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1. Introduction Thank you for choosing the HDSPe MADI FX. This unique audio system is capable of transfer- ring digital audio data directly into a computer, from any device equipped with a MADI interface. Installation is simple, even for the inexperienced user, thanks to the latest Plug and Play tech- nology.
4. Prior to installation: Connect the HDSPe MADI FX card to the Expansion Board using the supplied 20-conductor flat ribbon cable. 5. Insert the HDSPe MADI FX firmly into a free PCI Express slot, press and fasten the screw. 6. Insert the Expansion Board and fasten the screw.
2-pin connector fitted with a blue jumper. Warning: without this jumper the card will not work! 7. Accessories RME offers several optional components. Additionally parts of the HDSPe MADI FX, like the special breakout cable, are available separately. Part Number...
RME does not accept responsibility for any misleading or incorrect information within this guide. Lending or copying any part of the guide or the RME Driver CD, or any commercial exploitation of these media without express written permission from RME Intelligent Audio Solutions is prohibited. RME reserves the right to change specifi- cations at any time without notice.
10. Driver and Firmware 10.1 Driver Installation After the HDSPe MADI FX has been installed correctly (see 5. Hardware Installation), and the computer has been switched on, Windows will recognize the new hardware component and start its ‘Hardware Wizard’. Insert the RME Driver CD into your CD-ROM drive, and follow fur- ther instructions which appear on your computer screen.
Start the program hdspe_fx_fut.exe. The Flash Update Tool displays the current revision of the HDSPe MADI FX, and whether it needs an update or not. If so, then please press the 'Update' button. A progress bar will indicate when the flash process is finished. The bar moves slowly first (program), then faster (verify).
11. Configuring the HDSPe MADI FX 11.1 Settings Dialog Configuration of the HDSPe MADI FX is done via its own settings dialog. The panel 'Settings' can be opened: • by clicking on the hammer symbol in the Task Bar's notification area The mixer of the HDSPe MADI FX (TotalMix) can be opened: •...
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• Channel format (64 or 56 channels) Sync Check 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 clock source inputs.
Synthesizer (DDS). This superior circuitry can generate nearly any frequency with highest pre- cision. DDS has been implemented into the HDSPe MADI FX 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...
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 HDSPe MADI FX 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 –...
‘Get position from audio driver’. The HDSPe MADI FX allows sample rates of up to 192 kHz via MADI. In this mode, only 16 channels are functional per MADI port. Note on Windows Vista/7: Since Vista the audio application can no longer control the sample rate under WDM. Instead the user has to work himself through numerous settings (up to 32 with a MADI card!), and to set the sample rate to the exact same value per stereo device.
PowerDVD and WinDVD can also operate as software decoder, sending a DVD's multichannel data stream directly to the outputs of the HDSPe MADI FX. For this to work select the WDM playback device ’Loudspeaker’ of the HDSPe MADI FX in XP: >Control Panel/ Sounds and Multimedia/ Audio<, and 'Use only default devices' has to be...
XP: <Control Panel/ Sounds and Multimedia/ Audio> Vista/7: <Control Panel/ Sound/ Playback> The HDSPe MADI FX uses 8-channel interleaved devices for all three MADI I/Os. When re- cording with WDM or WDM KS based programs the input choice might be limited to stereo or left/right, so channels 3 to 8 of each block are not available.
The same applies when using more than one card - they all have to be in sync. Else a periodi- cally repeated noise will be heard. RME supports ASIO Direct Monitoring (ADM). Please note that not all programs support ADM completely or error-free. The most often reported problem is the wrong behaviour of panorama in a stereo channel.
14. Using multiple HDSPe MADI FX The current driver supports operation of up to three HDSPe MADI FX. All cards have to be in sync, i.e. have to receive valid sync information either via word clock or by using AutoSync and feeding synchronized signals.
• 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 HDSPe MADI FX appears in the Device Manager. When the device has a yellow exclamation mark, then there is a conflict.
/Library/LaunchAgents/de.rme-audio.hdspe_FX_Launcher.plist 17.3 Firmware Update The Flash Update Tool updates the HDSPe MADI FX card to the latest firmware version. It re- quires an already installed driver. Start the program HDSPe FX Flash Update. The Flash Update Tool displays the current revi- sion of the HDSPe card, and whether it needs an update or not.
Configuring the HDSPe MADI FX is done via its own settings dialog. The panel 'Settings' can be opened by clicking on the hammer icon in the dock. The mixer of the HDSPe MADI FX, To- talMix FX, can be opened by clicking on the mixer icon in the dock.
Sync Check 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 clock source inputs.
19. Mac OS X FAQ 19.1 Round about Driver Installation The driver with the file suffix zip provided by RME is a compressed archive. Zip is directly sup- ported by OS X, a double click on the file is all one needs to do.
Playback works, but record doesn’t: • Check that there is a valid signal at the input. • Check whether the HDSPe MADI FX has been selected as recording device in the audio application. • Check whether the sample frequency set in the audio application (‘Recording properties’ or similar) matches the input signal.
Using the cable adapter XLR/phono described above, devices with coaxial SPDIF interface can be connected to the AES output of the HDSPe MADI FX as well. Note that most consumer equipment with phono (SPDIF) inputs will only accept signals having a Channel Status ‘Con- sumer’...
TRS jack/plug. 23.4 MIDI The HDSPe MADI FX 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.
BNC output (see chapter 30.6). Input The HDSPe MADI FX word clock input is active when Clock Source in the Settings dialog has been switched to Word Clock, and a valid word clock signal is present. The signal at the BNC input can be Single, Double or Quad Speed, the HDSPe MADI FX automatically adapts to it.
Word Clock In Term. in the Settings dialog. In case the HDSPe MADI FX 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.
Here are some typical applications for TotalMix: • Setting up delay-free submixes (headphone mixes). The HDSPe MADI FX allows for up to 98 (!) fully independent stereo submixes. On an analog mixing desk, this would equal 196 (!) Aux sends.
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 HDSPe MADI FX provides 194 input channels, 196 software playback channels, and 196 hardware output channels: TotalMix can be used in the above view (View Options 2 Rows).
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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 HDSPe MADI FX there are 98 stereo Aux sends, shown alternately as single fader within the channel strip.
DSP Meter. Shows the DSP load caused by activated EQ, Low Cut, Compressor, Auto Level, Echo and Reverb. The DSP of the HDSPe MADI FX has an automatic load limiter. If no DSP resources are left further effects can not be activated.
25.8.3. An OSC implementation chart can be downloaded from the RME website: http://www.rme-audio.de/download/osc_table_totalmix.zip 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.
64 channel format, but offer still no more than 56 audio channels. The rest is being eaten up by control commands for mixer settings etc. RME's devices of the MADI series show that this can be done in a much better way, with an invisible transmission of 16 MIDI channels and the MADI signal still being 100% compatible.
PLL tracks the receiver's frequency. If a MADI signal is applied to the HDSPe MADI FX, the unit indicates LOCK, i. e. a valid input signal. This information is presented in the HDSPe MADI FX Settings dialog. In the status dis- play SyncCheck, the state of all clocks is decoded and shown as simple text (No Lock, Lock, Sync).
30.3 Latency and Monitoring The term Zero Latency Monitoring has been introduced by RME in 1998 for the DIGI96 series of audio cards. It stands for the ability to pass-through the computer's input signal at the inter- face directly to the output. Since then, the idea behind has become one of the most important features of modern hard disk recording.
Under OS X, every audio interface has to use a so called safety offset, otherwise Core Audio won't operate click-free. The HDSPe MADI FX uses a safety offset of 32 samples. This offset is signalled to the system, and the software can calculate and display the total latency of buffer size plus offset plus safety offset for the current sample rate.
Latest circuit designs like hi-speed digital synthesizer, digital PLL, 100 MHz sample rate and analog filtering allow RME to realize a completely newly developed clock technology, right within the FPGA at lowest costs. The clock's performance exceeds even professional expectations.
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