1 Topic by miguelmarques (edited by miguelmarques 2016-12-26 19:13:38)

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Topic: RME ADI-2 Pro Questions & Feature Request

I just got a new RME ADI-2 Pro and it's an awesome interface. I just have one question and one feature request.

First the feature request. I understand this is a driverless USB device on the Mac but would it be possible to have a standalone app just to change the options and settings of the unit? It would be faster than messing with the interface itself and all its' submenus... Since it's already connected via USB, I imagine it wouldn't be that hard to create that app.

Regarding the question, is it possible to use this unit in Aggregate mode with another USB asynchronous interface? I'm trying to use the unit with the new Mytek Brooklyn DAC. I can easily run both if I just use the RME and feed the Mytek using AES but that way I loose the ability to monitor at 32bit. My goal would be to run both devices by USB so both could be using 32 bit.

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Re: RME ADI-2 Pro Questions & Feature Request

1. A control applet will not come. The most important settings can easily be changed on the unit. You can even store whole setups and reload them quickly. The OS specific setting, the sample rate, is already available in the OS and would bring no advantage when controlled by an applet.

2. You can aggregate the ADI-2 Pro with any other device. As described in the manual you just have to sync those devices, by AES, SPDIF or ADAT.

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Matthias Carstens
RME

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Re: RME ADI-2 Pro Questions & Feature Request

Thank you. Understood.

One other question/issue... Wouldn't it make more sense for the peak meters to show the signal before the main output attenuation/volume and not after it? At least an option for it could be added, as it is it's always showing a low level signal because I'm using the volume knob as a volume control for the active speakers.

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Re: RME ADI-2 Pro Questions & Feature Request

The current way is better because you don't get a true overload indication the other way. The ADI-2 Pro has up to 24 dB digital headroom, so levels higher than 0 dBFS, caused by EQ settings etc, can easily be lowered to below 0 dBFS by lowering the volume - with zero distortion. If you want to see a net input/output level change to the Global Level Meter screen.

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Matthias Carstens
RME

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Re: RME ADI-2 Pro Questions & Feature Request

No, you're not understanding.

If I'm monitoring through the ADI-2 Pro and using the Volume control on the main output as a volume control for the speakers the peak meters will show the level after the attenuation.

What's useful about that?

See images.

https://s24.postimg.org/3xxz29091/IMG_20161228_172831.jpg
https://s24.postimg.org/49fff0gp1/IMG_20161228_172823.jpg

It should be displaying the signal level before the volume attenuator.

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Re: RME ADI-2 Pro Questions & Feature Request

So you are talking about USB Playback - in that case you usually have level meters in the playing software or DAW. Even DIGICheck could be used for that (not so easy on the Mac, sorry).

Otherwise I have no clue where the advantage is when showing levels that have no real meaning. These are OUTPUT hardware level meters, supposed to show how much juice you put out to your monitors and phones!

Also the level meters are 'post':

- to clearly show any real overs

- and referenced to the current Ref Hardware output level, so always show the absolute level emitted based on that ref level. This gets extremely handy when using the Auto Ref Level functionality.

- to easily show when the wrong ref level has been selected. If your photo/example shows the typical playback volume then you need to lower the Ref Level down to +4 dBu, and maybe even adjust the monitors to lower sensitivity. You don't get this information with pre.

The Analyzer is pre, as otherwise it would not show any musical content most of the time. Of course it also serves as pre level meter, so you get the best of both ways.

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Matthias Carstens
RME

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7 Reply by miguelmarques (edited by miguelmarques 2016-12-28 19:11:09)

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Re: RME ADI-2 Pro Questions & Feature Request

MC wrote:

So you are talking about USB Playback - in that case you usually have level meters in the playing software or DAW. Even DIGICheck could be used for that (not so easy on the Mac, sorry).

Otherwise I have no clue where the advantage is when showing levels that have no real meaning. These are OUTPUT hardware level meters, supposed to show how much juice you put out to your monitors and phones!

Also the level meters are 'post':

- to clearly show any real overs

- and referenced to the current Ref Hardware output level, so always show the absolute level emitted based on that ref level. This gets extremely handy when using the Auto Rel Level functionality.

- to easily show when the wrong ref level has been selected. If your photo/example would show the typical playback volume then you need to lower the Ref Level down to +4 dBu, and maybe even adjust the monitors to lower sensitivity. You don't get this information with pre.

The Analyzer is pre, as otherwise it would not show any musical content most of the time. Of course it also serves as pre level meter, so you get the best of both ways.

Reference level is in auto and at this volume it is indeed at +4 dBU (by the way, great feature!)

Truth is, I don't need to know how much level I'm putting into my speakers, it's not a relevant information to me. It may be to you, I understand that, but to me it's not relevant. Everything is gain staged here and after the DA I'm just interested in SPL levels so a peak meter between the DA and the speakers is not relevant to me.

But I would like for instance to check levels of mixes or iTunes songs without opening the DAW, that's why I was interested in a "pre" metering option. That way I could easily check the levels of anything coming out of the USB stream since I'm already using the RME to listen to those.

In my mind it makes more sense to have this as pre than post, but in any case, why not have both and add another option?

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Re: RME ADI-2 Pro Questions & Feature Request

Not to mention that this is the only converter I've ever seen to do this. Pretty much everything from other brands is pre metering. My Mytek does pre, Dangerous Convert does pre, Crane Song, Grace... Anyway, pretty much any stereo DAC with volume control will do pre metering.

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Re: RME ADI-2 Pro Questions & Feature Request

> Not to mention that this is the only converter I've ever seen to do this

Yeah. Finally someone used his brain to do it right wink

Seriously: A pre option is not possible without extensive effort as the whole internal design has been optimized with levels taken from specific points of the signal path.

To check the playback levels Windows users would use DIGICheck. Unfortunately under Mac OS there is no direct access to playback data, only input data.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

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Re: RME ADI-2 Pro Questions & Feature Request

MC wrote:

> Not to mention that this is the only converter I've ever seen to do this

Yeah. Finally someone used his brain to do it right wink

Seriously: A pre option is not possible without extensive effort as the whole internal design has been optimized with levels taken from specific points of the signal path.

To check the playback levels Windows users would use DIGICheck. Unfortunately under Mac OS there is no direct access to playback data, only input data.

Again, just because it doesn't make sense to your needs you shouldn't disregard our needs. I'm a full time mastering engineer making a living out of this, I'm not a gear designer, there's a reason why every stereo DAC with volume control show pre metering and not post. Please don't be rude and accept that you might be wrong.

In any case, if it's not doable it's not doable, it's not a deal breaker. End of discussion.

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Re: RME ADI-2 Pro Questions & Feature Request

> there's a reason why every stereo DAC with volume control show pre metering and not post

From a technical side there indeed is one: they can't do it. Many 'high end' DACs use analog volume control, so the only level they can show is the digital input one. Apart from that the majority of DACs don't have any level meter at all.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

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  • From: Europe
  • Registered: 2009-04-11
  • Posts: 30

Re: RME ADI-2 Pro Questions & Feature Request

MC wrote:

> there's a reason why every stereo DAC with volume control show pre metering and not post

From a technical side there indeed is one: they can't do it. Many 'high end' DACs use analog volume control, so the only level they can show is the digital input one. Apart from that the majority of DACs don't have any level meter at all.

Again, you're wrong. Look at the Mytek Brooklyn DAC, Crane Song Solaris, Burl Bomber DAC for instance. The new Mytek Brooklyn DAC has both digital attenuation or analogue attenuation so they could easily build a post digital fader metering.

But again, it's useless.

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