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[BCZ]

So I bought JRemote to use my phone to wirelessly select music, but I found it doesn't work with my active speakers. Because the JRemote source is only 2 channels, the output is only 2 channels instead of 8 channels that's needed for my active speakers. Any fix to this?

[mattkhan]

what do you mean by the "jremote source"? it's a remote control and a playback device not a source.

jremote allows you to select the output zone on the library server you're connecting to via the option with a dropdown in the bottom left of the menu, it should show a list of zones available on the library server (though note that zoneswitch rules should still override as necessary) and the option to play to this device.

[Fitzcaraldo215]

In my 7.1 system, I use JRemote frequently for playback of 5/7.1 source files.  JRemote controls selection and playback, but the actual player is JRiver acting as a server on my Windows PC.  So, I agree with @mattkahn.

[BCZ]

Sorry, I jumped the gun a bit. Even when I play music directly on JRiver (not through my phone), the sound is processed as 2 channels, so only my woofers in my speakers work. I don't think I had this problem before, but I didn't really do anything in JRiver lately. Any suggestions?

[mattkhan]

that sort of thing sounds like playback is going to a different (e.g. the default) zone, do you have multiple zones? if so, do you have zoneswitch active and working?

alternatively did you uncheck some of the boxes in DSP studio to turn off processing?

[BCZ]

that sort of thing sounds like playback is going to a different (e.g. the default) zone, do you have multiple zones? if so, do you have zoneswitch active and working?

alternatively did you uncheck some of the boxes in DSP studio to turn off processing?

This is in the default zone "Player". I did not set up multiple zones. I only want one.

A strange thing happened to DSP studio. I used to be able to hit space to uncheck a box in DSP studio. Now if I hit space, it pauses the audio in JRiver, even if the window focus is on DSP studio.

[BCZ]

Bump. JRemote is a waste of money if it doesn't work with my active speakers.

[RoderickGI]

There have been some changes to when the Spacebar starts playback recently. Check the release logs. Maybe this is a deliberate change, or a consequence of the changes.  i.e.
22.0.60 (1/11/2017)
4. Changed: Spacebar no longer selects a menu entry.

You must be using a mouse to navigate in Standard View to see the DSP, so just click the box with your mouse.

JRemote isn't a waste of money, because JRemote isn't the problem here. You said the problem exists even when you play back using MC directly. Something has changed. Fix that, and JRemote will work fine.

Possibly the Output Format in the DSP Studio is set to 2 Channels. Play something that has more than two channels, and then check the Audio Path in MC, to see how many channels the Input and Output have. Share what you found, if you can't fix it.

[BCZ]

There have been some changes to when the Spacebar starts playback recently. Check the release logs. Maybe this is a deliberate change, or a consequence of the changes.  i.e.
22.0.60 (1/11/2017)
4. Changed: Spacebar no longer selects a menu entry.

You must be using a mouse to navigate in Standard View to see the DSP, so just click the box with your mouse.

JRemote isn't a waste of money, because JRemote isn't the problem here. You said the problem exists even when you play back using MC directly. Something has changed. Fix that, and JRemote will work fine.

Possibly the Output Format in the DSP Studio is set to 2 Channels. Play something that has more than two channels, and then check the Audio Path in MC, to see how many channels the Input and Output have. Share what you found, if you can't fix it.

You're right, I jumped the gun a little. However, I'm not sure what to do to fix this. Output Format in DSP studio was never on. Even when I turned it on, set it to 7.1, it did nothing.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

[RoderickGI]

Even when I turned it on, set it to 7.1, it did nothing.

Does that mean that the sound didn't change? Or does that mean that the Audio Path in MC shows only two channel output?

Perhaps play a 7.1 source file using MC instead of JRemote, then capture a screen shot of your Audio Path as shown by MC, and post it here. That would help.

See image.

[BCZ]

Here are the screenshots. Both is with "Output Formatting" turned off.

[RoderickGI]

Okay, well those images are enlightening!    We may need a DSP Studio expert to sort all that out.

The first thing I note, in the first image, is that you have a 8 channel input, but you are still copying channels via the Parametric Equaliser by the look of if, as if the source has just two channels. If you have an 8 channel source, you shouldn't need to copy any of those channels, just pass them through MC unchanged. So you need a Zone and a Zone Switch Rule for all 7.1 sounds sources. Research those two things in the Wiki and Forum, and you will find lots of information.

The second image is a little strange, in that you start with a 2 channel source, then copy those channels to all 7.1 channels, but the output is still 2 channels. What is shown below the "Low-pass at 400Hz (Left)"? That filter seems to be repeated on the next line BTW. One way that a 7.1 signal will be shown as a 2 channel output is if the output is being encoded using Dolby Digital or DTS. One other hint that this is the case is that the 2 channel input is 16bit, but the output is 24bit. So more processing than is visible is being done to the audio stream. You will need a separate Zone and Zone Switch rule for true 2 channel sources, if you wish to copy them that way.

Or you  could just turn on "Output Format" in the DSP Studio, and set the "Channels" to 7.1, and the "Mixing" to JRSS mixing. Then MC will do all the copying around of channels, or upmixing, for you. But if you have specific filters that you want to use, that give a different result to the standard "Output Format", then at least two Zones will the required for the different processing required, based on the different number of channels in the source.

Personally I just set the Output Format to 5.1 (which is all my Receiver supports), and then encode to Dolby Digital as I am using an optical connection to the Receiver, as optical only supports 2 channels of PCM. If you are using a HDMI connection to your Amp/Receiver, then it should carry the full 7.1 output without needing to encode it.

Perhaps if you described your hardware components and the way they are connected, someone will be able to shed more light on your options. I see you have looked at 8 channel convolution, so hopefully those Parametric Equaliser settings aren't as a result of setting up convolution.

Anyway, more information on the physical audio path, and a view of the lower section of the MC Audio Path will help sort the problem.

[mattkhan]

Here are the screenshots. Both is with "Output Formatting" turned off.

As Roderick comments, you're not providing enough information to really comment & may need to use zones to allow different processing for different types of content.

It sounds like you have a stereo active speakers and want to play a variety (stereo, multichannel) of content on them with jriver doing the relevant processing. This means you need

1) at least as many channels in jriver as you have physical ways
2) to either have jriver mix multichannel content down to stereo or to perform this mixdown yourself
3) to perform processing on the output channels to direct content to the relevant output channels

If you turn off output format then you'll get behaviour equivalent to a "source number of channels" output format. JRiver will still allow you to set PEQ filters like "copy L to SL" though but you will see (if you look in the analyser) that the filter is doing nothing unless the output format allows the target channel to exist. Obviously this is a major UI fail but I imagine this may be your problem for stereo content.

For multichannel content, it depends whether you're intending to mix down to stereo or not. Are you? If so, are you intending to do it yourself or get jriver to do it? if the latter, you have to turn output format on. If the former, you probably want to do this processing first (perhaps that is your convolver?).

[BCZ]

Yes you're correct, they are a stereo active speaker.

So far I don't care about multi-channel content. I just want to get stereo working. Once I do maybe I'll look into how to down mix multichannel to stereo.

What should I do in output format? I've tried setting it to 7.1, but it doesn't work. Maybe I need to enable something else on output format to finish the job?

Thanks

[thorsten]

Hi,

We still need more informations:
- what dac?
- why copying so much?
The first copy is right to left. With this, you kill all single left informations. That is crap.
Turn off convolving, turn of equalizer and start from cratch.
Let your active speakers off and just check, that the correct output is provided to your dac.

[BCZ]

Hi,

We still need more informations:
- what dac?
- why copying so much?
The first copy is right to left. With this, you kill all single left informations. That is crap.
Turn off convolving, turn of equalizer and start from cratch.
Let your active speakers off and just check, that the correct output is provided to your dac.

I'm using the Asus Xonar U7.

Copying so much is a UI fail on JRiver's part. If you've done an active speaker on JRiver you'll know why.

I was trying out mono mode for a special test, which is why I had add right to left. It won't be there in the future since I want stereo 

Convolving is necessary to do phase correction on my speaker.

[mattkhan]

Yes you're correct, they are a stereo active speaker.

So far I don't care about multi-channel content. I just want to get stereo working. Once I do maybe I'll look into how to down mix multichannel to stereo.

What should I do in output format? I've tried setting it to 7.1, but it doesn't work. Maybe I need to enable something else on output format to finish the job?

Thanks

my advice is;

- turn output format on and set the output to 2 channel in a 7.1 container, this will give you 8 output channels and should pass a stereo source through unaltered as channels 1 & 2 (L & R) with silence on the rest
- turn off all formatting and play a mono source (e.g. the pink noise from audio calibration), verify it comes out on that single output channel
- add a PEQ block that performs your routing, verify that a full bandwidth signal (e.g. pink noise) is obviously split into the right passbands on the output channels via the analyser

if you have this working then you have a functional active speaker, you can decorate with further processing to your taste. Using the analyser with a full bandwidth test signal is an easy & quick way to verify that things are working as expected. Using a loopback measurement with an appropriate reference channel is a more accurate way (as then you can verify the impulse is positioned at the correct point in time and has the expected shape).

[thorsten]

I'm using the Asus Xonar U7.

But only with stereo output or full active 4 channel output?

Copying so much is a UI fail on JRiver's part. If you've done an active speaker on JRiver you'll know why.

Sorry, but I use 17 channel full active system with convolving since MC19 and had never this kind of ui fails....

Convolving is necessary to do phase correction on my speaker.

Sure, but please perform the steps as matt mentioned, this will make sure that the base system works. Btw, do you use a cfg-file for convolving? Because it seems you don't want to use the output format, and therefore different sampling frequencies occure and may corrupt your playback

[BCZ]

OK I fixed it! The key was that the settings for output format do not take effect unless you restart JRiver. Now everything works!

I think JRiver should either make the changes immediate, or have a message saying a restart is required.

[mattkhan]

You don't need to restart jriver, you do have to stop/start playback. There is a message saying this on the output format screen already as far as I recall.