2496 help...

[johnnypraze]

Card and drivers are in fine, I been monitoring/playing music with no problem...

Heres the set-up:

Mic into Roland MMP-2 Pre amp

Roland Digital out to 2496 Digital in

Im using cakewalk pro 9 for tracking and cant get anything recorded.

My meters on my Roland in and outs are monitoring, so I dont think my problems there.

Ive read through the manuals and cant find a good tutorial or faq for this problem...

All help is much appreciated,
Thanks

 

[Stealthtech]

Check config in m-audio panel for spdif out
and in cakewalk you may also need to set it up for spdif-in and monitor........ on the desiginated track.

 

[johnnypraze]

Its set in both cakewalk and the delta control panel.

The master clock is set to "s/pdif in" when recording.

For the source in cakewalk I have:

Stereo M Audio Delta AP Multi Channel
Stereo M Audio Delta AP S/PDIF
Stereo M Audio Delta AP Mon. Mixer

Ive tried recording with all three and I get nuthing.

I get blank tracks when recording via S/PDIF but I get the straight line like theres input on the other two.

I tried recording on the sound recorder and nuthing...???

 

[johnnypraze]

^

 

[Bulls Hit]

Have you tried recording thru the analog ins & see if that works?

 

[Sklathill]

it's not just you...I have an MMP2 and an audiophile and I can't get a thing out of it into my Audiophile 2496 or my Emu 1280 via spdif. At my school, I also tried hooking it up to a DAT recorder and a Pro Tools mbox and a bona fide pro tools TDM rig. No go.

BUT...here's the kicker. The exact same unit works on a digital mixer and some digital speakers at the music store I bought it at. This is actually the second MMP I've owned and still can't get working SPDIF out.

I also tried the AES/EBU out...that works fine. Just that spdif that's annoying.

Neither Roland nor M-audio tech support has been able to figure out anything.

 

[Jim Y]

To get the s/pdif input working you have to switch from "internal" to "external clock" in the M-audio panel "Master Clock" section.
The panels s/pdif tab indicates if an input is valid and locked.

 

[Sklathill]

Setting to external clock in the M-audio panel will indicate that a valid signal is present and it locks to it. But it still doesn't get input. Same thing with my Emu (which can get input from the optical and coax spdif without locking to it), which also has no problem locking to it but still doesn't get anything. It just doesn't work...

It's very, very strange. I'm tempted to buy an M-audio co3 for 150 bucks to convert this sucker's aes/ebu...

 

[johnnypraze]

So are we screwed or possibly overlooking something...?

 

[Sklathill]

I'm...not sure. If I do figure out something, I'll let you know...really! Right now, though... :\

I don't mind too much right now since it's a darn good mic pre as is...

 

[lumbago]

Just tried Arp Odyssey (analog synth) into MMP-2 (analog in)

then MMP2 SP/DIF output into Roland M-1000 mixer digital input.

Works fine here without touching anything (first time).

Could it be the default frequency / bit setting on the card isn't matched to the MMP-2 output frequency / bit setting ?

 

[Jim Y]

Can you at least see any activity in the Delta monitor mixer Meters? If you select HW out 1/2 in the patchbay to be fed from the s/pdif (or the Monitor Mixer), any input should be repeated straight out to your monitors (assuming they're hooked up to the Audiophiles analog RCA outs), without having to use Cakewalk.

I don't know the mmp2, but I do have a Roland VS-840 multitrack and it feeds my Audiophiles s/pdif input just fine. I have a J-station that works with the s/pdif too.

It seems to me that the mmp-2' s/pdif is running (the card locks to it!) but it isn't sending any audio to it's s/pdif output. Is there some setting in the box?

Can you try some other box with an s/pdif out?

 

[Sklathill]

Yeah, my CD player feeds both of my cards' spdifs just fine. No setting in the box. The MMP manual actually states that all three outputs (1 analog, 2 digital) run all the time. There's nada.

I have a feeling that the problems is SPDIF implementation rather than either side of the equation simply not working. Like I said, the MMP feeds some digital speakers just fine and both of my cards see SPDIF input just fine...

 

[Jim Y]

Even given the same name on the box, maybe not all s/pdifs are created equal? There is a wide range of signal level with coax s/pdif, 0.5 to 5.0 volts! It's rare to see the spec written down. Only time I've come across it was for a C-media consumer sound chip which gave S/pdif in 0.5 to 5.0volt and s/pdif out 0.5volt. Why anyone would design to the bottom of the spec, I don't know.

Although my VS-840 works, I have seen posts by people with other VS models who when attempting to sync to a pc, had to arrange word clock sync from soundcard to VS, because the Roland s/pdif out wasn't "hot" enough to sync the card from.
Then again, if the signal is hot enough to get a lock, you'd think there would be some kind of audio getting thru'?

With regard to the MMP-2, a word with Roland support would seem to be in order.

 

[johnnypraze]

Sklathill,

How are you running the mmp-2 to your card now. Analog XLR to rcas? If so, What kind of adapter are you using?

What about something like this:

http://www.ayre.com/products/digadapt.htm

...something that will convert AES/EBU to s/pdif?



As for sound quality, which route would be best (ie: how much would sound quality actually suffer) converting from one source to another vs. going analog?

 

[Sklathill]

Eck...I never deal with converting to RCA. My studio (read: bedroom) is noisy and I get at least 20 db higher noisefloor with balanced to unbalanced. XLR to 1/4" TRS into my Emu. Monster Studiolinks (or was it interlinks?). (I don't use my Audiophile for much these days...actually trying to sell it. )

That converter looks kind of interesting. Actually, tomorrow, I'm going to pick up a Hosa CDL-313 that converts AES/EBU to coax s/pdif and see if that works. 65 bucks, the guy is telling me. I'll let people know if it works...

 

[johnnypraze]

I look forward to hearing if it works or not.

Oh,

...and what exactly does it mean to go from balanced to un-balanced? (ie: that convertor)

 

[Sklathill]

balanced cables have 3 conductors. rca is unbalanced (ie two conductor). The extra wire basically is factored in on the receiving side in order to cancel out any noise that enters the cable.

 

[Sklathill]

The Hosa CDL-313 is a no go. With the AES output to the Hosa with coax out to the Emu or the Audiophile, nothing. It locks to the signal but no actual audio. When I change the clock on the Roland, the Emu sees it and quickly locks to the new sample rate.

Just no audio. :\

 

[Sklathill]

Just want to note that I can't help anymore on this front. Returned it for store credit. i should note that one of the guys working there mentioned that Roland posted some sort of fix for an SPDIF problem with the MMP-2. I told him that despite searching the website and calling tech support at Roland numerous times, I was never aware of such a thing. Perhaps you other guys can forge ahead...

It's too bad...I rather liked the MMP-2's sound...