desk with MADI output is connected to the card s MADI input The status display will show LOCK immediately but...

Page 66: ...e Latency Windows This option found in the Settings dialog defines the size of the buffers for the audio data used in ASIO and GSIF see chapter 13 and 14 Mac OS X The buffer size is defined within the...

Page 67: ...on for Sample Multiplexing in connection with the multichannel ADAT format The AES3 specification uses the uncommon term Single channel double sam pling frequency mode Not before February 1998 Crystal...

Page 68: ...channel requires two AES EBU lines stereo requires even four This transmission mode is being called Quad Wire in the professional studio world The AES3 specification does not mention Quad Wire With M...

Page 69: ...right within the FPGA at lowest costs The clock s performance exceeds even professional expectations Despite its remarkable features SteadyClock reacts quite fast compared to other techniques It lock...

Page 70: ...however it has a number of different names like Dual AES Double Wide Dual Line and Wide Wire The AES3 specification uses the uncommon term Single channel double sampling frequency mode When used with...

Page 71: ...channels at up to 96 kHz The advantage of this format against 48K Frame using S MUX the receiver can detect the real double sample rate on its own and im mediately With 48K Frame and S MUX the user h...

Reviews: