Question about Sonar4 and 2496 configs; with pics!

[biggestmuff]

Everything is going well recording with my DAW. I would like to know why these "Multi" in/outs are appearing in my menus.

Here are my Options -> Audio settings from Sonar:

Playback Timing Master Setting

What is this Multi 1/2 and Multi 3/4?! It doesn't make any sense to me.

Record Timing Master Settings

Why is it showing Multi 1/2, Multi 3/4 and Multi 5/6?

Advanced Tab

Drivers Tab

Driver Profiles Tab


Here's what the Audiophile 2496 Control Panel looks like:

2496 Patch/Router Settings

2496 Hardware Settings

2496 SPDIF Settings

Do the 2496 panel settings look alright? What about having the signal level output set to -10 dBV?

Thanks!

 

[Jim Y]

There's two kinds of driver channels provided by the M-audio Delta driver. Traditional and Multichannel. A "channel" is one stereo pair that may also be used as two mono channels, be it analog or s/pdif.

Use Multichannel when you record or playback using more than one of the channels at the same time. Reason is that multichannel contains all the possible channels under one set of controls which will run together in-sync more efficiently.

Traditional channels are seperate stereo pairs, and are able to be used seperately by seperate applications, as they won't need to be in sync. So, for instance - Out 1/2 for windows sounds playback and s/pdif Out for a wave editor using an external DAC.

All of this is more relevent for an interface with far more channels, like the Delta1010, but the AP2496 uses the same driver, so you get the same options.

In the AP2496, the channels match up like this...

Inputs:
1/2 = multi 1/2
s/pdif = multi 3/4
Monitor Mix = multi 5/6 (this allows you to record the cards output, which you might want to do to record from a streaming media player from the web).

Outputs
1/2 = multi 1/2
s/pdif = multi 3/4

In Sonar, with so few channels in use and only one card, it doesn't make a lot of difference which you pick. I prefer the seperate traditional names as you can see what they are and I never record more than one or two tracks at a time. So I'd disable in Sonars drivers tab all the multi's leaving only 1/2 and s/pdif for playback and recording which simplifies the choices you see when picking a channel.

The timing masters should simply be one of the channels actually in use. Normally, with the driver choices above, playback and recording masters would be 1/2. If you decide to use the multi channels instead, the masters should be one of those each.

Interestingly, the new Audiophile192 doesn't present the multi channels, nor a monitor mix record channel.

Multichannel is also needed for surround sound support in Windows, although the AP2496 itself doesn't actually have enough channels for it.

Your Delta control panel settings look right. It shows an external s/pdif input being used, don't forget to put it back on internal clock when the external device is off! Keep your eye on the sample-rate displayed, there are circumstances when it won't switch to the one required, such as if you've checked the "rate locked" option.

 

[biggestmuff]

Wow, thanks for the great explanation.

I've been pulling out my hair trying to figure it out. I see how the Multi's now line up with the card's ins and outs. I'm still don't quite understand why you'd select Multi 1/2 over the regular 1/2 inputs. Would you select the Multi 1/2 input if you were recording say two different signals, say an acoustic guitar and a vocal? You'd still be able to do that with the regular 1/2 input, though.

 

[Jim Y]

You ought (in theory) use multi if you wanted to record more than 2 tracks (more than one driver channel which is a stereo pair). With the 2496 that is only likely to happen if you add an external device with an s/pdif out like an ADC or digital FX unit to it's s/pdif input.
For example...
Trk 1 = Multi 1/2 left
Trk 2 = Multi 1/2 right
Trk 3 = Multi 3/4 Stereo

With so few channels involved, I don't find any advantage to using the multi rather than the seperate ones. There may be slightly less work for the driver (and therefore your CPU) with multi because as I said, it apparently runs all the channels together. However, it does this even if they arn't all being used, so for the simple 2in - 2out DAW, the traditional seperates ought to best. I'd imagine with a Delta1010, which can supply 10 seperate inputs (if you also add an external ADC to it's s/pdif), the extra efficiency with the multichannels would count for more. That said, with computers getting far more powerful than they were when these cards first came to market, it's probably an insignificant difference in practice.

I've gleaned this from some M-audio FAQ and odd snippets that they included in some driver readme.txt once upon a time. In fact, the Multi channels were announced as being specifically for Sonar, but I haven't found any advantage with them. I suspect it's probably more relevant with the M-audio cards that have far more channels like the 1010's.

Some interfaces only provide a multichannel driver, which is ok with Sonar, but there are still a few programs like Adobe Audition (used to be Cool Edit Pro) that can only "see" all the channels if they're traditional seperates.

The thing with Multichannel drivers is that it's up to the program to decode all the channels to give you the choice of them as Sonar can do. Look in Windows control panel for Sounds and you'll probably find it only has one Multi entry for your Audiophile, proving that it's actually one driver "device" containing all of the cards channels, but for Windows sounds, the system can't see those seperate channels - it will default to the first stereo pair (1/2) in the multi if you select it.

If you try the ASIO driver mode instead, it too is multichannel and the channel numbers correspond the same as the multi ones do in WDM/KS mode.

 

[biggestmuff]

Thanks, Jim. This is by far one of the best, most thorough and articulate responses that I've ever gotten in a forum. I'm saving this thread. I do believe that I fully understand what this card is doing. Thanks again.