Problems connecting Dangerous AD+ via ADAT to DAD Ax64 (MTRX Studio). Help Please..

[vsestudios]

Hi Guys, I thank you in advance for your help.

I have an AX64 DAD (very similar to MTRX Studio) and I am trying to connect a Dangeorus Coconversor AD+ through its ADAT 1 input. DADman does not recognize the signal sent from Dangerous Conversor AD+.

I try to route it but the signal does not arrive. It also doesn't work if I simply connect an ordinary CD player through its ADAT output. The cable appears to be correct.

Connection Diagram:

Mixer Analog SUMMING -> Dangeroius AD+ (Adat Out) -> DAD AX64 (Adat 1 In) 1.

I can't get that digital audio through the Dangerous AD+ to the DADax64 (MTRX Studio)

Can anybody help me? I put a screenshot of the routing matrix..

https://ibb.co/DkS4T1n
https://ibb.co/DkS4T1n

Thank you so much.

[uptheoctave]

How are you clocking this?
Pls explain what is the clock master and if you are using wordclock or not.

Show me the AX64 sync tab pls.

[Darryl Ramm]

Lets start by fixing terminology.

A CD player will not have an ADAT output.

The physical optical link here is TOSLINK. On a CD Player it will carry stereo S/PDIF. It is useless for checking an ADAT connection.

TOSLINK can also be used to carry ADAT. ADAT and S/PDIF are completely incompatible formats. You can only connect TOSLINK output carrying S/PDIF to an input expecting S/PDIF etc.

Some audio devices, like your AX64, will let you configure a TOSLINK output or input to be S/PDIF or ADAT. You have to be careful what they are set to.

So are you really using the ADAT not S/PDIF output of the AD+ and are you really going into the "ADAT" input of the AX64 and is it actually configured to be ADAT not S/PDIF? (... yes to the later from you screenshots).

And you are really sure you have outputs feeding to inputs?

And as with any digital connection like this how have you set up clocking? Is the AX64 clocking from its ADAT input and the AD+ clocking internally or are you using wordclock?

All that done and checked then try a different TOSLINK cable, make sure each end is fully seated, there is no contamination, dust etc in the optical sockets, no stupid protective clear caps on the cable ends, and make sure you can see the red laser light at the end of cable.

[vsestudios]

uptheoctave thank you very much for your help.

No, the master clock is internal on the part of the DADax64. However, I have tried to do something simpler which is to connect the Digital Out output of a CD player to the ADAT1 input of the DAD ax64. And it doesn't work either.

https://ibb.co/N6VXwDt
https://ibb.co/ZTctrKC

I am attaching more screenshots that you request.

Thank you very much once again.

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by vsestudios

No, the master clock is internal on the part of the DADax64. However, I have tried to do something simpler which is to connect the Digital Out output of a CD player to the ADAT1 input of the DAD ax64. And it doesn't work either.

both boxes *have* to be clocked together.

If the AX64 is clocked internally that will only work if you have the AD+ clocking from the AX64 like through wordclock.... do you?

Again, why are you wasting time with a CD player?, it's the wrong format, and even if you set the formats to agree you still need to have both boxes clocked correctly.

In these setups you should really be using wordclock. If you have never done that get yourself some proper BNC to BNC digital/75 ohm cable and connect up these boxes wordclock as described in the documentation with the AX64 driving the wordclock output.

[vsestudios]

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

Lets start by fixing terminology.

A CD player will not have an ADAT output.

The physical optical link here is TOSLINK. On a CD Player it will carry stereo S/PDIF. It is useless for checking an ADAT connection.

TOSLINK can also be used to carry ADAT. ADAT and S/PDIF are completely incompatible formats. You can only connect TOSLINK output carrying S/PDIF to an input expecting S/PDIF etc.

Some audio devices, like your AX64, will let you configure a TOSLINK output or input to be S/PDIF or ADAT. You have to be careful what they are set to.

So are you really using the ADAT not S/PDIF output of the AD+ and are you really going into the "ADAT" input of the AX64 and is it actually configured to be ADAT not S/PDIF? (... yes to the later from you screenshots).

And you are really sure you have outputs feeding to inputs?

And as with any digital connection like this how have you set up clocking? Is the AX64 clocking from its ADAT input and the AD+ clocking internally or are you using wordclock?

All that done and checked then try a different TOSLINK cable, make sure each end is fully seated, there is no contamination, dust etc in the optical sockets, no stupid protective clear caps on the cable ends, and make sure you can see the red laser light at the end of cable.

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

both boxes *have* to be clocked together.

If the AX64 is clocked internally that will only work if you have the AD+ clocking from the AX64 like through wordclock.... do you?

Again, why are you wasting time with a CD player?, it's the wrong format, and even if you set the formats to agree you still need to have both boxes clocked correctly.

Darryl Ramm thank you very much for all your help... I am new to ADAT connections and also with adding other AD+ converters to my Setup. I apologize for that.

I know that each ADAT input/output of my DADax64 contains 8 channels and that of my Dangerous AD+ is only 2. Could this be a problem?

I would also like you to recommend a quality Toslink cable.

Thank you once again for your help.

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by vsestudios

Darryl Ramm thank you very much for all your help... I am new to ADAT connections and also with adding other AD+ converters to my Setup. I apologize for that.

I know that each ADAT input/output of my DADax64 contains 8 channels and that of my Dangerous AD+ is only 2. Could this be a problem?

I would also like you to recommend a quality Toslink cable.

Thank you once again for your help.

ADAT can carry from 1 to 8 channels. An ADAT output only sending 2 channels will work fine into an ADAT input expecting 8 inputs, just obviously only two will work. You still need to have proper clocking (eg clock from the ADAT input or use wordclock or some other way to distribute the clock).

Not to go down a rat hole here... but ADAT supports up to 8 channels at lower sample rates, less at higher rates using "S/MUX" (if the device supports S/MUX) to combine channels to get higher rates. Both ends here likely support S/MUX and you will see the number of ADAT channels on the AX64 go from 8 to 4 to 2 if you increase the sample rate.... that is different than the AD+ just say using using 2 of its available 8 channels of ADAT at lower sample rates. So just make this easy and make sure the sample rates match as well (even if the AX64 can do sample rate conversion).

TOSLINK cables tend to be pretty good/robust, I frankly use Amazon basics brand TOSLINK cables... although I do like the nice looking cable RME includes with their their products, I just have no idea where to buy it. I have spent time chasing problems with damaged/abused TOSLINK cables, TOSLINK sockets with unneeded cable clear protective caps jammed in them, etc. I am much fussier about say the brand of MADI optical cables as an example. And I use a custom cable provider (Blue Jeans cable) to make up 75 ohm wordclock cables... all color coded yellow.

[uptheoctave]

Firstly, as Darryl says, you need to clock one off the other.
Something has to be the master here.

You have a slight issue here because the Dangerous doesn’t have digital in, so you can’t clock it off the AX64 just by the digital signal alone.

So either make the Dangerous the master and the AX64 the slave, or make the AX64 the master and the Dangerous the slave and use wordclock.
You will need the appropriate coaxial cable, 75 ohm.
I would do the latter and have the AX64 as the master.

You can also change the AX64’s Adat ports to be s/pdif.
If you do that then use the optical s/pdif output on the dangerous, not the adat output.

As Darryl says too, you can’t connect a cd player over adat but if it has a toslink port then it will be optical s/pdif.

You still need a clock master regardless.

If you are stuck for a manual for the AX64 then the MTRX II manual does. Good job in this regard, but not in the areas we are talking about because the MTRX II doesn’t have adat.

The MTRX Studio does though so maybe having both manuals might help?

I don’t know anyone else with an AX64 other than me, how are you finding it?

[vsestudios]

Hi guys. I got new cables and following your instructions the Adat1 connection of my DADax64 seems to be giving the correct connectivity.

I connected a "wc out" cable from the DADax64 out to the "wc in" of the Dangerous. Everything seems to be synchronized correctly. Therefore, DADax64 is the master and Dangerous is the slave.

I have the problem now to route the Adat1 (DAD) input in Pro Toos. I currently use the direct connection of the Dangerous AD+ through its internal USB connection (Audio Core), but I would like to use the Adat input of the DAD in pro tools to print the audio there directly since this way gives me many more monitoring options.

The audio input labeled “Dangerous AD+” is the Dangerous direct USB connection. (I attach a photo).

My question is... Why doesn't the DAD ADAT1 input (1/2) appear in Pro Tools? I can't capture the audio signal in pro tools that reaches the ADAT1 of my DAD.

I attach screenshots.

https://ibb.co/tMmK3kQ
https://ibb.co/SXPcFDt
https://ibb.co/ZdH7x6b --> I tried routing output 1/2 of ADAT1 through input 13/14 via Core Audio. But it doesn't work either.

Thank you all.

[Darryl Ramm]

I'm a DADman virgin but looks like ADAT 1 is going to the DA aka analog output of the MTRX in the first screenshot, and not the Thunderbolt--so that won't help you. Looks partially mapped to the Thunderbolt in the last screenshot. So that's better but why not just map all 8 (or 4 or whatever) ADAT ports to the Thunderbolt... I have no idea what ADAT channels the AD+ uses, you would hope 1,2 but who knows. Or try it using S/PDIF to S/PDIF.

And if that's done correct then hopefully all you are missing is to default the IO in Pro Tools. In Setup>IO>input click the [Default] button.

And if you are doing all this while having the AD+ in an aggregate I/O device, I'd stop that. Make sure the playback Engine is the MTRX alone and your Pro Tools I/O is all correct for that. Get stuff as simple as possible.