Strange PTLE behavior and Playback Engine - Optical Format

It's been a while I recorded from my DAT via SPDIF-RCA....Today when I did-it again I've got lots of DAE error (6042,6045= The PCI buss it's too busy for DAE....) etc...It was very annoying not just because I couldn't work properly but also because it took quite a long while before I discovered that PTLE was working fine when I changed the Playback Engine Digital option from ADAT to S/PDIF. (You are aloud to record via dig. RCA when Playback Engine is on ADAT. Than you have Dig. In S/PDIF L and R available (+ 8x ADAT + 8 analog inputs). When Playback Engine is on S/PDIF, you can record optical stereo sources....(+ analog ones) Right?....). Anyhow, generally....not only on recording, but also during playback, editing, etc, my PTLE (on a Mac 8600/G3/400, 320Mb RAM, different hard disks, both SCSI and IDE-via Sonnet card....) was very unstable as long as I had the Playback Engine on ADAT. Changing on S/PDIF was working perfectly! Am I missing something? Am I being to confuse ?....Sorry....but if you understand what I am talking about, you may be able to help.... Thanks!/P.

The clock is transferred from the DAT via SPDIF I assume ? Then you should set PT to clock that source, not the ADAT. Unless your DAT goes in a 01V by SPDIF and the 01V goes to PT via ADAT lightpipe: than you should choose ADAT... Or am I missing something ? ------------------ Arno Peeters

Thank-you for the quick answer, Arno Peeters! I knew I was confuse...OK....Here I'll try again : In PTLE : Setups - Playback Engine - Other Options - Optical Format : Here we have 2 choices : ADAT or S/PDIF ( and the option : "Enable S/PDIF mirroring" ). Alt. 1) When we chose ADAT, that will aloud us to record 8 analog channels (ch. 1-8), 8 ADAT channels and Digital RCA (S/PDIF) 2channels : Left - Right (=: (We can se those options in the Mixer page - channel - input). Alt. 2) When we chose S/PDIF, that will aloud us to record 8 analog channels and Optical L and Right. No ADAT!). Now, in Setup - Interface Options we have: Sample Rate : 44100 or 48000 Sync Mode : Internal, Optical and S/PDIF options, in Alt. 1 or just Internal and optical in Alt. 2. What happens is that when I use the Alt. 2 setup, my PTLE works perfectly! ....but when I use Alt. 1 I got those errors. Now, I was very careful to have the right Sync Mode (and also right Sample rate!) , so when I was recording from my DAT I chose the S/PDIF sync, and when I finished recording and started play back and editing I changed the Sync to Internal.....etc.... Generally, nothing helped when I was in this setup (Alt.1).....so that's way I'm wondering ...???? In the manual ...hmmm...not to much about this...(not even an explanation of what "Enable S/PDIF mirroring" means....I may miss-it...)...and actually I really hope It is something I am missing and not some other "hardware configuration in my whole computer system" problem...(Hard disks, Sonnet card, etc....) But if this would be the case way I have no problem in Alt. 2 ??? So, you se.... Digi? Thanks....Still confusing??? Sorry.... /P. [This message has been edited by petter (edited January 07, 2001).]

Well....it looks like it is easier to talk about "Digi001 and girls".....

OK....It is only on the IBM IDE drive on the Sonnet PCI card. Works with my Barracuda SCSI .... Why happens only in "Alt. 1"....I don't know, but it can be the fact that this alternative is more complex and.....and....(...)....(???).... Anyhow, if you have some solution out there, don't hesitate !.... If not....well, I can live with that. Thanks!. Bye!/P. PS: This was funny how I was posting to myself....(almost, Thanks again Arno Peeters)....but maybe this will help others somehow....someday....some....