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[Prognathous]

It is easier to adjust if you use music that has a distinct beat and rapidly changing parts.

I totally agree that a distinct beat would make things easier to adjust. Actually, instead of music, a sound file specifically for that would be even better. Anyone knows where I could find one?

Ideally, MC should be able to generate this metronome-like sound when the Zone dialog is open. A slider control for changing the timing would make it even easier to adjust - just slide it a bit until you hear the beat in synch. How about that?

Thanks,

Prog.

[jgreen]

If you can't find one, why not make one?  Sample a beat from a song, if you don't have any synth samples lying around.  Set up a repeating beat within an audio editor.  I haven't tried this in the MC media editor yet, but if you can't do it there, download Audacity.  Total time for this project is 3 imnutes.

[Bill Kearney]

Syncing zones is perhaps a wild goose chase.  There are way too many variables in how different sound channels are setup to make it ever really be practical.  Interrupts, bus speed, device idiosyncrasies, directsound, asio, wav, etc. 

A better question is what is it you're trying to do?  I found it was far better to feed multiple streams from MC11 to an A/V distribution system.  Letting the system handle things like amplification, balance, bass, treble and the like is far less tedious that trying to get it all working with PC sound devices.  There are just too many different devices, each still with their own driver issues, to make it work.  Sure, it SHOULD be possible but in practice it's not worth the headaches.

[Mastiff]

Or a cheaper version: Use one sound card fed into the line in of the other cards as a master zone.

[Bill Kearney]

Trying to feed cards into cards is often just as much of a pain in the ass.  Mixers aren't consistent and it's often tedious to try using duplicate cards.   Yes, it can be made to work but is it worth the hassles?

[jgreen]

Just so I know, is there anything you approve of?  Better yet, is there anything you know how to do?  These people are seeking information, not a lot of cooing about how difficult it might be, especially with the weather the way it is, and oh the bother. . .

[cncb]

I'm sure there are a bunch of just simple drum beat audio files out there.  Just do a google search.

However, I agree that you would be just wasting your time.  I tried this a while back and unless they have made syncing improvements since then I couldn't even get it close.  I had the left speaker hooked up to one zone and the right to another and got different results on repeated syncs without changing any of the timing parameters.  Adjusting the timing really didn't have any consistent effect.

[rpalmer68]

I've just purchased a m-audio delta 1010LT (off ebay) and am planning to run 5 zones from it, one from the s/PDIF out and 4 analog from the other outputs.

I tries 2 zones last night and had a few sync issues where the digital output was about 1 second ahead of the analog, and even with the MC timing setting sometimes they would be in sync and the next time I sync'd the 2 zones they would be out.  It also seemed to depend on if I sync'd zone 1 to zone 2 or Zone 2 from zone 1.

I have a faulty analog breakout cable, so when this gets back I'll set the system up and do some real testing.

This will probably be in about a weeks time.

I'm ceratinly hoping this is easier than running several different cards, but will post my findings here once done.

Richard

[jgreen]

Palmer--
This is very close to what I hope to do, so please check back in w/full details of your results.  I'd be interested particularly in what type of artifacting you get from the out-of-synch signals, and whether it truly affects enjoyment in any room, vs the intellectual knowledge that something isn't quite right.

Stupid question time:  SPDIF--is this optical or coax?  I know that optical requires an additional conversion step over coax, but that's about all I know.  Audiophiles have recommended staying w/copper, digital or analog.

I see the m-audio and the RME card systems with a huge number of outputs, and I wonder what that means in a practical sense.  Can each one of these feed a separate amp?  And can they all get along together?

[rpalmer68]

jgreen,

The Delta 1010LT S/PDIF is coax.

With the Delta 1010LT each output can be individually addressed either as individual outputs (for multi track recording etc) or as stereo pairs.  There are a whole collection of RCA connectors that come off two breakout cables from the card that you just connect to your amps etc.

So MC sees 1 digital and 4 stereo analog outputs, which can each be addressed as individual zones (so 5 zones off one card).

I have a 8 channel Home theater poweramp which I will connect each of the analog outputs to and an Meridian 568 (HT Processor) which will take the digital feed from MC.

The m-audio control panel also allows you to route different inputs on the 1010LT to it's outputs, so I will take the digital out from the Meridial 568 (which has Digital STB, DVD etc connected  to it) and conenct this to the Digital IN on the 1010LT, then in the control panel I can route the digital IN to any of the analog outs, thus allowing me to route TV or DVD sound to any zone as well.

In theory this should all work, but only testing will tell.

You can downlod the 1010LT manual from www.m-audio.com and have a read about it, it seems a really powerful and flexible card to me.

Richard

[jgreen]

I just looked at the 1010lt on musiciansbuy.com.  My first impression is, you've got a heck of a lot to work with there--very nice!.  If I understand it, M-audio has an onboard software package that will allow you to set synch for each output, and that's how you're setting synch for your rooms--? 

My own expreience with an Audigy, it seemed to work perfect right off the bat.  At least nothing like a half-second delay that some are talking about.  Which is lucky, cause I couldn't find any way to set synch.

[freezingcold]

Or a cheaper version: Use one sound card fed into the line in of the other cards as a master zone.

Has anyone tried simple "Y" cables to split the RCA output from one zone to two RCA outs?  Then run those through separate amplifiers?  This allows you to take 1 zone in MC and run it through two amps for separate volume control.  I found these cables in the "car stereo" section of Best buy.

I have separate zones in the Kitchen, Deck, Dining room.  The problem is (with MC 10 at least) if you stand in the kitchen you get this very psycho reverb effect as you hear the songs slightly off in the other rooms.  Of course I'm MANUALLY synching it at this point.