HD Omni Optical Input Level low?

[thebeatless]

I recently reset my omni settings to default and reloaded the firmware while troubleshooting an issue, and now audio playing from my computer to the omni's optical input is showing up 2db lower than it should. If I play a file that I know is hitting 0 or even clipping, it never really gets above -1.8 or so on the meter in a pro tools aux. I've tested it with multiple computers to rule out system playback volume. I'm used to seeing the input meters hitting red, and this is making it annoying to compare mixes to tidal/apple music/spotify. (No, it's not just the streaming service normalizing things. I get the same result with a wav file) Also doing another reset/firmware install didn't snap it out of this.

Avid said I should send it to them for a firmware downgrade? If this is a hardware issue, it's probably cheaper to just buy a replacement used omni.

Anyone else ever see this?


Thanks!

Adam

[thebeatless]

Well, this makes no sense, but I tried a different HDMI cable for my display and all is well. Levels are back to normal.

[Darryl Ramm]

Are you sure this is not a pan law issue somehow creeping in? Unclear what is stereo or mono here, the original signal, the aux etc. hen I see things like this I go back to pure mono tests and check. Just a quick comment. You may already habe tried all that... and unclear if that was a related issue why it would change.

[JFreak]

It can also be reference mismatch. For example, on my Apogee Symphony control application I can set ref.level to anything between -12 and -20 -- obviously meters will change accordingly.

[thebeatless]

I left some details out of my original post. I'm running HDMI from my "Machine room" to the control room, and using an HDMI optical extractor to get optical to the omni before HDMI goes to my display. I then use the mixer in the omni to keep the computer audio on even if pro tools is not open. I've been doing this for years without issue. I recently moved things around in my room to accommodate new studio monitors, and I must have accidentally used the 2nd HDMI run I have, and that cable is somehow attenuating the digital audio signal?! Swapping to the other HDMI cable has 100% resolved the issue. I really don't understand how or why, but everything worked perfectly all day today. These are "active" HDMI cables, so I'm guessing one has just gone bad?

Thanks again!

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by thebeatless

I left some details out of my original post. I'm running HDMI from my "Machine room" to the control room, and using an HDMI optical extractor to get optical to the omni before HDMI goes to my display. I then use the mixer in the omni to keep the computer audio on even if pro tools is not open. I've been doing this for years without issue. I recently moved things around in my room to accommodate new studio monitors, and I must have accidentally used the 2nd HDMI run I have, and that cable is somehow attenuating the digital audio signal?! Swapping to the other HDMI cable has 100% resolved the issue. I really don't understand how or why, but everything worked perfectly all day today. These are "active" HDMI cables, so I'm guessing one has just gone bad?

Thanks again!

You can't "attenuate" the signal in HDMI cables. What exact HDMI to optical converter are you using to drive TOSLINK into the Omni? If that is capable of digital audio format conversion then one guess is you might accidentally be outputting non-PCM signals from the Mac and then covering them back to PCM on TOSLINK.

[Sugarnutz]

What may have changed with the firmware reset is the optical format changed from SPDIF to ADAT or vice-versa on the Omni. Maybe something to check.