Problems with S/PDIF

An area for people to discuss Scope related problems, issues, etc.

Moderators: valis, garyb

Post Reply
motormind
Posts: 40
Joined: Thu Apr 12, 2007 11:12 pm

Problems with S/PDIF

Post by motormind »

I have a Scope Professional card under Windows XP, but can't get the card's S/PDIF input to work properly with either my Bass Pod Pro or my Akai MPC-1000.

With the POD, it only works when I set the card to slave mode. If I don't do that, I get ticks in stereo. Very weird. In master mode, the MPC1000 sounds distorted. In slave mode it works better, but I get intermittent drop outs every few seconds.

I always set all of the sample rates to 44100 Hz, no mater which mode I use. Does anyone else recognize these problems? Thanks in advance for any input.
User avatar
garyb
Moderator
Posts: 23380
Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2001 4:00 pm
Location: ghetto by the sea

Post by garyb »

there's no problem.

there can only be one mater clock. you have two devices with clocks(scope and basspod or mpc). clock is transmitted from the output of one device to the input of the other.

if scope is master, how does the pod recieve clock so that the data from both devices will be in sync? is there an sp/dif input so that clock can go from scope to the pod, and is there a way to make the pod slave?

if you only have an sp/dif output from a device connected to your scope card, scope MUST be slave for there to only be one clock(unless everything, both scope and the other device, is slaved to bnc wordclock).
motormind
Posts: 40
Joined: Thu Apr 12, 2007 11:12 pm

Post by motormind »

garyb wrote:there's no problem.

there can only be one mater clock. you have two devices with clocks(scope and basspod or mpc). clock is transmitted from the output of one device to the input of the other.

if scope is master, how does the pod recieve clock so that the data from both devices will be in sync? is there an sp/dif input so that clock can go from scope to the pod, and is there a way to make the pod slave?

if you only have an sp/dif output from a device connected to your scope card, scope MUST be slave for there to only be one clock(unless everything, both scope and the other device, is slaved to bnc wordclock).
That still doesn't explain why I get those dropouts with the MPC1000. I also had no problems whatsoever when I still used my Terratec...
User avatar
Mr Arkadin
Posts: 3283
Joined: Thu May 24, 2001 4:00 pm

Post by Mr Arkadin »

Don't know about the MPC but setting Scope to slave to my Podxt Pro was the only way i could get that to work.
User avatar
garyb
Moderator
Posts: 23380
Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2001 4:00 pm
Location: ghetto by the sea

Post by garyb »

motormind wrote:That still doesn't explain why I get those dropouts with the MPC1000. I also had no problems whatsoever when I still used my Terratec...
:lol: i've explained how it works......
User avatar
valis
Posts: 7680
Joined: Sun Sep 23, 2001 4:00 pm
Location: West Coast USA
Contact:

Post by valis »

This is a limitation of the SPDIF format, which is really a consumer format. External devices will almost always want to be 'master', as that is how the specification is defined.

The problems with your MPC could be related to using a cable of the wrong impedence (normal 'phono' / rca style plugs will 'seem' to work but are actually the wrong impedence), just a bad cable or perhaps even an issue with the MPC. The cable impedence would be my first choice of things to solve, as gear will vary in how the spdif electrics are implemented. One piece of gear will 'seem' to work with improper cables and yet another will have problems...sounds fitting to your post imo.
motormind
Posts: 40
Joined: Thu Apr 12, 2007 11:12 pm

Post by motormind »

valis wrote:This is a limitation of the SPDIF format, which is really a consumer format. External devices will almost always want to be 'master', as that is how the specification is defined.

The problems with your MPC could be related to using a cable of the wrong impedence (normal 'phono' / rca style plugs will 'seem' to work but are actually the wrong impedence), just a bad cable or perhaps even an issue with the MPC. The cable impedence would be my first choice of things to solve, as gear will vary in how the spdif electrics are implemented. One piece of gear will 'seem' to work with improper cables and yet another will have problems...sounds fitting to your post imo.
I use special digital RCA cables with the proper impendance, so that's not it. Also, when the sound drops out with the MPC-1000 I get an hour glass in SCOPE. AGain, I never had these issues with my ol' Terratec card, so I wonder what's up.
User avatar
garyb
Moderator
Posts: 23380
Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2001 4:00 pm
Location: ghetto by the sea

Post by garyb »

bad connector on the mpc?

if it works with one device, i wouldn't think the card was broken, although i guess that's always a possibility. the sp/dif input does work properly on scope cards, generally.
studioblabla
Posts: 23
Joined: Fri May 24, 2002 4:00 pm
Location: Belgium

Post by studioblabla »

I made a cd with a band with the best drummer and bassplayer a ever had in the studio, mr DR-880 from boss :D

spdif to scope, nope... changed cables and bought digital cables. (tried normal, 50 OHM and 75 OHM calbes. I think it should be 75 OHM video coax?)

spdif to my motu 2408 MKII: sound with clicks. (master is boss and slave scope or motu)

spdif to my tc m3000: SOUND!
so the M3000 in bypass mode and spdif of the m3000 to scope and recording ok in the computer!

Any explanation?

Bart
User avatar
garyb
Moderator
Posts: 23380
Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2001 4:00 pm
Location: ghetto by the sea

Post by garyb »

no.....

:lol:


glad you made it work....
Post Reply