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[TXgary]

I am sure this topic has been covered, but I cannot find the specifics when searching.

I am running 2 zones (one internal card and one usb card)  I have tried sync from 1 to 2 and from 2 to 1, but they will sync for a short time them one falls behind the other over time.

It would appear to me that when you sync 1 to 2 then 2 should mirror 1?  Not happening. 

thanks for your help

[TXgary]

I am running 11.1.183

[Bill Kearney]

digital syncing is a serious pain to implement.  When you've got channels on the same card it's "less worse" but it's still pretty darned difficult.  When you've got zones on different cards, or different interfaces it's all but impossible to do it reliably.  It's not really a problem with MC.  To do this a program needs a VERY real-time operating system.  Windows and nearly all other desktop operating systems do not have the sort of fine-grained interfaces and timing to make it happen. 

Frankly I think the zone syncing feature is more trouble than it's worth.  Yeah, it's a neat idea but it works under only such a rare set of circumstances that it's almost useless.

For me, I use an external amp and distribution system (a Russound CAV6.6).  This way the various rooms can choose to listen to the same analog sources and MC doesn't have to 'sync' anything.

[TXgary]

I also use external amps but MC would still have to sync if I wanted both zones to be playing the same mix and sync to the same song and time in song

[Bill Kearney]

No, I'm talking about feeding the same output zone out through an external switcher, which in turn feeds it to multiple rooms.  I feed three MC11 zones to a Russound CAV66.  Inside that device, from a keypad in each room, I can select which zone to play.  This eliminates using MC11 for syncing as the external switcher handles it (and the amplification).  To put an external amp on the output from two different cards does nothing to help solve the syncing problem.

You basically cannot reliably using separate outputs from the PC for driving different rooms if you ever want them all to play the same tracks simultaneously.  Unless you're using a multichannel card, and even then it's hit-or-miss.

[MrCC]

...three MC11 zones

Bill, I am interested to see how I would go about setting up more than one output (zone) from MC.
I have seen references to people using more than one sound card (PCI), and combinations of PCI and USB ones. 

How is yours set up as a matter of interest?  Have you had problems with any particular model of cards?
I then want to look into how I could get this setup to work with NetRemore, and be able to select the different zones.

You make a valid point about the sync though.  My application probably has the zones quite separate, so an all over same track playback would not be a main requirement.  But thanks for the gotcha.

[Bill Kearney]

It's pretty simple, I've got a motherboard sound chip driving some speakers right there in the rack.  Then I've got three other USB 'sound cards' fed into a Russound CAV6.6.  The CAV66 handles driving 10 rooms around the house (as six zones; 4 being shared as slaves).  MC11 drives them as independent zones and the CAV6.6 sees them as separate sources.  When I want the same music played in more than one room I just switch them all to that same source.  During dinner prep, for example, I can listen to something in the kitchen while something else is be played in the Dining room or out on the deck (through rock speakers).  MC11 makes it relatively simple to get it setup and the CAV66 with it's Uno keypads takes care of the amplification and control.  Not the least expensive solution but not there others that cost a LOT more and don't give you as much flexibility (ie Crestron) without a LOT of technician setup time ($$$).

[MrCC]

Thanks for the response.
And the USB sound cards you use are pretty standard basic units, maybe all the same ?  Did you have to try a few before they worked OK, or did you just get some and tried them out and they were fine?  Have you tried mixing and matching a few different ones?

The Russound sounds like a very good system.  Not in my present budget though

[Mastiff]

I have a master zone connected to the line in of all the others, so for "party mode" I play the music on the master zone and unmute line in on all the others. Works very well. I also run TV sound through that, so I can listen to news and TV debates (serious political stuff, I hate the Ricky Lake style) on any of the zones.

[MrCC]

Hi Mastiff, I've been reading up on your system at your site.  Very impressive what can be done.

I don't suppose you've got Girder doing the Line-in unmuting ...  Do you go down to your server room to enable the line-ins?

[Bill Kearney]

The USB devices are Creative MP3 units; their most basic model.  They're both the same.  I haven't tried others.  These "just work".