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Topic: A few more questions about Sample Rate setting in MADIface

I still don't feel I have a complete handle on how best to set the sample rate in MADIface software to work ideally in Windows, if I'm listening to music, movies, and games through the USB on my computer.

My questions are:

1). What sample rate in MADIface (e.g., 44khz, 48khz, etc.) should I have as my default in Windows?


2). If I change the sample rate from say, 44khz to 192khz, who is doing the upsampling? Is that Windows and its algorithm, or the Dac itself?


Thanks

  • Registered: 2019-01-14
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Re: A few more questions about Sample Rate setting in MADIface

I feel like this is such a basic question but have found it hard to find an answer. Surely many of you are using the Dac with Windows ... tell me what you're doing with it and why...

3 Reply by ramses (edited by ramses 2019-01-29 22:42:58)

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Re: A few more questions about Sample Rate setting in MADIface

The application itself usually sets the sample rate according to the sound material.

Why you ask about upsampling ? Because you think you will get a quality gain by this ?
Forget about this, quality is not going to be any better by this.
You have the quality of the original audio file, you can't get more by this.

Upsampling is being mostly used on a pure technical level, if you need to connect devices
with different sample rates to bring them to an unique sample rate for further processing/recording.

BR Ramses - UFX III, 12Mic, XTC, ADI-2 Pro FS R BE, RayDAT, X10SRi-F, E5-1680v4, Win10Pro22H2, Cub14
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Re: A few more questions about Sample Rate setting in MADIface

Hmm... so what does changing the sample rate in MADIface actually do?

It's not because I want to get a quality gain from upsampling. What I'm wondering is, if I set the sample rate to 48khz, and I listen to a 44khz source file, what happens exactly?

Does Windows upsample it to 48khz, or does the DAC?

I'm surprised I haven't seen more discussion on this point.

5 Reply by MC

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Re: A few more questions about Sample Rate setting in MADIface

Because nobody uses it this way. Using the WDM driver the Windows mixer will up/downsample automatically, which is good enough for YouTube etc. Usually one uses WASAPI or ASIO to have the right sample rate automatically, or a sample rate converter of highest quality that is part of the dedicated music player app.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

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6 Reply by Robertm394 (edited by Robertm394 2019-01-30 22:05:07)

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Re: A few more questions about Sample Rate setting in MADIface

So MC what would you recommend setup wise for listening scenarios such as Netflix/Vudu movies, or Youtube videos when connected from a Windows PC over USB to the Dac? The MADIFace software gives me the option to change sample rates so naturally I wonder what sample rate setting would work best here.

7 Reply by ramses (edited by ramses 2019-01-30 22:21:03)

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Re: A few more questions about Sample Rate setting in MADIface

Guess you have a tape deck which supports 3 speeds. 9.5 / 19 / 38 cm/s
You have a Tape which has been recorded with 19 cm/sec.
You are asking now why not playing it with 38 cm/sec.
Does it make any sense ?

Same with turntable ... 33 / 45 / 78 U/min .. you have an LP recorded with 33 U/min.
Does it make sense to play it back with 45 or 78 U/min ?

Only because your tape deck or turntable supports higher speeds does not make sense to use the higher speed with any audio material.

Similar thing with sample rates .. think from the source ... the audio material.
In which sample rate is it available ...

Depending on OS and which driver / application is in use either up/downsampling or a change of the sample rate is supported.

So you usually use ASIO driver and for Windows and other non-ASIO aware applications you use the WDM driver and you should not have to take care about sample rate because this happens automatically.

If you want high end quality use ASIO or WASAPI.

BR Ramses - UFX III, 12Mic, XTC, ADI-2 Pro FS R BE, RayDAT, X10SRi-F, E5-1680v4, Win10Pro22H2, Cub14
  • Registered: 2019-01-14
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Re: A few more questions about Sample Rate setting in MADIface

Right, thanks. I get what you're saying. So if Netflix is a non-Asio aware application and I'm using the WDM driver, MC is saying the sample rate is changed automatically to match the source material (i.e., the sample rate of the Netflix video)?

If so, that's great.

But it still leaves me with the question, what does changing the sample rate in MADIFace actually do in this situation?

Because if I change the sample rate in MADIFace, it shows on the Dac that the internal clock is whatever I changed the sample rate to, and it NEVER changes on the Dac, even when I'm listening to source material that I know is a different sample rate.

9 Reply by MC

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Re: A few more questions about Sample Rate setting in MADIface

Robertm394 wrote:

So if Netflix is a non-Asio aware application and I'm using the WDM driver, MC is saying the sample rate is changed automatically to match the source material (i.e., the sample rate of the Netflix video)?

I said the exact opposite.

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Matthias Carstens
RME

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10 Reply by Robertm394 (edited by Robertm394 2019-01-30 23:23:49)

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Re: A few more questions about Sample Rate setting in MADIface

MC wrote:
Robertm394 wrote:

So if Netflix is a non-Asio aware application and I'm using the WDM driver, MC is saying the sample rate is changed automatically to match the source material (i.e., the sample rate of the Netflix video)?

I said the exact opposite.


Using the WDM driver the Windows mixer will up/downsample automatically, which is good enough for YouTube etc.

Fine, so what happens if the WDM driver is used (let's say for Netflix) and I have the sample rate in MADIFace set to the default 44khz, but the sample rate of the movie is 48khz?

Are you saying Windows will downsample to 44khz in that case before sending to the DAC?

11 Reply by MC

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Re: A few more questions about Sample Rate setting in MADIface

Exactly. And don't you see this in the Settings dialog as well as on the ADI?

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

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  • Registered: 2019-01-14
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Re: A few more questions about Sample Rate setting in MADIface

I see the Int clock rate reflect what I select in MADIFace. I've been setting it at 48khz because I understand movies and games and some Youtube videos are commonly recorded at 48khz, so I figure that may cover more cases than 44khz.