Film-Tech Cinema Systems
Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE


  
my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home
  next oldest topic   next newest topic
» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Digital Cinema Forum   » AES Audio and Test Files

   
Author Topic: AES Audio and Test Files
Dan Williams
Film Handler

Posts: 11
From: Southampton, NY United States
Registered: Feb 2018


 - posted 02-19-2018 10:36 AM      Profile for Dan Williams   Email Dan Williams   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Setup is a Barco DP2K-10s, Doremi IMS-1000 in a small 100 seat multi-use facility...

We had some work done, the system was pulled apart and we made a few audio and structural upgrades. I'm having a hard time now getting 8 channels/4 pairs of AES to show up correctly at our processor. Hardware is Cat5 (pre-made to 568B) out of the IMB to a RJ-45 to DB25 pin-your-own adapter to a Focustrite AES to Dante Interface (Tascam Standard). No matter what I do I can only get audio from the first pair, pins 1/2 from Cat5.

I've gone through every possible combination of pinouts and all I ever see is audio from that first pair. I can move that first pair across the remaining inputs on the focusrite and get signal, so the issue is either the pinout or the IMB.

I'm also wondering if its simply an issue with the content I'm playing back... I've also found that the channel mapping within the IMB seems weird as I can set the channel mapping to "mute" and there's still audio passing. Is that normal?

Any assistance is appreciated, and if anyone knows of some reliable 5.1 test content please share. Thanks!

 |  IP: Logged

Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99


 - posted 02-19-2018 10:44 AM      Profile for Scott Norwood   Author's Homepage   Email Scott Norwood   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Normally, the word clock information comes from the first pair. Since that pair works on every input on your DA, perhaps the DA box is not configured to look for word clock on the first pair?

 |  IP: Logged

Carsten Kurz
Film God

Posts: 4340
From: Cologne, NRW, Germany
Registered: Aug 2009


 - posted 02-19-2018 11:06 AM      Profile for Carsten Kurz   Email Carsten Kurz   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Dan - what Content do you have to test this? Is there an explicit channel test DCP available? Common ones from Dolby, with a voice naming all channels, circulate.

The IMS has different methods and routing parameters. You can even assign specific routings to individual DCPs/CPLs. Do you have a full manual available?

If that interface is a REDNET D16 AES, it has active signal indicators and should be sufficient to analyse the signal flow into the DANTE domain.

I would start with disabling routing on the IMS altogether. Routing shouldn't be neccessary for plain 5.1 setups with or without HI/VI-N. Then make sure the Dante interface does everything right. Which audio processor do you use?

- Carsten

 |  IP: Logged

Dan Williams
Film Handler

Posts: 11
From: Southampton, NY United States
Registered: Feb 2018


 - posted 02-19-2018 01:04 PM      Profile for Dan Williams   Email Dan Williams   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Thanks for the replies and thank you Carsten for the link... I'll give that a shot and see what pops up.

Yes, the Rednet has indicators, I can also route that Dante signal to test and listen to... It's hard to tell exactly what it is, but I'm thinking it is L/R, most voices are missing which in film is usually routed Center. So to clarify, I can take that first working pair and move it through all the inputs in the redness and see/hear signal. What I'm not getting is anything else from the IMB... So the test file is a good place to start.

Yes, I've sifted through the IMS manual... It is very interesting how you can set globally or clip by clip, however it just seems weird that even with everything un-routed or muted I still have signal... I also tried to route different signals to that first pair, so for channels 1 and 2 I would select "Center" or "LFE" and nothing would change...

Again, I'll start with the test file, my troubleshooting with an unknown file is likely part of the issue. Again, that you for the help and any more suggestions, input, and experience is helpful. Thanks!

 |  IP: Logged

Carsten Kurz
Film God

Posts: 4340
From: Cologne, NRW, Germany
Registered: Aug 2009


 - posted 02-19-2018 01:10 PM      Profile for Carsten Kurz   Email Carsten Kurz   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Hi Dan - can't even tell you wether the IMS needs a reboot after a global routing change. I only know the 19" servers.

- Carsten

 |  IP: Logged

Dave Macaulay
Film God

Posts: 2321
From: Toronto, Canada
Registered: Apr 2001


 - posted 02-20-2018 02:26 PM      Profile for Dave Macaulay   Email Dave Macaulay   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I wouldn't count on the IMS channel routing working, I have also seen routing list changes make no actual changes. Routing was maybe messed up when Dolby tried to make it SMPTE compatible, at one time it did work for Interop but not for SMPTE packages.
The server came with a couple of test tracks, one with voice ID on the first 8 channels and one with different frequency tones on all 16 (you could ID the channels with a frequency counter I suppose... or maybe if you have perfect pitch... but except to show that there is a connection it's not very useful). If those test clips were deleted, I believe Dolby can give you a link to them. Or their Dolby channel ID clips, but these don't have any signal on tracks beyond the 5.1 or 7.1 channels.
If you've tried swapping the pins on your AES-DB25 adapter and can get the other AES signals to work but only through your system's input 1, the server is presumably working OK? Is there some setting in your D-A that ignores all but AES #1 on the multichannel input? To avoid soldering (or fiddling with swap-a-pin adapters) I use an Odyssey RJ-45 to DB25 adapter if they have one for the pinout needed. The RJ-45 pinouts, at least, are consistent across all servers I've come across.

 |  IP: Logged

Carsten Kurz
Film God

Posts: 4340
From: Cologne, NRW, Germany
Registered: Aug 2009


 - posted 02-20-2018 07:48 PM      Profile for Carsten Kurz   Email Carsten Kurz   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
This screenshot is from a Doremi training presentation. Why can't I find that panel on a Doremi?

https://www.filmvorfuehrer.de/uploads/monthly_2017_12/Doremi_Audio_Routing.jpg.036c233f56ea09a3d11a7fdb8c83a228.jpg

- Carsten

 |  IP: Logged

Dan Williams
Film Handler

Posts: 11
From: Southampton, NY United States
Registered: Feb 2018


 - posted 02-22-2018 09:26 AM      Profile for Dan Williams   Email Dan Williams   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Thank you so much guys... all is well... and my roots as an audio engineer served me well, and I’m not crazy... well maybe just a little. As it turns out my pin outs were absolutely correct, and it was a culmination of errors with the file I was listening to and the IMB needing to be reset, sometimes multiple times to take a routing change. That file was super helpful Carsten, thanks again.

My only remaining issue is that I need to add a user to the web commander lite, and when I add them in the full version, the login doesn’t work on the lite web app...? Any insight?

 |  IP: Logged

Carsten Kurz
Film God

Posts: 4340
From: Cologne, NRW, Germany
Registered: Aug 2009


 - posted 02-22-2018 04:12 PM      Profile for Carsten Kurz   Email Carsten Kurz   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Maybe you are mixing Communicator users and webapp users. Webapp ('Communicator light') users are separate, webapp is running on the cinema controller. On our Barco, there is just a single user possible, and all you can do is change it's password.

Communicator (full) users are administrated on the application level. That's why you can access them without the projector even being powered up.

- Carsten

 |  IP: Logged

Dan Williams
Film Handler

Posts: 11
From: Southampton, NY United States
Registered: Feb 2018


 - posted 02-23-2018 07:29 PM      Profile for Dan Williams   Email Dan Williams   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
That makes complete sense... thanks again gents.

 |  IP: Logged



All times are Central (GMT -6:00)  
   Close Topic    Move Topic    Delete Topic    next oldest topic   next newest topic
 - Printer-friendly view of this topic
Hop To:



Powered by Infopop Corporation
UBB.classicTM 6.3.1.2

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.

© 1999-2020 Film-Tech Cinema Systems, LLC. All rights reserved.