1 Topic by pacerarealtaste (edited by pacerarealtaste 2026-08-16 19:13:05)

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Topic: HDSPe AES Rev.1 and AVID S6L audio glitches

I own 2 HDSPe interface that i use with an OWC Helios3 PCIe Thunderbolt 3 enclosure :

AIO with breakout XLR Cable and
AES Rev.1 with Tascam DB25 XLR breakout cable

I do external vocal processing in a MacMini M2 LiveProfessor VST plugin Host with the AIO, inserted on 2 different channels of an Avid S6L Mixing Console :

RME AES Out 1 -> S6L AES In 1 (ins. Return)
RME AES Out 2 -> S6L AES In2 (ins. Return)
S6L AES Out 1 (Ins. Send) -> RME AES In 1
S6L AES Out 2 (Ins. Send) -> RME AES In 2

The VST Host MacMini project is running @48K / RME AIO @48k
The Avid S6L is running @96khz
Everything is working flawlessly.

But if i swap from HDSPe AIO card to HDSPe AES card w/ db25 to try the same project i got random ugly audio glitches/artefacts/distortion on both inputs/outputs.

I tried to change the "double wire" stuff, i tried to change XLR in/out AND VST Host in/out but i'm really struggling to understand where goes the signal in which XLR in this type of configuration and how to get rid of the glitches.

I was thinking that the SRC would be as OK with the AES card than the AIO but i may be wrong or incorrect.

Any help would be much appreciated smile

  • waedi
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Re: HDSPe AES Rev.1 and AVID S6L audio glitches

For a quick test I would switch the SSL to 48 kHz

M1-Tahoe, Madiface Pro, Digiface USB, Babyface silver and blue
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Re: HDSPe AES Rev.1 and AVID S6L audio glitches

Unfortunately you can not operate the S6L other than 96k internally.

4 Reply by waedi (edited by waedi 2026-08-16 23:47:22)

  • waedi
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Re: HDSPe AES Rev.1 and AVID S6L audio glitches

Can it not sync to external digital input ?

And if you try to make the rest 96 as well ? Just to have everything at the same sample rate for checking out if there is an influence on the issue ?

M1-Tahoe, Madiface Pro, Digiface USB, Babyface silver and blue
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Re: HDSPe AES Rev.1 and AVID S6L audio glitches

It is sync to the AES input, i've also tried with ext WC

My VST Host project must stay @48k
Indeed if i put the project @96k there are no audio glitches because there is no SRC.

What i'm saying is with the same exact macmini, TB3 enclosure and VST Host project :

with the HDSPe AIO @48k to S6L @96k = transparent SRC no glitch
with the HDSPe AES rev.1 @48k to S6L @96k = Audio glitches / sync problem

I must do something wrong with the AES card / db25 cable

  • waedi
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Re: HDSPe AES Rev.1 and AVID S6L audio glitches

there are different DB25 cables on the market Tascam or Yamaha pin layout

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

7 Reply by pacerarealtaste (edited by pacerarealtaste 2026-08-17 13:27:24)

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Re: HDSPe AES Rev.1 and AVID S6L audio glitches

Yeah it's a Tascam, as mentioned in my first post.

8 Reply by waedi (edited by waedi 2026-08-17 13:42:14)

  • waedi
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Re: HDSPe AES Rev.1 and AVID S6L audio glitches

How about the AES-card driver settings  ?
Option TMS is OFF, right ?
And single wire is selected for output ?

M1-Tahoe, Madiface Pro, Digiface USB, Babyface silver and blue
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Re: HDSPe AES Rev.1 and AVID S6L audio glitches

There is not much you can mess with in the HDSPe AES driver settings, i've tried double wire, autosync or master.
There is no TMS reference in any of the options menu of HDSP and Totalmix hmm

  • waedi
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Re: HDSPe AES Rev.1 and AVID S6L audio glitches

Ah yes, sorry my mistake the user manual for Mac includes a lot Windows stuff, the TMS option is in the driver settings for Windows, not Mac.

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

11 Reply by pacerarealtaste (edited by pacerarealtaste 2026-08-17 15:52:53)

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Re: HDSPe AES Rev.1 and AVID S6L audio glitches

Regarding the double wire option, The user manual says :

"The selection of the corresponding format is fully automated by the relation between input signal
sample rate and the sample rate requested by the application. Example: If a 48 kHz AES
signal is detected at the input, and the audio software is configured to use a sample rate of 96
kHz, the hardware expects the input signal to be in Double Wire format. A ratio of 48 kHz to 192
kHz will activate Quad Wire mode. The hardware processes the sample multiplexing of the input
data. The number of input channels shown in TotalMix will be reduced to 8 or 4, so the currently
active mode is easy to recognize."

What if in my case it is the opposite situation? input @96k / software @ 48k

If i select double wire mode, i don't see any in channels change in Totalmix.

12 Reply by MC

  • MC
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Re: HDSPe AES Rev.1 and AVID S6L audio glitches

You can't select the mode for the input, that's automatic. And the other way round will result either in mute state or only half the samples - an invalid audio dignal that in best case sounds normal, unless you use specific test tones or wave viewer zoomed-in to sample level to check.

I have no idea why in this setup the AIO AES and the AES AES behave differently, nor do I know what an S6L exactly does on its I/O (seems I'm not alone with this). Screenshots from the AIO and AES Settings dialog in operation with the S6L might help.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

  • Registered: 2026-08-16
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Re: HDSPe AES Rev.1 and AVID S6L audio glitches

Yeah you are not alone with this, i don't find any informations on the AES I/O S6L behavior either.

Ok i will upload settings sceenshots when on my next S6L console gig.

Thanks!