Talkback DIM possible?

[lucienpalmer]

I successfully setup a stereo monitor in DADman for the purpose of aggregating a stereo source from Pro Tools or the Stereo re-render from my hardware RMU, then using the S6 talkback mic to talk to the clients I'm broadcasting to.

Everything works great, except I want the original signals to be dimmed while talkback is pressed. The output is set to "TB, dim", but it doesn't dim, it cuts the original audio out completely and sends the mic input.

What am I missing?

[lucienpalmer]

This is starting to look like a bug. Using a continuous tone to test, you get a better idea of what is going on....

1- playback starts
2- press and release the talkback button
3- for a half second, the original signal is dimmed
4- then the original signal cuts completely for about 3 seconds
4- then the original signal comes back in dimmed for about 2-3 seconds.
5- this on/off cycle repeats until the talkback is turned off

I shot a bad video to illustrate. Any ideas appreciated. Hopefully it's user error.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/tk5zp...lsaahz6y0&dl=0

[gives]

Originally Posted by lucienpalmer

This is starting to look like a bug. Using a continuous tone to test, you get a better idea of what is going on....

1- playback starts
2- press and release the talkback button
3- for a half second, the original signal is dimmed
4- then the original signal cuts completely for about 3 seconds
4- then the original signal comes back in dimmed for about 2-3 seconds.
5- this on/off cycle repeats until the talkback is turned off

I shot a bad video to illustrate. Any ideas appreciated. Hopefully it's user error.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/tk5zp...lsaahz6y0&dl=0

I never got this far, so good for you. Maybe with my MTRX II and whenever the TB 3 gets here it might work better. no idea. Having issue right now with Louper and getting my cheap TB mic to work in that setup. I have no hardware console at the moment, but looking at that option now.

G

[BScout]

Originally Posted by lucienpalmer

I successfully setup a stereo monitor in DADman for the purpose of aggregating a stereo source from Pro Tools or the Stereo re-render from my hardware RMU, then using the S6 talkback mic to talk to the clients I'm broadcasting to.

Everything works great, except I want the original signals to be dimmed while talkback is pressed. The output is set to "TB, dim", but it doesn't dim, it cuts the original audio out completely and sends the mic input.

What am I missing?

What is the talkback mic routing (how is it getting into the MTRX)?
This sounds like a sample rate mismatch on summing to the output between your source and the talkback mic input. When you hear the dim tone, sample rates are locking between source and TB signal. When it cuts out, they do not align (and DADman drops summing/output when that happens)

Also, what's your DADman version and MTRX firmware version?

[lucienpalmer]

Originally Posted by BScout

What is the talkback mic routing (how is it getting into the MTRX)?
This sounds like a sample rate mismatch on summing to the output between your source and the talkback mic input. When you hear the dim tone, sample rates are locking between source and TB signal. When it cuts out, they do not align (and DADman drops summing/output when that happens)

Also, what's your DADman version and MTRX firmware version?

DADman is 5.6.9.1 and MTRX FW is 2.3.6.1

The whole room is locked to 48k. Try-level video + Sync HD + Lucid clock for distro.

The mic signal path:
mic -> S6 MTM (passive) -> Red 8Line mic in -> 8Line out Dante ch 32 -> MTRX Date ch 32 in -> DADman TB mic selected to Dante main ch 32.

The current stereo input the mic is mixing with in DADman is a stereo pre-render from a hardware RMU, coming in on MADI.

[BScout]

Can you make your TB input a "source" and then switch Broadcast monitor group to "sum" and see what happens on that Broadcast monitor? If you get steady talkback mic input with the normal source at the same time?

[lucienpalmer]

FIXED! I started thinking about the signal coming from the RMU, and noticed in DADman, there was a sync flag. I tried switching the MTRX sync source from internal to MADI, and the flag went away and the mic now dims without cutting out.

This has always been a weird behavior of the MTRX since I built this room. I would assume that its Sync Source should be internal (pro tools is in charge of clock), or word clock (sync hd is telling the house clock, which is being distributed to MTRX, RMU RME MADI, Red 8Line, etc). But with the RMU running, the MTRX also has sample lock issue unless MADI is selected. If I shut down the RMU, I switch back to internal.

[gives]

Originally Posted by lucienpalmer

fixed! I started thinking about the signal coming from the rmu, and noticed in dadman, there was a sync flag. I tried switching the mtrx sync source from internal to madi, and the flag went away and the mic now dims without cutting out.

This has always been a weird behavior of the mtrx since i built this room. I would assume that its sync source should be internal (pro tools is in charge of clock), or word clock (sync hd is telling the house clock, which is being distributed to mtrx, rmu rme madi, red 8line, etc). But with the rmu running, the mtrx also has sample lock issue unless madi is selected. If i shut down the rmu, i switch back to internal.

great info!

[ntp-jl]

Originally Posted by lucienpalmer

FIXED! I started thinking about the signal coming from the RMU, and noticed in DADman, there was a sync flag. I tried switching the MTRX sync source from internal to MADI, and the flag went away and the mic now dims without cutting out.

This has always been a weird behavior of the MTRX since I built this room. I would assume that its Sync Source should be internal (pro tools is in charge of clock), or word clock (sync hd is telling the house clock, which is being distributed to MTRX, RMU RME MADI, Red 8Line, etc). But with the RMU running, the MTRX also has sample lock issue unless MADI is selected. If I shut down the RMU, I switch back to internal.

All settings in the MTRX are done in DADman. Pro Tools does not control any settings.

You must therefore set MTRX sync source to Word Clock in DADman, otherwise you will have sync problems. I would not choose MADI from the RMU as sync source as it requires the RMU is always on.

[lucienpalmer]

Originally Posted by ntp-jl

All settings in the MTRX are done in DADman. Pro Tools does not control any settings.

You must therefore set MTRX sync source to Word Clock in DADman, otherwise you will have sync problems. I would not choose MADI from the RMU as sync source as it requires the RMU is always on.

That is what I thought, too, but it's not behaving that way. Setting the MTRX in DADman to word clock source works as expected if I'm working on a 5.1 mix inside Pro Tools. But when I do an Atmos mix and I'm running through the Dell hardware RMU, Dadman gives me a sync flag on the MADI input of the matrix, and there are occasional cascading clicks through the monitors. If I change its sync source to MADI, the flag goes away, and I have no clicks (and as we just found the talkback mic DIM works with this setting too)

Connection to the hardware RMU is via an RME MADI card with TCO option. Source is 64 ch from the MTRX MADI outs and 64 ch from an Avid MADI. House clock is getting clock from the Sync HD, and outputs to the MTRX, Avid MADI, and TCO option card of the RMU.

It defies logic, but it works. That is the workaround I've had to do since I built this room in 2018. That said, switching sync for Atmos sessions is a PITA, so if you have a suggestion of something to check/try, I'd love to hear about it!