Synchronization; Known Problems - RME Audio DIGIFACE User Manual

The heyday of (expensive) SCSI hard disks in high-speed audio workstations is over. Today's
cheap high-capacity EIDE disks allow continuous transfer rates of well over 10 MB per second.
In practical terms, this is more than enough to record up to 24 simultaneous tracks using
Cubase and Hammerfall!
The Buffer Size value in Hammerfall DSP's Settings dialog determines the latency (in this case
the delay) between the audio application and the HDSP as well as general system stability. The
higher the value, the more tracks can be recorded and played back simultaneously and the
longer the system takes to react. At the given maximum of about 0.2 seconds, you will not
notice much delay at all - the system will still respond quickly and smoothly.

13.3 Synchronization

To achieve sample-accuracy
between the ADAT recorder
and Hammerfall DSP while
running Cubase, connect the
ADAT sync output with the 9-
pin D-type sync input of the
HDSP. The 'Time Code' field
in the Settings dialogue should
now show the same position as
the ADAT recorder.
Double-clicking on the Sync
button in Cubase's transport
panel will open
'Synchronization'
Select ASIO 2.0
timecode base (under Sync Source), confirm the dialog with 'OK', then activate Sync mode by
(single) clicking on the Sync button.
If synchronization is not working i.e. Cubase does not respond when the ADAT is set to 'Play',
please try the following:
Check the cables
Switch Sync off and on again (in Cubase's transport panel)
Select 'Reset Devices' from the Options menu.
Switch on the ADAT recorder(s) before starting Cubase
Use the BRC as Master and send its word clock to all other devices
Use the Clock Mode ADAT Sync

13.4 Known Problems

In case the used computer has no sufficient CPU-power and/or sufficient PCI-bus transfer
rates, then drop outs, crackling and noise will appear. We also recommend to deactivate all
PlugIns to verify that these are not the reason for such effects.
Another common source of trouble is incorrect synchronization. ASIO does not support
asynchronous operation, which means that the input and output signals must not only have the
same sample frequency, but they must also be in sync. All devices connected to the
Hammerfall DSP must be properly configured for Full Duplex operation. As long as SyncCheck
(in the Settings dialog) only displays 'Lock' instead of 'Sync', the devices have not been set up
properly!
the
dialog.
as the
User's Guide HDSP System Digiface © RME
17