Topic: Matching Output Levels Across Multiple Devices

My Devices are as Follows

UFX+ (master)
UFX (ADAT I/O)
M32 AD (MADI optical)
M32 DA (MADI optical)

I'm doing a test with a sine wave coming off a function generator app.

From the jack on my phone the sine wave is: 187.37 hz @ an input gain of 0.696v

It's going into the first analog input on my UFX (set to +4dBu)

This is what I get at unity fader gain (double clicked to zero) from the following outputs:

UFX+, (high gain) = 0.773v (???)
UFX    (high gain) = 0.680v 
          (24dBu)     = 1.181v
M32    (+19)        = 0.681v

How do I get unity gain going in and coming out across all devices? It appears that I probably want everything at +19 which appears to be referred to as "high gain" on the UFX models. However, the "high gain" setting on the UFX+ doesn't seem to respond the same way as the high gain on the UFX or the +19 on the M32 (which match each other).

2

Re: Matching Output Levels Across Multiple Devices

Re-calculate that into dB, then the UFX+ is just 1 dB less sensitive. Zero problem, just use it like that

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

Re: Matching Output Levels Across Multiple Devices

MC wrote:

Re-calculate that into dB, then the UFX+ is just 1 dB less sensitive. Zero problem, just use it like that

I think you mean 1db more sensitive (as it's louder than the devices connected via optical)?

Yeah, obviously not a huge difference, but I'm trying to understand why the difference exists. Is the loss of signal occurring because of the transfer via ADAT/MADI? Or is there something else that accounts for it? If I were to make a workspace/preset that adjusted the output faders to match would I want to turn up the faders on the ADAT and MADI devices, or turn down the output on the master device?

I was initially going to use the RMEs to send test tones to a 24 track tape deck but it seems like it's not accurate enough for calibration across multiple devices... However, knowing where in the signal chain it's occurring would at least give me a bit more confidence in my understanding of the units.

At least I can still use 24 outputs of the M32 DA to do the calibrations.