TOPIC:

I have an issue that I cannot seem to get around. I have the DDRC-88D with the 88BM software. I have a studio with an RME UFX II interface. I set my UFX to be my windows audio device to set up DIRAC and the DDRC. 

When I load up DDRC-88BM, all looks good, I can then load Dirac Live from there and it loads and finds my DDRC as it should. 

My Mic channels show up in the device selection as they as they should. 

When I first come to the screen to set the levels, all is good, the master volume is set to -95db. I hit the "play" button on channel 1 and gently raise the master volume. For my system, raising the master level all the way to the -30db lock is about right, then I adjust the mic level a bit and get it to about -8db on the mic level, then select channel 2 and verify that all is the same. It all works as it should. 

Then I set it to measure a "narrow" field as this is what I want and go on to the "measure" screen to measure the first position. 

I hit the measure button and it properly plays the sweep, but when it finishes it gives me the screen that says the signal to noise is not good and it never records a waveform. When I go back I see that it has reset the master volume to -95db. It will not take a measurement.

I was using a regular mic input because I have an earthworks measurement mic. But decided to see if the USB (UMIK) would work. It does the same thing, I cannot get a measurement. And every time I go back to the calibration screen, it has reset the master volume to -95db. 

I also have a DDRC-24, and that works fine. It's only when I use the DDRC-88BM that it does not work.

Anyone ever see this problem?

@ gabo4au

That's indeed odd.. Maybe an issue with firmware/software. Are you running the latest version from our userdownloads section? 
Please make sure to update just in case. 

If the issue is still here, simply start a support ticket with our team. (support.minidsp.com). We'd be happy to help! 

DevTeam

@ gabo4au

Since you seem to own the unit DDRC-88D, I hope it is ok to ask you a few questions: are you using this device for a studio setup or a home theater? In case it is for the studio, I assume you will also be aware of the latency. Have you measured it? And are you playing software instruments? I also posted my own tread in case you would prefer to answer there.

In case you don’t want off-topic questions in you thread, I will gladly delete my question. Thanks!

devteam wrote:

@ gabo4au

That's indeed odd.. Maybe an issue with firmware/software. Are you running the latest version from our userdownloads section? 
Please make sure to update just in case. 

If the issue is still here, simply start a support ticket with our team. (support.minidsp.com). We'd be happy to help! 

DevTeam

Thanks, I do have the firmeware and software up to the latest. I have a few more things I want to try before I start a ticket. I don't want to waste your time if there is something I'm not doing right. With an RME interface, you can do a lot of complex routing and configurations, I just want to get back into the studio and make sure I have all that set up right.

G

Yesterday I finally had a chance to spend some significant time working on this issue. 

I had a few mistakes that were contributing to the problem, but there also does seem to be some things that don't seem to work correctly. My mistakes on my original had to do with having some input channels mixed to the outputs in RME TotalMix. This creates some bits of loopback through the speakers and isn't a correct environment for measuring. Easy to correct by selecting the output in TotalMix and making sure that the only channel mixed into that output is from the PC software output. No input channels or hardware channels are mixed into the output. It's a bit of a shame that DIRAC LIVE doesn't support ASIO. So I have to set the RME to have it's output channel configured to also use WDM 2.3 and set to the default PC output. That's done on this system anyway so I can do things like play youtube videos in the studio.

In reviewing the firmware and versions for the DDRC-88D. The download file is named DDRC-88-BM_v2_5_FW_v2.26.zip. When the firmware is loaded it indeed shows 2.26 as the firmware version, but when the software is loaded (windows version) it shows as 2.4, not 2.5. I re-downloaded it twice, removed all instances of it including cleaning the registry and installed it multiple times but it always shows ver 2.4 and never 2.5. So as far as I can find 2.4 and 2.26 are the latest versions even though the file says 2.5 and 2.26. DIRAC is version 3.3.3.

I then dumbed down my DIRAC session by just setting up zone 1 to be my two full range speakers. I put everything else in zone 2, I would just remove them from any zone or disable them, but that's not a choice. So I set Channel 1 and Channel 2 in zone 1 and both are selected as "full range speakers," and that's the zone I select in DIRAC.

In DIRAC, I select the correct mic input and on the levels page, it correctly shows my two speakers and the mic. It comes up the first time with the master set to -95.5db. I turn up the master and with it set at -32db, at the lock position, I can get good levels from both speakers. Measured mic levels being around -10db. 

I proceed to the next page where I select a tight listening position as it's a studio with essentially one primary listening position. Then on to the measurement page.

On the measurement page, I set a delay timer of 5 seconds to give me time to get out of the way and proceed with the first measurement position. It plays the sweep, records, and all looks correct. When it finishes it correctly shows the frequency on the graph and moves to the next measurement position. When I start the next measurement, I never hear a sweep and it puts up the screen that signal to noise is too high, and doesn't record the measurement. When I go back to the levels page, it has reset the master volume to -95.5. If I set it back to -32, where it was set before, then go forward to the measurement page, it will correctly measure the next position. 

I was able to get a full set of measurements. But between every measurement position it resets the master volume to -95.5db, I have to go back to the levels page and reset the master level to -32. It does this between every measurement position. So I measure one position, go back to the levels page and reset the master level, then forward to measure the next position. 

When I get all the positions measured, the filter design page works correctly, the export filter page works correctly and I get my filter in my DDRC-88D and it works correctly. I can verify that it all worked correctly by using REW to take before/after measurements and it clearly is correcting the audio as designed.

If anyone sees anything wrong with my setup or process, or has any suggestions, please let me know.


NOTE: I just realized that there is now a new version of DIRAC LIVE, 3.4.4 that was just recently released. I'll eventually go back and see if this version resolves any of this. But for now I have the studio set up and sounding good and I need to do some real work.