Real time SR conversion via spdif - Avid HD IO

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by Eric Lambert

I don't have the added digital IO card, so... that means I'm out of luck with the realtime conversion idea?

Oh, yep Eric you are out of luck. No chassis digital connectors support sample rate conversion.

So... you can pick up HD IO digital cards for under $500 on EBay if you have a slot free and then go from S/PDIF to AES/EBU.

Alternately if you have DigiLink capacity, add a 192 IO box which has sample rate conversion on the digital daughter cards as well and you should be able to pick up as a whole 192 I/O with digital (and analog) cards for a few hundred dollars.

Or... you really want a new MTRX anyhow right? (sample rate conversion on AES/EBU as well)

BTW please let us know what you think of the Ox... what a kitchen sink of features (but doh should have had AES/EBU out for pro-studio use)... but UAD themselves just don't do much AES/EBU on their interfaces (a pet peeve of mine).

[Darryl Ramm]

Oh just in case you have an Omni laying around... they have sample rate conversion on their inputs... including S/PDIF coax and optical.

Omni on EBay... ~$800-$1k?

[Eric Lambert]

The OX is fantastic. It's early in the game but it's been exceeding my expectations which have been high for this kind of thing. The only gripe I have at this point is the issue of this thread. Yes, the lack of an AES connection feels like a mistake for this product.

[originalscottyg]

Originally Posted by Eric Lambert

Yes, the lack of an AES connection feels like a mistake for this product.

I'd say the lack of any other sample rates than 44.1kHz is the biggest mistake IMO.

[Eric Lambert]

Originally Posted by originalscottyg

I'd say the lack of any other sample rates than 44.1kHz is the biggest mistake IMO.

The option for 48, or higher, would be nice.

[Eric Lambert]

I compared the digital and analog outs and digital has a slight edge. More detail, faster attacks, more bite. The usual.

Some of this detail would be lost in a 44.1-->48 conversion so I'm not sure which is the lesser of two evils -- analog or a SR conversion -- but I'm going to continue to search for a graceful way to get this signal to 48k.

[originalscottyg]

Originally Posted by Eric Lambert

The option for 48, or higher, would be nice.

My first thought was, why not run it at 48kHz. I had to download the manual to see for myself. The idea that someone would make a new piece of gear with digital outputs that only work at 44.1kHz is mind-boggling to me. I wonder what the reasoning behind that decision was.

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by originalscottyg

My first thought was, why not run it at 48kHz. I had to download the manual to see for myself. The idea that someone would make a new piece of gear with digital outputs that only work at 44.1kHz is mind-boggling to me. I wonder what the reasoning behind that decision was.

I suspect it is all to do with driving the speaker emulation etc. software. Which may upconvert internally to further complicate things. I expect UAD want to optimize for that/simplify things by supporting one sample rate. Anyhow the decision is likely to be lead by that not just simple digital input/output implementation... there are no reasons there.

IIRC UAD has sample rate conversion on all their interfaces, and only do AES/EBU on their Apollo 16... so I think they blinded themselves to some mistakes here.

[Eric Lambert]

So... anyone know of a small, external, high-quality sample rate convertor?

(but seriously, I do need one)

[Darryl Ramm]

None of the Avid interface ideas work? The only high-quality converters I have seen in use are the various RMI models, not cheap.