OMNI 7.1 order wrong?

[David Sandwisch]

Hi,

I'm installing an OMNI I/O on an HD Native system running 10.3.6 and I have noticed some weird behavior. (Mac OS 10.8.4)

When I have the monitor in the hardware setup dialog set to stereo, the correct audio comes out outputs 1 and 2 on the DB25 cable. The meters on the I/O also show correctly where I put the signal in PT.

When I have the monitor in the hardware setup dialog box set to 7.1, channels 2-5 are all out of order in a bizarre way on the DB25 cable. However the meters on the I/O correctly show me putting tone through channels 1 - 8. It acts like the pin out of the DB25 connector on the back doesn't match the DB25 snake I just purchased. The snake is an AVID snake.

Since the I/O correctly puts out the signal when only a stereo monitor is setup it makes me think the cable is correct.

My best guess is something is wrong internally in the OMNI where it displays correctly on the output meters but then incorrectly routes the 7.1 signal to the DB25 connector.

To work around this for now, I simply swapped the fan end of the DB25 cable around until the right channel matched the right input of the B-chain. Long story short, it's functioning as I want it but ideally I'd like my cable plugged in 1 - 8 on the sound board in the studio instead of swapping channels 2 - 5.

Has anyone heard of this problem?

All the PT dialog boxes correctly show the 7.1 order to be L, C, R, LSS, RSS, LSR, RSR, LFE. What's really strange is that routing audio to one channel at a time correctly appears on the output meters of the I/O but it just doesn't come out the DB25 cable on the right channel.

Ideas?

Thanks,
David

[KMcK]

Have you tried a hardware reset on the Omni yet?

[DetroitT]

In Hardware 7.1 Output for the omni
drag the output L R Lfe etc. icons to the outs you wish.
The Bus (in I/O setup) will then map correctly.
The meters will still show on the omni as 1 + 3 for LR but will be your LR out.

[T Marks]

Also try updating the firmware. I had a similar issue with the outputs and the firmware update fixed it.

[dwaynedelario]

Originally Posted by DetroitT

In Hardware 7.1 Output for the omni
drag the output L R Lfe etc. icons to the outs you wish.
The Bus (in I/O setup) will then map correctly.
The meters will still show on the omni as 1 + 3 for LR but will be your LR out.

Detroit is correct. If you are using the Omni's monitoring path, go to the hardware setup and set your outputs. If you select "none" in the hardware setup for monitoring, drag output icons around in the I/O menu.

And weird about the meters on the front! I just set up a 5.1 cutting room and to match the editor I had to use SMPTE layout (L R C Lfe Ls Rs), but the meters on the Omni still show LCR Ls Rs Lfe. I guess they reflect the meters in Pro Tools.

[David Sandwisch]

What I'm really trying to do is use the 7.1 monitoring path as 8 mono outputs since I don't need 7.1 monitoring. Seeing that is not an option in the hardware setup, I simply made a 7.1 monitor path in the hardware setup. Then in the I/O I made a 7.1 path with 8 mono subpaths.

All my meters in ProTools and the I/O correctly show me outputting to 1 - 8. They just don't come out the correct outputs of the DB25. 1, 6, 7 and 8 are correct. Channels 2 - 5 are all in a weird order on the cable.

If I simply make a stereo output in the hardware setup, the signals correctly come out of 1 and 2 on the DB25 cable. I have tried a quad monitor path as well as the 7.1 and both have the order messed up.

I was told by the tech who was helping me that he upgraded the box to the current firmware before completing the fresh PT 10.3.6 install so the box has never been tried with the firmware it came with. I can try flashing it again in a couple weeks when people come back from vacation.

It's a very strange problem and again one easily worked around by swapping cables on outputs 2 -5 but I'd like my cable plugged in 1 - 8 in order because that's how it's supposed to be and you never know if problems like this might be indicative of something more important in the future.

It's not a matter of simply dragging the channels around in the hardware setup to re-route them correctly. The point is, I shouldn't have to do anything. Every dialog box shows, L, C, R, Lss, Rss, Lsr, Rsr, LFE and that should correctly be 1 - 8.

Thanks,
David

[Bill Denton]

Originally Posted by David Sandwisch

What I'm really trying to do is use the 7.1 monitoring path as 8 mono outputs since I don't need 7.1 monitoring. Seeing that is not an option in the hardware setup, I simply made a 7.1 monitor path in the hardware setup. Then in the I/O I made a 7.1 path with 8 mono subpaths.

All my meters in ProTools and the I/O correctly show me outputting to 1 - 8. They just don't come out the correct outputs of the DB25. 1, 6, 7 and 8 are correct. Channels 2 - 5 are all in a weird order on the cable.

If I simply make a stereo output in the hardware setup, the signals correctly come out of 1 and 2 on the DB25 cable. I have tried a quad monitor path as well as the 7.1 and both have the order messed up.

I was told by the tech who was helping me that he upgraded the box to the current firmware before completing the fresh PT 10.3.6 install so the box has never been tried with the firmware it came with. I can try flashing it again in a couple weeks when people come back from vacation.

It's a very strange problem and again one easily worked around by swapping cables on outputs 2 -5 but I'd like my cable plugged in 1 - 8 in order because that's how it's supposed to be and you never know if problems like this might be indicative of something more important in the future.

It's not a matter of simply dragging the channels around in the hardware setup to re-route them correctly. The point is, I shouldn't have to do anything. Every dialog box shows, L, C, R, Lss, Rss, Lsr, Rsr, LFE and that should correctly be 1 - 8.

Thanks,
David

It's the 7.1 thing that's screwing you up...

As was noted, select "None" on the monitor setup.
Then choose "Stereo"* and route things however you want to....

*The manual doesn't mention it but if there's a "Mono" option you can use it.

[David Sandwisch]

While I don't have the OMNI in front of me and I can't look at it for another 1.5 weeks, I don't see how you can select "none" for a monitor path in the hardware setup. With the OMNI you have the MAIN and ALT paths, I selected none for the ALT but if you have none for the MAIN, how can you route anything out the outputs? A monitor path (MAIN or ALT) has to be available in the I/O section to route too. Is there a way to avoid the monitor section on the OMNI and get all 8 outs as if you have an 8 x 8 x 8 connected? I don't need any of the monitor controls and I'd rather defeat that part of the box so it doesn't screw up users. I don't see any way to avoid that based on the I/O manual.

I don't want a stereo output (i.e 2 outs), I want 8 outputs simultaneously. If I select a MONO output for the MAIN in the hardware option, then I can only have 1. Regardless of what I select in the hardware monitor setup, the channels should come out the correct cables on the DB25.

The best way I can describe it is the OMNI is acting like it internally is switching the order around before sending the audio out the DB25 cable but the meters are showing correctly the audio as in PT. For example if I put a tone on channel 2 in ProTools and 2 is correctly routed to center and center in the monitor hardware setup is 2, the OMNI meter shows tone on 2 but the audio comes out channel 4 on the DB25 snake. It's as if the DB25 snake is wired wrong, however that can't be the case because when a stereo monitor path is selected in the hardware setup, channel 2 (in stereo the right signal) correctly comes out 2 on the cable.

Thanks,
David

[dwaynedelario]

You can. First go to Hardware Setup/Monitor. Under Format, select "None" from the drop down menu at the top. Then go over to the Main tab in the same page. Select your outputs accordingly. The go back to the I/O page and set your assignments as you would on a 192 etc. If you do it this way, you bypass the monitor section of the OMNI and send audio directly out the DB25, so you can't use the front panel volume knob as a controller.

Oh and a quick note: you might have to re-assign the format chiclets in the top on the I/O window to Analog 1-2, 3-4 etc etc.