• Registered: 2023-12-10
  • Posts: 18

Topic: ADI-2 DAC FS: SPDIF coax channels present as such in DAW ?

Hi, noob question;

I'm thinking of buying an extra ADI-2 DAC FS, but will the SPDIF coax input be visible as input channels in my DAW ? (Logic), like the SPDIF coax input on the ADI-2 Pro FS R are visible in Logic ?

Kind regards,

Michiel

  • KaiS
  • DAW Mastermind
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  • From: Germany
  • Registered: 2020-02-05
  • Posts: 3,152

Re: ADI-2 DAC FS: SPDIF coax channels present as such in DAW ?

The DAC page 10 manual says it:

To enable the recording of the SPDIF input via USB go to I/O, Source, and select either USB (Rec opt.) or USB (Rec coax). Record SPDIF optical and Record SPDIF coaxial activate the full duplex operation with USB: The respective SPDIF signal is clock source and can be recorded via USB


But manual page 45 shows the culprit:

22.3 Multi-interface Operation

The current driver supports up to three RME devices of the MADIface series. All units have to be in sync, i.e. have to receive valid digital sync information. Under ASIO all devices are presented as one ASIO device with all available channels as I/Os.

If one of the units is set to clock mode Master, all others have to be set to clock mode Slave, and have to be synced from the master by feeding ADAT, AES or SPDIF. The clock modes of all units have to be set up correctly in their Settings dialog.


In most setups clock sync will become a problem due to lack of enough digital I/Os.

The digital source for the DAC (you want to record) would need to become clock master, and send the same clock to the Pro for sync.
This config would, in total, gain no extra input.


Maybe you’re better off with a Digiface USB, another ADI-2 Pro or 2/4 Pro SE, or even an UCX II.

KaiS's Website

3 Reply by Kubrak (edited by Kubrak 2023-12-25 22:36:25)

  • Kubrak
  • S/Mux specialist
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  • Registered: 2023-08-03
  • Posts: 278

Re: ADI-2 DAC FS: SPDIF coax channels present as such in DAW ?

It depends, what you want to acomplish.

If you just want to get SPDIF input of ADI-2 DAC FS to DAW and you do not need to expand number of SPDIFs available and one SPDIF in is optical and one SPDIF in is coax and you are OK to loose one of SPDIF out...

You could use ADI-2 Pro FS for clocking ADI-2 DAC FS. You would connect one of SPDIF out of ADI-2 Pro FS to SPDIF in of ADI-2 DAC FS.

So, you could record in DAW, what comes to ADI-2 DAC FS by SPDIF. And what comes by SPDIF to ADI-2 DAC FS would be controlled by settings for ADI-2 Pro FS in TotalMix.

But, if you want to have one more SPDIF input, different HW is needed, as already has explained KaiS....

4 Reply by MichielDeBink (edited by MichielDeBink 2023-12-26 16:29:12)

  • Registered: 2023-12-10
  • Posts: 18

Re: ADI-2 DAC FS: SPDIF coax channels present as such in DAW ?

Thank you Kais and Kubrak,
I did not know that devices connected to a Mac over USB as aggregated device, with one of the devices set as master, also had to be connected to eachother via AES, SPDIF or ADAT. Since the ADI-2 DAC FS only has one functional SPDIF connection (coax or optical at the time), I guess that’s not going to work for me.
Maybe, as Kais suggested, an UCX II is a beter option; I can connect an aggregated device from UCX II over ADAT to ADI-2 Pro FS, and connect a spare Topping E50 dac, to spdif coax or optical out from the UCX II.
Do you think the UCX II could pass spdif in to out, to a higher specced dac as the UCX II has, in standalone mode ?, so music can be played without fuss, when I’m not tinkering in my DAW ? I’ve looked into the manual, but there is so much info, I’m not sure. Kind regards, Michiel