• Registered: 2015-11-26
  • Posts: 2

Topic: Cannot Monitor Output From RayDAT

Please forgive the very elementary question. This is my first foray into PC-based digital audio. I come from film/TV production sound where the gear is far more integrated.

I am building a PC-based mobile recording DAW. The workstation runs Windows 7 (64-bit). It hosts a HDSPe RayDAT. Signal path looks like this:

  -------------------        ---------------------------------------------         -------------------
  | Audient ASP 880 |        |  RayDAT           Reaper        RayDAT    |         | Benchmark DAC-1 |
  |   ADAT 1 Out    | -----> | ADAT 1 In   <---   DAW   --->  ADAT 1 Out | ------> |   Optical In    |
  -------------------        ---------------------------------------------         -------------------

The connections between the Audient and the RayDAT, and the RayDAT and the DAC-1 are both TOSLink optical cables.

The input side of this chain works fine. I get good input signal in Reaper (and TotalMix) and am able to record just fine. I can also play back recorded tracks using the RealTek sound card that is integrated in the PC's motherboard.

However, what I cannot do is live monitor my recordings from the DAC-1. The DAC-1 is switched to accept optical input, yet no signal is audible in my attached headphones, even though I see the meters dancing on the input side. The error light on the DAC-1 is also illuminated, which, according to the DAC-1 manual, indicates "out of sample range, too low or no digital input signal".

I expect my system is misconfigured in some way, but it's not clear to me from the RayDAT user manual how to fix this. Also, for what it's worth, I cannot see the Monitor Panel in TotalMix. How does one expose this panel? There is no menu item that I can see.

Lastly, is anyone aware of a good general reference source (book or web site) that clearly explains general digital audio topics like configuring DAWs, signal routing, etc.? Quite obviously, I need some schooling on basic concepts.

Many thanks in advance for any assistance.

2 Reply by MC

  • MC
  • MC
  • Administrator
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  • From: Germany/Thailand
  • Registered: 2007-04-06
  • Posts: 25,433

Re: Cannot Monitor Output From RayDAT

Most probably the DAC-1 does not understand 8-channel ADAT format. To use it you either connect it to the AES (XLR) outputs, or to optical output ADAT4, then switch this one to SPDIF mode in the card's Settings dialog.

Now to get any signal on output 4, either select those channels in your recording software for playback, or use TotalMix FX to route the first playback channels to these hardware outputs.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

  • Registered: 2015-11-26
  • Posts: 2

Re: Cannot Monitor Output From RayDAT

You are correct.

Upon closer examination of the DAC-1's manual, I see that its optical digital input can only decode AES/EBU and S/PDIF input signals (in either professional or consumer formats). I enabled S/PDIF on the ADAT4 output of the RayDAT and switched to that output port. I also configured my DAW to send its output to SPDIF L/R, and all was well.

I still don't hear any live monitoring output from TotalMix (although I can see signal in the output meters), but that is only because I need to learn more about how to configure TotalMix's routing. The main thing is I am now able to record and live monitor from within my DAW.

Thank you!