ADAT S/MUX Channel Assignments Feature Request

[dcboucher]

I'm using a MTRX Studio almost like a standalone monitor controller in order to employ the SPQ room correction and EuCon control. One of my sources is via ADAT S/MUX. The problem is when I change sample rates. At FSx1, The channel order is as suspected, ADAT 1 (1-8). At FSx2, I have to pick ADAT 1 (1-4) and ADAT 2 (1-4). I'd like the box to be smart enough to know that there are 8 inputs, regardless of sample rate. I think the way to do this would be to treat the ADAT format as a single 16 channel bank that reduces to 8 at FSx2. I can't see any advantage to the way it is now. So at 48K, your choices are ADAT 1-16 and at 96K, your choices are 1-8. Right now, I'm using different monitor profiles and DADMan presets as a workaround.

Also, why is there no "Adapt to WC" so that the box shifts when the incoming WC shifts? If the sync source is WC, The box seems to accept any multiple of that WC without recognizing the difference between 48K and 96K and 192K.

Thanks,
-d

[BScout]

What is your input to the ADATs? Can't you always (whether FSx1 or FSx2) just feed source 1-4 on ADAT1 1-4 and source 5-8 on ADAT2 1-4 from whatever your source is?

I'm sure from a representational standpoint in DADman, anything can be laid out to look like anything else. But it's incorrect from a physical connection idea. Each port is represented by 1 input block (same for digilink or MADI or anything else in DADman.) If someone saw 1-8 (@96k), they may think only port 1 needs to be plugged in. MADI and Dante are also multiplexing, should they also be represented by a unified block even when channels half (and you need multiple connections)?

[dcboucher]

Thanks, BScout. Both are very good points and I'll try the workaround you suggested. The source is my Symphony I/O being addressed by Pro Tools over TBolt. The Symphony is a much more user friendly box in core audio mode because you can employ Symphony Control which I find to be much easier to use than the front panel. I'll report back. Typically i don't think users who don't know technical details like that ADAT is limited to 48K and reaches higher sample rates over S/MUX should be the target for a box as complicated and "professional" as the MTRX Studio, but it is such a good fit and bang for the buck in the Pro Tools world, that my opinion doesn't really apply here.

Thanks for the input.

-d

[dcboucher]

Just reporting back. So the Symphony sees the digital card as 8 channels regardless of 48K v. 96K. The S/MUX is provided purely for higher sample rates so there's no "ADAT 1" and "ADAT 2." I'm pretty sure that's how converters I have used in the past have operated as well, with AD to ADAT just dropping the last 8 when jumping to 96K. The MTRX Studio seems to be the outlier but I obviously haven't seen every interface and I do remember the ancient days of higher sampling rates with Digidesign converters having some strange channel mapping.

When I look at all 8 channel devices, products like the Focusrite OctoPre suffer the same fate. The folks at Black Lion and SSL have a mult at base sample rates so your workaround wouldn't seem to work there either. It's really about the receiver accepting channels in order and not in blocks according to hardware.

Look at the connection blocks in the picture attached. What does ADAT1 and 48 refer to when the sample rate is 96KHz? That connection block should be a singular ADAT block that reflects a channel count available at the current sample rate and the sample rate listed next to that ADAT should reflect the current sample rate, not the base rate.

Hopefully I'm just missing something.

With respect to the clocking issue I asked about, well that's just bananas to have it not recognize the difference between 48/96/192. If you ask the MTRX Studio to adapt to ADAT1, it doesn't recognize the differences between base rates and multiples (obviously). Why is there no adapt to WC?

Best to you all,

-d

[creativecontrol]

Greetings,

From your attached screen grab, DADman sees a valid input signal at 48k on ADAT port 1 with 8 channels active. The vertical SR label always shows the detected Sample Rate at Input, and the status (green) indicating Locked clock and valid input presence.


best,


Jeff

[dcboucher]

Thanks, Jeff. I think you've pointed out the problem better than me. That's not a valid 48K input signal. It's a multiplexed 96K signal.

Best,

-d

Originally Posted by creativecontrol

Greetings,

From your attached screen grab, DADman sees a valid input signal at 48k on ADAT port 1 with 8 channels active. The vertical SR label always shows the detected Sample Rate at Input, and the status (green) indicating Locked clock and valid input presence.


best,


Jeff