AFMG Network Forum

msmithers · Member

Hi,

I've got a weird problem with SysTune and a Hammerfall (Digiface) - laptop card latest rev 17. (Both latest XP and Win7 64bit drivers - I rebuilt my machine to test both.)

Regardless of ASIO buffer size (and yes I have tried them all), SysTune isn't keeping up whilst playing out, say, pink noise and doing measurements. (The pink noise doesn't sound pink and sounds like buffers are repeating, and the measurements are all wrong.)

Oddly enough other ASIO applications (like Sony Vegas) work just fine (doing playback and simultaneous playback/record), and even Systune works fine using the regular WDM driver (stereo only) through the Digiface. I get sensible measurements.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Michael

AFMG Pedro Lima · Forum Moderator

Hi,

Could you please send me a picture of your screen, while performing a measurement?

Please send to Pedro.Lima@AFMG.eu

Waldemar · Member

We checked SysTune with the RME Hammerfall DSP driver again.
Our hardware is the Multiface. This works fine here.
As far as the Digiface has no analog inputs. Could you explain in more detail, which measurement setup do you use?
We can use ADAT and SPDIF as well for input and output.
Are you sure that you have a proper setting of the gains in the HDSP Mixer?
It is important, that you do not have any mixer connection from the used inputs to the used outputs.
Did you try to increase the Buffer Size in the Hammerfall DSP Settings?

msmithers · Member

>> Could you explain in more detail, which measurement setup do you use?
Sure. It's a Dell Precision M4400 (full power profile, on wall power, not batteries) with a RME CardBus Hammerfall card (Rev 17 firmware) connected to a Digiface connected to a Behringer ADA8000 (8DA,8AD converter with preamps). I use ADAT1ch1 as input and ADAT1ch2 as output (just to avoid any RME mixer problems).

>> Are you sure that you have a proper setting of the gains in the HDSP Mixer?
The HDSP Mixer view shows only 0.0 db routing each PC "Out" row to the corresponding Output column (in order) plus "out" row mixing (as stereo) to the heaphone output. No other mixing is set. No inputs to outputs.

As I said, the Systune seems to work perfectly when using the RME WAVout (MMsystem) driver.

>> Did you try to increase the Buffer Size in the Hammerfall DSP Settings?
Yes. As I mentioned I tried all ASIO buffer sizes from the lowest (I think 32) to the highest (4096). I closed Systune between changes, just to be sure.

>> Could you please send me a picture of your screen, while performing a measurement?
I can do but it will take me a few days - I'm travelling. What I see is the smoothed (4 sec) magnitude response never settling. What I hear is stuttering of the pink noise output, randomly but averaging the size of the ASIO buffer (even though the pink noise is a >1 sec long sequence). I have a fair amount of experience coding programs to use ASIO devices and it sounds like SysTune is not keeping up with the ASIO BufferSwitch callback function.

Is there anything else I can try? Do you have any debug/test builds of SysTune I can run to debug what's happening?

Best regards,
Michael

Waldemar · Member

The first step is to analyze your driver installation and startup log file.
Please create the Status Report (Start . All Programs . AFMG . EASERA SysTune . Tools . Create Status Report.
Please send this zip file to support@afmg.eu

msmithers · Member

Just sent via email.

Regards,
Michael

msmithers · Member

Hi Waldmer,

I sent the following by email but I don't know if it got through - I've been having email problems.

Can you please run the following tests on your reference RME Hammerfall Multiface and tell me what you see? (I've tried two different PC's and 3 Hammerfall systems. Driver 3.24 hardware 17)

a) In the Hammerfall Mixer, check that ONLY each PC output is routed to a hardware output, and nothing else.
b) In the Hammerfall DSP settings, set
- Clock source: Internal
- Sample Rate: 48000
- Buffer Size: 1024
c) Run SysTune
d) Menu Configure -> Select Device: Set both Play and Rec devices to "ASIO Hammerfall DSP" 32 bit. Click OK on the Select Device window to close.
e) Set the following
Signal Channel: 3
Reference Channel: Out
Play Signal: 1.49s Pink Noise
Play Channel: Channel 2 Multiface Analog
FFT Size: 1.49s
f) On the Multiface hardware, connect a cable between Output 2 and Input 3. (i.e. loopback output 2 to input 3)
g) On SysTune, start the Analysis and the Play Signal.

h) Look at the RME Mixer meters. (Inputs are across the top, PC outputs in the middle and Hardware outputs across the bottom.)
- PC output 2 and hardware output 2 both show signal (the pink noise). This is correct.
- Input 3 shows signal (the pink noise). This is due to the loopback cable.
- PC output 3 and hardware output 3 both show signal (the pink noise). This is wrong.

Now, move the loopback cable from input 3 to input 5. (Connect output 2 to Input 5.) Look at the RME Mixer Meters.
- Input 3 now shows no signal, and PC output 3 and hardware output 3 are now quiet.
- Input 5 shows signal (the pink noise). This is due to the loopback cable.
- PC output 5 and hardware output 5 both show signal (the pink noise). This is wrong.

It appears that SysTune is passing (and possibly mixing) each input back to the PC output.

This behaviour is NOT present using Sony Sound Forge, Vegas and other programs. It is also NOT present when using a Presonyus Firebox (ASIO) with SysTune.

Regards,
Michael

Waldemar · Member

Hi Michael,

we would explain your scenario as follows:

If you want to have only one channel output by SysTune, select that channel as "Play Channel". Do not select "All Channels".

If you have the Play Chanel "[2 2 Analog MF(1)] selected, then you will see in the HDSP Mixer only channel 2 will output a signal.

Output Channel 3 can show a signal only through the Mixer!
Are you sure, that all Input Gain Faders are down (- inf)?
If the Input gain of In2 in not down and the Mixer-Out is ponting to AN 3 then the output 3 will show a signal.
It is the same for In 5.

Please check the HDSP Matrx. Here there must be no connection between "In X" to "AN Y". (Only "Out X" to "AN X")
I will send you a screen copy of the the Mixer-Matrix by email separately.

msmithers · Member

Hi Waldemar,

I know we've been talking via email, but for anyone else who is following this thread.

I've replicated the problem using a separate ASIO test program I created, and I've tested Multifaces, a Digiface, HDSP CardBus cards (Rev17), a HDSP PCI card (Rev 17), Windows XP (32bit), Window 7 (32bit), Windows 7 (64bit) and driver versions 2.94, 3.08.5 and 3.24. Phew!

So far the problem is isolated to ASIO use with the HDSP CardBus card on Windows 7 (both 32 and 64 bit) using any RME driver for Windows 7.

I've reported all the tests to RME and sent them the test app.

Best regards,
Michael

Waldemar · Member

Hi Michael,

thank you for that testing and giving this information to our group.