Dirac Live

[Nyal Mellor]

Simple practical question. To set up Dirac live on a my CAPS 2.0 server, I need a microphone / soundcard. I am planning on using my Trinnov microphone (as good as any I presume), which is battery powered and has ASE/EBU connectors. How can I connect an AES/EBU microphone to my CAPS 2.0 server (presumably using USB)?

I think the Trinnov has four capsules. I do not recall from my loaner unit but I am not sure if and how you would use a Trinnov mic with a standard soundcard.

Most measurement mics have one XLR ended connector, which you need to plug into a soundcard with phantom power.

 

[edorr]

I think the Trinnov has four capsules. I do not recall from my loaner unit but I am not sure if and how you would use a Trinnov mic with a standard soundcard.

Most measurement mics have one XLR ended connector, which you need to plug into a soundcard with phantom power.

The Trinnov is really four mics. To use it with Dirac, you simply use one of the four mics with one of the XLR connectors. Should work no problem. I even got the calibration file for my Mic from Trinnov. Do you think this devide would work to use the mic with USB:

http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Microphones-Icicle-Converter-Preamp/dp/B001EW5YQS/ref=pd_sxp_grid_pt_0_1

 

[NorthStar]

I think the Trinnov has four capsules. ...

...

Yes indeed Nyal.



* It's one mic, with four capsules.

 

[edorr]

Yes indeed Nyal.

View attachment 8276

Yes, these are four individual mics, each with their own XLR connector.

 

[NorthStar]

Are we talking the exact same mic as the one showing in my above picture?

 

[edorr]

Are we talking the exact same mic as the one showing in my above picture?

No. It is this one:

http://www.trinnov.com/non-classe/microphone/

 

[NorthStar]

No. It is this one:

http://www.trinnov.com/non-classe/microphone/

Gotcha, thank you.

 

[Nyal Mellor]

The Trinnov is really four mics. To use it with Dirac, you simply use one of the four mics with one of the XLR connectors. Should work no problem. I even got the calibration file for my Mic from Trinnov. Do you think this devide would work to use the mic with USB:

http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Microphones-Icicle-Converter-Preamp/dp/B001EW5YQS/ref=pd_sxp_grid_pt_0_1

Yep that one should work, assuming Dirac Live doesn't need a timing reference (loopback) for what ever it is doing

 

[audioguy]

I used my trusty M30 mic from Earthworks which is more accurate without a cal file than many are with one.

Takes no time at all.

This is the USB mic preamp I used. http://www.sweetwater.com/store/search.php?s=audiobox+usb. Takes XLR in from the mic and connects to the server with USB.

 

[edorr]

I used my trusty M30 mic from Earthworks which is more accurate without a cal file than many are with one.

Takes no time at all.

This is the USB mic preamp I used. http://www.sweetwater.com/store/search.php?s=audiobox+usb. Takes XLR in from the mic and connects to the server with USB.

I may indeed need a loop for REW. This box does not appear to have XLR I/O, just MIDI.

 

[Nyal Mellor]

I may indeed need a loop for REW. This box does not appear to have XLR I/O, just MIDI.

It's for REW as well not just Dirac Live?

 

[edorr]

It's for REW as well not just Dirac Live?

I might as well use it for REW, so yes - I need both.

 

[audioguy]

I may indeed need a loop for REW. This box does not appear to have XLR I/O, just MIDI.

The mic connectors are XLR and the PC connector is USB.

 

[edorr]

The mic connectors are XLR and the PC connector is USB.

Thanks. I ended up ordering one of these, which is functionally equivalent to what you suggested, but for less $$$ and supporting USB2.0.

http://www.proaudiostar.com/focusrite-scarlett-2i2.html

 

[edorr]

I'm finally ready to give Dirac live a whirl. I got Dirac live up and running on my PC. I am using Scarlett 2i2 mic USB preamp. Everything appears to work fine and the preamp is recognized as input device.

However, when I play a test tone, the preamp respond (i.e. mic pics up signal), but the meters in Dirac show nothing. So the signal does not appear to make it from the preamp into the PC over USB.

Do anyone have any idea what I could be going wrong? The Dirac manual troubleshooting guide does not offer a solution that works.

 

[amirm]

Do it work in any other app? Have you selected that mic as the default input?

BTW, the I believe three of the Trinnov mics are velocity based (X, Y and Z) and one pressure. So you can't interchange them.

 

[edorr]

Do it work in any other app? Have you selected that mic as the default input?

BTW, the I believe three of the Trinnov mics are velocity based (X, Y and Z) and one pressure. So you can't interchange them.

I need Mic 4 on the Trinnov - this should work OK. I have the Trinnov calibration file as well. The preamp/mic works with other applications. I spend 1 hour on the phone with a Dirac expert, and we cannot get the preamp to work with Dirac. He thinks it is a compatibility issue. I will probably need to get another preamp. I had forgotten what computer audio hell was like..... 3 hours troubleshooting wasted....

 

[Roger Dressler]

After 3 hours I imagine no stone was left unturned. But just wanted to ask if the preamp was set to 48 kHz? If not that did you perhaps forget to disengage the external inertial dampener?

 

[edorr]

After 3 hours I imagine no stone was left unturned. But just wanted to ask if the preamp was set to 48 kHz? If not that did you perhaps forget to disengage the external inertial dampener?

Even a Dirac dealer could not get it to work in a remote control session. I shipped back the preamp, bought a Presonus USB box and it works fine now. If I have time later today, I'll do some actual measurements and calculate some filters.

 

[edorr]

OK. So I finally got around to setting up Dirac live, do measurements and create some filters. I have been using Trinnov, but wanted to simplify my signal path and am running USB into the MSB DAC, rahter than doing USB to AES/EBU conversion to be able to go through the Trinnov,

Measurements went fine. Then created three filters;
Filter one: +5db to 0db in 20Hz-200Hz range, flat in 200Hz - 1Khz range and 0dB to 5db in 1Kzh to 20Khz range - this is pretty much the same target curve I am using on my Trinnov
Filter two: +5db to 0db in 20Hz-300Hz range, no correction at all on anything above 300Hz
Filter three: flat from 20Hz to 20Khz.

Then kicked back, played some music, switching filters in real time and switching filter on/off to compare DRC with no DRC.

Huge disappointement. First, I honest to God barely noticed a difference between any of the filters, and no filters at all. I am 100% sure I could not pick out a preference I was doing this blind. On Trinnov, there is always a clear difference between engaging DRC and bypassing it.

Am I doing something wrong? I'm very puzzled.

The way it stands right now, I'll just forgo DRC completely, at least for 2 channel. Still have my Trinnov processor for multi channel.