Topic: Digicheck 5 user's feedback

Hello,

Have you any interest on comments from unusual users such like me, focusing for both industry and personal hi-end audio setup?
I mean here that I would consider the new DC5 release as a toolbox expansion to multichannel layout that are not(only)related to the traditional home theatre 5.1 setup and/or mastering issues

Best/pierre

HDSP 9632, Octamic D, Head Acoustics, WL6, NVH software tools

2

Re: Digicheck 5 user's feedback

We are always interested in feedback, so don't hold back!

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

Re: Digicheck 5 user's feedback

Sounds good!
Thx for the continuous involvement in developping DigiCheck, a tool that it's crime to forget :-)
I guess it is important to figure out the change from stereo to multichannel instances, where the sound focus no longer stands up front along a line, but rather more moves to the centre point of the speakers setup
That way, the overlapping of sound emission from multiple sources becomes crucial and makes the analysis even more complicated than simply considering 5,6 channels instead of 2
Projecting the sound loudnesses from above is for me the useful and natural vision to complete the work of listening, the latter being largely influenced by the monitoring setup quality, room acoustics
Thus to help keep neutral against those uncertainities, the newest tool "surround audio scope" is the one I feed back preferably
A set of suggestions now:
1) The sonic distribution around the listener being similar to the microphone sensivity against random field patterns, I suggest to rename the grahical spot
MultiPolar scope
a way to identify the brand's ultimate tool cool
I guess that many audio engineers would feel it cool and of natural sense
2) the LFE channel carrying a limited low range of audio components, and the sound field from subs being of plane wave type in mid sized rooms, I propose to plot it as separate in the graphics, by mean of an expanding circle from the centre point to the outer circle line (calibrated to 0 dBfs), see below
LFE plot example
for the multichannel draft peripheral line, allow the user to select the grahic dynamic range from centre point to max range between linear and compressed plotting (such like meters) and the range of audio between 6 and 60 dB say
That way, we can correctly plot sounds patterns showing low or high loudnesses variance across channels according to the audio material
3) make use of LeqC instead of B, more useful against various measuring protocols in acoustics
4) be prepared to add two more channels, in total 8 quarters graphic map available, to support users having multiple mics distributed around a machinery or public address speakers array for instance, and 8 is a magic number in audio you know...:-D
5) a request for the setting basics, see here
settings screen shot

Now a question about the global recorder: what is the mean of the two new buttons M and S?
as it becomes active once the record completed, just before to save the files

I'll continue to make some tests now on..
Best regards

HDSP 9632, Octamic D, Head Acoustics, WL6, NVH software tools

Re: Digicheck 5 user's feedback

Added an avatar :-)
Another point though
The channel relationship for each of the correlators is not clear, need another label here maybe in the meter background for a good reading
My best thinking from now is a set of pair wised to the centre channel, thus FL,FR,SL,SR all to C in total four half meters ed:
the two large ones being assigned to the front and rear pairs respectively
Comments?

HDSP 9632, Octamic D, Head Acoustics, WL6, NVH software tools

5

Re: Digicheck 5 user's feedback

Thanks for the comments. Some things will change with the release version adressing your ideas. M and S are the Master buttons for all Mute and Solo switches (as in TotalMix).

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

Re: Digicheck 5 user's feedback

one tiny sch?nheitsfehler: the scrolling in the "function select" menu is not very beautiful, imho... I guess it appeared because of the additional surround function... could be removed easily for sure.
wink

DC rules!

Re: Digicheck 5 user's feedback

laex wrote:

one tiny sch?nheitsfehler: the scrolling in the "function select" menu is not very beautiful, imho... I guess it appeared because of the additional surround function... could be removed easily for sure.
wink

agreed

8

Re: Digicheck 5 user's feedback

Fixed fixed fixed and changed...new version coming soon!

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

9 (edited by Timur 2008-07-08 09:26:35)

Re: Digicheck 5 user's feedback

Minor bug:
When levels of the spectrum meter change by more than a few dB then the RESET function of Instant Hold wont clear the higher level dots. Turning off/on works, as does clearing those dots that are within only a few dB.


Question:

WDM (MME) is no longer supported, DC 5 and up will be pure ASIO applications.

What exactly does that mean for us? I tried several applications that offer MME and WAVE (even Kernel Streaming) output and Digicheck 5 showed the Playback output of all of them. The only application output I cannot get to show up is emulated MME of Winamps Audioburst FX output plugin (WAVE works), but that one doesn't show up in Digicheck 4.5 neither.

10

Re: Digicheck 5 user's feedback

'WDM/MME no longer supported' means the input option is missing in the F3 Window, means it's about the record side only.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

Re: Digicheck 5 user's feedback

Ah yes, now I see. Thanks for the pointing at obvious things. smile I already wondered why MME data cannot be measured correctly by DIGIface 4.5 anyway. Guess it makes sense to remove it if it cannot be measured properly.

Re: Digicheck 5 user's feedback

Matthias, why do we need "Show LFE" in the SAS Setup? Isn't the LFE setting in the Inut Device Setup enough?

13

Re: Digicheck 5 user's feedback

One is for the circle, the other for the Level Meter.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

Re: Digicheck 5 user's feedback

ok.

Re: Digicheck 5 user's feedback

When I change function with 5.0 PR2, Digicheck forgets the in?put settings, and I have to tell it againthat I am using ASIO fireface for each new function.

david

Classical ambisonic surround recording: UFX, FF400, Alesis HD24, Edirol R-44/88, Samplitude ProX 3.

16

Re: Digicheck 5 user's feedback

Correct. You have a completely independent setup for every measurement window. Once configured no problem anymore

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

17

Re: Digicheck 5 user's feedback

Digicheck is great!  I've been using it for years, and think it is the best metering/analysis system out there.  I've just downloaded v5.  A few features requests:

1.)  Additional HF bands for the spectrum analyser and totalizer for high SRs.  Add additional 1/3 oct bands up to Nyquist for 96K and 192k.  (at least add bands up to 48K.)  Since we can't here this info, and most equipment can't repoduce it, it would be great to have a tool that shows what is going on up there so that it can be tamed as needed etc.

2.) Allow Totalyer to be scalable in size, and maximize to screen size.  Maybe implement some windows titling and smart snap layouts.  I'd like to permanntly dedicate a monitor to Digicheck, and all I want to see on this monitor is digicheck.  Nothing else.  Allow some intelligent way to accompish this goal.   Maybe full-screen mode?

3.)  Add spectrum analyzer to SAS, such that it behavers like Totalizer for surround.  Allow 2 bar meters per channel for Peak and RMS, or superimpose both readings on a single strip.

Re: Digicheck 5 user's feedback

GPD wrote:

I'd like to permanntly dedicate a monitor to Digicheck, and all I want to see on this monitor is digicheck.  Nothing else.  Allow some intelligent way to accompish this goal.   Maybe full-screen mode?

Would love this too! For this it also would be useful to have an option to disable the taskbar entry so that just the trayicon is shown. At least on my setup it would be supercool:

- primary display: sequencer/host (and of course the taskbar)
- secondary display: digicheck in fullscreen

smile

Re: Digicheck 5 user's feedback

+1, definitely!

DC rules!

20 (edited by Timur 2008-07-08 12:21:35)

Re: Digicheck 5 user's feedback

Timur wrote:

Minor bug:
When levels of the spectrum meter change by more than a few dB then the RESET function of Instant Hold wont clear the higher level dots. Turning off/on works, as does clearing those dots that are within only a few dB.

This week I noticed that this is a bug in 4.53 already. Just to let you know. smile

Re: Digicheck 5 user's feedback

Is it fixed already? because Pre-Release changelogs says:

- File Split function reworked. DC is no longer blocked, function can be cancelled, some errors removed.
- AIO support addded
- 9632 support fixed (errors when using AI/AO boards)
- Background bitmap for SAS settings added
- Instant Hold bug fixed and renamed to Infinite Hold

https://archiv.rme-audio.de/download/di … 080630.zip

22

Re: Digicheck 5 user's feedback

We can not reproduce this. Please give a detailed how-to report. So far I am under the impression that it works as expected and the other peaks yous see are current/new ones.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

23 (edited by Timur 2008-07-08 15:36:15)

Re: Digicheck 5 user's feedback

I will try to find a reproduceable case. It doesn't seem to happen consistently. I had a screenshot once, but seem to have deleted it. When it happens a single coloum shows two peak markers at once (the higher one being the older one that should have been reset).

PS: While trying around Digicheck 5 lost contact to the Fireface and even Digicheck 4.53 couldn't get into contact unless I switched the FF off/on.

24 (edited by Timur 2008-07-08 15:43:34)

Re: Digicheck 5 user's feedback

Couldn't reproduce it in 4.53 yet, but here's a nice screenshot of 5. To reproduce it use a sinus-tone and sweep it around different frequencies manually. The lower peak leds show the value when hitting Reset and will react to consicutive resets. The higher ones are not only false, but wont ever vanish when hitting Reset while.

http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/9095/digicheck5resetdf7.png

I also had one instance where several Digicheck 4.53 windows wouldn't redraw/refresh properly after having other windows on top of them, unless I switched Top Level from Auto to some manual value. If it happens again I will report here.

Re: Digicheck 5 user's feedback

GPD wrote:

Digicheck is great!  I've been using it for years, and think it is the best metering/analysis system out there.  I've just downloaded v5.  A few features requests:

1.)  Additional HF bands for the spectrum analyser and totalizer for high SRs.  Add additional 1/3 oct bands up to Nyquist for 96K and 192k.  (at least add bands up to 48K.)  Since we can't here this info, and most equipment can't repoduce it, it would be great to have a tool that shows what is going on up there so that it can be tamed as needed etc.

2.) Allow Totalyer to be scalable in size, and maximize to screen size.  Maybe implement some windows titling and smart snap layouts.  I'd like to permanntly dedicate a monitor to Digicheck, and all I want to see on this monitor is digicheck.  Nothing else.  Allow some intelligent way to accompish this goal.   Maybe full-screen mode?

3.)  Add spectrum analyzer to SAS, such that it behavers like Totalizer for surround.  Allow 2 bar meters per channel for Peak and RMS, or superimpose both readings on a single strip.

+1. Why can't Totalyser be maximized? Or at the very least, resized to be larger?