This gearslut needs your help.

[fross]

Can you guys and gals recommend a professinal DAW consultant.
I'm using XP Pro/Nuendo/RME HDSP 9652/Mytek.

Our studio has been plaqued with a "digital grunge" problem that we just can't seem to resolve. We've gotten to the point where the (2) HDSPs are synced with the use of a Lucid GenX696, but we are still experiencing the occasional "digital grunge" during playback and record.

I can't deal with this shit anymore. I need a pro consultant here in NYC to try and sort this out. I need a true EXPERT, not some guy that trouble shoots DAW problems once in a while.

[DanV]

I'd see if using a different clock fixes the problem before shelling too much out, if you know someone with another clock, ask to borrow it.

[RhOdEz]

Hello ,if you could post more details about your box maybe i could help
Which motherboard,additional PCI/USB/whutever devices 're inside etc . Also more details about "digital grunge" .Whut kind of noise is it eh?When exactly does it happen ?
Usual causes for that can be ****en VIA chipset mobos (its PCI bandwidth shite),sharing audio cards with shitty modems ,early intel mobo USB controllers with anything cheap on it,etc ...
I presume it is properly clocked and not running on ultra low latency buffer.Weird things DO happen in every ****en PC i've worked on ,evil is in them chips for sure ,but usually they cant resist Jedi mind power mouse clicks or screwdriver in the end.

[fross]

Hey rhOdEz,
Thanks for the reply. I'll give you a more comprehensive explanation with my specifics later on today, when I get back to the studio.

[fross]

Initially, things are fine, but inevitably at some point during recording or playback, the sound begins to distort and fuzz out. (“grunge”) We’ve found that the quick(and only temporary) fix is to go to the RME HDSP 9652 control panel and change the buffer setting. It doesn’t matter whether you change the setting up or down, as long as you change the setting the fuzz and distortion clears up immediately. But, like clock work, the problem eventually comes back again.

There are (2) Mytek 8x96 ADC and (2) 8x96 DACs connected to the cards via light pipe (24bit/96k) . ADC #2 is the master wc >Lucid GenX696>wc to ADC #1/both RME cards.
Both cards are syncable via light pipe or wc, but I use the wc because that’s what was recommended. The DACs are connected to the cards via lightpipe.

I have:
-verified that these (2) cards aren't the ones that were recalled, because of problems
-reinstalled the RME drivers
-updated the drivers
-reinstalled the cards
-moved the cards around to different pci slots
-exchanged one of the cards last week, because I couldn’t get it to sync. Now they both sync, but I still get the “grunge” periodically
-verified the wc input green lights were on in the cards
-upgraded and checked all of the tos link cables
-changed and changed again the internal wc termination jumpers
-spent $600 for a dedicated word clock distributor
Lucid genx696
-changed the wc cables
-checked everything in the control panel
-made sure all the sample rates and resolutions were the same on all the equipment
-had the Mytek guy actually come to the studio and verify that the convertors worked and were putting out an appropriate wc signal
-made sure the Hammerfall ASIO driver is specified in Nuendo


Nuendo 1.6 & 2.01
XP Pro
P4 3.06 Ghz
ASUS P4G8X
7205 chip set
2Gb DDR ram
3D Force 4 mx440
(2) RME HDSP 9652 PCI cards v2.61 sitting in pci slots #1 and #3
(2) Mytek 8x96 ADCs
(2) Mytek 8x96 DACs
Midex 8 v1.8
(2) Western Digital WD 800JB 80 Gb(7200)
Samsung CD R/RW 52/24/52
Nspire 430W PSU
Waves Gold 3.6