Tell me how you use your SPDIF ports!

Sales Dude McBoob · Post by **Sales Dude McBoob** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 2:50 pm

Alright. Many of us have computer interfaces with all sorts of ins and outs. These devices often feature SPDIF inputs and outputs. I'm talking about the digital RCA jacks. SPDIF is also transmitted via optical TOSLINK cable. If you use SPDIF with a TOSLINK cable- tell us about that too. But I'm more curious about the coaxial RCA version.

Why do I want to know? I don't know. I'm curious. To me it seems like this inexpensive consumer protocol that was stuck into a bunch of gear to increase the I/O specs. It's never been a deal breaker... "What do you mean it doesn't have a SPDIF input? Forget it!" I want to know who actually uses them, and for what.

So lemme know!

For starters, I'll tell you about my own foray into SPDIF. I own an old Roland VS-880EX. It's a stand-alone digital 8 track. On the back are SPDIF digital RCA ins and outs. About a year ago I wanted to transfer some old tracks from the 880 into Live. So I spent $12 on a digital RCA cable and busted out all of the gear. I set up, pulled up the song on the 880, and had the SPDIF out of the 880 plugged into the SPDIF in on my Digi 002. What did I get? Nothing. The 880 just seemed like it was spitting out silence. I tried a few things, double checked a few things, and then bagged the project after unsuccessfully trying to dig up my old 880's manual.

joeyfivecents · Post by **joeyfivecents** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 3:01 pm

Id like to more about this too? What could I ever use this for?

Tarekith · Post by **Tarekith** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 3:17 pm

I use it to transfer audio from my Virus TI into Live digitally sometimes if I'm not running the Virus Control plug in. SPDIF is useful sometimes, but certainly not a deal breaker.

RhythmSickness · Post by **RhythmSickness** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 3:22 pm

I have an audiofile 24/96 with some of these beasties on it.

From what I can gather, I can stick another three of them in my mac and then use the SPDIF connections to sync the cards clocks. So that the hardware runs together as well as being usable as an aggregate device.

Not got round to it yet as I still have only one of these cards

randrohe · Post by **randrohe** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 3:25 pm

I run spidif out of ultralite- into lexicon mpx 500 - back into ultralite. might as well forgo one ad/da conversion. on this note, can you daisy chain with s/pdif? Rand

mike holiday · Post by **mike holiday** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 3:29 pm

randrohe wrote:I run spidif out of ultralite- into lexicon mpx 500 - back into ultralite. might as well forgo one ad/da conversion. on this note, can you daisy chain with s/pdif? Rand

i use s/pdif for a lexicon mpx 550

Sales Dude McBoob · Post by **Sales Dude McBoob** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 3:43 pm

mike holiday wrote:
randrohe wrote:I run spidif out of ultralite- into lexicon mpx 500 - back into ultralite. might as well forgo one ad/da conversion. on this note, can you daisy chain with s/pdif? Rand
i use s/pdif for a lexicon mpx 550

A hardware reverb seems like a good use of these. So you pretty much route tracks to the Lexicon digitally, then create a return track?

Sales Dude McBoob · Post by **Sales Dude McBoob** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 3:50 pm

I was just checking out the Presonus Central Station (The Central Station allows you to plug multiple sets of monitors into it and switch back and forth to gain a better persepective of how your mix is translating to different speakers.) It seems like Presonus wants you to send your SPDIF to the central Station as the audio source from the DAW, because it comes with both optical and coaxial SPDIF inputs that can handle 24/192 feeds.

So there's another use, I suppose.

rikhyray · Post by **rikhyray** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 4:23 pm

Sales Dude McBoob wrote:Alright. Many of us have computer interfaces with all sorts of ins and outs. These devices often feature SPDIF inputs and outputs. I'm talking about the digital RCA jacks. SPDIF is also transmitted via optical TOSLINK cable. If you use SPDIF with a TOSLINK cable- tell us about that too. But I'm more curious about the coaxial RCA version.

Why do I want to know? I don't know. I'm curious. To me it seems like this inexpensive consumer protocol that was stuck into a bunch of gear to increase the I/O specs. It's never been a deal breaker... "What do you mean it doesn't have a SPDIF input? Forget it!" I want to know who actually uses them, and for what.

So lemme know!

For starters, I'll tell you about my own foray into SPDIF. I own an old Roland VS-880EX. It's a stand-alone digital 8 track. On the back are SPDIF digital RCA ins and outs. About a year ago I wanted to transfer some old tracks from the 880 into Live. So I spent $12 on a digital RCA cable and busted out all of the gear. I set up, pulled up the song on the 880, and had the SPDIF out of the 880 plugged into the SPDIF in on my Digi 002. What did I get? Nothing. The 880 just seemed like it was spitting out silence. I tried a few things, double checked a few things, and then bagged the project after unsuccessfully trying to dig up my old 880's manual.

I use it mainly for the MPC
Its been long time, dont remember how I backed up, for my archives the 880. Not sure if via SPIDIF or SCSI with the special program and/or some utilities. There was a fellow called Joe who was 880 specialist, very helpful, there was some info on his studio site ( he worked with I think 8pcs 880. There was special Yahoo site that you could get all the upgrades etc and the program which became free. Sorry I dont remember details since it was all such long time back.
Anyway you should be able to find all that just googling 880EX

ethios4 · Post by **ethios4** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 4:33 pm

I have a M-Audio 2496 in my computer for AV use. I'd like to use it's S/PDIF output into my Firebox on my laptop, but the only way to do it is to have the M-Audio card send clock sync to the Firebox, in effect making the M-Audio the master. The problem with that is that if the AV computer were to crash, as the master, I would lose audio output from my laptop, which would be really bad.

So, if there was a way for the Firebox to be the master, and the M-Audio to be the slave, I would use S/PDIF.

SubQ · Post by **SubQ** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 4:37 pm

I use it for multitrack recording via optical, expanding my Multiface's 8 analog outs to 16 with an octane pre. You can get into 18 with the digital rca.

works like a charm - it seem a bit magic to see 8 channels going trough a tiny cable.

I love my multiface. Sales Dude, does the genelecs 8020 have spdif ins?

TheAnimal · Post by **TheAnimal** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 4:39 pm

I'm using it to connect my TC M3000.

I'd very much like to find a solution that gives me more SP/DIF and/or AES/EBU inputs and outputs.

M. Bréqs · Post by **M. Bréqs** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 4:42 pm

Back when I was using hardware, I would run an SPDIF optical signal from my master outs to a mastering processor (Drawmer DC2476 in my studio, or a Finalizer Express in my gig rig).

Since I've gone completely soft (that sounds bad), I don't use it this way anymore. But recently I've also used it when jamming with other laptop musicians; we'll run their output to my input (or vice versa), enable a channel to monitor and record the other guy's signal, and eliminate the need for an external hardware mixer. It saves on the DA/AD conversion, and you don't have to worry about dicking around with recording levels. Set it at zero and it's the other guy's responsibility to not clip his signal.

Not having SPDIF hasn't been a dealbreaker for me on a sound card though it's convient at times; I own two cards, an Echo Indigo DJ for gigging and a MOTU 828 set up at home.

Tone Deft · Post by **Tone Deft** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 4:48 pm

Sales Dude McBoob wrote:I'm more curious about the coaxial RCA version.

Why do I want to know? I don't know. I'm curious. To me it seems like this inexpensive consumer protocol that was stuck into a bunch of gear to increase the I/O specs.

Coaxial RCA isn't a term, there's coax like your TV cable, and RCA like phonograph connectors.

SPDIF (aka AES/EBU <the differential pro version>) is HUGE. It's used on DVD players and lots of other digital audio gear. It can carry metadata as well (data that describes the audio data) as well as compressed audio. It can also be expanded to carry 1 to 8 channels of audio.

I don't use it in my studio but I think you're underselling it.

Sales Dude McBoob · Post by **Sales Dude McBoob** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 4:52 pm

SubQ wrote:I use it for multitrack recording via optical, expanding my Multiface's 8 analog outs to 16 with an octane pre. You can get into 18 with the digital rca.

works like a charm - it seem a bit magic to see 8 channels going trough a tiny cable.

I love my multiface. Sales Dude, does the genelecs 8020 have spdif ins?

No... analog ins only on the 8020. Genelec recently came out with the 8130A which has AES/EBU digital inputs. While AES is similar to SPDIF, they're not compatible. You'd have to buy a digital format converter box to use it. Like this one:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/control ... Navigation

I have an Octane too, and it is really cool. But, that optical format is actually the ADAT protocol, not SPDIF. The biggest difference is that ADAT passes 8 channels of digital audio though one little wire, where SPDIF is just 2 channel stereo. I believe. There is some consumer deal with SPDIF where it can pass and decode surround sound for home theatre systems... but I don't know that much about the consumer stuff.

I recently shot out an Octane with the RME OctaMic. The RME won. The Octane is cool for $500. But the $1200 OctaMic sounded a bit better. Plus the Octamic can do sampling rates higher than 48k, it just becomes a 4 channel device at higher sampling rates.

Tell me how you use your SPDIF ports!

Do you use your SPDIF ports?

Tell me how you use your SPDIF ports!

Re: Tell me how you use your SPDIF ports!

Re: Tell me how you use your SPDIF ports!