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Troubleshooting and support

No sound during playback

If you get no sound while playing music, double-check the following items in order. Turn off your amplification until you get to the step that says to turn it on. If you have the Dirac Live app open, quit it and return to miniDSP Device Console.

Check the input meters

Play a music signal, or pink noise from the REW signal generator. If there is no signal on the input meters, follow these steps:

  1. If the source has a volume control, check that it is not turned down.
  2. Check the cabling between the source and the DDRC-24.
  3. Check that you have the correct input source selected on the DDRC-24.

Check the output meters

If there is signal on the input meters but no signal on the output meters, follow these steps:

  1. Turn up the main volume control. (This is needed because the output meters show the level after volume adjustment.)
  2. Check that the DDRC-24 is not muted.
  3. Check your Routing and make sure that you are routing the inputs through to the connected outputs.
  4. Check your crossover settings. (For example, if you have a high pass crossover filter but are generating a subwoofer-frequency test signal, there will be no output signal.)

Check output connections

Turn the main volume down, turn your amplification back on, and then gradually turn up the volume. If there is still no sound:

  1. Check that output cabling is connected to the correct connectors on the rear panel and to the correct inputs on downstream equipment (e.g. amplifiers). Be sure to check the actual numbering on the rear panel.
  2. Check that downstream equipment (e.g. amplifiers) is not muted, turned down, or turned off.

Some outputs produce sound and some do not

If some outputs produce sound and some don't, check your routing and all of your crossover settings. For example, in a multi-subwoofer configuration, some outputs will not produce sound if there are high pass filters active.

Strange soundstage

If the soundstage width is narrow, check that you have not summed left and right input channels and routed the sum to left and right speakers. This will result in a mono signal and hence a narrow soundstage.

If the soundstage is "weird", check the routing and crossover settings and make sure that left and right channels are consistent.

If you are implementing an active speaker, double-check that every output goes to the correct driver. This can be done by playing a test signal (music or pink noise) at low volume, muting all outputs, then unmuting each output one at a time.

A poor or marginal USB connection can cause various issues, such as:

  • Inability to detect a connected device
  • Failure to complete a firmware upgrade

If you experience this type of issue:

  1. Try a different USB cable. (Note that a marginal cable can work normally but fail to complete a firmware upgrade, for example.)
  2. Try a different USB port on your computer.
  3. If you have any hubs or extensions between the DDRC-24 and your computer, try removing them.

No sound during volume calibration

If you get no sound while on the Volume Calibration tab of Dirac Live, first make sure that you increase the volume slider in the UI (the leftmost one).

If there is still no sound, quit Dirac Live and return to Device Console. Then work through the steps in the No sound during playback section above.

Distorted sound during playback

If audio playback is distorted, you may have too much gain internal to the DSP. Dirac Live can apply up to 10 dB of gain, so the output level should be kept lower than -10 dB to guarantee that there is no distortion with a full-scale input signal.

This issue typically occurs when volume control is being done downstream of the miniDSP processor. If so, set the processor master volume at -10 dB, and then use the downstream equipment to control volume.

Tip

If you are experiencing any connectivity issues, the first thing to do is double-check that the miniDSP Device Console and your processor's firmware are up to date.

No Internet connection

Various components of the software require an Internet connection. In particular:

  • The Dirac Live application may refuse to generate filters or reload saved projects if it cannot connect to the Dirac Research servers.

In the event that the software is not operating correctly, check that your computer is connected to the Internet and try again.

The miniDSP processor is not detected

Port conflict

The Dirac Live application use network ports 11113, 11115, 11117, 5000, and 8080. The last two in particular are needed for the bridging app to communicate between Dirac Live and the miniDSP processor.

If the miniDSP processor is not detected:

  1. Double-check the USB cabling from your computer to the processor. If you are using extenders or hubs, remove them and make a short direct connection. Try different USB ports on your computer.

  2. Check that your computer's firewall isn't blocking any of the ports listed above.

  3. Check that other applications aren't using these ports.

    a. On Windows 10, open a command prompt and type the following commands:

    netstat -ano | findstr 8080
    netstat -ano | findstr 5000
    

    b. On macOS, open Terminal and type the following commands:

    sudo lsof -n -i4TCP:8080 | grep LISTEN
    sudo lsof -n -i4TCP:5000 | grep LISTEN
    

If there is no output, the ports are not in use. If there is output, then try to close the application that is using them. Typically, software that provides a local web server is likely to be the one blocking port 8080.

Unpaired devices (Windows 10)

Some customers have reported that changing the following setting enabled Dirac Live to find their processor. Go to Settings -> Privacy -> Other Devices and enable "Communicate with unpaired devices."

Communicate with unpaired devices