• Ellef
  • Ellef
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  • Registered: 2019-12-25
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Topic: Volume Control for ADAT

Hi all!

I'm considering to buy a used ADI-2 (first revision) as an XLR out extension for my Babyface Pro. Thinking about the volume control in TotalMix FX I just aksed myself what the slider in the hardware out section will do for the ADAT connection. Is it just a duplication of the software volume slider? Or is there actually any volume encoding going that affects the d/a conversion at the recieving end?

To make it short: Will pulling down the ADAT output volume (hardware out in Totalmix FX) reduce the dynamic range of the signal?

Regards and happy holidays,
Ellef

2 Reply by ramses (edited by ramses 2019-12-25 19:53:38)

  • ramses
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Re: Volume Control for ADAT

I see no bigger difference within the "digital domain" whether you pull down the volume on SW Playback or HW Output.

If your active monitors have no poti or if you do not want an expensive monitor controller with a volume knob
then I would use fixed or variable attenuators as described here in this posting from MC:
https://forum.rme-audio.de/viewtopic.php?id=25399

Or you could also try to use lower reference levels which also lowers volume.

BR Ramses - UFX III, 12Mic, XTC, ADI-2 Pro FS R BE, RayDAT, X10SRi-F, E5-1680v4, Win10Pro22H2, Cub14
  • Ellef
  • Ellef
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Re: Volume Control for ADAT

Thank you for your quick response!

So in practice there is no difference between the 'Software Playback' and the 'Hardware Output' level for an ADAT device and both apply to the digital domain only, right?

Like I said I would like to link an (older) ADI-2 to my Babyface Pro to extend the number of analog outputs. And it would be really nice to be able to adjust the analog volume via the BFP's rotary encoder or TotalMix FX. Pre-gain is not an issue since my monitors come with adjustable volume on the back.

Regards,
Ellef

  • ramses
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Re: Volume Control for ADAT

Software Playback is simply an additional Layer between Audio Application - like DAW - and the final HW Output.
This enables you to perform the final routing in TotalMix FX.
Even though in the DAW you send audio to AES OUT, this means SW Playback Channel AES OUT.
But in TotalMix you are still able to send SW Playback AES Out to a different output than AES OUT, i.e. AN 1/2.

Whether you change the level at the SW playback channel or the HW output doesn't matter.
I personally prefer to have all SW playbacks at 0dB and to make adjustments at the HW output.

But it could also be the case, that you want to have a certain headphone mix on AN9/10 (phones output on UFX*).
Then it *COULD* be that you want to route different SW playback channels (from DAW/application) with different levels.
You could do this also in the DAW ...
Many possibilities, give it a shape and structure, so that you know what you are doing where.

https://www.tonstudio-forum.de/index.php/Attachment/1988-TotalMix-Diagram-Overview-Signal-Flow-jpg/

BR Ramses - UFX III, 12Mic, XTC, ADI-2 Pro FS R BE, RayDAT, X10SRi-F, E5-1680v4, Win10Pro22H2, Cub14

5 Reply by Ellef (edited by Ellef 2019-12-26 03:19:50)

  • Ellef
  • Ellef
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Re: Volume Control for ADAT

Thanks for the explination!

So what is the correlation with digital (dBFS) and analog (dBu) levels here?

1) On the digital output with lets say AS 1/2 configured to send audio to an external DAC via ADAT, the audio stream send to the external device is adjusted digitally relative to full scale (at both sliders) in TotalMix FX, right?
Thus, decresing the volume could potentially harm the resolution in terms of bit depth? Or is there some kind of handover magic in the ADAT protocol that preserves the full scaled signal for the data transmission and just tells the receiving end to decrease the analog level appropriately?

I have not much experience with ADAT and SPDIF, so please bear with me. big_smile

2) On the analog output with AN 1/2 configured to send audio to a pair of speakers via XLR for example, altering one or both of the sliders will only affect the analog level but not the digital relative to full scale?
And let's say I use -0 dB in the software section and -45 dB in the hardware section, comparing it with -45 dB in the software section and -0 dB in the hardware section, I will essentially end up with the same levels and resolution at the speakers after all?

I would welcome some clarification!

Best wishes,
Ellef

  • ramses
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Re: Volume Control for ADAT

Your original question was in regards to digital connections, this was explained.
A little volume reduction is not tragic you have enough headroom.

BR Ramses - UFX III, 12Mic, XTC, ADI-2 Pro FS R BE, RayDAT, X10SRi-F, E5-1680v4, Win10Pro22H2, Cub14