by Y-my-R » Tue May 14, 2019 7:02 pm
Hi Black Knight,
For troubleshooting purposes, did you try removing ALL of the cards (I’d just leave the AES/EBU card in… I think that one might be needed for the Master section on the d8b, but am not sure)?
It’s great that you have all of these cards already, as it will help when you’re ready to use it as a mixer as well… but for troubleshooting the noise showing on the LEDs (and being audible at the outputs), I’d just try if it changes anything if those cards are removed (including the “stock” clock card, the FX cards and the ADAT cards, etc.). Maybe even remove the DB25 cable between the console and the computer. That’s also not needed when using the d8b as a controller with a ProBox. I don’t think this should be the cause of the noise… but the basic idea is to first strip anything away that may be causing it. If the issue is gone, you add one component after another (with the desk being off, then booting for each test), until the issue returns - then you know where it comes from.
But as mentioned, if the noise is still present with the cards removed, then I’d think that something on the inside is fried, unfortunately.
But it’s good to hear that you have a “Digital 8 Bus sync card” (is that what it says on the card? I never had one of those). That should be the “stock” clock card. Once you figured out where the noise problem comes from, you can add that one back in, and it should be what you need to allow “basic” mixer operation with the d8b.
“Basic”, because the stock clock card only lets you run the d8b on “internal” sync. Meaning, if you want to make any digital connections to other devices such as the audio interface in your computer, then the computer needs to be set to “slave” to the digital clock signal from the d8b. That’s not really ideal, since that clock is old and certainly not the most accurate… and this can have an impact on the audio quality, over-all. But it should allow you to try your d8b as a mixer, at least… as long as that card works fine and isn’t the cause of the noise.
The above is the first stuff I’d try, before digging deeper.
As to Phil’s comments on getting a Apogee Clock Card and an HDR… it really depends on what you’re planning to do. The Apogee Clock Card DEFINITELY makes sense, since it allows you to sync the d8b to external word clock. And that just makes everything a lot more flexible, if you’re planning on connecting other gear digitally.
As for the HDR, in my opinion this depends on what you’re planning to do with this setup. If you’re primarily going to record bands/artists, then an HDR makes a lot of sense. It integrates nicely with the d8b, and operates just like an old 24-Track inline console and tape machine, with built in dynamics on each channel, and on-board effects, etc. If this sort of “old school” workflow is what you want, the d8b/HDR combination is PERFECT. You can arm tracks from the console, etc. and rarely have to touch the HDR.
However, if, for example, your main use of the d8b would be to connect a lot of synths and samplers (or other audio sources), so you can work on music by yourself, recording MIDI to the computer, but having the need to mix all the signals together “somewhere”, then the HDR doesn’t really give you much of a benefit. Then you probably don’t need to record more than 2 channels or so at the same time, and could as well do that directly in the computer. That’s how I work most of the time.
Having said that, I do have an HDR and an MDR. I keep the MDR in the rehearsal room to record my band on 24-channels, and just bring the hard drive caddy home, stick it into the HDR, and can do a rough-mix right between the d8b/HDR, without having to transfer anything to the computer. Personally, I prefer to transfer all the tracks into the computer and do all the needed edits, etc. from there, since a modern DAW is just SO MUCH more flexible than a “glorified hard disk recorder” (i.e. the d8b/HDR combo). But to each their own. And again… for certain workflows, the d8b/HDR combo is just PERFECT (i.e. for recording bands, using many channels at the same time).
Anyway… just my two cents. I do a little bit of both. If you can get the desk working for audio (…and the stock clock card you have should allow to at least try that out), then it’s likely worthwhile to get the Apogee Clock Card for more flexibility. The HDR may or may not make sense, depending on how you’re planning to work with your d8b.
Again, good luck with troubleshooting! I hope the “pull cards/cables” suggestion about lets you isolate where the problem comes from.
