Pro Tools V8 with SSL Delta Link MADI HD

[nasher]

hello, has anyone out there used SSL Delta Link MADI HD interfaces with Pro Tools V8 ?

V7.x works strait away but V8 has bad audio (distortion etc)

[kptkarl]

working here...what is the MADI going to/from?

[nasher]

Hi,

Pro Tools V8.0 on a Mac Pro 'Nehalem' 16GB RAM OSX 10.5.8
HD3 Accel Core System. 2 x SSL Delta Link MADI HD Interfaces with 2 x Opti-Coax Format Converters. MADI I/O to a Euphonix Console.

Lots of distortion on outputs

[derF]

No problems going MADI into AMS Neve Gemini. 8 or 8.0.1.

[nasher]

Hi man,

thanks for that. Very strange indeed. Spent 3 or 4 hours today trying to get this to work. In the substituted Pro Tools system with another (running V7) and worked immediately. Can't figure it out (yet)

[nasher]

It's a Euphonix System 5

[M2E]

I always wanted to know if these worked with Pro Tools. Will you still get delay compensation or do you have to connect a 192 for this to happen?
Do these sound any better than the 192's or have you ever tested these between the 2?

Marc

[Eric Seaberg]

We've got two of them on our SSL C200 to ProTools HD4 supplying 128-I/O both directions. It works great, BUT after installing 8.0 you MUST confirm the settings for DeltaLink. Do you have the manual? Look for the page that shows you how to 'toggle' settings on the 'analog out' page in the hardware settings.

I also discovered some info on SSL's site that gets further into it. I assume you've got wordclock going to the DeltaLink from your master clock source? After updating to PT8 I had to do this:

In a Pro Tools system with the SYNC IO enabled and slaving to external wordclock, with the same wordclock feeding two Delta-Links, the Delta-Link that is attached to the HD Core card fails to lock (slow blink, indicating incorrect sample rate, even though all devices and the session are at the same sample frequency).

It appears that when making frequent sample rate, session, or other power cycle changes, the SYNC IO may "stick" in a certain sample rate or end up in a different clock source mode.To resolve this issue:

Within Pro Tools SETUP/PERIPHERALS menu, disable the SYNC Peripheral.

Within SETUP/HARDWARE, on all 192 units that appear, change the CLOCK SOURCE to INTERNAL. At this point the Delta-Link should lock.

Now you may re-enable the SYNC Peripheral, set it back to its correct clock source (this must be identical to what is clocking the Delta-Link), and the fault should be cleared.

More information as to your setup would be helpful...

[nasher]

Originally Posted by Eric Seaberg

We've got two of them on our SSL C200 to ProTools HD4 supplying 128-I/O both directions. It works great, BUT after installing 8.0 you MUST confirm the settings for DeltaLink. Do you have the manual? Look for the page that shows you how to 'toggle' settings on the 'analog out' page in the hardware settings.

I also discovered some info on SSL's site that gets further into it. I assume you've got wordclock going to the DeltaLink from your master clock source? After updating to PT8 I had to do this:



More information as to your setup would be helpful...

Mac Pro 10.5.8
2 x 2.26 GHz Quad Core Intel Zeon
16GB Ram
HD3 System running PT 8.0

Connecting to 2 x SSL Delta Link MADI HD and a SYNC HD.

The Delta Links and SYNC HD are all getting fed the same direct Word Clock @ 48k from a clocking unit. Everything is locked and all the hardware seems happy (solid lights, no flashing etc.) Taking 2 x MADI outputs from the Delta Link Opti Coax boxes into the Euphonix System 5 console @ 56 i/o which is all the console can receive. Have been into the Hardware settings and made sure the toggle settings on the Analog out page are correct according to the manual - i.e everything on 'a' indicating 56 i/o. Outputting tone from Tools has the first 48 channels with distorted audio and the second with intermittent levels on the desk bouncing all over the place.

We have eliminated all the patching/cables by running audio from another system into the same channels, using the same 2 MADI streams and the audio is clean. We then tested the 2 x Delta Link boxes on another system which was running a single Delta Link with PT 7.3.1 onto the same model console, using exactly the same settings in tools and they both worked straight away without any problems.

In order to get a solution, we then brought in 6 x 192's and 2 x RME boxes and outputted the MADI through the same 2 streams, into the same desk, using the same patching and cables and the same Mac Pro HD3 system and it worked straight away.

Therefore it seems to me that the problem lies between my specific Mac Pro set-up and compatibility with these Delta Link boxes. Obviously I want to get to the bottom of this problem so we can use the Delta Link's going forward.

Any ideas at all?

Thanks.

[Eric Seaberg]

Originally Posted by M2E

I always wanted to know if these worked with Pro Tools. Will you still get delay compensation or do you have to connect a 192 for this to happen?
Do these sound any better than the 192's or have you ever tested these between the 2?

Marc

Yes, you still get Delay Compensation and they sound like the SSL (or whatever you're connecting to), not 192HDs. Besides that, in our setup, we DIDN'T have to buy 8-192HDs saving many thousands of dollars for something we didn't need!!

If you have ANYTHING with MADI, this is a GREAT way to connect it directly to the Digi cards in your computer.