Topic: Digiface USB DA not working

Hello, I have a new Digiface USB (firmware v35) running into a 2018 Intel Mac running Sonoma into Logic via the latest v4.09 driver. I can record in fine via my DAC (an Apogee Symphony I/O mk1 in standalone mode), but the Digiface USB thinks that the computer's internal soundcard is the D->A, not my Apogee. Weird. I have it set in Logic to the Digiface for both in and out.

How do I know that the Digiface thinks that my computer's sound card is the DA? When I unplug the Optical out, I can still monitor via the headphone jack of the Digiface and it sounds exactly the same, doesn't cut out, anything. I have the Main out in Totalmix set for ADAT1/2 and nothing gets to my converter. Perhaps the Digiface has an onboard converter for that headphone jack - I dunno, but the DA is happening somewhere and it's not on my Apogee. Once again, AD is totally fine.

I installed the Digiface earlier today so that I could extend the life of the Symphony I/O. I've had it for 11 years or so and it's a great sounding converter, but Apogee doesn't support the device for newer versions of MacOS (I was running 10.14 on this machine earlier today), so I figured why not use the Digiface as the interface and take advantage of RME's driver support and try to get another ten years out of the Apogee.

At this point, I'm not sure if there is something funky in my converter or RME's driver or my setup in Totalmix (which is exceedingly complex software, but yes, very powerful). I have the "Main" Control Room set to play via ADAT1/2 but nothing.

Also, I have the Apogee and the Digiface set for ADAT and I'm clocking from the Apogee. Works fine. Also, the Apogee has only one optical out and one in so it's routing everything through those and that works fine. It's an 8x8 card.

Earlier, it seemed like this driver version v4.09 wasn't going to play nice on Intel based on what I saw on RME's site, but it worked. Except maybe it's really not. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like they're supporting Intel Mac's on Sonoma and maybe that's why I'm having this weird issue. Except that I don't know if somehow my Apogee's are old and cranky about incoming optical (doubt it since the Digiface's headphone jack plays just fine without ever hitting the DA converter.

I'm stumped and trying to avoid shelling out a bunch of money for the Symphony I/O mk2 at the moment, although if I do it and order it in the next couple of days, they'll give me a big trade in discount on my old Symphony.

Any ideas? Another idea is to simply replace this 5.5 year old computer, but that's another expensive idea, and I still don't know if that would solve this since I can't absolutely verify that there isn't something weird with the converter receiving incoming optical.

Hmmmm.

Re: Digiface USB DA not working

Ah, also, I have both the optical in and out running from 1 in and 1 out from the Digiface. They're in the right configuration or else I wouldn't be able to record audio, which I can. With regards to that, I happened to have a mic set up to run via input 3 and Totalmix sees that correct as input 3 so it's able to sort out the incoming signals correctly.

3 (edited by waedi 2023-12-28 02:56:04)

Re: Digiface USB DA not working

Yes the headphone socket of the Digiface USB has its own converter and it's independent of toslink cables.
You can check if the signal is going out of the Adat 1/2 output by simply connect the toslink cable back to an input socket of the Digiface, a cable loopback will bring the signal back into Totalmix, then you know if the Apogee has a problem receiving the Adat signal.
Check double if you did connect the toslink cable to the correct sockets at the Apogee.

M1-Sequoia, Madiface Pro, Digiface USB, Babyface silver and blue

Re: Digiface USB DA not working

Good news! I did a hardware reset on the converter and then somewhat miraculously was able to get its mixing/routing software running and just had to do a reset from in there as well and voila! Everything is working as I had hoped. Awesome! RME just saved me a lot of $. I had a Hammerfall before the Symphony, so nice to get back with the folks that brought me into digital audio. Glad it's all sorted out.