Home » Hardware » Interfaces » New LIO-8 owner - using this as a DAC only (Trying to climb the learning curve)
| New LIO-8 owner - using this as a DAC only [message #85431] |
Fri, 14 September 2012 09:38  |
Metralla
Messages: 12
Registered: September 2012
Location: San Jose, CA
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Junior Member |
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Hi,
I just received my LIO-8 yesterday and it was a little tricky to get started. I am using this device as a stereo DAC, with a 2011 Mac Mini (8GB RAM, 120GB SSD, external USB HDD) and have TRS-XLR cables connecting the LIO-8 to my stereo system. I know this is going to sound like a bit of a saga, but bear with me.
First attempt
I don't hear anything! The user interface is complicated. I am following the Quick Start Guide. I checked with my system and with headphones and can't make any music.
The correct lights are lit - I am just using iTunes to get started. It says the clock is internal, the sample rate is 44, the firewire light is lit and the SysLock light is lit.
No lights are on in the "select" area - not sure what they do.
Second attempt
I struggled for ages and nothing worked. Then I took a break, and went back to iTunes and started the album again and now I have music through the headphones.
Now I see the level meters bouncing up and down on inputs 1 and 2 (stereo). The volume can't be changed though - it seems to be a fixed level.
If I press Mute or Dim, it does nothing. If I press the button in to switch it from cans, it still comes out the headphones.
Third attempt
This is a strange unit. Music does come out the headphones when it is switched to "Monitor" but I cannot control it.
Now I understand - it's on "Cans" and now the volume works, mute and dim work. I did not know what the lights were saying - seemed like random patterns. Now I see that they are numbers!!
I'm listening with my Sennheiser 600s at 00,0 level and it's sounding fine. I'll see if I can get the preamp to work. Probably have to remove the headphones and then switch to Monitor at level 00,0 and then increase the level with the preamp.
Fourth attempt
I see. I took the headphones out and switched to Monitor, but read the numbers and they were way down.
Brought the level up to 00,0 and then turned up the preamp and it's working as it should.
The numbers are green when you get to 00,0. Where is all this explained? I've read the Quick Start Guide and the big Manual (which concentrates on the MI Console).
I'll have to try using the MI Console at some stage, but I'll quit while I'm ahead now!
This morning
Well, I'm up early to listen to some music. I figured I would rip a new CD, ejected it and try to play it from iTunes - the 4 lights (44, Internal clock, Firewire and SynchLock) are lit.
I instruct iTunes to play a track, but I don't see the little level meters dancing as they were last night when things were working fine. I did not turn the unit off last night; just turned off the amps and preamp.
But the level meters (output 1 and 2) are not showing any level. Nothing has been changed. System Preferences on the Mac is still showing that input and output are set to the LIO-8. It's as if the unit has forgotten what to do. I wonder if ripping a disc into iTunes has messed up the output - can't really tell.
Perhaps I should turn it off and on again. Let me try that. Nope, that did not fix it.
I have the Monitor Control set, both Input and Output set to 00,0. iTunes is playing the track. I should see those level meters bouncing up and down to the song.
If I change System Preferences to make output the built-in speakers, I hear music from the Mac. Put it back to tke LIO-8 - still no meters working. Quite baffling.
Regards,
Geoff
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| Re: New LIO-8 owner - using this as a DAC only [message #85433 is a reply to message #85431] |
Sat, 15 September 2012 14:53  |
Metralla
Messages: 12
Registered: September 2012
Location: San Jose, CA
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Junior Member |
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Metralla wrote on Fri, 14 September 2012 06:38Hi,
Now I understand - it's on "Cans" and now the volume works, mute and dim work. I did not know what the lights were saying - seemed like random patterns. Now I see that they are numbers!!
The numbers are green when you get to 00,0. Where is all this explained? I've read the Quick Start Guide and the big Manual (which concentrates on the MI Console).fix it.
OK, I had not read the manual in entirety. I had printed out the LIO-8 section and studied that, and the MIO Console section and scanned that. What I did not realize was that there is a section called "ULN/LIO-8 Front Panel Guide" where the intracacies of the hardware controls are explained.
My mistake!
Regards,
Geoff
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| Re: New LIO-8 owner - using this as a DAC only [message #85434 is a reply to message #85433] |
Sat, 15 September 2012 15:04 |
Metralla
Messages: 12
Registered: September 2012
Location: San Jose, CA
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Junior Member |
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I watched one of the videos - SimpleOutput.mov - where it talked about "boot stage" working if you don't launch MIO Console, but as soon as you launch the Console, it kills that method from working because it overwrites that basic state. This makes sense, because I did have it working without ever having launched MIO Console; but I did open that towards the end of the evening Thursday to check it out and so the next morning, playing directly from the interface hardware no longer worked.
So today I followed the creation of the simple mixer - this was a good tutorial. I did follow this method to link DAW1/2 through Bus1 routed to a physical output (Analog1/2 and Mult: CansL/R) but I simply don't see any meter action. I double checked that Sound Prefs have output to the LIO-8.
I have been chatting with Barry Diament and he showed me in email another way to create a basic mixer - with mono strips for DAW1 and DAW2 (panned L and R) going to the Bus. Then in the main strip, using "Add to MC" to put that as the source in the Monitor Controller, set up Analog1/2 for my speakers and CansL/R for my headphones. Still, I see no meter movement and don't get any sound.
I must be missing something very simple.
Regards,
Geoff
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| Re: New LIO-8 owner - using this as a DAC only [message #85435 is a reply to message #85434] |
Sat, 15 September 2012 15:12 |
Metralla
Messages: 12
Registered: September 2012
Location: San Jose, CA
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Junior Member |
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Oh, one more thing. I know that the MIO Console is talking to the interface because if I call "Identify Interface" I do get the light show on the hardware. So that implies that computer -> hardware is working with the commands (asynchronous). But is the digital stream to the device still operational? I don't know how to test that.
Regards,
Geoff
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| Re: New LIO-8 owner - using this as a DAC only [message #85440 is a reply to message #85438] |
Wed, 19 September 2012 15:33 |
Metralla
Messages: 12
Registered: September 2012
Location: San Jose, CA
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Junior Member |
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tompisa wrote on Wed, 19 September 2012 11:57You use LIO just for DAC listening ?
Correct.
Quote:I like LIO´s DAC too and its by far one of the best , however I switched to Mytek DSD DAC for my Mastering Room (I have Lio8 and ULN8 in recording room) . The Mytek is connected by Firewire too but the soundstage is more detailed compared to Lio8/ ULN8 DAC. and.. its 50 % less $ .
Jeez, I just got the bloody thing.
But I do prefer to have a FireWire DAC, rather than a USB - that enables me to use USB for the external drive, the external backup drive, and the DVD/CD ROM.
Quote:Nope, I am not a Mytek employee - I am a ULN8 and Lio 8 DAC lover - but... the Mytek DSD is a real DAC specialist and extremly flexible to use (btw. I clocked the Mytek with Lio8 but internal Clock of Mytek works better to my ears.)
Interesting - but not relevant to my thread. I'm looking for assistance to get my LIO-8 working.
Regards,
Geoff
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| Re: New LIO-8 owner - using this as a DAC only [message #85442 is a reply to message #85440] |
Wed, 19 September 2012 16:05 |
Metralla
Messages: 12
Registered: September 2012
Location: San Jose, CA
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Junior Member |
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Well, after a lot of attempts I finally got this working last night. I have been in email exchanges with Jon Stern from Metric Halo Support. We worked through a number of different scenarios and double-checked a few things. Here are the things we looked at that did not help:
1. Have you updated to Moutain Lion? On version 10.8, you may have encountered a Mac OS specific bug that occasionally causes the audio buffer to fill without releasing our driver No. This is Mac OS X Version 10.7.4. Brand new Mac Mini - less than 2 weeks old.
2. If audio is not playing from the LIO-8, including after you reboot the box, please try rebooting the computer. Sure. Of course, I did that quite a few times.
3. Confirm the LIO-8 is selected as the output device in Apple System Preferences>Sound. Double and trible checked. I even changed it to line out and pressed play in iTunes to hear that it was coming out of the built-in speaker - yep.
4. trash the MIO Console Preferences folder. Also trash the MIOConsoleStatev2. . . file(s). When you restart MIOConsole after this, it should come up with the "Choose Template" menu. This in fact did not happen to me. After a second email from Jon, I did get this to happen by unchecking System Preferences -> General -> Restore Windows when Quitting and Re-opening Apps. Now if I quit MIOConsole, and trashed the folder and file, I could get it to fire up with "Choose Template" menu.
5. When you power the box on, the front panel sample rate should be 44.1. Are you changing this by any chance before playing iTunes or launching MIO Console? No, I've never changed that.
Clarification from Jon on console state and boot state:
Quote:The boot state and the MIO Console state are two different things. You have the option of managing both so that you don't have to launch MIO Console (or even connect the box to a computer) if you don't want to.
The boot state is written to the flash memory on the box and must be saved from within the Utilities menu of MIO Console after you have set everything up the way you want it to boot. You need to set the settings from within MIO Console (not the front panel) for them to be written to the flash memory on the box. This allows those settings to be recalled when you boot the box without the computer present.
The MIO Console states hold the settings of MIO Console and can be saved and recalled from the File menu. When you launch MIO Console, the state you left it in when you last quit is automatically recalled (whether you saved a file or not).
MIO Console states persist on the box after you quit MIO Console. But if you power the box off and back on, the boot state is what gets recalled (not the last MIO Console State - unless you saved that same configuration as a boot state in the Utilities menu).
When you boot the box into its boot state, it will be the prevailing state on the box until you launch MIO Console, at which time the MIO Console state will assert itself (again, whatever state MIO Console was in when you last quit).
6. Reboot the box. Reboot the computer. Tried this many times in various combinations. Turned the Mac off (click off restart programs after reboot) and unplugged the power cord, and waited 10 mins. Restarted. Log back in. Start up the iTunes program (not playing anything). Restart the box. Flashy display - check lights - Sync and Firewire are on, as is 44 and Internal clock. Press Play in iTunes. No output lights dancing.
7. Open Console. What does Box Info say?
S/N: 00623
Model: LIO-8
Firmware: 5.0.41
DSP Usage: 6%
Diver Rev: 5.4d214 [0747]
8. start the box by itself and try to make audio play without the console. I tried many times. No joy.
Finally, this is what I did to get it working, in sequence.
(a) open System Preferences from the Apple menu, and under "General" uncheck "Restore Windows when Quitting and Re-opening Apps".
(b) Quit MIOConsole. I trashed the MIOConsole folder and the file, and when I started MIOConsole I indeed did get the Template window popping up. Still could not get any music (or any action on the meters either on MIOConsole or the box).
(c) I turned off the box, and then shut down the Mac Mini for a while. I figured it was something to do with the FireWire handshake, so maybe I could reset it (although I have tried many times without success in various combinations). I started the Mac and after a while started the box. Just ran iTunes, but no meter action.
(d) I shutdown iTunes, changed Sound Prefs Output to come out the built-in speaker (I've done this before to check) and it was working. Then I stopped iTunes, changed Sound Prefs Output to use the LIO-8 and started iTunes again. Now there was action on the meters on the box. Finally!
(e) Started MIOConsole, chose the Simple template and hit play again now there is meter action on the screen.
(f) Chose my custom console state and selected "Coincidents" from Monitor Control and turned up the preamp music! The volume was pretty low so I changed from Line-10 to Line+4 and that's closer to the normal volume a CD provides (but still down a bit).
(g) I saved the "Boot State", stopped iTunes, turned down the preamp and rebooted the box. When it had restarted, I just fired up iTunes and pressed "play" and raised the volume on the preamp. Working as advertised no MIOConsole required.
Now we are cooking with gas.
Regards,
Geoff
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