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Gear / Technical Help => Recording Gear => Topic started by: BC on October 13, 2005, 08:17:35 PM

Title: Microtrack SPDIF in flips channels @ 24 bit!?!?!
Post by: BC on October 13, 2005, 08:17:35 PM
Hi All-

Just doing some testing taking the SPDIF from my V3. Just installed the new drivers, currently running V 1.1.5.

At 24 bit setting on the MT the channels seem to be flipped! That is, when I turn down the right channel on the V3 the left channel is reduced on the MT.     ??? 

At the 16 bit setting the channel settings are correct.

Could someone out there check theirs also to see if they are experiencing the same problem?

Peace,
Ben

Title: Re: Microtrack SPDIF in flips channels @ 24 bit!?!?!
Post by: mmedley. on October 13, 2005, 08:25:15 PM
That's not good.

I'll see what I can come up with.
Title: Re: Microtrack SPDIF in flips channels @ 24 bit!?!?!
Post by: udovdh on October 14, 2005, 02:10:42 AM
If this is a structural bug it is easily fixed in post.
Just do some testing to see if it is reproducable and tell M-Audio?
Title: Re: Microtrack SPDIF in flips channels @ 24 bit!?!?!
Post by: Brian Skalinder on October 14, 2005, 02:48:37 AM
I noticed the same symptom on Todd R's comp:  http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=51241.msg673154#msg673154

Were you running coax S/PDIF or AES1 S/PDIF out on the V3?  Anyone else with V3 / MT2496 combos wanna give this a try and see if they can duplicate it?
Title: Re: Microtrack SPDIF in flips channels @ 24 bit!?!?!
Post by: F.O.Bean on October 14, 2005, 02:57:12 AM
damnit, thats not good :(

im sure that can be fixed in a newer firmware tho right?
Title: Re: Microtrack SPDIF in flips channels @ 24 bit!?!?!
Post by: rdvdijk on October 14, 2005, 02:59:47 AM
im sure that can be fixed in a newer firmware tho right?

I'm sure it can be, it's just a minor bug.

Roel
Title: Re: Microtrack SPDIF in flips channels @ 24 bit!?!?!
Post by: Brian Skalinder on October 14, 2005, 03:06:43 AM
Oh, wait...Todd R's comp was 16-bit I think, though.  Hmmmm...curiouser and curiouser...
Title: Re: Microtrack SPDIF in flips channels @ 24 bit!?!?!
Post by: F.O.Bean on October 14, 2005, 03:08:14 AM
whos gonna do the testing ;D at 24-bit that is ;D
Title: Re: Microtrack SPDIF in flips channels @ 24 bit!?!?!
Post by: JasonSobel on October 14, 2005, 08:46:25 AM
whos gonna do the testing ;D at 24-bit that is ;D

I can try to reproduce this this evening, but from what I recall of my 24 bit S/PDIF tests, the channels were correct.


Hi All-

Just doing some testing taking the SPDIF from my V3. Just installed the new drivers, currently running V 1.1.5.

At 24 bit setting on the MT the channels seem to be flipped! That is, when I turn down the right channel on the V3 the left channel is reduced on the MT.     ??? 

At the 16 bit setting the channel settings are correct.

Could someone out there check theirs also to see if they are experiencing the same problem?

Peace,
Ben

Ben -
have you verified that the channels are indeed swapped on your computer?  I only ask because the level meters on the MicroTrack don't really seem reliable to me yet, so you might just be seeing some funny things on the level meters, but the file is correct.  (the level meters on the MicroTrack aren't very good or consistent.  sometimes if the levels in a channel drop down real quiet, that channels meters show that they're pegged, or after some time recording, the meters just stop functioning.  or they have a significant lag to them, etc, etc..)

I just want to make sure that what you're seeing on the MicroTrack is actually what is being recorded.
Title: Re: Microtrack SPDIF in flips channels @ 24 bit!?!?!
Post by: BC on October 14, 2005, 01:53:51 PM

Ben -
have you verified that the channels are indeed swapped on your computer?  I only ask because the level meters on the MicroTrack don't really seem reliable to me yet, so you might just be seeing some funny things on the level meters, but the file is correct.  (the level meters on the MicroTrack aren't very good or consistent.  sometimes if the levels in a channel drop down real quiet, that channels meters show that they're pegged, or after some time recording, the meters just stop functioning.  or they have a significant lag to them, etc, etc..)

I just want to make sure that what you're seeing on the MicroTrack is actually what is being recorded.

Yep, I opened the files in Soundforge afterward to look at the WAV files so I know it is not just a metering issue.

Title: Re: Microtrack SPDIF in flips channels @ 24 bit!?!?!
Post by: jhirte on October 14, 2005, 02:51:15 PM
You know I thought it was just me when running it at a show last weekend, but since someone else mentioned it, maybe I wasn't on crack that night. I was crankin away on the Left channel's gain on my V3 and the input level on the right was going up.... ? I'll have to test again tonight to verify.
Title: Re: Microtrack SPDIF in flips channels @ 24 bit!?!?!
Post by: JasonSobel on October 14, 2005, 05:05:22 PM
I just ran some quick tests.  I recorded 7 files, each between 10 seconds and 1 minute.  all of them at 24 bit, 48kHz, via the V3 > S/PDIF > MicroTrack.  I did some tests with the V3 coax output, and some with the AES1 output.

of the 7 files, 5 were fine, and 2 of them had the channels reversed.  obviously, it's not consistent.  I didn't see a pattern, and of the 2 that had the channels reversed, one was from the AES1 output, and the other was from the coax output, so that's not it.

For the time being, I'd say just watch things carefully, and you might have to flip the channels afterwards on your computer.  This should be another thing that we make sure M-Audio knows about and fixes in a new firmware.

good catch guys
Title: Re: Microtrack SPDIF in flips channels @ 24 bit!?!?!
Post by: it-goes-to-eleven on October 14, 2005, 09:11:01 PM
FWIW, Wave lab has a 'swap channels' function under the Edit drop down that is very quick.
Title: Re: Microtrack SPDIF in flips channels @ 24 bit!?!?!
Post by: udovdh on October 15, 2005, 02:02:08 AM
So channels only swap for the total recording?
Not during the recording? (harder to fix)
Title: Re: Microtrack SPDIF in flips channels @ 24 bit!?!?!
Post by: JasonSobel on October 15, 2005, 07:23:39 AM
So channels only swap for the total recording?
Not during the recording? (harder to fix)

that's correct.  it's either correct, or they're swapped.  but again, these tests I did were pretty short, so it's hard for me to say that this is absolutely true.  but I believe that it is true.
Title: Re: Microtrack SPDIF in flips channels @ 24 bit!?!?!
Post by: JasonSobel on October 15, 2005, 11:56:57 AM
just thought I'd add that I also emailed M-Audio about this bug.  hopefully they'll take it seriously, as it shouldn't be too hard to fix.
Title: Re: Microtrack SPDIF in flips channels @ 24 bit!?!?!
Post by: udovdh on October 15, 2005, 12:09:04 PM
just thought I'd add that I also emailed M-Audio about this bug.  hopefully they'll take it seriously, as it shouldn't be too hard to fix.
I ent in some comments via the link on teh website (near the firmware) and got a reasonable reply:

These issues are known at this time and will be addressed in upcoming firmware releases:

"Metering goes haywire after say half an hour of recording”
“Metering stops clearly representing recorded signal.”
“Metering misses dB level figures.”
“Microtrack stops after recording 2GB. This is very soon, especially when using 24/96.”
“Software should be more stable and not require power downs so often.”


(and some more)
Title: Re: Microtrack SPDIF in flips channels @ 24 bit!?!?!
Post by: Steelcorner27 on October 15, 2005, 08:56:21 PM
Just wondering why is this a big problem? It doesn't seem like that big of a issue to me. Maybe I'm missing something.

Brad
Title: Re: Microtrack SPDIF in flips channels @ 24 bit!?!?!
Post by: JasonSobel on October 15, 2005, 09:29:45 PM
Just wondering why is this a big problem? It doesn't seem like that big of a issue to me. Maybe I'm missing something.

Brad

it's not really that big of a problem.  it certainly is something that can easily be fixed afterwards.  but it is a bug and it should be fixed.
Title: Re: Microtrack SPDIF in flips channels @ 24 bit!?!?!
Post by: mm-pro on October 17, 2005, 07:27:04 AM
I can verify random switching of L/R when starting to record files using the digital input.

Regards,

MM