S/PDIF problem with E-MU 1212m HELP!

Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 1:52 am

I'm trying to connect my DBX 386 tube preamp to my E-MU 1212m sound card using S/PDIF. I've bought the proper cable to use and connected it from the DBX 386 S/PDIF out to the 1212m's S/PDIF in. I've messed with the session settings in the 1212m's Patchmix, but I still can't get any sound on my computer to come in from the S/PDIF in. What am I doing wrong that I can't get it to work? Or, what haven't I done to make it work? Thanks for the help.

Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 2:09 am

DBX 386 tube preamp ... SPDF out

E-MU 1212m sound card .... SPDF in

probably need to set the Audio Clock on the 1212 to external SPDF

Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 6:22 am

I presume you have tried the lowest level of S/PDIF data rate and format (44.1KHz, 16-bit).

Check that the Format switch on the DBX 386 front panel is set to "S/PDIF" and not "AES/EBU" - the LED should be green.

In the EMU control panel, make sure you have S/PDIF enabled (not AES/EBU) and "external sync via S/PDIF coax". It's not clear from the EMU documentation, but it is possible that external clock can only be taken from S/PDIF input 1.

Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 12:54 pm

Thanks for the help. I'll try to check for all those things and if I still can't get it to work I'll post another reply.

Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 11:11 am

Hi everybody, this is my first post and this seemed like the perfect thread for it. I found it by searching Google for some help and noticed that it's a recent thread. I don't wish to hijack it, so if you feel I should start a new thread, please let me know and accept my apologies in advance. My problem is related, however.

I've been using Cool Edit Pro for several years, along with an old Sound Blaster Audigy card. I run the S/PDIF coax ins and outs to my Roland VS-1680 mixing board. This setup was incredibly easy and "idiot" proof. All I had to do was enter the control panel, access the Audio HQ ap, set the clock at 48kHz and it would sync up beautifully with the Roland. Then, in Cool Edit Pro, I'd choose the card as my hardware, go into Windows Recording Mixer, select S/PDIF for my recording in, and S/PDIF for my output, and mute it.

Like magic (or so it seemed to me), everything works beautifully. When I record in Cool Edit, the mic feed into my Roland goes directly out through the S/PDIF into the Soundblaster Audity and records to the computer. When I play the audio back, it plays. No feedback problems or anything else. I do VO work all day and this has been a really nice setup, but I like to have a redundant setup in place in case of a crash, so I built an identical DAW, the only difference being the sound card. I thought that it would be a slam dunk in getting it all set up. Not so.

I've recently installed an e-mu 1212m sound card in the new DAW and was hoping for some assistance. I've sent a tech support request to Creative, but they are no longer offering phone support, which is a drag, because I need to get this thing configured and working ASAP because I record every day.

Here's my problem... I can get audio to play back just fine. I simply cannot get anything to record to Cool Edit Pro, and when I go to Windows Recording mixer, the only choice I have for recording is WAVE L/R. There is no option for choosing S/PDIF in, which is REALLY all I want. I've fiddled around with the e-mu patchbay ap till I'm turning blue, but I still can't see a way to get audio from the Roland (which is syncing just fine with the 1212m) into the computer since the S/PDIF option is not available to me.

Can anyone walk me through the basic configuration so I can do with the 1212m what I was so easily able to accomplish with the Audigy software? Apologies for the long ramble and thanks in advance for any help...

Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 8:02 am

kountkris - please post a reply anyway whether you get it to work or not.

Crackerzot - yes, it should be a new thread. Maybe one of the Mods can oblige...

I don't think a tech support request to Creative is going to help, given that it's an EMU card that's giving you a problem. The 1212m drivers should make the full features of the card available to all Windows apps and also visible in the Windows multimedia control panel. If you can't see the card there, it's likely to be a driver issue rather than anything specifically with CEP.

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