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Today I've received ADAT 16 channels for Behringer DDX3216 mixer (dealer's mistake, because I have one and I need AES/EBU for Pulsar 2 PLUS connection instead of ADT1616). But before I return ADT1616 I like to ask you something (if you know)? Now I change my mind and I like to use second sound card with S/PDIF (for mixing down) and ADAT instead of AES/EBU option for DDX3216 because of 32 DDX3216 channels.
1. If I buy another sound card with 16 ADAT channels, can I use both (Pulsar and other sound card) for using 32 digital channels from DDX3216?
2. Is it possible to work with 2 sound cards without syncing them?
3. As I know in Cubase I have choice to use one sound card at time or maybe some possibilities for implementing second sound card in SFP 3.1c?
4. What is your recommendation?

no chance with 2 cards and ASIO in the same computer - ASIO can't do that.
The most simple solution would be a second Pulsar with Adat then you don't have timing problems and additional DSPs.
I've seen a Pulsar One (obviously dealer trade in) at a shop for € 280 recently and with CW's flood of special offers they are not going to be more expensive.

cheers, Tom

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: astroman on 2003-04-02 17:58 ]</font>

On 2003-04-02 17:47, astroman wrote:
no chance with 2 cards and ASIO in the same computer - ASIO can't do that.
The most simple solution would be a second Pulsar with Adat then you don't have timing problems and additional DSPs.
I've seen a Pulsar One (obviously dealer trade in) at a shop for € 280 recently and with CW's flood of special offers they are not going to be more expensive.

cheers, Tom

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: astroman on 2003-04-02 17:58 ]</font>

Have Pulsar 1 16 ADAT channels and S/PDIF?
What is the min ULLI of Pulsar 1? My P2 is set to 3 ms, but, does it mean that both P1 and P2 mast be set to the same value?
Can I cascade both P1 and P2 to work like one sound card?
Does it mean that SFP 3.1 c will work with both Pulsar 1 and Pulsar 2?

Yes
Yes
Yes
and yes.

jupiter8's first 2 yes-es need a little addition due to some restrictions of Pulsar One
it has both Adat and S/PDIF but you can only use either optical S/PDIF or Adat
RCA S/PDIF (cinch connector) AND Adat work together
Pulsar One's S/PDIF is NOT bidirectional, for example you can't send via S/PDIF out to an external FX unit and return to S/PDIF in, which would be possible on a Luna or Pulsar Two.

The Pulsar One automatically uses the lower latency of the Pulsar Two, if the Pulsar Two is the 'first' Pulsar the bios finds - it must sit in a slot the system scans earlier. You have a 50% chance that it's already located correctly, otherwise just switch cards in slots
That's how I understood the issue, but since I have only one card, I can't really verify.

cheers, tom

The Pulsar One automatically uses the lower latency of the Pulsar Two, if the Pulsar Two is the 'first' Pulsar the bios finds - it must sit in a slot the system scans earlier. You have a 50% chance that it's already located correctly, otherwise just switch cards in slots

cheers, tom

Exactly. And it works surprisignly fine for a mix of different card generations.

Also, if the Pulsar I has been detected as master, you can switch the board order in the cset.ini file. It's faster than dismantling your PC and only requires restarting the SFP software.



RedSun .:.

On 2003-04-05 16:56, astroman wrote:
jupiter8's first 2 yes-es need a little addition due to some restrictions of Pulsar One
it has both Adat and S/PDIF but you can only use either optical S/PDIF or Adat
RCA S/PDIF (cinch connector) AND Adat work together
Pulsar One's S/PDIF is NOT bidirectional, for example you can't send via S/PDIF out to an external FX unit and return to S/PDIF in, which would be possible on a Luna or Pulsar Two.

The Pulsar One automatically uses the lower latency of the Pulsar Two, if the Pulsar Two is the 'first' Pulsar the bios finds - it must sit in a slot the system scans earlier. You have a 50% chance that it's already located correctly, otherwise just switch cards in slots
That's how I understood the issue, but since I have only one card, I can't really verify.

cheers, tom

So it is clear now, except bidirectional S/PDIF. You like to say that I can receive digital signal with P1 only, not send ?
P2 have AES/EBU IN and OUT. Does P1 have S/PDIF IN only?

Now, if I order P1, do I have 16 ADAT channels from P2 and 16 ADAT from P1
to working with Cubase SX and my external 32 digital channels mixer and then mixing down from external mixer S/PDIF OUT to P1 S/PDIF IN to make stereo mix down track in Cubase SX?

I have asked for differents betwen AES and S/PDIF quality and many people tell me that no differncis because it is digital signal (1,0,2). I do my remixes from DDX3216 S/PDIF OUT to P2 AES/EBU with digital unbalanced 75 ohm cable and it works but some of peoples said thad possible problems, because AES is different standard an it work with 110 ohm, possible stereo iamge problems etc..Even cheaper S/PDIF to AES converter can make problems.
What do you think about that?

Pulsar I cannot do a spdif loop. For ex. you can't have an external effect connected to and from Pulsar I with spdif.
But it has spdif in and out.

question 2. YES!!!

Question 3. Could 'cause problem but shouldn't. The most precise answer i have i'm afraid.

afaik S/PDIF and AES use the same data encoding but different signal levels.
AES is symmetrical and thus more reliable if you have long cable distances.
There's probably some (very common)misunderstanding about digital signals - at least I had that until I picked a book about CD encoding.
horrible typo, left out the NOT in original post
It's NOT the waveform one looks at in an audio editor, that's transmitted.
The whole data stream is divided in data packets with checksum, error correction codes and a clock signal etc.
At least it reads rather complicated
Some data corruption during cable transmission can be recovered or compensated, some not. That's what makes up the differences. The really bad (unrecoverable) errors are easy to detect, those infamous crackles. The smaller ones are more difficult and probably need a lot of experience to be clearly identified.

cheers, Tom

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: astroman on 2003-04-06 17:32 ]</font>

I've noticed a difference using scsi and ide cd burners.

scsci is my own reference, as i only used this until recently. It's a matshita cdr, pretty good as i have it for 3/4 years now.

I have a asus ide burner (cdrw).
Well , at a speed of 4x (the minimum authorized by the ide burner), the sound is "lighter" than on the scsi. It is less good, less beefy. It's not horrible, it's just weaker than your mix.

On the scsci i noticed no obvious difference in the sound.

So the new ide burner had to make it to another machine than the audio one. It is still good to extract fast or to burn non crucial data. I successfully burnt a number of various data cd at 16x though.

Well, may be others noticed this, or may be I'm dreamwing) (i'm of the one who say that windows gives its own sound, including with pulsar devs (in XTC mode), but a very experienced sound engineer/composer, friend of mine, doesn't hear the same... so...

For a technical overview of the differences, similarities and interfacing issues of AES to SPDIF check out http://www.rane.com/note149.html

it has both Adat and S/PDIF but you can only use either optical S/PDIF or Adat
RCA S/PDIF (cinch connector) AND Adat work together
cheers, tom

Does it mean that I can't use S/PDIF direct from my DDX3216 to Pulsar 1 S/PDIF. What the conector of Pulsar 1 S/PDIF is? Is it RCA or ?

I haven't seen optical S/PDIF and I don't know how to connect RCA and OPTICAL S/PDIF

Can I connect RCA SPDIF from any S/PDIF compatibile device to Pulsar 1 SPDIF and work correctly or do I need another connector/converter. Actually I need S/PDIF OUT from Behringer DDX3216 to Pulsar 1S/PDIF IN for mix down. My Behringer DDX3216 have standard RCA S/PDIF.

You can connect RCA SPDIF from mixer to Pulsar 1, and use the ADAT's at the same time without trouble. (or at least it works for me )

-mythalethe