Topic: HDSPe Word Clock Mac Pro

Hi,
I Have a Mac Pro that has 4 Slots available, 2 are taken by a graphic card and a RAID card.
The other 2 slots have 2 x HDSPe MADI cards installed without their WC cards.
WC is synched via the MADI inputs.
(1)- Is it possible to install 1 x MADI card with WC to slave the other card without WC?
(2)- How does fibre optic I/O use WC? Is it possible to have one card feed both MADI cards?

Cheers Jason.

Re: HDSPe Word Clock Mac Pro

I believe you would use the single WC card as the WC Input for MADI card #1 - and tell that card to sync to WC.  Then, use the internal jumper (if PCIe/HDSPe series MADI card) and feed the 1st card to the 2nd card internally.  Set the 2nd card to sync over "Sync In" (or whatever it is called).  Should do the trick.

With regard to "(2)- How does fibre optic I/O use WC?"  MADI's integrated clock is pretty poor, but the RME MADI cards all have Steadyclock to recover a WC from a jittery MADI signal with less than 2ns of jitter (Steadyclock was developed specifically for MADI IIRC).  That being the case, you could still sync Card #1 to your MADI input (Steadyclock will spit out a low-jitter clock), and still feed the internal Sync from Card #1 to Card #2 (as above, but w/o the additional WC card)

cool

MADIface-XT+ARC / 3x HDSP MADI / ADI648
2x SSL Alphalink MADI AX
2x Multiface / 2x Digiface /2x ADI8

Re: HDSPe Word Clock Mac Pro

Hi, let me get this clear, there is an internal jumper on the expansion WC card with the first card that connects physically to the second card without the WC expansion card?

Is the second part of your reply implying that the MADI coax input will supply WC for the MADI optical I/O?

As explained in my other post, I maybe experiencing a possible WC issue with the second MADI card input to a Logic recording on the Mac Pro. Perhaps I could describe the settings I am using for possible conflict?
Thanks for the assistance.

Re: HDSPe Word Clock Mac Pro

For #1 Yes, but these internal ports only work on the HDSPe PCIe versions of the card (these ports aren't active on the HDSP/PCI version IIRC).  The "Sync In/Out" connections are on the main MADI card (not the WC card).  I believe they use a PC CD-Player type connection for patching (type of cable that used to go from the CD-Player to the soundcard in old PC's) - but don't quote me on that.

For #2 - I was suggesting that you still sync Card #1 with the MADI input itself, and then use the internal jumper to feed card #1's clock over to card #2.  Might help, might not depending on what's going on at the other end.

Feeding a BNC Wordclock from the main/master MADI device to RME MADI Card #1 would likely be your best bet IMO.  Then slave Card #1 to card #2 with the internal sync connections as mentioned above.  But if you don't have any room for the extra WC card, then syncing over MADI *should* work (as #2 mentioned).

Are the 2 MADI devices you are connecting to the two RME Cards sync'd together?  What are the MADI devices involved, and how are they currently sync'd to each other?  If those 2 devices aren't sync'd, then that is the first thing you'll need to address...

cool

MADIface-XT+ARC / 3x HDSP MADI / ADI648
2x SSL Alphalink MADI AX
2x Multiface / 2x Digiface /2x ADI8

Re: HDSPe Word Clock Mac Pro

Hi Randyman...

Thanks again for your response. I ended up using the expansion card with the HDSPe MADI card in slot 1 and connected the jumper from sync out to sync in on the second card and configured the settings as you suggested.

WC is from an Apogee Big Ben, the two MADI cards both have 56 CH streams I/O of the Mac Pro and are connected to a MADI Bridge which receives inputs from 7 RME Micstasy preamps, which also are all clocked and synced at 48K.

The problem, which I discovered today, was the Mac Pro core audio settings was 'resampling' the WC of the slot 2 MADI card of the aggregate setup. Once this was unchecked, random slot 2 distortion gone.

I hope this helps anyone else with this issue.

Cheers,
JagSound