Hi folks
I have the above mentioned equipment, with version 3.0 of Pulsar. I had a problem connecting the digital out from the preamp, until a friendly soul from in here supplied me with a new Digital source file for Pulsar. This helped, but as time has passed, it only works occasionally. I have no control over when I can make digital recordings. It might work say one out of ten times. Does anybody have a clue? I feel pretty stupid having paid for a digital solution I can hardly use.
Fevre
FOCUSRITE ISA220 DIGITAL OUT vs. Pulsar 1
using the focusrite is no different than any other digital source. i would assume that the focusrite will not slave, so the focusrite must be the master clock and the scope card must be set to slave.
i have never seen the need for any file that would suddenly become corrupt and this is from dozens of machines. strange.....what are your symptoms and how is the stuff connected? what is master and what is slave? i use my machine to make money. it never fails, so yours should be equally stable, assuming your computer itself works and is set up properly.(i just had mine running from last friday to yesterday, tues, without shutting down any programs or the computer and it ran perfectly every time i went back to work....)
i have never seen the need for any file that would suddenly become corrupt and this is from dozens of machines. strange.....what are your symptoms and how is the stuff connected? what is master and what is slave? i use my machine to make money. it never fails, so yours should be equally stable, assuming your computer itself works and is set up properly.(i just had mine running from last friday to yesterday, tues, without shutting down any programs or the computer and it ran perfectly every time i went back to work....)
it should work with version 3.1 of the SFP software and coaxial S/PDIF.
You must set one device as master, the other as slave - preferably you'd slave Pulsar to the Focusrite (the device with the 'more important' converter as master), it doesn't autoconfigure.
With an optical connection you can only(!) use the port that represents Adat 1, Adat 2 does not work as S/PDIFon a Pulsar One.
You cannot do S/PDIF 'roundtrips' (from FR to Pulsar and out via S/PDIF back to the FR) on a Pulsar One - as a first generation card it doesn't support this mode.
With a pre 3.1 software you (most likely) need an 'S/PDIF patch' from CWA, I think it's included in 3.1 and in the current software. At least I remember that I had to apply it once, otherwise S/PDIF wouldn't sync at all, but in no of the 3.1 installs I've made since then (I still have that file, in case...)
cheers, Tom
You must set one device as master, the other as slave - preferably you'd slave Pulsar to the Focusrite (the device with the 'more important' converter as master), it doesn't autoconfigure.
With an optical connection you can only(!) use the port that represents Adat 1, Adat 2 does not work as S/PDIFon a Pulsar One.
You cannot do S/PDIF 'roundtrips' (from FR to Pulsar and out via S/PDIF back to the FR) on a Pulsar One - as a first generation card it doesn't support this mode.
With a pre 3.1 software you (most likely) need an 'S/PDIF patch' from CWA, I think it's included in 3.1 and in the current software. At least I remember that I had to apply it once, otherwise S/PDIF wouldn't sync at all, but in no of the 3.1 installs I've made since then (I still have that file, in case...)
cheers, Tom
Thank you for the messages.
I use Focusrite as master, when it works. I always check when Pulsar is started, if the connection is working (I use digital aes/ebu cable connected from Focusrite digital out to Pulsar I plus in). I know how it works, 'cause sometimes it does, but most times it doesn't. I don't change anything in the setup to make it work. It seems it has its own will. Very strange indeed. Sometimes I can make it work by turning the preamp on/off a few times. At one time I thought perhaps I had to turn the machines on in a certain sequence, but I can seem to find one that works.
Fevre
I use Focusrite as master, when it works. I always check when Pulsar is started, if the connection is working (I use digital aes/ebu cable connected from Focusrite digital out to Pulsar I plus in). I know how it works, 'cause sometimes it does, but most times it doesn't. I don't change anything in the setup to make it work. It seems it has its own will. Very strange indeed. Sometimes I can make it work by turning the preamp on/off a few times. At one time I thought perhaps I had to turn the machines on in a certain sequence, but I can seem to find one that works.
Fevre
I'd like to - nice box - but not exactly the budget appropriate for my nonsense... 
any chance the cable whip might have suffered over the years ?
it's the only thing that comes to mind that's capable to confuse digital IO, it's easy to open and to inspect if something's broken inside.
regarding the software upgrade
if everything else (except digital IO) works and you're happy with the system, why change it...
you may do the following check
have something reproducable that you can send through the Focusrite, then, if the digital io seems to have one of it's light moments, try to record it
redo the record using the card's analog IOs and compare the (level adjusted) files
if there are any flaws in the digital chain the Pulsar One's analog IOs are likely to outperform the Focusrite, something I wouldn't expect to happen to a $ 2k dedicated box.
Or is it all happening at 96k ?
cheers, Tom
any chance the cable whip might have suffered over the years ?
it's the only thing that comes to mind that's capable to confuse digital IO, it's easy to open and to inspect if something's broken inside.
regarding the software upgrade
if everything else (except digital IO) works and you're happy with the system, why change it...
you may do the following check
have something reproducable that you can send through the Focusrite, then, if the digital io seems to have one of it's light moments, try to record it
redo the record using the card's analog IOs and compare the (level adjusted) files
if there are any flaws in the digital chain the Pulsar One's analog IOs are likely to outperform the Focusrite, something I wouldn't expect to happen to a $ 2k dedicated box.
Or is it all happening at 96k ?
cheers, Tom