Known Problems; Using More Than One Madiface - RME Audio MADIface USB User Manual

9.3 Known Problems

If a computer does not provide sufficient CPU-power and/or sufficient USB-bus transfer rates,
then drop outs, crackling and noise will appear. Such effects can often be avoided by using a
higher buffer setting/latency in the Settings dialog of the MADIface USB. Furthermore PlugIns
should be deactivated temporarily to make sure they do not cause these problems. More infor-
mation can be found in chapter 26.4.
Another common source of trouble is incorrect synchronization. ASIO does not support asyn-
chronous operation, which means that the input and output signals not only have to use the
same sample frequency, but also have to be in sync. All devices connected to the MADIface
USB must be properly configured for Full Duplex operation. As long as SyncCheck (in the Set-
tings dialog) only displays Lock instead of Sync, the devices have not been set up properly!
The same applies when using more than one MADIface USB. They all have to be in sync. Else
a periodically repeated noise will be heard.
MADIface USB supports ASIO Direct Monitoring (ADM). Please note that not every program
supports ADM completely or error-free. The most often reported problem is the wrong behav-
iour of panorama in a stereo channel. Also try to avoid setting the TotalMix FX hardware out-
puts (third row) to mono mode. This will most likely break ADM compatibility.
In case of a drift between audio and MIDI, or in case of a fixed deviation (MIDI notes placed
close before or behind the correct position), the settings in Cubase/Nuendo have to be
changed. At the time of print the option 'Use System Timestamp' should be activated. The
MADIface USB supports both MME MIDI and DirectMusic MIDI. It depends on the used applica-
tion which one will work better.

10. Using more than one MADIface

The current driver supports up to three MADIface USB. All units have to be in sync, i.e. have to
receive valid sync information (by feeding synchronized signals).
•
If one of the MADIfaces is set to clock mode Internal, all others have to be set to clock
mode slave, and have to be synced from the master. The clock modes of all units have to
be set up correctly in the MADIface Settings dialog.
•
If all units are fed with synchronous signals, i.e. all units show Sync in their Settings dialog,
all channels can be used at once. This is especially easy to handle under ASIO, as the
ASIO driver presents all units as one.
The driver takes care of the numbering of all MADIfaces, so that it doesn't change. The unit with
the lowest serial number is always 'MADIface (1)'. Please note:
•
If the MADIface (1) is switched off, MADIface (2) logically turns to the first and only MADI-
face. If MADIface (1) is switched on later, the numbering changes and the unit becomes
MADIface (2) immediately.
•
The driver has no control on the numbering of the WDM devices. Therefore it might happen
that the WDM devices (2) are mapped to unit (1), especially when switching on more MADI-
faces during a Windows session. A reboot with all MADIfaces already operational should
solve this problem.
Note: TotalMix is part of the hardware of each MADIface. Up to three mixers are available, but
these are separated and can't interchange data. Therefore a global mixer for all units is not
possible.
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User's Guide MADIface USB © RME