SPDIF output dead?

[stoter]

Hi everyone,

This is my first post here... I always come here for tech-support -- big up for this forum! -- and always found my answers, untill today...

I have a Pulsar II card, connected via SPDIF to my Roland VM-3100 mixer (in and out)...
Pulsar's analog output goes to my monitor-speakers, the digital signal to the mixer, so I can monitor with my headphones..

No worries so far.

Untill.. last night my computer hung up on me.. not the first time so I didn't panic immediately..
But after I rebooted the digital output from Pulsar was gone...... checked the cable, nothing wrong with it...

Then the panic started.

VM-3100 out --> Pulsar in still works perfectly.....
Pulsar out --> VM-3100 in seems busted......

Considering I didn't change ANYTHING -- hardware nor software -- I'm really puzzled.....
There is one possibilty, but it's a long shot....... last week I inserted my USB-camera to the back of my computer, but because I did it without looking (I just felt where the slot was and tried to insert the plug) I accidently caused an electricity-spike on the internal USB-hub of my computer... I think I blew up my TurboMidi device, but the rest still worked like it did before... I know, I was careless and I immediately regretted it...
could this have anything to do with my SPDIF-problem? I wouldn't think so, considering I could continue working with Pulsar after the "camera-incident", but I'm not technically skilled enough to know for sure....

If anyone has suggestions, anything at all, please help....!

Cheers,
Michiel

[garyb]

clock?

[stoter]

I'm affraid not... Normally, with wrong clock settings, I would get sound -- very glitchy sound, but still....
and now.... total silence..

[edit: to be really sure.. I tried it... no luck...]

thanks for replying though.....

[garyb]

so, what is master and what is slave? are BOTH sp/dif cables connected and BOTH source and dest modules in the project?

glitchy sound is almost always a clock issue....

[stoter]

glitchy sound is almost always a clock issue....

Indeed... but I couldn't even hear the glitchy sound... I didn't have sound at all...

but..

While I was verifying your suggestion I discovered my mixer wasn't slaved to Scope anymore, which is the master most of the times.. and that turned out to be the answer..... setting the mixer to slave was the one thing I had to do...
actually, I'm quite embarrassed, because I really was convinced I already checked it, considering these are the things you should always check first in these situations...

Feeling a bit ashamed for being so stupid.. (and making such a lame mistake.....)
But, in the end, I'm glad my output is still alive...

Still puzzled though how my mixer switched from slave to master... guess it wanted to be free...

Thanks for helping Garyb! I wouldn't have found the answer without your replies..
have a nice sunday (what's left of it..)

grtzz
Michiel

[garyb]

[Shroomz~>]

Still puzzled though how my mixer switched from slave to master...

For what it's worth, it possibly switched back to Master because that's it's default setting & it's set to do that automatically when set to slave but not receiving a WC for some reason.

Mark

[stoter]

Hi Mark,

you're right! that was it...
I probably loaded a scope-project where the clock was set to slave, thus cutting off the clock my mixer was depending on... and yes, my mixer switches to master automatically when that happens..
this also fits in with Garyb's replies, actually..
nice one!

maybe it's wise for me to cut down the beer-drinking when making music...

grtz,
Michiel