Topic: TotalMix FX hardware output to SPDIF with FireFace 400
I have a Fireface 400 which has SPDIf coaxial connections. However, when viewing output channels, by default, SPDIF is not displayed. After spending hours trying to troubleshoot the problem ( I went so far as to even try using the ADAT out as an SPDIF optical out), I randomly found that pressing the "assign" button in the mixer control room section displayed a dropdown list and when one of those items was selected, one of the items in the sublist was SPDIF. Then I noticed that SPDIF was one of the channels displayed and I could get a signal. It seems to be working ok now but I don't understand why or if the steps I took were correct or if I was just lucky. This brings up several issues.
1. Is there a manual that explains this behavior? I don't like to bring up questions unnecessarily for things that are documented in a manual but I can't find a manual anywhere.
2. Since SPDIF has it's own labeled output on the hardware, why is it not, by default, one of the available channels?
3. In this case, I selected the main output channel and assigned SPDIF. My monitors which I use for my main output are AN1/2 and I'm running SPDIF out to an external DAC I use for supplemental monitoring. Was I using the Main out the correct way to set this up or is there a better way?
The setup of SPDIF out is anything but intuitive so it seems like some clear documentation could go a long way to making it usable.