RME Audio MADIface XT User Manual
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RME Audio MADIface XT User Manual

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User Guide
MADIface XT
The world's first and only USB 3 audio interface!
™
™
TotalMix FX
SteadyClock
™
™
™
SyncAlign
ZLM
SyncCheck
USB 3 / USB 2.0 / PCI Express Digital I/O System
24 Bit / 192 kHz Digital Audio
192 Channels Triple MADI Interface
AES/EBU I/O
2 + 4 Channels Analog I/O
196 x 198 Matrix Router
1 x MIDI I/O
3 x MIDI embedded in MADI

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Summary of Contents for RME Audio MADIface XT

  • Page 1 User Guide MADIface XT The world’s first and only USB 3 audio interface! ™ ™ TotalMix FX SteadyClock ™ ™ ™ SyncAlign SyncCheck USB 3 / USB 2.0 / PCI Express Digital I/O System 24 Bit / 192 kHz Digital Audio...

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    14.2 Clock Modes – Synchronization......32 Mac OS X FAQ 15.1 MIDI doesn't work ..........33 15.2 Repairing Disk Permissions .........33 15.3 Supported Sample Rates........33 15.4 Various Information ..........33 Using multiple MADIface XT ........34 DIGICheck Mac ............34 Hotline – Troubleshooting........35 User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...
  • Page 3 23.2 Settings at the Unit..........54 Examples 24.1 2/4-Channel AD/DA-Converter ......55 24.2 2-Channel Mic Preamp ........55 24.3 194-Channel Monitor Mixer ......... 55 24.4 Analog and Digital Inserter ........55 24.5 3-Port MADI Router with Monitoring....55 User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...
  • Page 4 27.5 Recording a Submix - Loopback......86 27.6 MS Processing .............87 MIDI Remote Control 28.1 Overview ..............88 28.2 Mapping ...............88 28.3 Setup ..............89 28.4 Operation .............89 28.5 MIDI Control ............90 28.6 Loopback Detection ..........91 28.7 OSC (Open Sound Control) .........91 User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...
  • Page 5 30.6 DS – Double Speed ........... 102 30.7 QS – Quad Speed ..........102 30.8 SteadyClock............103 30.9 Notes on WDM........... 104 30.10 Terminology ............. 105 Miscellaneous Accessories............108 Warranty..............108 Appendix..............109 CE / FCC Compliance ........... 110 User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...
  • Page 6 When mounting in a rack, leave some space between this device and others for ventilation. Unauthorized servicing/repair voids warranty. Only use accessories specified by the manufacturer. Read the manual completely. It includes all information necessary to use and operate this device. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 7: General

    User's Guide MADIface XT General User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 8: Introduction

    Plug and Play technology. The numerous unique features and well thought-out configura- tion dialogs put the MADIface XT at the very top of the range of digital audio interfaces. The package contains drivers for Windows (Vista, 7, 8) and Mac OS X x86 (Intel).

  • Page 9: First Usage - Quick Start

    The rotary encoder 1 and 2 set the monitoring volume of the rear and front output directly at the device. Watch the display for further information. The rear panel of the MADIface XT has two balanced analog outputs, word clock I/O, MADI coaxial I/O, two MADI optical I/O, USB 3 port (compatible to USB 2), PCI Express connector, MIDI/AES I/O D-sub for breakout cable, the power socket and a power switch.

  • Page 10: Quick Start

    The Settings dialog in Windows and Mac OS X includes a more detailed analysis of the input signal state. The digital outputs of the MADIface XT provide AES/EBU (SPDIF compatible) and MADI signals at the corresponding ports. They can be set up in different ways in the menu SETUP/REV, Op- tions, MADI Settings, or the driver’s Settings dialog.

  • Page 11: Driver Installation And Operation - Windows

    User's Guide MADIface XT Driver Installation and Operation - Windows User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 12: Driver Installation

    The bar moves slowly first (program), then faster (verify). After the update the MADIface XT needs to be reset. This is done by powering down the XT for a few seconds. A reboot of the computer is not necessary.

  • Page 13: Configuring The Madiface Xt

    7. Configuring the MADIface XT 7.1 Settings Dialog – Main Tab Configuration of the MADIface XT is done via its own settings dialog. The panel 'Settings' can be opened: • by clicking on the hammer/flame symbol in the Task Bar's notification area The mixer of the MADIface XT, TotalMix FX, can be opened: •...
  • Page 14 192 kHz sample rate, the output word clock is 48 kHz. MADI 1/2/3 Sample rates higher than 48 kHz can be transmitted using the normal 48K Frame, or using a native 96K Frame at the card's output. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...
  • Page 15 RME’s exclusive SyncCheck technology provides an easy to use check and display of the cur- rent clock status. The clock state column indicates whether no signal (No Lock), a valid signal (Lock) or a valid and synchronous signal (Sync) is present at each of the digital inputs. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 16: Option Wdm Devices

    Sound requires the device to have the Speaker property. See next page. Again the checkbox All to the right allows for a quick check/uncheck of all devices. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...
  • Page 17 Windows sees their new properties. You can now assign any surround mode, from stereo to 7.1, in the Windows Sound control panel by selecting the playback device and clicking the Configure button. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 18: Tab Global

    Apply button. This feature comes in handy if different cards are installed and a specific one of them should always be the first in the ASIO channel list. At the end of the card info line the current firmware version is shown (Revision). User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 19: Settings Dialog - Pitch

    Synthesizer (DDS). This superior circuitry can generate nearly any frequency with highest pre- cision. DDS has been implemented into the MADIface XT with regard to the needs of professional video applications, as well as to maximum flexibility. The section Pitch includes both a list of typical video frequencies (so called pull up/pull down at 0.1% and 4%) and a fader to freely...

  • Page 20: Clock Modes - Synchronization

    A digital system can only have one master! If the card’s clock mode is set to 'Master', all other devices must be set to ‘Slave’. The MADIface XT utilizes a very user-friendly, intelligent clock control, called AutoSync. In AutoSync mode, the system constantly scans the digital input for a valid signal. If any valid sig- nal is found, the card switches from the internal quartz (Clock Mode –...

  • Page 21: Operation And Usage

    ‘Get position from audio driver’. The MADIface XT allows sample rates of up to 192 kHz via MADI. In this mode, only 16 chan- nels are functional per MADI port. Note on Windows Vista/7/8: Since Vista the audio application can no longer control the sample rate under WDM. Therefore the driver of the MADIface XT includes a workaround: the sample rate can be set globally for all WDM devices within the Settings dialog, see chapter 7.1.

  • Page 22: Dvd-Playback (Ac-3/Dts)

    When using popular DVD software players like WinDVD and PowerDVD, their audio data stream can be sent to any AC-3/DTS capable receiver via the MADIface XT. For this to work an output wave device has to be selected in >Control Panel/ Sounds and Multimedia/ Audio< or >Control Panel/ Sound/Playback<.

  • Page 23: Multi-Client Operation

    The level of the front-side analog inputs can be optimized via TotalMix (Input Channel Settings, Gain), or directly at the MADIface XT by the key MIC/GAIN and the encoders 1/2. Here a signal and clip LED provide useful information about the current level state.

  • Page 24: Operation Under Asio

    Lock instead of Sync, the devices have not been set up properly! The same applies when using more than one MADIface XT - they all have to be in sync. Else a periodically repeated noise will be heard.

  • Page 25: Using Multiple Madiface Xt

    10. Using multiple MADIface XT The current driver supports operation of up to three MADIface XT. All units have to be in sync, i.e. have to receive valid sync information either via word clock or by using AutoSync and feed- ing synchronized signals.

  • Page 26: Hotline - Troubleshooting

    • Check whether the PCI Express interface is correctly inserted in the PCI Express slot. The card and drivers have been installed correctly, but playback does not work: • Check whether the MADIface XT appears in the Device Manager. When the device has a yellow exclamation mark, then there is a conflict.

  • Page 27: Driver Installation And Operation - Mac Os X

    User's Guide MADIface XT Driver Installation and Operation – Mac OS X User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 28: Driver And Flash Update

    Under the latest Mac OS the User/Library folder is not visible in the Finder. To unhide it start Finder, click on the menu item Go. Hold down the option (alt) key, then click on Library. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 29: Firmware Update

    The bar moves slowly first (program), then faster (verify). After the update the MADIface XT needs to be reset. This is done by powering down the XT for a few seconds. A reboot of the computer is not necessary.

  • Page 30: Configuring The Madiface Xt

    Configuring the MADIface XT is done via its own settings dialog. The panel 'Settings' can be opened by clicking on the hammer or flame icon in the dock. The mixer of the MADIface XT, TotalMix FX, can be opened by clicking on the DSP FX icon in the dock.
  • Page 31 The clock state column indicates whether no signal (No Lock), a valid signal (Lock) or a valid and synchronous signal (Sync) is present at each of the digital clock source inputs. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 32: Clock Modes - Synchronization

    A digital system can only have one master! If the card’s clock mode is set to 'Master', all other devices must be set to ‘Slave’. The MADIface XT utilizes a very user-friendly, intelligent clock control, called AutoSync. In AutoSync mode, the system constantly scans the digital input for a valid signal. If any valid sig- nal is found, the card switches from the internal quartz (Clock Mode –...

  • Page 33: Mac Os X Faq

    The MADIface XT USB MIDI is class compliant. Therefore it comes without a driver. OS X rec- ognizes it as MIDI device and will be using it with the driver included in the operating system.

  • Page 34: Using Multiple Madiface Xt

    To install DIGICheck, go to the \DIGICheck directory on the RME Driver CD and run setup.exe. Follow the instructions prompted on the screen. DIGICheck is constantly updated. The latest version is always available on our website www.rme-audio.com, section Downloads / DIGICheck. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 35: Hotline - Troubleshooting

    The card and drivers have been installed correctly, but playback does not work: • Is MADIface XT listed in the System Report, PCI or USB? (Vendor 10EE, Device ID 3FC7). • Has MADIface XT been selected as current playback device in the audio application? •...
  • Page 36 User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 37: Usage And Operation

    User's Guide MADIface XT Usage and Operation User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 38: Front Panel Controls

    CHANNEL. This menu gives access to all inputs and outputs of the MADIface XT. Encoder 1 selects the input, then output to be configured. Encoder 2 selects the function that is to be modi- fied: Settings, Low Cut, Parametric EQ Compressor/Expander and Auto Level.

  • Page 39: Menu Keys Mic/Gain And Meters

    Activates M/S processing within the stereo channel. Monaural information is sent to the left channel, stereo information to the right. FX Send Sets the level of the signal sent to the FX bus which feeds Echo and Reverb effect. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...
  • Page 40 Sets the output level from -64 dB up to +6 dB, in steps of 1 dB. Mute is also available. Balance Adjustable from -1 (left) through 0 (middle) to +1 (right). Greyed out on mono channels FX Return Amount of Reverb/Echo mixed to the current output. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 41: Setup Menu

    70. LCD Contrast Adjusting the contrast of the display. Test Results Please ignore. No user related data. SW Version Shows the current version number and date of the internal DSP software. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 42: Setups Menu

    Operation Choices are Load and Store. Start Press 1s. Pressing and holding encoder 2 for at least one second triggers the action selected in Operation. These options are explained in detail in chapter 23.1. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 43: Clock

    The AES output carries a signal in the range of 176.4 kHz up to 192 kHz. MADI stays at no higher than 48 kHz, with the data transmitted in the S/MUX4 format. Therefore MADI is limited to 16 channels per port in this mode. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...
  • Page 44 User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 45: Inputs And Outputs

    User's Guide MADIface XT Inputs and Outputs User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 46: Analog Inputs / Outputs

    (SMPTE). TRS also has a higher input impedance (6.6 kOhm). The AD-converter in the MADIface XT reaches full scale already at an input level of –48 dBu (Gain 60 dB, XLR input), but also at +24 dBu (Gain 0 dB, TRS input). Therefore the inputs are both sophisticated microphone and line types.

  • Page 47: Balanced Line Outputs

    When used unbalanced the maximum output level is 6 dB lower (+9 dBu). 20.5 Line - Headphones MADIface XT offers a hi-quality analog monitor output. The short circuit protected stereo line output provides high output level, low impedance, and is available via a 6.3 mm (1/4") TRS jack.

  • Page 48: Digital Inputs And Outputs

    Using the cable adapter XLR/phono described above, devices with coaxial SPDIF interface can be connected to the AES output of the MADIface XT as well. Note that most consumer equip- ment with phono (SPDIF) inputs will only accept signals having a Channel Status ‘Consumer’...

  • Page 49: Midi

    21.3 MIDI The MADIface XT offers one MIDI I/O via 5-pin DIN connectors. The MIDI port is added to the system by the driver. Using MIDI capable software, the port can be accessed under the name MADI MIDI. The three software-only MIDI ports receive and transmit MIDI data via MADI. MIDI data can be transmitted from/to other RME devices with MADI ports, without any additional line or cabling between computer (MADI card) and external units.

  • Page 50: Word Clock

    Circuit) plus SteadyClock guarantee a secure function even with highly critical word clock signals Thanks to a low impedance, but short circuit proof output, the MADIface XT delivers 4 Vpp to 75 Ohms. For wrong termination with 2 x 75 Ohms (37.5 Ohms), there are still 3.3 Vpp fed into the network –...

  • Page 51: Technical Description And Background

    This is especially true when extracting the word clock out of a MADI signal. Caused by the MADI format itself, such a signal will have around 80 ns of jitter, which is reduced to about 1 ns by SteadyClock. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 52: Cables And Termination

    Word Clock In Term. in the Settings dialog. In case the MADIface XT resides within a chain of devices receiving word clock, plug a T- adapter into its BNC input jack, and the cable supplying the word clock signal to one end of the adapter.

  • Page 53: Stand-Alone Operation

    User's Guide MADIface XT Stand-Alone Operation User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 54: Operation And Usage

    23. Operation and Usage 23.1 General Using the two rotary encoders and the clear colour display the MADIface XT can be configured and set up completely at the device. Additionally an internal memory allows for the permanent storage of six different states of the unit. The current state is stored 5 seconds after any change, and is loaded at power-on.

  • Page 55: Examples

    24.4 Analog and Digital Inserter As TotalMix allows for any routing of the input signals, the MADIface XT can be used to insert AES or analog into any place of the three MADI streams. Those can be passed through, so the signal is either unchanged (refreshed), newly mixed/routed/levelled, or parts are replaced.
  • Page 56 User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 57: Totalmix Fx

    User's Guide MADIface XT TotalMix FX User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 58: Routing And Monitoring

    Here are some typical applications for TotalMix: • Setting up delay-free submixes (headphone mixes). The MADIface XT allows for up to 99 (!) fully independent stereo submixes. On an analog mixing desk, this would equal 198 (!) Aux sends.
  • Page 59 User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 60: The User Interface

    The visual design of the TotalMix mixer is a result of its capability to route hardware inputs and software playback channels to any hardware output. The MADIface XT provides 196 input channels, 198 software playback channels, and 198 hardware output channels: TotalMix can be used in the above view (View Options 2 Row).

  • Page 61: The Channel

    The arrow symbol at the bottom minimizes the channel width to that of the level meters. An- other click maximizes it again. A mouse click with held Ctrl key causes all channels to the right to enlarge and minimize at once. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...
  • Page 62 The gain (fader knob position) of the currently active routing (the submix selected in the third row) is shown as white triangle. Background: TotalMix has no fixed channel fader. In case of the MADIface XT there are 99 stereo Aux sends, shown alternately as single fader within the channel strip.

  • Page 63: Settings

    Loopback. Sends the output data to the driver as record data. The corresponding submix can be recorded then. This channel’s hardware input sends its data only to TotalMix, no longer to the recording software. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 64: Equalizer

    Note: TotalMix has internal headroom of 24 dB. Extreme boosts with overlapping filters can therefore cause an internal overload. In any case such an overload is displayed by the Over LED of the channel’s level meter. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...
  • Page 65 Presets have special names. For example Telephone (LC+EQ) will sound much better when the LC has been activated additionally to the EQ, as the LC is set to an unusual high fre- quency of 500 Hz here. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 66: Dynamics

    9.9 s. Includes same functions Preset. described on the previous page for the Equalizer. The names of the Factory Presets make clear whether Compressor, Auto Level or both (C+A) have to be switched on. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 67: Section Control Room

    MADI 1 to 16, as the higher channels are not available at 192 kHz. The output for the Cue signal, which is usually Main, can also be set to one of the four Phones outputs. This setting also controls the PFL monitoring. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 68: The Control Strip

    FX - DSP Meter. Shows the DSP load caused by activated EQ, Low Cut, Compressor, Auto Level, Echo and Reverb. The DSP of the MADIface XT has an automatic load limiter. If no DSP resources are left further effects can not be activated.

  • Page 69: View Options

    2 Row. Switches the mixer view to 2 rows. Hardware Inputs and Software Playbacks are placed side by side. This view saves a lot of space, especially in height. Names. Display of the original names of channels when they had been renamed by the user. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 70: Snapshots - Groups

    MIDI or OSC remote control. Hide Channel in MIDI Remote 1-4. The selected channels are hidden for MIDI remote (CC and Mackie Protocol). Hide Channel in OSC Remote 1-4. The selected channels are hidden for OSC remote control. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...
  • Page 71 Layout Preset. That makes it very easy to see and to verify which channels are mixed/routed to the current output. Sub makes checking and verifying of mixes, but also the mix editing itself, a lot easier, and maintains perfect overview even with lots of channels. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 72: Scroll Location Markers

    When the available screen space is not sufficient to show all channels. • When some or all EQ or Dynamics panels are open. Then all relevant settings are always visible, but require a lot of space horizontally. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 73: Reverb And Echo

    Adjustable from 5 kHz up to 20 kHz. Room Scale. Determines the size of the room, thus changing density and length of the reverb effect. Adjustable from 0.5 up to 2.0. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...
  • Page 74 Feedback. Feedback to produce further echoes. Width. Adjusts the stereo width of the echo signal from 100 (stereo) to 0 (mono). Volume. Adjusts the level of the echo effects signal sent to the FX return bus. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...
  • Page 75 Factory: Includes 10 examples for the configuration of the Reverb Reset: Resets the Reverb or Echo Rename: The Presets 1 to 16 can be renamed. The changes will be shown in both lists Recall and Save to. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 76: Preferences

    (typical gain reduction) as well as positive (above 0 dB, amplifi- cation) values. Snapshots Do not load Main volume/balance. The values stored in the Snapshot are not loaded for the Main Out, so the current setting is not changed. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 77: Store Setting For (Windows Only)

    TotalMix FX is restarted. The xml-file is updated on exit, so simply set up TotalMix as desired and exit it (right mouse click on the symbol in the notification area). User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 78: Settings

    TotalMix in a live environment, as it allows to quickly listen/monitor any of the inputs by hitting the Solo button. The monitoring happens on the output set for the Cue signal via the Assign dialog. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 79: Midi Page

    TotalMix level meters in the preferences. Note: When MIDI Out is set to NONE then TotalMix FX can still be controlled by Mackie Control MIDI commands, but the 8-channel block is not marked as remote target. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 80: Osc Page

    Options Activates Send Peak Level. transmission of the peak level meter data. Peak Hold activates the peak hold function as set up for the TotalMix level meters in the preferences. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 81: Aux Devices

    The RME OctaMic XTC is a highly flexible hi-quality 8-channel microphone, line and instrument preamp with integrated AD-conversion to ADAT, AES/EBU and MADI, plus 4 channels of DA- conversion for monitoring. It can be used as universal front-end for the MADIface XT and other interfaces.

  • Page 82: Hotkeys And Usage

    Copy Submix. Copies the whole submix of the selected output into memory. All input and play- back faders from that routing will be included. Paste Submix. Writes the previously copied submix to the currently selected output. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 83: Menu Options

    Reset output volumes. All faders of the third row will be set to 0 dB, Main and Speaker B to -10 dB. Reset channel names. Removes all names assigned by the user. Total Reset. Playback routing 1:1 with mixdown to Main Out. Switches off all other func- tions. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 84: The Matrix

    View options, as they don’t make sense here. Instead the button Mono Mode lets you decide whether all the actions per- formed in the Matrix are valid for two channels or just one. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 85: Tips And Tricks

    – the Main Out and the other Hardware Output. Even better: the faders of both outputs are still active, so the signal level can be adjusted individually. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 86: Recording A Submix - Loopback

    With Loopback active the EQ of the input is not in the record path, only in the monitoring path, even when the Option DSP – EQ+D for Record is activated. Note: The phones output has no matching input, therefore does not support Loopback. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 87: Ms Processing

    Low Cut, Expander, Compressor or Delay. The most basic application is the manipulation of the stereo width: a change of the level of the side channel allows to manipulate the stereo width from mono to stereo up to extended. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 88: Midi Remote Control

    Additionally, the stereo output faders (lowest row) which are set up as Main Out in the Control Room section can also be controlled by the standard Control Change Volume via MIDI chan- nel 1. With this, the main volume of the MADIface XT is controllable from nearly any MIDI equipped hardware device.

  • Page 89: Setup

    TotalMix also supports the 9th fader of the Mackie Control. This fader (labelled Master) will con- trol the stereo output faders (lowest row) which are set up as Main Out in the Control Room section. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 90: Midi Control

    The hardware output which is set up as Main Out can be controlled by the standard Control Change Volume via MIDI channel 1. With this, the main volume of the MADIface XT is control- lable from nearly any MIDI equipped hardware device.

  • Page 91: Loopback Detection

    RME offers a free iPad template for the iOS app TouchOSC (by Hexler, available in the Apple App-Store): http://www.rme-audio.de/download/tosc_tm_ipad_template.zip The RME forum hosts further information, more templates (iPhone…) and lots of useful user feedback. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...
  • Page 92 User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 93: Technical Reference

    User's Guide MADIface XT Technical Reference User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 94: Technical Specifications

    • Output level unbalanced at 0 dBFS: +9 dBu DA, Phones 3/4 As DA Line Out, but: • Output: 6.3 mm TRS jack, unbalanced • Output impedance: 30 Ohm • Output level at 0 dBFS: +7 dBu User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 95: Digital Inputs

    • Generates 56 channel and 64 channel mode, plus 96k Frame • Standard: up to 64 channels 24 bit 48 kHz • S/MUX / 96k Frame: up to 32 channels 24 bit 96 kHz • S/MUX4: up to 16 channels 24 bit 192 kHz User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 96: Digital

    • MIDI state machine in hardware for reduced interrupt request load • Invisible transmission via User bit of channel 56 (up to 48 kHz) • Invisible transmission via User bit of channel 28 (up to 96 kHz) User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 97: Technical Background

    2 km. Single mode allows for much longer distances, but it uses a completely different fibre (8 µm). By the way, due to the wave-length of the light being used (1300 nm) the opti- cal signal is invisible to the human eye. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 98: Lock And Synccheck

    PLL tracks the receiver's frequency. If a MADI signal is applied to the MADIface XT, the unit indicates LOCK, i. e. a valid input sig- nal. This information is presented in the MADIface XT Settings dialog. In the status display SyncCheck, the state of all clocks is decoded and shown as simple text (No Lock, Lock, Sync).
  • Page 99 An additional small Safety Buffer on the playback side has proven to be very efficient and use- ful. The MADIface XT uses a fixed additional buffer of 32 samples, which is added to the current buffer size. The main advantage is the ability to use lowest latency at highest CPU loads. Fur- thermore, the fixed buffer does not add to the latency jitter (see Tech Info), the subjective timing is extraordinary.

  • Page 100: Usb Audio

    Texas TUSB7340 - not compatible Via VL800/805 - not compatible The MADIface XT is capable of using two different transmission modes to record data. The XT defaults to Bulk Mode, which improves reliability of USB 3 audio tremendously and helps with both less than perfect cabling as well as critical layouts around the USB 3 chip.

  • Page 101: External Pci Express

    3 ports. But documentation is often unclear about which port/socket is connected to which chip. By connecting the MADIface XT and using the procedure above one can easily see the current connection, ensuring the XT is really connected to the Intel chipset and not to some other flaky one.

  • Page 102: Ds - Double Speed

    With MADI, sample multiplexing is often used as well to offer sample rates higher than 48 kHz. The MADIface XT supports all formats. 96 kHz can be received and transmitted both as 48K Frame (using S/MUX) and as native 96K Frame. In 48K Frame Double Speed mode, the MADI- face XT distributes the data of one channel to two consecutive MADI channels.

  • Page 103: Steadyclock

    30.8 SteadyClock The SteadyClock technology of the MADIface XT guarantees an excellent performance in all clock modes. Its highly efficient jitter suppression refreshes and cleans up any clock signal, and provides it as reference clock at the word clock output.

  • Page 104: Notes On Wdm

    The start of Cubase is blocked at the MIDI screen for more than 5 minutes with a MADIface XT. In stereo mode the MADIface XT sets a new world record: 99 WDM devices! Of course nobody ever expected that at Microsoft. Possible consequences: freeze of the computer, hanging proc- ess svchost,.exe, wait time of more than 10 minutes.

  • Page 105: Terminology

    Frame using S/MUX: the receiver can detect the real (double) sample rate on its own and im- mediately. With 48K Frame and S/MUX, the user has to set up the correct sample rate in all involved devices manually. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...
  • Page 106 User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 107: Miscellaneous

    User's Guide MADIface XT Miscellaneous User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

  • Page 108: Accessories

    Audio AG does not accept claims for damages of any kind, especially consequential damage. Liability is limited to the value of the MADIface XT. The general terms of business drawn up by Audio AG apply at all times.

  • Page 109: Appendix

    All trademarks, registered or otherwise, are the property of their respective owners. RME, DIGICheck and Hammerfall are registered trademarks of RME Intelligent Audio Solutions. MADIface XT, HDSPe MADI, HDSP AES-32, OctaMic XTC, TMS, DIGI96, SyncAlign, ZLM, SyncCheck and TotalMix are trademarks of RME Intelligent Audio Solutions. Alesis and ADAT are registered trademarks of Alesis Corp.

  • Page 110: Ce / Fcc Compliance

    For this the device has to be sent free to the door to: IMM Elektronik GmbH Leipziger Straße 32 D-09648 Mittweida Germany Shipments not prepaid will be rejected and returned on the original sender's costs. User's Guide MADIface XT © RME...

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