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richard-ec2
Inspiring
November 14, 2016
Question

Can't get ASIO driver to work with S/PDIF input

  • November 14, 2016
  • 1 reply
  • 6177 views

This is an Adobe Audition CS6 question. I've installed a new internal sound card in my Windows 10 PC. It has an optical S/PDIF input (and output). I am trying to record audio from a BD player using this optical input and the sound card's ASIO driver. But CS6 won't let me - it sees the sound card's ASIO driver, sure, but when I select it, I get the old "Device could not be opened" error message and CS6 won't start. I can only record by flipping over to MME and using the sound card's S/PDIF input offered under that heading.

I have a theory as to why I can't use the sound card's ASIO driver. I think it's because Audition is a player AND a recorder and it won't function with any ASIO driver unless input and output are both connected to the same device.

Is that right?

I don't have any problem using the sound card's ASIO driver when playing back with JRiver using the sound card's driver. But my theory is that that's because JRiver is only a playback app.

Here's a link to the soundcard I'm using:

StarTech PEXSOUND7CH

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    1 reply

    SteveG_AudioMasters_
    SteveG_AudioMasters_
    Community Expert
    November 14, 2016

    What bit rate are you recording at? If it works with MME, then there's a good chance that Microsoft is doing an on-the-fly sample rate conversion it's not telling you about. A rate mismatch would be all it takes; it's unlikely to be sync-related, as Audition can choose where it gets its sync from. If my idea is correct, it will already be getting it from the correct input - just not at an appropriate rate.

    R
    richard-ec2Author
    Inspiring
    November 14, 2016

    Thank you very much for answering.

    I'm trying to record 176.4 kHz. (It's the DSD layer of an SACD, converted on the fly to PCM at 176.4 kHz, 24 bits, before it leaves the Blu-ray player.)

    The PCM stream comes out of the HDMI output of the Blu-ray player. Then it goes into an HDMI de-embedder. Then it comes out of the optical output of the de-embedder, still at 176.4 kHz, and into the optical input of my PC where it is received by the StarTech sound card at 176.4 kHz. I have opened a new Audition file with the resolution set at 176.4 kHz, 24 bits.

    I know you'll think this chain is a bit crazy but I've used it many times before with complete success using an external sound card connected to the PC by USB. And also, it works completely successfully right now, using MME. So I know the chain is OK.

    I think the problem is:

    a) Audition can't see an ASIO device that is connected only by an optical SPDIF cable, and therefore it thinks no ASIO device is connected and therefore it sends an error message. Or,

    b) It CAN see the ASIO device connected by SPDIF but it refuses to acknowledge it because it can only see an input for the device and not an output, and therefore it doesn't feel it has proper control of the device and therefore it sends an error message.

    I should also mention that I have another ASIO device connected to the PC by USB, which Audition is able to see and use. Of course, the obvious thing to do is to disconnect that other device and get it out of the way. But if I do that, I can't even open ASIO in the Device Class options at all! Which, in my view, does tend to confirm that Audition simply can't see an ASIO device connected only by SPDIF. It knows it's there because it's in the list of ASIO devices, but if you try to select it, Audition behaves as if the device were not switched on.

    To put it simply:should Audition be capable of seeing an ASIO device connected only by an SPDIF cable, and even then, only by an input cable and not an  output?

    R
    richard-ec2Author
    Inspiring
    November 17, 2016

    I think that you may find that it all depends upon how they've arranged to stream ASIO feeds, and that from this POV all software isn't equal... so for instance, if one app decides that the conversion should be done in the app and not left to M$'s evil devices, then it stands a much greater chance of working, I'd say.

    The trouble with this is that there really are a lot of variables, and potential pitfalls. Not the least of these is that Audition CS6 was never really intended (as such) to work, emulated, inside a 64-bit environment, so it wasn't heavily tested that way...


    Thanks, Steve, I'm sure that's right.

    Although I don't like being beaten, I think it's time to move on so I'm planning to use iZotope RX5 for recording and to keep CS6 in reserve for editing. The only thing with recording in iZotope is that it doesn't seem to display the waveform while you're actually recording - only when you've finished. I find this a bit disconcerting. Is that just how it is? (With apologies for going wildly off topic.)

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