Yet another Problem with the C-Port....(or is it me?)

[vseus]

You know, the whole reason I got my C-Port was to effectively expand my existing digital project studio. I have a Roland VS880 that has SPDIF digital outs, but the lesser converters, effects and ability to only record 6 tracks at once motivated me to expand. I did a lot of research, comparing this card with that. The C-Port was very attractive, especially with it's ability to record digital signals via SPDIF. Aaaah! Think of the possiblities! I could re-record all those great songs I did on the VS880 directly into my computer and not spend hours transfering them via zip disk. The possiblities! I could use my VS880 as an outboard mixer for a 8 channel drum track, mixed down to 2 tracks via SPDIF and still have 8 whole tracks left on the C-Port for other instruments during a live recording, effectively turning my modest 8 track studio into a 16 track studio! I was sold! I bought the C-Port, hooked everything up and...why won't my SPIDF input work? The VS880 works fine, and is set up for sending digital signal. There is no real documentation explaining how to set up the C-Port for digital signal except to hook up the XGDB1 to the SPDIF in, make sure the clock rate is set right (in this case 44.1kHz), and turn up the volume slider for SPDIF in on my Ext. Mixer. I know something is connected right because when setting the clock to external, I hear 'shhhhhhhhhhhhh', typical white noise. But when I press play on my 880, no sound just 'shhhhhhhhh'. Now, if I switch the clock on my C-Port to Internal instead of external, the white noise stops. Furthermore, when I set the 880's clock setting to sync with the C-Port as the master (i.e., set the 880's clock setting to 'External' so to speak), it does not give me any errors like it would if it was not hooked up to any device at all. I know there is a way to do this. Some hidden menu, or out-of-the-way setting, perhaps. Is my external links hooked up right (not that I would know it if it was anyway)? Or does the SPDIF input just not work?

[Floydian]

Unfortunately, I think you've been a bit misled about some things vseus.

Firstly, S/PDIF is just a digitally encoded stereo signal. It does not have the ability to transfer 8 individual tracks - under any circumstances! ADAT, and TDIF I think will both do that no probs, and there is another rack you can get that will give you all the digital options you need. S/PDIF is just a format to transfer a mixed L/R signal to another digital device without any signal degredation due to DA -> AD conversion.

As for the C-Port, I've had this card for a bit over a year and am very comfortable with it now. It may not be the easiest card to figure out initially, but once you get to know it a bit better, it's a very straight forward piece of gear.

As for getting a digital signal into it, firstly connect the daughter board (sorry, I don't think your stupid, I just figured i'd include all the directions from start to finish!), open external links. When in EL, you need to add the XG DB1 input, just like how you added the ADC&DAC2000; ie: Inputs > Add Inputs > XG DB1. With the XG DB1 on the screen, it's inputs can connect only to one place, the port next the S/PDIF In. Make sure the connection is made (and if your using the latest drivers, as soon as you make the link, you see the clock change to External Master Clock automatically). Once that is done, make sure your sample rates match (but I think that's another thing that can be detected and setup automatically). And that's it! Plugin your 880, press play, and you should see it coming up it the Ext. Mixer.

By the way, I do suggest downloading the latest drivers, don't know the exact site but I think it's under www.staudio.com (http://www.staudio.com)

[Floydian]

Hmm.. I think I misunderstood you, you didn't ever think you could send 8 tracks via s/pdif did you? Anyway..

Also, try something else with s/pdif, anything at all, hopefully that will tell you whether the problem lies in you 880 or the c-port

[vseus]

No, I never thought I could transfer 8 individual tracks over SPDIF. Re-read my post. I KNOW it is only a two channel digital line. Also, (although I am grateful for your reply) what you suggested is what I already explained that I did. Re-read my post again. I am getting help from C-Port's wonderfully patient tech support now and hope to resolve this problem. What ST Audio lacks in product user-friendliness, they certainly make up for in the inevitable need of tech support. Thanks again for replying.

[This message has been edited by vseus (edited 04-20-2003).]

[This message has been edited by vseus (edited 04-20-2003).]

[Alan]

Iv'e done transfers via spdif with my 840EX,but not with the C-Port.It shouldn't be a problem though,make sure your recording software and sound card mixer both are set to 44hz to match the VS.If you have scsi on your Pc and a zip drive,Iv'e heard of a utility that lets your read your VS files as .wav making transfers redundant.Find out more here http://www.vsplanet.com/

[vseus]

Yeah, I know the utility you are talking about. It's called "Vs880 to Wav" and I have been using it for years now as a way to transfer My 880 files to computer via zip disk. It's one of those simple yet amazingly useful little programs. But it's still another time consuming transfer/conversion process that I was hoping I could bypass with the C-Port. I think maybe my 880 is just old and its SPDIF output has finally gone kaput (which sucks because I have only just now starting using it since I got the C-Port). It's input works...kinda. If I reverse the whole process and send audio out of my C-Port to my 880 I get a rather dirty and weak signal, but an audible signal nonetheless, yet I can't seem to figure out why I can't send to My C-Port anymore like I used to. Maybe it's time to throw the 880 away. It's definitely had it's use.

[Floydian]

Originally posted by vseus:
No, I never thought I could transfer 8 individual tracks over SPDIF. Re-read my post. I KNOW it is only a two channel digital line. Also, (although I am grateful for your reply) what you suggested is what I already explained that I did. Re-read my post again. I am getting help from C-Port's wonderfully patient tech support now and hope to resolve this problem. What ST Audio lacks in product user-friendliness, they certainly make up for in the inevitable need of tech support. Thanks again for replying.


Yeah sorry vseus, I just realised all that after i wrote my post!

Even if you have really got a lot of use out of your vs880, i'd personally still expect it to work perfectly, since it's not a mechanical device where wear and tear comes into it. Have you got anything else with an s/pdif input? Maybe like a hifi amp or minidisk, or even a SB Live! card? Basically anything that will let you find the source of your probs. I must say, I did have a fair bit of trouble with the c-port initially. Firstly. the cable I got was a bit buggered and was sending midi signals by itself which logic really didn't like! But the great blokes down at Troy's House of Music gave me a new card, new cable, and even new breakout box, and setup everything for me and made sure it was all working. [Kao, you rock!]

Either way, good luck, and lets hope it's not the c-port

[Matthew Skinner]

Try removing the CDROM digital link if your using it. This is the 2 pin digital cable that connects to the cdrom drives. Some CDROMS send a continous signal or even a random spike which can cause problems.

Other than a cdrom cable theres very little that can go wrong with the digital input.

If your having problems it would be worth calling your STA distributer to have the xgdb1 digital bracket checked for faults.

[vseus]

It works! Once again the wonderful tech support at ST Audio has helped me fix a problem! Once I unhooked the 2-pin CDROM cable my SPDIF connection worked! In my old computer I didn't have this connection so that explains why it worked before and not now. Unfortunately I just went and spent $40 on two new TOS link cables thinking that that was the problem. So what is it with this 'bug' anyway? It kinda sucks that I can't digitally rip CDs now or play them digitally without first going through 2 digital conversions, or without first unhooking my computer cables, pulling it out of the shelf, cracking the case, and hooking the digital CDROM cable back up! I hope this bug will be fixed for future C-Port buyers because it really is a great sounding, versatile card. Thanks again Skinner, this isn't the first time you have rescued my audio projects.

[Matthew Skinner]

This is NOT a bug.

Some cdroms send out a constant clock even when not in use or even a cd in the drive.

The dsp24 range of cards have 2 cdrom digital inputs and depending on which one you use depends on which priority the digital inputs take.

IE if you use the dig cdorm input on the card itself it OVER RIDES the rest of the digital inputs as the card is already recieving a clock (which is more a bug of the cdrom)

If you use the digital cdrom input on the xgdb1 then the rest of the digital inputs get first preferrence and the cdrom is last.


Personally I prefer to remove all digital clocks from entering the card so it does not get confused when working in samplerates above 44.1. Use a program like CDEX which is freeware to rip the audio faster than realtime via the data cable. In this case the digital 2 pin cable is not needed at all. In fact windows media player 7 and above has this feature built in and enabled by default.