SPDIF question for audiophile 192 card

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sarsipius

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I've never used SPDIF before but I'm wondering if it will work for this:

I currently record my drums by mixing 8 mic's down to L and R output with my mixer. I run that to the L and R TRS inputs of my M-Audio 192. I want to record my drums while our guitar player plays a scratch track but I need another input so I can monitor the guitar through the PC and recording software. So basically I need to utilize another input on the 192 for guitar. The MIDI input is out so that leaves the SPDIF.

If we run the guitar through my Line 6 guitar port software on a laptop using a soundblaster audigy card (which I think has SPDIF conversion for the output) can I run that output from the laptop to the SPDIF input of the 192? It would need to be through a cable that is 3.5mm trs plug on one end and RCA SPDIF on the other.

The reason I don't want to just monitor the guitar outside the PC is that I want to have both the click track and the guitar in my headphones together. it would also be nice to record the scratch track at the same time as the drums in case it turns out to be a usable track.
 
sarsipius said:
If we run the guitar through my Line 6 guitar port software on a laptop using a soundblaster audigy card (which I think has SPDIF conversion for the output) can I run that output from the laptop to the SPDIF input of the 192?
Click to expand...

No.

S/PDIF is a connective protocol at the input and output stage. If the Audigy has a S/PDIF output (most always 75 ohm RCA cable) then of course you can run S/PDIF out to the 192 S/DIF in.

There is no "internal" convert S/DIF to 3.5mm plug. Wouldn't make sense.
 
thanks for the reply. What I don't understand then is why the control console for the soundblaster card on my laptop has setting for SPDIF in and out. The 3.5mm jacks on the card are also labled "optical" but I'm not familiar with what type of connector would be used for that.
 
I believe I am incorrectly labeling the jacks on the soundblaster card. they are standard 1/8 in type headphone jacks for the in and out but they are also labled optical.
 
sarsipius said:
I believe I am incorrectly labeling the jacks on the soundblaster card. they are standard 1/8 in type headphone jacks for the in and out but they are also labled optical.
Click to expand...

S/PDIF isn't a cable standard. It's an encoding that can be run over either an optical connection or a wire.

The SB card has optical S/PDIF built into an 1/8" mini analog audio jack. If you plugged an 1/8" optical plug into the SB, it goes in farther than an analog plug and triggers a switch that enables the optical transmitter or receiver inside the connector. That optical signal is S/PDIF. The TRS part of the connector is just analog audio.

The Audiophile has coaxial S/PDIF. Thus, you would need an optical to coaxial S/PDIF adapter to go from the SB to the AudioPhile and/or a coaxial to optical S/PDIF adapter to go the other way.
 
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dgatwood said:
If you plugged an 1/8" optical plug into the SB, it goes in farther than an analog plug and triggers a switch that enables the optical transmitter or receiver inside the connector. That optical signal is S/PDIF.
Click to expand...

Wow?!?? That's clever. I stand corrected. I've never heard of an analog/optical port.
 
Joseph Hanna said:
[

Wow?!?? That's clever. I stand corrected. I've never heard of an analog/optical port.
Click to expand...

Yeah. A lot of laptops have them, too (the MacBook and MacBook Pro, for example). When you are space constrained for connector real estate and you have to have analog I/O anyway, it is easier to deal with those than with TOSLINK connectors. The primary use for those, of course, is not recording, but rather hooking up to home stereo systems that use optical S/PDIF (TOSLINK). Either way, it's still S/PDIF, just optical.
 
Thanks for your replies. I went out and bought an optical to coax SPDIF converter. I got an optical cable that is 3.55mm on one end and toslink on the other. I run that from the laptop sound card to the converter and then use RCA coax out of the converter into the M-Auidio card. Works like a champ.

Thanks for your help.

It is pretty cool that you can use headphones and optical in the same jack.
 
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