1 Topic by aravindc3135 (edited by aravindc3135 2019-10-18 13:36:10)

  • Registered: 2018-08-31
  • Posts: 2

Topic: RME Babyface pro Optical In/Out with mastering converters.

Hey guys, I've had a Babyface pro for recording/monitoring purposes for a while now. I am not too familiar with Totalmix FX as I haven't had the need to tweak it much for my current use. Also, I am a complete newbie when it comes to pro audio, I try to learn as much as I can for my needs as they arise.

I have a question about using mastering quality DAC and ADC that I recently purchaced, with the optical in and out ports on the Babyface Pro.

I bought a Mytek stereo 192 DSD DAC and a Blacklion audio sparrow ADC mk2 white.

The mytek has spdif in and the sparrow mk2 has an spdif out. My question is, can I connect both my converters to the appropriate in/out ports on the Babyface Pro and route the signals with Totalmix?

Also, I want to use the sparrow's clock for the entire setup. I read somewhere that the Babyface Pro uses the spdif in port for clock signals. So does that mean by default, the Babyface pro will sync with the clock from the sparrow(it will feed the spdif in)? How about the mytek? What will it sync to? Can I use the clock out on the sparrow to the clock in on the mytek?

Of course, if this is not a viable setup, I will purchace a pcie card instead. I was thinking RME HDSPe RayDat pcie card. Will this be an appropriate choice for my application(if the Babyface pro isn't sufficient)? For future upgrades, I will be needing more DAC channels for analog summing(around 16 channels). Am I future proofed if I get the RayDat card?
Thank you for your time!

Edit: I don't have the mytek unit with me yet, so I couldn't test this.

  • Registered: 2019-10-01
  • Posts: 675

Re: RME Babyface pro Optical In/Out with mastering converters.

Hi!

The mytek has spdif in and the sparrow mk2 has an spdif out. My question is, can I connect both my converters to the appropriate in/out ports on the Babyface Pro and route the signals with Totalmix?

Yes, you can!

I read somewhere that the Babyface Pro uses the spdif in port for clock signals. So does that mean by default, the Babyface pro will sync with the clock from the sparrow(it will feed the spdif in)? How about the mytek? What will it sync to? Can I use the clock out on the sparrow to the clock in on the mytek?

I don't know if it does sync by default, but it 's only a matter of a few clicks. If you open the BF Pro's settings, you can change the clock source from "internal" to "Optical In" (or SPDIF In, if it's labelled that way). Also I don't know if the BF Pro auto-detects the optical input as SPDIF or ADAT. If it doesn't, there will, also, be an appropriate setting for that in the settings menu! As for the Mytec, it will sync to the BF Pro, as clock signal is transferred through cascaded optical connections!

So, yes, this is a viable setup. But it's not for future upgrades if you need higher channel counts, as you state, The RayDat is an excellent card, as I 've been reading! You could, also, consider the Digiface USB(this is the one I use), which has 4 pairs of ADAT(or SPDIF) Ins and Outs, plus a Headphones Out. That is a total of 32Ins/34 Outs.

Bear in mind, though, that as you go higher on sample rates, channel count gets divided by half. So for 88.2-96K, it becomes 16/18 In/Outs and 176.4-192K, 8/10 Ins/Outs ! If you work on higher sample rates, you could, then get 2 or three RayDats or DigiFaces to increase your channel count, or you could go to the MADI series of RME cards(but you would need different cabling).

Other members will offer their insight, too!

RME Gear: Digiface USB, HDSP 9632
  • Registered: 2018-08-31
  • Posts: 2

Re: RME Babyface pro Optical In/Out with mastering converters.

Hey, thanks for your reply! I'm glad this can be achieved without investing in extra hardware for now.
I don't work with 192K audio so I think one card will suffice when the time comes. Thanks for your input, I'll keep this in mind.

  • Registered: 2011-08-24
  • Posts: 50

Re: RME Babyface pro Optical In/Out with mastering converters.

The Mytek does not have an optical spdif port, if I remember correctly.

Is your monitoring environment of sufficient quality to detect the minute difference in audio quality you are likely to gain by connecting the additional units to the already excellent BFPro?

5 Reply by MetalHeadKeys (edited by MetalHeadKeys 2019-10-21 20:22:26)

  • Registered: 2019-10-01
  • Posts: 675

Re: RME Babyface pro Optical In/Out with mastering converters.

Hey, thanks for your reply! I'm glad this can be achieved without investing in extra hardware for now.
I don't work with 192K audio so I think one card will suffice when the time comes. Thanks for your input, I'll keep this in mind.

You 're welcome! Glad I could be of help!


The Mytek does not have an optical spdif port, if I remember correctly.

If you check this:

https://mytekdigital.com/hifi/products/ … 92dsd-dac/

there is a port labelled "TOSLINK In". Also if you read further down, at the Digital Input section, it claims it as SPDIF.
Perhaps, there is an earlier version without Optical Input, you had in mind?

RME Gear: Digiface USB, HDSP 9632