• JD32
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Topic: Music playback

Hello,

I am planning to buy a RME AES card (http://www.rme-audio.de/en_products_hdspe_aes.php) and I wanted to know if it will do what I need.

I want to use the card as my primary sound card so that it can output ALL PC sounds (including various media players and music players like Winamp and Media Player Class HC and video game sounds) via AES output to a DSP/Cross over like a Behringer DCX2496. Also if it can do this, will the setup be incredibly complex or simple to do for someone who is not knowledgeable about professional sound cards?

I also need to be able to extract individual channels from a stereo or a multi channel movie soundtrack that uses DTS/Dolby etc, the media players have the codecs. Will I be able to map say the Front Left,Right,Center,Rear Left,Right and LFE to 6 separate channel outputs on the RME card? Can I also mix the movie/music channels together on the outputs? For example combining the Front Left and Right channels in the music/movie on a single output channel of the card? As I understand it using a breakout cable to XLR would mean that each XLR connector would have 2 channels?

The DSP/Cross overs like the Behringer do not have any clock inputs, I am not familiar with how the clock part works as I am new to professional sound cards so I need to know if the AES card can be used without using the clock features, as in only using the digital AES outputs? I have no need of the clock or inputs. Basically only to use as a sound card.

This is not for a studio or any pro installation but for my own music/home theater use, I basically want to know if it will work well for this use and be reliable and easy to setup/use. My OS is Win 7 64 bit.

Thank you.

2 Reply by JD32 (edited by JD32 2013-09-30 10:10:40)

  • JD32
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Re: Music playback

Could someone please answer my question? I would appreciate it. It would be most unfortunate to buy the card and find out that it does not do what I need it to.

3 Reply by MC

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Re: Music playback

The card basically can do this. In real world it is no fun at this time because with the current drivers your surround setting in Windows Sound panel will revert to stereo every time the sample rate is changed.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

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  • JD32
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Re: Music playback

MC wrote:

The card basically can do this. In real world it is no fun at this time because with the current drivers your surround setting in Windows Sound panel will revert to stereo every time the sample rate is changed.

Does this happen only if I change the sample rate output manually or does this take place whenever the sample rate is different in the source? For example DTS sound tracks, 44KHz or 96KHz CD tracks?

Other than this are there any issues?

Thank you for the reply.

5 Reply by MC

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Re: Music playback

It happens in any case.

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Matthias Carstens
RME

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  • JD32
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Re: Music playback

Does this mean that it only outputs 2 channels instead of the total of 16 output channels, or that you can still use all the 16 channels of output simultaneously but they will be 8 pairs of stereo and any center/side/rear/subwoofer channels will be discarded when the sample rate is changed?

Can you store a preset and load it up quickly to make it 5.1/7.1 after it resets to stereo or is it a long/complicated process to set it up again?

Also are there any plans to correct this?

7 Reply by MC

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Re: Music playback

To quote myself:

>  your surround setting in Windows Sound panel will revert to stereo

Go there and have a look, that answers your questions.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

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  • JD32
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Re: Music playback

I could not find the answer to my question when exploring the windows sound panel. I understand that I would need to change the windows sound panel settings when it reverts to stereo but could not understand if the AES card can output 16 channels as 8 pairs of the same stereo signal (if desired) or only output a single pair of stereo when the windows sound panel reverts to stereo. Please clarify.

Can you also tell me if RME plans to fix this stereo issue?

I have an Intel motherboard, Windows 7 64 bit, is the AES card compatible with my system?

  • JD32
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Re: Music playback

Will there be any issue with the sample rate changing if I use only stereo outputs?

10 Reply by MC

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Re: Music playback

> the AES card can output 16 channels as 8 pairs of the same stereo signal (if desired)

Can easily be done with TotalMix.

> or only output a single pair of stereo when the windows sound panel reverts to stereo.

That makes no sense to me. An up to 8 channel playback would not send out 4 times the same stereo signal. Anyway, when it reverts to stereo all you can play back with WDM IS stereo.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

11 Reply by JD32 (edited by JD32 2013-10-05 19:35:13)

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Re: Music playback

Thanks for the clarification.

I have one last question, since the sample rate issue arises from having 5.1/7.1 output, are there any issues in playback of different media files (mp3,flac,DTS,Dolby Digital etc) with different sample rates if I use only use stereo outputs in the sound panel?

For example is there a pop/click sound from the speakers when the sample rate is changed going from playback of one 44KHz mp3 to another 48 KHz mp3 if you are already using stereo output?

Can this issue be avoided using the ASIO driver with 5.1/7.1 playback?

12 Reply by MC

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Re: Music playback

Click sounds when changing the sample rate are not generated in the digital card, but the specific DA-converter.

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Matthias Carstens
RME

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13 Reply by JD32 (edited by JD32 2013-10-06 11:56:04)

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Re: Music playback

Understood.

Can you please specifically answer the following from my above post -

JD32 wrote:

I have one last question, since the sample rate issue arises from having 5.1/7.1 output, are there any issues in playback of different media files (mp3,flac,DTS,Dolby Digital etc) with different sample rates if I use only use stereo outputs in the sound panel?

Can this issue be avoided using the ASIO driver with 5.1/7.1 playback?


If there are no issues with stereo output playback of media files with 8 simultaneous stereo signal outputs then I can buy the card. Please let me know.

14 Reply by MC

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Re: Music playback

No issues, and if then they come from the used media player. Neither our card nor our drivers knows anything about media file formats.

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Matthias Carstens
RME

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  • Registered: 2013-09-29
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Re: Music playback

I asked questions like this about 5.1 games and movies and my thread got deleted! hmm
Rme you are missing a trick here.
Adding a 5.1/7.1 setting with bass managemnt for the sub will get you a lot more sales.
So if i setup a fireface for 5.1 and watch a film with powerdvd13 software (that does software decoding of DTS MA and Dobly Digital) and then turn iTunes on to listen to some lossless audio I'll lose my 5.1 setting in Powerdvd?
Is that the same for analogue outputs too?

16 Reply by MC

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Re: Music playback

Your thread got deleted because it included no useful information for any other forum reader. We think we know quite good what will get us sales or not. Also I answered your question already in post number 3 of this thread.

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Matthias Carstens
RME

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  • Registered: 2013-09-29
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Re: Music playback

Will this workflow creating problem be fixed with a software update?
It seems very counter intuitive. Is there a reason it does this?
Also, why is there no 5.1/7.1 option for home theatre and gaming?
It sounds like it would be incredibly useful for a lot of people (from reading the posts on your forum) and I can't seem to see a reason not to implement it.
Unless I'm missing something?
Surely broadening your market is a good thing? Why limit sales for a simple driver update?

  • Registered: 2013-09-27
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Re: Music playback

I don't really think this card was designed with consumers and gaming in mind, and I'm pretty happy about that - there are plenty of other options for home theatre users / gamers. I'd rather the engineers delivered us solid professional audio capability and excellent quality rather than replicating 'fringe' features available elsewhere.

19 Reply by TheDuke (edited by TheDuke 2013-10-19 03:41:35)

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Re: Music playback

I don't agree.
Producers and sound engineers mixing in 7.1 who can't actually watch a bluray in 7.1 with the same audio interface?
Or a composer/sound designer for computer games can't play a game on the same audio interface he's creating it on?
What about the new 'pure audio' standard using Blu-ray Discs and providing music playback in 5.1?
Not implementing this makes no sense to me.
+ there are no home theatre/gaming audio interfaces on the market with balanced outputs.
Have a look and you'll see.
For the sake of the effort it'll take , the sales they will gain, and the niche in the market they will be solely filling, I can't see a good reason not to IMO