Trouble with SPDIF connection

  • To get the new Spring Reverb preview, you'll want the new beta firmware.


    When you download the latest Rig Manager, make sure in the settings, that beta options are checked, so that beta version of FW and Rig Manager, will be offered to you also.

    Kemper Powerhead w/remote & Kabinet
    Focusrite 18i8 (2nd Gen) - Windows 10 - Ableton Live - Yamaha HS-8's - DT770 80 ohms

  • I was just looking here and I do not see any settings/buttons/knobs for "SPDIF clock" (KPA power rack). I just got my KPA SPDIF -> Apollo Twin -> PC/Cubase setup for the first time yesterday, and wanted to confirm that I had everything setup correctly. I'm successfully tracking into Cubase via SPDIF, however I am getting some very mild static/crackling on playback (monitoring sounds great, no clipping).


    I haven't experimented w/ changing DAW buffer settings yet, but maybe this will clear things up.

    I've triple checked my settings in Apollo console/Cubase and both are set to 44.1khz/SPDIF. Does this mean by default the KPA is "set to master", or am I missing some other setting in the KPA itself?


    At the bottom left of the Console window, there is a box that would be saying Clock Source: Internal. Click on that and change to SPDIF.


    How are you connecting the Kemper to the Apollo though? It doesn't have coaxial SPDIF, only optical. When I tried to connect using a converter box, I ran into tonnes of problems.

  • At the bottom left of the Console window, there is a box that would be saying Clock Source: Internal. Click on that and change to SPDIF.


    How are you connecting the Kemper to the Apollo though? It doesn't have coaxial SPDIF, only optical. When I tried to connect using a converter box, I ran into tonnes of problems.

    Nightlight, thanks for the advice, yes I have SPDIF already selected in Console. The following 3 items below are what I am using to connect the KPA to Apollo via SPDIF. So you're saying regardless of satisfactory sound quality while live monitoring through the Apollo (via SPDIF from KPA, sounds great!) I could STILL encounter poor quality playback on tracks in the DAW?

    I played w/ just about every SPDIF output setting in the KPA, all of which produced the same static-filled playback.

    At this point, I'm going to upgrade my KPA firmware this weekend and see if that makes any difference. You're saying I may possibly have a faulty converter?

    Cable Matters Toslink Cable (Toslink Optical Cable/Digital Optical Audio Cable) https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod…age_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    Monster Cable 650DCX 1 meter Digital Coaxial Cable https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod…age_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    Optical to Coaxial OR Coax to Optical Digital Audio Converter, Bi-Directional Digital SPDIF Toslink Optical to/from Coaxial Digital Audio Signal Adapter/Repeater by ROOFULL https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod…age_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

  • Nightlight, thanks for the advice, yes I have SPDIF already selected in Console. The following 3 items below are what I am using to connect the KPA to Apollo via SPDIF. So you're saying regardless of satisfactory sound quality while live monitoring through the Apollo (via SPDIF from KPA, sounds great!) I could STILL encounter poor quality playback on tracks in the DAW?

    I played w/ just about every SPDIF output setting in the KPA, all of which produced the same static-filled playback.

    At this point, I'm going to upgrade my KPA firmware this weekend and see if that makes any difference. You're saying I may possibly have a faulty converter?

    Cable Matters Toslink Cable (Toslink Optical Cable/Digital Optical Audio Cable) https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod…age_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    Monster Cable 650DCX 1 meter Digital Coaxial Cable https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod…age_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    Optical to Coaxial OR Coax to Optical Digital Audio Converter, Bi-Directional Digital SPDIF Toslink Optical to/from Coaxial Digital Audio Signal Adapter/Repeater by ROOFULL https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod…age_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


    I think there's something about using those converters with the Apollo that causes buggy operation with the Kemper. You say you are getting static-filled audio? In my case, I got everything playing nicely until one fine day, I could no longer get the blasted thing to reamp.


    I tried everything. I even bought an additional pair of those stupid converters and it wouldn't work. Wasted a lot of money.


    Was it a fault on the Apollo ADAT outputs? No, because I connected the device to my Fireface as a slave device using the ADAT connectors. The cables also worked.


    I think there's something problematic with those converters. Even if you are getting them to work, I think clock information is getting jacked somewhere in those devices, which is probably what is causing all the noise in your recordings.


    At least your device allows you to hook them up. Mine just inexplicably stopped working.