Share signals across multiple boards

Marbles_00

Yeah, I know this may sound strange, but I was wondering if it is, or could be possible to share signals from one FXBus across multiple boards.

I'm asking this because currently I'm using an Audigy and a Live in a music distribution system. It is servicing 6 zones indepedently (a seventh is from the motherboard audio). I can sync the music/card via the 0/1 outputs. What I was thinking that if I could setup at least four sources, and be able to distribute any source to any output. I can do this on one card using 3x FXMixers, but was wondering if there was a way of getting the signal to the other card. This way I could mix zones to sync and to any source at any given time.

I know it can be done using VAC (Virtual Audio Cables), but would like to avoid using them if it could be possible just by using the KX Drivers.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Maddogg6

Physically connect S/PDIF Out of Card 1 to S/PDIF IN of Card 2.

Card 1: Ouput FXBuss to SPDIF Out
Card 2: Mix that SPDIF input with FXBuss of card 2

Obviously you loose an input and output on the cards - but other than VAC its the only 'lossless' way.

Line out card 1 to line in of card 2 would be the only other method, but is 'lossy' - or not preferred otherwise - but possible.

Either way (SPDIF or LINES) - card 1 becomes a sort of 'submixer' that feeds card 2. I have 2 cards configured this way and works just fine (SPDIFs).

jasonh77tw

Usually, Professional or semi-pro sound card with digital in have "Sync on external clock" check-box in the control panel. Further more, system with more than two devices connected digitally usually need an iindividual word clock generator to provide sync source for the whole system, but Live! has more than 2 digital inputs without option like "sync on external..". I'm wondering what will happen if two different device hook on live! at the same time? Which will be the master?

I have two CT4830 in my PC and each one send SPDIF signal to another. It works, signal can pass in and out on both cards, but the incoming sample rate detected are slightly different, one is perfect 48000Hz and another move up and down between 47997~47998Hz. I also made a RMAA test over SPDIF connection:

http://www.drivehq.com/file/df.aspx/...0117005800.png

I changed both two card (I've about 9 piece of CT4830) and still got the same result. Is this cause by jitter error or something else @@?

Maddogg6

Its my understanding the SBLives hardware is not made to allow external sync via SPDIF.

I wouldn't think it matters as they are normally re-sampling to the 'masters' clock anyway. So, I guess you simply have the errors of this re-sampling.

My SBLive is reported by my A2 card as outputting 48008 Hz SPDIF clock btw - so it seems like normal to have slight variances in SPDIF clock frequencies.

I think I seen a hardware mod that would 'share' a 'masters' DSP clock frequency - but I don't think it was using SPDIF to accomplish this.

jasonh77tw

Thanks for your reply
Now I seem to understand why live! always use SRC even the source is 48kHz already.

BTW, I have the impression that Audigy 2 and above can truly bypass SRC @ 48kHz with some tricks. By doing this, may the clock issue be a problem?

jojo97439

Hi there,

This looks like a good place to start with what I'm wanting to do. I also have a whole house audio system set up, though nothing quite as fancy as the poster's rig. Mine is single source from my HTPC. Currently I've been using an external Xitel USB card to deliver digital to my home theater system and analog to drive the rest of the house. The big problem I've found is the USB card doesn't support DTS or Dolby Digital. My Pioneer home theater supports both so I wanted to start using my Audigy card. I also have a Live 24 in that machine and the digital I/O board for it. I'm trying to get my Audigy to output both digital and analog. Creative tells me I can't, uh... sure I really believe them on that.

HTPC Info: P-4 3.0 ghz with hyper threading, 1 gb ram, plenty of HD space. Windows Vista 32 (Home Premium). In addition to the information below, I also have a Sigma Tel HD on the mother board, sold to me as Dell's "Audigy" upgrade, Software only. In reading some of the messages on this board I've seen that come up on some people's system stats.

I've tried to read just about everything I can find to help me along my newbie way here and played quite a bit with the DSP. I just couldn't quite get what I'm shooting for.

Driver Name:kX Audio Driver (Debug)
Driver Date: Jan 22 2007 03:57:56
Driver Version: 5.10.00.3538 - debug
DB Name:LiveBay1
SB0090 10k2 [dca0]
PCI Information:
Device: 41102 Subsys: 511102 ChipRev: 3
Card is '10k2'
Card has MPU device
Card model is '5.1'
Card HAS AC97 codec
Codec name: TriTech TR A5/CT1297 TAT
3D Extension: No 3D Stereo Enhancement
Codec is 1.0 compliant
Capabilities[0] :
DAC resolutions : -16-bit-
ADC resolutions : -16-bit-
Ext Capabilities [0]:
Port: dca0 Irq: 0x6(6)
Playback buffer: 2580
Record buffer: 8000
Number of AC3 buffers: 10
Tank memory: 1024 kb
GSIF buffer: 512 samples
OS version: [2 6 0 ; 2 6 0 ; 156 148]

dj_stick

ok if you use the digital i/o points on the Audigy's AUD_EXT you'll be able to use both analogue and digital connections (you'll need to find a motherboard SPDIF i/o bracket and change the pins a little)

however you'll only get Dolby Digital from the Audigy in AC-3 passthrough mode, meaning only pre-encoded content (DVDs etc) will work that way, the Audigy does not encode on the fly

jojo97439

Thank you very much, for the reply.... Ok, so where can I find the mother board connector? I've no idea where to even start to find such a thing. I was going to try anyway, but can I wire a cable to use the plugs? or do you have a reference on that?

I noticed a "Fake I/O board and wher to connect it on the board I've seen the picture, so I'm assuming that it is standard on the audigy cards. I've really tried to read everything I could find about the audigy and come up with some help, some not so much.

I was thinking of all kinds of ideas, using the other sound blaster (Live 24) and the audigy, etc.

As far as the dolby output that's ok, I was mainly wanting that for DVD's ... I figured I'd get something that encoded it to ac3 at a later time, after I got the analog and digitial to work.

dj_stick

the pinouts for the AUD_EXT header and others are available here: Soundblaster Live!, Audigy 1/2 and X-Fi* Pinouts