I have set up my SPDIF in port as two mono channels to receive two independent mike inputs from my Focusrite Voice Master Pro (this unit is a single channel strip, but it has an external input to enable a mono signal to use the unused SPDIF channel of the A/D converter). It works perfectly, with a notable exception, discovered through a call to tech support yesterday. No direct monitoring is available when it is set up this way. To direct monitor, the SPDIF in has to be set up as a Stereo input. With that setup, and an actual mono signal coming in, the monitor signal is audible, but in only one ear.
Just so you know.
Fortunately, the Focusrite unit is itself capable of direct monitoring. Makes things a little strange using it in combination with the other MR816 inputs, but at least it’s working.
Yes it’s a strange anomaly with the unit. I found this out when trying to use my apogee via SPDIF into the 816,there’s no actual hardware menu on the input track, I thought I was going mad
Any Steinberg follow up to this issue? I’d love to be able to use my Apogee Mini Me spdif in tandem with Direct Monitoring? If not, anyone know of a good workaround?
nothing yet, it looks as steinberg wont invest efforts in MR products anymore,or take it in lowest prority.
many requests from its users regarding routhing,DM,samplerate synch etc… but nothing done about it. only some issues they updated regarding drivers\editor.
the only firmware update i can remember is the “free headphones” which was great but long time ago, no other needed improvments since than.
I too use an Apogee mini me with the MR816. A usable but not perfect workaround is to run a line out of the headphone jack in the back of the mini me to an input on the MR816. Set up a track in Cubase for the inputed Apogee for monitoring purposes only, while actually recording the apogee through SPDIF. If anyone comes up with a better idea I’m all ears.
I have a similar issue. I’m going SPDIF in from a Pod X3… It is mapped in VST Connections as stereo, but for tracking a guitar part - I only need mono. So I choose the left side of my input, “Left - Pod X3”. And when I pan it to wherever I want to hear it, it only comes out of the right channel.
Funny thing is, I can hear it’s trying to do something as I change the pan, but it fails and still remains in the right channel.
Can somebody confirm that this is a known issue and is being addressed? Other than this (and another small issue I’ll post about later), it’s a pretty spectacular unit.
If you look at the dates of these messages it becomes quickly apparent that this is a dead issue. Nobody here expects any further development on this. It’s typical of Yamaha to abandon development once a newer piece of hardware has been released.
I just bought an API A2d… Trying to connect spdif and only hearing the monitor in one ear. This is really frustrating. Doesn’t look like steinberg/yamaha is going to do anything about it. There are a lot of spdif mic pres out there that people want to use to add to their system. This is a bad mistake for steinberg. won’t be buying anymore of your products. This is a pretty basic function. One that any rational person would assume would be on the MR 816. Thanks alot
didn’t try it myself , but if u are using cubase try to use the combined panner on the monitoring track and put both sides to center.
as for real solution … well u see when this topic has started… they wont do anything about it
at least they could do a combined panner for Spdif and Adat channels in MR editor to let hear a mono signal in both sides of headphones
Actually I think I’ve found a fairly simple solution to this, similar to what mozizo suggested but with one crucial difference. I’m using a Focusrite Liquid Channel AES/EBU out into into the MR816 spdif (converted down from 110 to 75 ohms) and I had the same problem. All I could do was to either monitor the input in one ear - awful especially for singers - or record everything in stereo, even though it’s a mono signal. I tried panning the monitoring channel and also sending to a group and panning that to the centre as suggested which didn’t work but then I went to the Cubase mixer, chose a stereo dual panner for the INPUT channel, panned those to the center and voila you now hear a mono input via spdif in the centre with direct monitoring. So even if there isn’t an update that’s easy to set up and seems to work well.
