RME Audio MADIface XT Page 1 User Manual Download

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User Guide

MADIface XT

The world’s first and only USB 3 audio interface!

USB 3 / USB 2.0 / PCI Express Digital I/O System

24 Bit / 192 kHz Digital Audio

192 Channels Triple MADI Interface

AES/EBU I/O

2 + 4 Channels Analog I/O

196 x 198 Matrix Router

1 x MIDI I/O

3 x MIDI embedded in MADI

SyncAlign

™

ZLM

™

SyncCheck

™

TotalMix FX

™

SteadyClock

™

Summary of Contents for MADIface XT

Page 1: ...terface USB 3 USB 2 0 PCI Express Digital I O System 24 Bit 192 kHz Digital Audio 192 Channels Triple MADI Interface AES EBU I O 2 4 Channels Analog I O 196 x 198 Matrix Router 1 x MIDI I O 3 x MIDI e...

Page 2: ...ration and Usage 8 1 Playback 21 8 2 DVD Playback AC 3 DTS 22 8 3 Multi client Operation 23 8 4 Digital Recording 23 8 5 Analog Recording 23 9 Operation under ASIO 9 1 General 24 9 2 Known Problems 24...

Page 3: ...20 4 Balanced Line Outputs 47 20 5 Line Headphones 47 21 Digital Inputs and Outputs 21 1 MADI I O 48 21 2 AES EBU 48 21 3 MIDI 49 21 4 D sub Pinout 49 22 Word Clock 22 1 Word Clock Input and Output 50...

Page 4: ...ore Setting for Windows only 77 25 8 Settings 78 25 8 1 Mixer Page 78 25 8 2 MIDI Page 79 25 8 3 OSC Page 80 25 8 4 Aux Devices 81 25 9 Hotkeys and Usage 82 25 10 Menu Options 83 26 The Matrix 26 1 Ov...

Page 5: ...MIDI 96 30 Technical Background 30 1 MADI Basics 97 30 2 Lock and SyncCheck 98 30 3 Latency and Monitoring 98 30 4 USB Audio 100 30 5 External PCI Express 101 30 6 DS Double Speed 102 30 7 QS Quad Spe...

Page 6: ...er i e swimming pool bathtub or wet basement Danger of condensation inside don t turn on before the device has reached room temperature Installation Surface may become hot during operation ensure suff...

Page 7: ...User s Guide MADIface XT RME 7 User s Guide MADIface XT General...

Page 8: ...ply with DC locking type connector RME Driver CD Manual 3 System Requirements Windows Vista or up Mac OS X Intel 10 6 or up External PCI Express port or USB 3 port or USB 2 0 port requires computer wi...

Page 9: ...enu structure enable the user to quickly change and configure the device s settings completely without a computer Help notes and clear markers in the display guide the user through all functions The r...

Page 10: ...C GAIN gives direct access to this setting which is then controlled by the encoders 1 and 2 Two LEDs beside the inputs indicate signal and overload All digital inputs show their current state already...

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

Page 12: ...ethods do not cover the additional autorun entries of To talMix the Settings dialog and the registration of the ASIO driver Those entries can be re moved from the registry through a software de instal...

Page 13: ...Synchronization behaviour Configuration of digital I Os Input selection State of input and output Any changes made in the Settings dialog are applied immediately confirmation e g by clicking on OK or...

Page 14: ...a the audio software is no longer allowed to set the sample rate However an ASIO program can still set the sample rate by itself During record playback the selection is greyed out so no change is poss...

Page 15: ...k and simple solution to mirror the first MADI output to outputs 2 and 3 The outputs are reduced to 2 4 64 channels AES 2 x analog one MADI port All the data routed and mixed to MADI port 1 is sent to...

Page 16: ...how up in the Windows Sound control panel The checkbox All to the right allows for a quick check uncheck of all devices Warning Activating all 99 stereo devices will most probably freeze your computer...

Page 17: ...e as Speaker usually makes no sense and the speakers also don t get numbered or renamed in Windows so it is impossible to find out which one is which After leaving the dialog with OK the WDM devices a...

Page 18: ...ctivating this option seems to be useful only with the latest Cubase Nuendo at higher load With other software this option can decrease performance The change becomes active after an ASIO reset Theref...

Page 19: ...e sample rate during record playback often results in a loss of audio or brings up warning messages of the audio software Therefore the desired sample rate should be set at least coarsely before start...

Page 20: ...k status Input Status indicates whether there is a valid signal Lock No Lock for each input Word MADI AES or if there is a valid and synchronous signal Sync See chapter 30 2 Via Clock Source a preferr...

Page 21: ...ect this one as Preferred Device in Control Panel Multimedia Audio or Control Panel Sound Playback The screenshot to the right shows a typical configuration dialog as displayed by a stereo wave editor...

Page 22: ...the MADIface XT in XP Control Panel Sounds and Multimedia Audio and Use only default devices has to be checked Additionally the loudspeaker setup found under Volume Speaker Settings Ad vanced has to b...

Page 23: ...c status for every input The sample frequency shown in the fields Clock Mode and Input Status is useful as a quick display of the current configuration of the unit and the connected external equipment...

Page 24: ...ify that these are not the reason for such effects Further information is found in chapter 30 4 Another common source of trouble is incorrect synchronization ASIO does not support asyn chronous operat...

Page 25: ...detection phase correlation measure ment dynamic range and signal to noise ratios RMS to peak difference loudness long term peak measurement input check Oversampling mode for levels higher than 0 dBF...

Page 26: ...etup in TotalMix Playback works but record doesn t Check that there is a valid signal at the input If so the current sample frequency is dis played in the Settings dialog Check whether the MADIface XT...

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

Page 28: ...is pre defined then the port that becomes active first at the com puter will be used 13 2 De installing the Drivers In case of problems the driver files can be deleted manually by dragging them to th...

Page 29: ...ess is finished The bar moves slowly first program then faster verify After the update the MADIface XT needs to be reset This is done by powering down the XT for a few seconds A reboot of the computer...

Page 30: ...should not be changed during playback or record if it can be avoided as this can cause unwanted noises The status display at the bottom of the dialog box gives the user precise information about the...

Page 31: ...g USB 3 only The XT uses a special transmission mode with error correction to record data In case the XT s default mode does not work Isochronous Streaming can be tried This is the standard s native m...

Page 32: ...guarantees that normal record and record while play will always work correctly In certain cases however AutoSync may cause feedback in the digital carrier so synchronization breaks down To remedy thi...

Page 33: ...lows you to check and repair disk permissions 15 3 Supported Sample Rates RME s Mac OS X driver supports all sampling frequencies provided by the hardware This in cludes 32 kHz and 64 kHz and even 128...

Page 34: ...Level Meter High precision 24 bit resolution 2 8 198 channels Application examples Peak level measurement RMS level measurement over detection phase correlation measure ment dynamic range and signal t...

Page 35: ...size of buffers in the application Try different cables to rule out any defects here The card and drivers have been installed correctly but playback does not work Is MADIface XT listed in the System R...

Page 36: ...36 User s Guide MADIface XT RME...

Page 37: ...User s Guide MADIface XT RME 37 User s Guide MADIface XT Usage and Operation...

Page 38: ...d Reverb Echo Options has the subpages Clock MADI Settings Hardware Diagnosis and Control Room Reverb Echo has the subpages Reverb and Echo The subpages are selected with encoder 2 19 2 Encoders The e...

Page 39: ...ncoder 2 to adjust the gain for this routing equalling the fader position of the Mic In 1 input with selected Submix AN 1 2 in TotalMix FX As with the other three keys pressing METERS a second time re...

Page 40: ...l The displayed gain will quickly decrease to a gain that is appropriate While AutoSet in the XT is not exactly the same as in the RME Micstasy with extreme overloads distortion will occur for the fra...

Page 41: ...current sample rate can be detected With MADI the user has to inform the unit whether the input signal is in the single double or quad speed range WCK Alw Singl Word Clock Always Single Speed Choices...

Page 42: ...t of Dim on the Main output Dim Active Activates Dim on the Main output Recall Volume Stores a volume value which can be is called by the Recall button on the external remote ARC These options are exp...

Page 43: ...p outs due to faulty or missing synchronicity a special process called Sync Check compares the incoming data and the MADIface s internal clock The sync state is indi cated by a flashing error or const...

Page 44: ...44 User s Guide MADIface XT RME...

Page 45: ...User s Guide MADIface XT RME 45 User s Guide MADIface XT Inputs and Outputs...

Page 46: ...one input stage Switch phantom power off before connecting disconnecting any external device The MADIface turns on the phantom power smoothly during one second from 0 to 48 Volts This technique is adv...

Page 47: ...does not operate servo balanced When connecting unbalanced equipment make sure pin 3 of the XLR output is not connected A connection to ground will cause higher THD distortion When used unbalanced the...

Page 48: ...BU The XLR AES EBU input and output is transformer balanced and ground free The incoming channel status is ignored Connection is accomplished using balanced cables with XLR plugs Input Thanks to a hig...

Page 49: ...ut any additional line or cabling between computer MADI card and external units The MIDI ports support multi client operation A MIDI input signal can be received from several programs at the same time...

Page 50: ...nput Term Output The word clock output of the MADIface XT is constantly active providing the current sample frequency as word clock signal As a result in master mode the provided word clock is defined...

Page 51: ...IF 44 1 kHz word clock a simple square wave signal has to be multiplied by 256 inside the device using a spe cial PLL to about 11 2 MHz This signal then replaces the one from the quartz crystal Big di...

Page 52: ...r voltage word clock networks are in some cases more stable and reliable if cables are not terminated at all Ideally all outputs of word clock delivering devices are designed with very low impedance b...

Page 53: ...User s Guide MADIface XT RME 53 User s Guide MADIface XT Stand Alone Operation...

Page 54: ...is able to operate fully stand alone without any connected com puter In stand alone operation it easily transforms into different devices by the simple click of a button Furthermore TotalMix and with...

Page 55: ...that would be caused by changing the microphone s po sition by about 5 6 centimeter 2 inches 24 3 194 channel Monitor Mixer TotalMix allows ANY configuration of all I Os of the MADIface For example se...

Page 56: ...56 User s Guide MADIface XT RME...

Page 57: ...User s Guide MADIface XT RME 57 User s Guide MADIface XT TotalMix FX...

Page 58: ...offers the most complete 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 t...

Page 59: ...User s Guide MADIface XT RME 59...

Page 60: ...and routing field any input channel can be routed and mixed to any hardware output bottom row Middle row Playback channels playback tracks of the audio software Via fader and routing menu any playback...

Page 61: ...ction and the RMS reference can be set Fader Determines the gain level of the signal routed to the current routing destination lower label Please note that this fader is not the fader of the channel b...

Page 62: ...is shown as white triangle Background TotalMix has no fixed channel fader In case of the MADIface XT there are 99 stereo Aux sends shown alternately as single fader within the channel strip The high n...

Page 63: ...o the dry signal The level of the signal sent to the effects can be controlled by the FX In level meters of the FX window It becomes visible after a click on FX in the View Options MS Proc Activates M...

Page 64: ...w pass filter especially useful for LFE and subwoofer purposes Gain All three bands can change their amplification between 20 dB to 20 dB Freq The center frequency of the filters is adjustable between...

Page 65: ...places it is then also available in any other channel via Recall Copy between Snapshots The Presets are not saved in Snapshots therefore do not change when a different Snapshot is loaded Presets are s...

Page 66: ...the control voltage of Compressor and Expander Adjust able from 100 ms to 999 ms The amplitude graphics gives a precise overview of the level changes caused by the current settings of Compressor and E...

Page 67: ...ayback from Main Out to Main Out B The faders of the channels Main and Speaker B can be ganged via Link Mono Mixes left and right channel Useful to check for mono compatibility and phase problems Talk...

Page 68: ...re a completely differently set up mixer view can be loaded via Workspace and with a single click on Undo the previous internal mixer state is returned but the new mixer view stays Global Mute Solo Fa...

Page 69: ...ting destinations Level Meters Post FX Switches all level meters before pre or after post the effects Level changes by these can be easily checked using this feature Additionally the input signal can...

Page 70: ...they are also lost when loading a new workspace in case they have not been saved before in a different Workspace Note The Undo function will help in case of an accidental overwrite or deletion of the...

Page 71: ...el has been made invisible When the Phones output is not used this is an easy way to remove it from the mixer completely A more complex setup would be to only show all channels of the drum section the...

Page 72: ...1 Scroll to the desired position and perform a right mouse click on 1 A dialog comes up with precise information Once stored a left mouse click will scroll the channels to the stored position 2 Marke...

Page 73: ...nd and the very long reverb times General Settings PreDelay Delay of the reverb signal Adjustable from the current buffer size some milliseconds up to 999 ms Low Cut High pass filter before the reverb...

Page 74: ...ss filter Because of the operation principle of the Classic reverb it shows a slightly different behaviour Adjustable from 5 kHz up to 20 kHz Echo Activated by the On button Type Lists different echo...

Page 75: ...nd loaded Save to There are 16 storage places available Reverb Echo Preset 1 to 16 Import Loads a previously stored TM FX Reverb file tmrv or a TM FX Echo file tmeo Export Stores the current state as...

Page 76: ...switching a stereo channel into two mono channels the pan pots are set fully left and right This option will set them to center instead Disable double click fader action Prevents unintentional gain se...

Page 77: ...aders buttons and knobs relating to the mix state can not be moved anymore 25 7 1 Store for Current or All Users Windows TotalMix FX stores all settings workspaces and snapshots for the current user i...

Page 78: ...the Listenback signal microphone in recording room Default None Dim Amount of attenuation of the signals routed to the Main Out in dB Main Out Recall User defined listening volume activated by the Rec...

Page 79: ...2 Mono Channels One fader controls one mono channel Should be disabled when stereo channels are used Submix Selection in Input Playback Row Enables a selection of the submix when in first row without...

Page 80: ...check or uncheck In Use TotalMix FX OSC Service IP Shows the network address of the computer running TotalMix FX local host This address must be entered on the remote side Host Name Local computer nam...

Page 81: ...can be chosen MIDI Settings MIDI In Set the currently used MIDI connection to OctaMic XTC MIDI Out Set the currently used MIDI connection to OctaMic XTC Device ID Default 0 This setting relates to the...

Page 82: ...eyboard Dragging the mouse from a parameter field increases move up or decreases move down the value in the field Ctrl N opens the dialog Function Select to open a new TotalMix window Ctrl W opens the...

Page 83: ...to deactivate this feature for specific windows The view will not change then Preferences Opens a dialog box to configure several functions of the level meters and the mixer See chapter 25 7 Settings...

Page 84: ...ls Green 0 0 dB field Standard 1 1 routing Dark grey field with number Shows the current gain value as dB Blue field This routing is muted Red field Phase 180 inverted Dark grey field No routing To ma...

Page 85: ...In case a complex submix is need with only a few changes on a different output the whole submix can be copied to that output Right click with the mouse on the original submix output means Hardware Ou...

Page 86: ...ing the subgroup recording the input can still be recorded on a different channel As each of the 99 stereo hardware outputs can be routed to the record software and none of these hardware inputs get l...

Page 87: ...for microphones which results in a mid signal on one channel and a side signal on the other channel This information can be transformed back into a stereo signal quite easily The process sends the mo...

Page 88: ...TotalMix supports the following Mackie Control surface elements Element Meaning in TotalMix Channel faders 1 8 volume Master fader Main Out channel fader SEL 1 8 DYNAMICS Activate Trim mode V Pots 1 8...

Page 89: ...an be easily changed via MIDI Full LC Display Support This option in Preferences F3 activates complete Mackie Control LCD support with eight channel names and eight volume pan values When Full LC Disp...

Page 90: ...ue Phones 1 3F 63 D 4 Cue Phones 2 40 64 E 4 Cue Phones 3 41 65 F 4 Cue Phones 4 42 66 F 4 Snapshot 1 36 54 F 3 Snapshot 2 37 55 G 3 Snapshot 3 38 56 G 3 Snapshot 4 39 57 A 3 Snapshot 5 3A 58 A 3 Snap...

Page 91: ...Control protocol 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 i...

Page 92: ...92 User s Guide MADIface XT RME...

Page 93: ...User s Guide MADIface XT RME 93 User s Guide MADIface XT Technical Reference...

Page 94: ...dBu CLIP LED 0 dBFS SIG LED 52 dBFS AD TRS As Microphone Line 1 2 but Input 6 3 mm TRS jack unbalanced Input impedance 5 kOhm Maximum input level TRS Gain 0 dB 24 dBu Maximum input level TRS Gain 60...

Page 95: ...30 dB 2 4 kHz Word Clock BNC not terminated 10 kOhm Switchable internal termination 75 Ohm Automatic Double Quad Speed detection and conversion to Single Speed SteadyClock guarantees super low jitter...

Page 96: ...tter suppression of external clocks about 30 dB 2 4 kHz Effective clock jitter influence on DA conversion near zero Provides nearly jitter free word clock directly from the MADI input signal Input PLL...

Page 97: ...anced 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 mys...

Page 98: ...cks and drop outs In order to display those problems the MADIface XT includes SyncCheck It checks all clocks used for synchronicity If they are not synchronous to each other the status display will sh...

Page 99: ...of an offset value to correct buffer independent delays like AD and DA conversion or the Safety Buffer described below An analog loopback test will then show no offset because the application shifts...

Page 100: ...Information Fully compatible to Intel s USB 3 implementation which on current Windows and Mac computers is part of the chipset USB 3 sockets that are connected via an internal cable not directly solde...

Page 101: ...to use the same bus and will interfere with each other A computer blocked for a short time no matter if ASIO or WDM will lose one or more data packets Such problems can only be solved by increasing t...

Page 102: ...s higher than 48 kHz The MADIface XT supports all formats 96 kHz can be received and transmitted both as 48K Frame using S MUX and as native 96K Frame In 48K Frame Double Speed mode the MADI face XT d...

Page 103: ...ctly within a range of 25 kHz up to 200 kHz SteadyClock has originally been de veloped to gain a stable and clean clock from the heavily jittery MADI data signal The embedded MADI clock suffers from a...

Page 104: ...7 64 the CPU load is only around 12 8 cores still Cubendo wait and wait and under Windows 8 1 Microsoft reduced the load duration by 50 Better but not good enough In real world operation you will also...

Page 105: ...mode When used with the ADAT format the term S MUX is commonly used Double Wire not only works with Single Speed signals but also with Double Speed As an example Pro Tools HD whose AES receiver trans...

Page 106: ...106 User s Guide MADIface XT RME...

Page 107: ...User s Guide MADIface XT RME 107 User s Guide MADIface XT Miscellaneous...

Page 108: ...then be installed into a standard 19 rack 32 Warranty Each individual MADIface XT undergoes comprehensive quality control and a complete test at IMM before shipping The usage of high grade components...

Page 109: ...dows 2000 Windows XP Windows Vista and Windows 7 are registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp Steinberg Cubase and VST are registered trademarks of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH ASIO...

Page 110: ...y 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 Connect the equipment into...

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