Digigram LX-MADI User manual

LX-MADI

UserManualv1.0 October 2015



LX-MADI



Multichannel MADI PCI Express Sound Card



User Manual

 

0

LX-MADI

UserManualv1.0 October 2015



Tableofcontents

1INFORMATIONFORTHEUSER

2IMPORTANTNOTICE

3FEATURES

Mainhardwarefeatures

3.2Mainsoftwarefeatures

3.3MADIfeatures

4REQUIREMENTS

4.1Minimumhardwarerequirements

Softwarerequirements

Supportedoperatingsystems

5SOFTWAREINSTALLATIONANDCONFIGURATIONUNDERWINDOWS

5.1InstallationunderWindowsoperatingsystems

5.2Microsoftvolumemixerpanel

5.3ASIOdriverconfiguration

6HOWTOCHECKTHEINSTALLATIONUNDERWINDOWS

7UNINSTALLINGTHEDRIVERSUNDERWINDOWS

8SPECIFICATIONS

8.1Configuration

8.2Inputs/Outputs

8.3Connectors

8.4Developmentenvironments

9APPENDIX

9.1LXIPschematicdiagram

9.2Connectors



1

LX-MADI

UserManualv1.0 October 2015

1 INFORMATION FOR THE USER



This device complies with part 15 of FCC rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause                      

harmful interference, and (2) This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired                

operation.



This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a CLASS B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC                        

Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This                

equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the                  

instructions contained in this data sheet, may cause harmful interference to radio and television communications. However, there is                 

noguaranteethatinterferencewillnotoccurinaparticularinstallation.

If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment                   

offandon,theuserisencouragedtotrytocorrecttheinterferencebyoneormoreofthefollowingmeasures:

● reorientorrelocatethereceivingantenna

● increasetheseparationbetweentheequipmentandthereceiver

● connecttheequipmentintoanoutletonacircuitdifferentfromthatofthereceiver

● consultthedealeroranexperiencedradio/televisiontechnician.



Note: ConnectingthisdevicetoperipheraldevicesthatdonotcomplywithCLASSB requirementsorusinganunshielded

peripheraldatacablecouldalsoresultin harmfulinterferencetoradioortelevisionreception.

Toensurethattheuseofthisproductdoesnotcontributetointerference,itisnecessarytouseshieldedI/Ocables.

TheuseriscautionedthatanychangesormodificationsnotexpresslyapprovedbyDigigramcouldvoidtheuser’s

authoritytooperatethisequipment.



Warning:



Electrostatic discharge (ESD) can damage several components on the board.         

Toavoidsuchdamageinhandlingtheboard,takethefollowingprecautions:

Bring the device and everything that contacts it to ground potential by providing            

a conductive surface and discharge paths. As a minimum, observe these          

precautions:

● Disconnectallpowerandsignalsources.

● Placethedeviceonagroundedconductiveworksurface.

● Groundyourselfviaagroundingwriststraporbyholdinga

groundedobject.

● Groundanytoolthatwillcontactthedevice.



2 IMPORTANT NOTICE

Thiscardhasbeentestedandfoundtocomplywiththefollowingstandards:

● International:CISPR22ClassB.

● Europe:EMC89/336/CEE(1992)specifications.

● UnitedStates:FCCRulesPart15ClassB(digitaldevice).



2

LX-MADI

UserManualv1.0 October 2015

3 FEATURES

Main hardware features

● PCIEXPRESS

TM

x1(PCIe

®

)bus,compatiblewithPCIe

®

x1,x4,x8orx16slots.

● 1opticalconnectorforMADII/O

● 1BNCconnectorforWordClockInorOut

● Samplingfrequency:

Frominternalclock:44.1kHz,48kHz,88.2kHzand96kHz

FromMADI:44.1kHz,48kHz,88.2kHzand96kHz

FromWordClock:44.1kHz,48kHz,88.2kHzand96kHz



3.2 Main software features

● LowlatencyWDMDirectSound,ASIO,andLinuxAlsadrivers.

● Card can be used through the following programming interfaces (APIs): DirectSound kernel streaming,            

DirectSound,WASAPI,ASIO,Alsa.

● 32stereoDirectSoundplaybackdevices/32stereoDirectSoundrecordingdevices

● 32monoASIOplaybackchannels/32monoASIOrecordingchannels

● 64monoAlsaplaybackchannels/64monoAlsarecordingchannels

● Realtime,simultaneousrecordandplaybackinPCM(16and24bits)of64monoI/Ochannels



3.3 MADI features

● Supportof64and56channelmodesat44.1kHzand48kHzsamplingfrequency

● Supportof32and28channelmodesat88.2kHzand96kHzsamplingfrequency

● SynchronizationontheMADIstream



3

LX-MADI

UserManualv1.0 October 2015

4 REQUIREMENTS

4.1 Minimum hardware requirements

● PCwithonefreePCIExpressslot(x1,x2,x4,x8,x16).

● RequiredCPUpowerandmemorydependontheoperatingsystemandonthesoftwareapplicationsused.

Software requirements

LXMADIrequiresinstallationofthedriversincludedintheLXMADIKit.Thiskitincludes:

● aWDMDirectSounddriver

● anASIOdriver,whichinstallationisoptional

Supported operating systems

LXMADI runs under Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, Windows 2008 Server, 32bit and 64bit versions, and                

WindowsServer2012,andLinux.



5 SOFTWARE INSTALLATION AND CONFIGURATION UNDER

WINDOWS



Theinstallationofthesoftwarerequiresadministratorrightsonyourcomputer.



PleasevisittheDigigramwebsiteatwww.digigram.comforthemostrecentdriver.

In case you run a specific application developed or installed by a Digigram Partner, this application might require the                  

useofagivendriverversion.Inthiscase,makesurethattheupdateddriverhasbeenapprovedbyyoursupplier.



5.1 Installation under Windows operating systems

● Shut down your computer, insert the LXIP card in a free PCI EXPRESS

slot, and screw it on the frame of the                     

computer.

● Startthecomputer.

● OncetheWindowssessionisopened,clickon“Cancel”whenthe“FoundNewHardware”Wizardappears.

● DoubleclickontheLXMADIKitvxx.msi



icontolaunchthedriverinstallation.



4

LX-MADI

UserManualv1.0 October 2015

A “Welcome” message is displayed, click Next to       

continue.



The “License Agreement” window appears: read it, and       

select

“I accept the terms in the license agreement” to        

approveit.



ClickNext



.



In the “Custom Setup



” window, the “Drivers for the LX         

board”aredisplayed.



TheWDMdriverisalwaysinstalled.



The ASIO driver installation is optional and can be        

selected/unselected.Itisselectedbydefault.

ClickNext



.



5

LX-MADI

UserManualv1.0 October 2015

In the “Ready to Install the Program”



window, click on         

Install



tostartcopyingthefiles.



A Windows message may appear asking for the       

authorizationtoinstallthedriver.Confirmtheinstallation.



Once the driver files have been copied to your disk and the           

driver has been started, the firmware version of the        

LXMADI card is compared with the firmware version       

includedinthedriverpackage.



If the firmware of your card requires an update, the         

firmware update application starts. You are then prompted       

tocontinuethefirmwareupdate.

The update is recommended so that the driver runs with         

theappropriatefirmwareversionforoptimalperformance.

Press‘Ok’tocontinuethefirmwareupdateprocedure.



The update MUST IN NO CASE BE INTERRUPTED. If        

you do so, the card may have to be returned to our After            

SalesService.



6

LX-MADI

UserManualv1.0 October 2015

The LXMADI control panel window is displayed during the        

driver installation process so that you can configure its        

parameters.



Clocksettings

● Samplerate

Sampling frequency value of the internal clock. In case        

the clock source is MADI or WordClock, make sure the         

selected frequency value matches the frequency of the       

externalclock(seesectionInputStatus)

● Clock source: Sampling clock can be generated      

internally (Internal), or can be the MADI input (MADI        

in),ortheWordClockinput(WordClockin).

● WordClockout

This parameter is accessible only if Clock Source is not         

setto“WordClockin”.

Check this option so that the card outputs a Word         

Clock signal that is generated from the selected clock        

source(exceptWordClockin).



Options

● ChannelMode:channelmodeoftheMADIoutput.

64/32channels(at44.1&48kHz/88.2&96kHz)

32/28channels(at44.1&48kHz/88.2&96kHz)

Note that LXMADI always receives 64 (or 32)       

channelsevenin56(28)channelsmode.

● Framerate

FramerateofMADIreceiverandtransmitter.Nominal

SampleRate:1frame=1channel(64channelsat48

kHz,and32channelsat96kHz).

HalfSampleRate:Allowstransporting96kHzin48

kHzframes(1frame=2channels).



InputStatus

Thissectiondisplaysinformationreportedfromthecard.

● Current clock: displays the current clock source and its        

frequency.

● MADI Frame rate: returns the frame rate detected on        

the MADI input, and if the MADI optical signal is         

receivedcorrectly(Locked)ornot(Unlocked).

Current clock frequency and MADI frame rate can be        

different. Foir instance the requested clock can be 96        

000Hz, and the MADI frame rate can be 48 000Hz (2          

channelsperframe).

● Word Clock: displays the detected frequency on the       

wordclockinput.

Note: parameters displayed in red mean there is a        

mismatch between the requested clock value and the       

detected value, or if the card does not receive the MADI          

signal.



Clickon“OK”toconfirmtheparameters.



7

LX-MADI

UserManualv1.0 October 2015

From the displayed “Digigram drivers” window, you can       

select the Stream granularity of the card (number of        

samples processed at a time). The lower the granularity,        

thelowertheaudiolatency.Defaultvalueis32samples.



When using DirectSound/Wasapi based software    

applications, the selection of a lower value may produce        

audiodropouts,dependingonthePCconfiguration.



When using the card, if audio dropouts are experienced, it         

maybenecessarytoincreasethegranularity.



Granularitycanbe:8,16,32,or64samples.



Note: Button “Audio Card Settings” allows displaying the       

LXMADIcontrolpanel



ClickonOk



.



Click on the Finish button of the next window to complete          

thedriverinstallation.



Thegranularitycorrespondstothecomputingunitofthecard.Itisexpressedinsamples.

8

LX-MADI

UserManualv1.0 October 2015

Once the driver is installed, the 32 stereo DirectSound        

devices are visible from the Windows “Sound” control       

panel, by clicking on the “Playback” tab, and “Recording”        

tab.



TheVUmetersaredisplayedinfrontofeachdevice.



Note that depending on the Windows flavour, the       

DirectSounddevicesmaybedisplayeddisordered.



5.2 Microsoft volume mixer panel

TheWindowsvolumemixercanbedisplayedfromtheloudspeakericonintheWiindowstaskbar.



ThevolumesliderassociatedtotheLXMADI

DirectSounddeviceappliesadigitalgaintotheaudio

samplessenttothecard.



Incasesomeapplicationsusethedevice,theyappear

inthe“Applications”sectionoftheVolumeMixerGUI,

withavolumesliderforeachapplication.



9

LX-MADI

UserManualv1.0 October 2015

Thevolumesliderassociatedtoanapplicationallows

applyingadigitalgaintotheaudiosamplesplayedby

theapplication,rightbeforetheWindowsDirectSound

mixer.



ThevolumesliderassociatedtotheLXDirectSound

deviceappliesadigitalgaintotheaudiosamples

comingfromtheDirectSoundmixer,beforetheyare

senttothecard.



5.3 ASIO driver configuration

To use the card through an ASIO based application, make sure the ASIO driver option has been checked during the                   

installation, as describe above. installed, the card’s settings can be adjusted through its ASIO control panel. This                

panelcanstartedfrom<Start>,<Programs>,<Digigram>,<DigigramASIOMADISettings>.



It can also be launched directly from the ASIO software applications, as most of them feature a “Preferences” or                  

equivalentmenuallowingtoconfiguretheASIOdevicestobeused.



Forhelponhowtousethiscontrolpanel,pleaserefertoitsonlinehelp.

10

LX-MADI

UserManualv1.0 October 2015



Buffersize

ThebuffersizedeterminesthesizeinsamplesperbufferusedbytheAsiodrivertotransferaudiodatafrom/tothe

board'sInput/Output.Thelowerthebuffersize,thelowerthelatency.

TherangeofthebuffersizesettingsdependsonthestreamgranularitydefinedintheDigigramControlCenter.

Youcanaccessthisparameterbyclickingonthe"ChangeDSPgranularity



"button.

Notethat,audiodropoutsmaybeexperiencedwhenusingverysmallbuffersize.



Itispossibletocheckifaudiodropoutsareexperienced.FirstofallstarttheASIObased.AllocatetheASIOchannels

inthisapplication.OpenthisASIOcontrolpanel,andclickonthe“Test”button.



Clickon“Launchtest”tostartthetest.Errorsarelistedinthewindow.Stopthetestbyclickingon“Stoptest”.

Incaseerrorsarereported,buffersizehastobeincreased.



SelectActivatedIO

ClickingonthisbuttonallowsselectingthechannelsthataremanagedbytheASIOdriver.Bydefault,allthe

channelsareenabled.

11

LX-MADI

UserManualv1.0 October 2015



12

LX-MADI

UserManualv1.0 October 2015

6 HOW TO CHECK THE INSTALLATION UNDER WINDOWS

Oncethecardandthedriverareinstalledaccordingtotheproceduredescribedherebeforel,youcancheckthatthe

cardworkscorrectlyasfollows.



Start the “Digigram Control Center” panel from the       

menu<Start><Programs><Digigram>.



The “General Information” tab lists all the Digigram       

driver packages installed on the computer, and their       

versions.



The LXMADI tab displays information about the      

LXMADI cards installed in the computer: card type,       

serialnumber.



If the card is listed in the LXMADI tab, the driver is           

correctlyinstalledandithasfoundthecard.



13

LX-MADI

UserManualv1.0 October 2015

You can check that the card plays audio by selecting         

the“Diagnostics”tab.



Theiconoftheinstalledcardisdisplayed.



Right click on the card icon, and select “Play sine (all          

channels)”.

This plays in loop a sine signal on all the outputs of the            

card.

TheVUmetersontherightshouldindicatea0dBlevel.



To stop the playback, right click on the card icon, and          

select“stop”.



The presence of the playout DirectSound devices can       

be checked from the Windows “Sound” control panel, in        

the“Playback”Tab.



Under Windows Seven and 8, the name of a device can          

be modified by right clicking on its name and selecting         

“Properties”.



The presence of the recording DirectSound devices can       

be checked from the Windows “Sound” control panel, in        

the“Record”Tab.



Under Windows Seven and 8, the name of a device can          

be modified by right clicking on its name, and selecting         

“Properties”.



Installationtroubleshooting

IftheLXMADIcardisnotlistedintheLXMADItab

● PleasecheckfromtheWindowsDeviceManagerifthecardisdetectedbytheoperatingsystem.

● Rightclickontheicon“Mycomputer”(fromtheDesktop,orfromtheWindowsfilebrowser).

● Select“Manage”,and“DeviceManager”.

● TheLXMADIcardshouldbelistedinthe“Sound,videoandgamecontroller”section.

● Ifthereisanexclamationmarkinfrontofthecard,thismeansthatthedriverisnotinstalledcorrectly.

Remove the LXMADI Kit driver from the Windows Control Panel, Add/Remove programs, and install it              

again.

● Ifitisnotlisted,checkinthe“Otherdevices”sectionofthe“deviceManager”.



Ifthecardisnotlistedatallinthe“DeviceManager”,proceedasfollows:

14

LX-MADI

UserManualv1.0 October 2015

● ShutdownthecomputerandremovetheLXMADIcard.

Pleasebecarefulwithelectrostaticdischargewhenhandlingthecard(readsection“Informationfortheuser”

ofthisdocumentformoreinformation)



.

● MakesurethegoldentracksoftheLXMADIcardPCIExpressinterfaceareclean;ifnot,youmayuseadry

ragtocleanthem.

● IfthereisanotherfreePCIExpressslot,insertthecardinit,andpoweronthecomputer.

● Checkagainifthecardisdetectedasdescribedabove.

● IfthecardisnotdetectedinanyPCIExpressslotofthiscomputer,youmaytryitinanothercomputer.

● Ifthecardisnotdetected,pleasecontactyourcardsupplier.



7 UNINSTALLING THE DRIVERS UNDER WINDOWS

● OpentheWindowsControlPanelanddoubleclickontheProgramsandFeaturesicon.

● Select“DigigramLXMADIKit…”



,andChange/Remove.

● SelectUninstall.

● Followtheinstructionstofinishremovingthedriver.



 

15

LX-MADI

UserManualv1.0 October 2015

8 SPECIFICATIONS

8.1 Configuration

Bus/Format

PCIEXPRESS

TM

(PCIe

®

)x1

(x2,x4,x8,x16compatible)

Size

169mmx99mmx20mm

Powerrequirements

(+3.3V/+12V)

0.4A/0.12A

Operating:

temp/humidity

(noncondensing)

0°C/+50°C•5%/90%

Storage:temp/humidity

(noncondensing)

5°C/+70°C•0%/95%



8.2 Inputs/Outputs

MADI

64/64I/O(Mono)at44.1kHzor48kHz

32/32I/O(Mono)at88.2kHzor96kHz

Externalsynchronization

MADIinputstream

Wordclock

Clocksourcesand

samplingfrequencies

Internalclock:44.1kHz,48kHz88.2kHz,96kHz

WordClock:44.1kHz,48kHz,88.2kHzand96kHz

MADI:44.1kHz,48kHz,88.2kHzand96kHz



8.3 Connectors

MADII/O

1opticalconnectorforMADII/O

WordClockINorOUT

BNC



8.4 Development environments

Audiodevices

64/64simultaneousRecord/Play(Mono)channelsto/fromPC

Latency

Roundtriptimedownto1.8ms

Management

WDMKernelStreaming,DirectSound,WASAPI,ASIO,Alsa

Supportedoperating

systems

Windows7/Windows8/Windows10/Windows2008Server&2012Server

(32bitand64bitversions)

Linux



 

16

LX-MADI

UserManualv1.0 October 2015

9 APPENDIX

9.1 LX-IP schematic diagram



9.2 Connectors



● Opticalfiber:MADIinandMADIout

● BNC75:WordClockinorout(setbysoftware)

Hardwareselectionthroughajumperoftheimpedance:75OhmsorHigh

impedance.

Highimpedance:  

75Ohms: 



17

LX-MADI

UserManualv1.0 October 2015



 

18

LX-MADI

UserManualv1.0 October 2015



For technical support,

please contact your card supplier



No portion of this manual may be reproduced without prior written consent from Digigram. The copyright protection claimed here includes photocopying, translation and/or

reformatting of the information contained in this manual.

While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, Digigram is not responsible for errors and omissions, and reserves the right to make improvements or changes in the products and

programs described without notice.

Digigram, the Digigram logo, LX-IP RAVENNA are registered trademarks or trademarks of Digigram S.A.. All other trademarks are property of their respective holders.



Digigram S.A.

82/84 Allée Galilée, 38330 Montbonnot-Saint-Martin, FRANCE

Tel: +33 (0)4 76 52 47 47• Fax: +33 (0) 4 76 52 18 44• E-mail: [email protected]

Digigram Asia Pte Ltd.

60 Albert Street - #19-11OG Albert Complex Singapore 189969, Singapore

Tel : +65 6291 2234 • Fax : +65 6291 3433 • E-mail : [email protected]

 

19