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Post by rjrauso on Sept 2, 2021 13:58:33 GMT -5
I finally decided to spend the time getting Dirac setup on my RMC-1 Processor to see how much better of a job it does vs my manual REW configuration I had in place. Unfortuneatly I'm experiencing some strange and quite horrible/unacceptable bugs that I haven't been able to fix.
I have a 9.2.6 setup but only using a 7.1.6 layout for now until my active crossovers on my wide channels are complete.
I installed Dirac Live 3.1.1 on my MacBook Pro which is running Mojave v10.14.6
The setup ran smoothly although I could get into the User Experience issues I have with Dirac, the whole process went smoothly, so I thought. After getting 3 different target curves complete I loaded them onto the RMC-1 without any issues, no long loading times, nothing. BUT once going back to listen to each Dirac Preset I'm experiencing:
Preset 1:
LOUD change in volume
Volume lowers to normal then mutes the right channel
Right channel emits a terribly loud cracking noise
Only sound out of left channel remains
Preset 2:
LOUD change in volume
Volume lowers to normal then mutes the left channel
Left channel emits a terribly loud cracking noise
Only sound out of right channel remains
Preset 3:
LOUD change in volume
Volume lowers to normal then seems to work as expected
What is going on? I've tried clearing the presets in Dirac but they don't clear, I can re-save over them which I did a couple times but the problem remains. It seems that the "last" preset I update is the only one to behave normally so the situation listed above isn't always on the same presets, it seems to be whichever one is save in the 1, 2 ,3 order if that makes sense.
My RMC-1 is on the latest 2.3 firmware and I did not try Dirac prior to that as my manual REW calculations are almost just as good. Seems Dirac doesn't sound as good as it did on my Minidsp and for some reason the impulse response on all speakers doesn't look better or even as good as prior to Dirac. Bass sound less tight and more bloated for some reason, I'll need to take post measurements in REW to see what is going on there as there shouldn't be anything but positive improvements in this area (isn't this the whole reason we want Dirac in the first place?).
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Post by ttocs on Sept 2, 2021 14:47:15 GMT -5
Firstly, do a Cold Boot. Turn off the rear power switch for at least 3 minutes. After running Dirac it's what I have needed to do BEFORE doing anything else. It's not Dirac 3.1.1, I was using 3.0.14 and FW2.3 when I noticed that levels were wacky until after a cold boot.
There is no way to clear the Dirac Slots. You can name them "empty" without the quotes, all lower case, and the Slots with that name will not appear in the Menu choices. The data remains, but is not accessible. The only way to totally clear that data is doing a Factory Reset.
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geebo
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Post by geebo on Sept 2, 2021 14:51:25 GMT -5
Yep, power down completely before doing anything else.
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Post by rjrauso on Sept 2, 2021 15:21:06 GMT -5
Thanks for the responses, I'll try that tonight. So you are both doing a cold boot every time you load any changes from Dirac? Did either of you experience what I'm seeing?
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geebo
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Post by geebo on Sept 2, 2021 15:47:43 GMT -5
Thanks for the responses, I'll try that tonight. So you are both doing a cold boot every time you load any changes from Dirac? Did either of you experience what I'm seeing? I've seen some inconsistencies after running Dirac in the past. A cold reboot has always taken care of it. |
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Post by rjrauso on Sept 3, 2021 7:55:37 GMT -5
Did a cold boot last night, in fact kept the processor completely off for hours and I'm still getting one preset that isn't behaving correctly:
Preset 2:
Not loud but noticably louder change in volume
Volume lowers to normal then mutes the left channel
Left channel emits a cracking noise
Only sound out of right channel remains
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LCSeminole
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Res firma mitescere nescit.
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Post by LCSeminole on Sept 3, 2021 8:19:30 GMT -5
Did a cold boot last night, in fact kept the processor completely off for hours and I'm still getting one preset that isn't behaving correctly: Preset 2: Not loud but noticably louder change in volume Volume lowers to normal then mutes the left channel Left channel emits a cracking noise Only sound out of right channel remains Backup your settings, then do a factory reset, then restore your settings, turn off with power button on front and then the rocker switch on back for 2-3 minute, turn rocker switch back on and boot back up. This is what I do after running New Dirac filters and if this doesn’t work not sure what will. |
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Post by rjrauso on Sept 3, 2021 8:38:25 GMT -5
I've been apart of the software building world for 20 years and that is a lot to ask us consumers (even technical people like myself)... just for Dirac. It's obvious Emotiva dropped the ball when contracting out their development team because this unit shouldn't have massive bugs like this out in production. Does the raspberry pi also need rebooting? Should they just send me the source code to debug myself? lol
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LCSeminole
Global Moderator
Res firma mitescere nescit.
Posts: 20,511
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Post by LCSeminole on Sept 3, 2021 9:32:44 GMT -5
I've been apart of the software building world for 20 years and that is a lot to ask us consumers (even technical people like myself)... just for Dirac. It's obvious Emotiva dropped the ball when contracting out their development team because this unit shouldn't have massive bugs like this out in production. Does the raspberry pi also need rebooting? Should they just send me the source code to debug myself? lol This is a procedure I personally run after firmware updates and loading new Dirac filters. I’ve historically found that I don’t have all the gremlins/ghosts in the machine that others may have. If it didn’t/doesn’t work for you, I apologize for wasting your time. |
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cawgijoe
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Post by cawgijoe on Sept 3, 2021 9:47:01 GMT -5
I'm going to chime in here with my normal experience with firmware updates and Dirac.
Normally I just update the firmware without doing any reboots, cold boots, throwing rice over my shoulder, etc. Why? Because I just forget, and most o the time everything just works. As for Dirac....it's definitely a bit more of a complicated process versus the mainstream receiver or prepro with Audessey or other room correction system where you just plug in the supplied mic into the unit and follow directions.
It's more complicated, but I believe the reward results in, or can give you better results. It's also a boon for tweakers or more technically minded people.
For the most part I have not had issues with Dirac. I've only run it maybe four times with good results. I only have two filters loaded. One using my Emo mic and the other using my UMIK-1. Everything was working well until I decided to download the latest version of Dirac and then reload my filter for Preset 2 (UMIK-1) created previously. For some reason the overall volume level decreased and the center channel sounded muddy. Rebooting did not help. I have not had the chance to redo this filter yet. I'm hoping that replacing it will solve the problem. I'm currently using my Preset 1 (Emo Mic) which is working fine.
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Post by AudioHTIT on Sept 3, 2021 10:38:14 GMT -5
I've been apart of the software building world for 20 years and that is a lot to ask us consumers (even technical people like myself)... just for Dirac. It's obvious Emotiva dropped the ball when contracting out their development team because this unit shouldn't have massive bugs like this out in production. Does the raspberry pi also need rebooting? Should they just send me the source code to debug myself? lol When I update my macOS, I reboot it (if it doesn’t do it by itself), when I update a Windows machine I reboot it (if doesn’t do it by itself), when I update my TV, Oppo, iPadOS, iOS, DTV, Sony, Harmony, Unifi Router / Switch / AP, RainMachine, Bluebot, Sense, etc. — I reboot them (though they usually do that on their own). If any of these devices have been on a long time I might pull the power just to get a clean start. As for the Raspberry Pi, I unplug it when it’s not in use, so yes, it gets rebooted too. If you are a ‘technical person’ (as many of us are), this shouldn’t seem unusual. I would expect that owners of other processors do the same when they update firmware or make significant changes. Maybe Emotiva should recommend this, but maybe it’s not always needed. I think all of this is part of the ‘technical’ life we live in and don’t consider anyone has ‘dropped the ball’ when it’s required. |
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Post by rjrauso on Sept 3, 2021 16:27:49 GMT -5
I've been apart of the software building world for 20 years and that is a lot to ask us consumers (even technical people like myself)... just for Dirac. It's obvious Emotiva dropped the ball when contracting out their development team because this unit shouldn't have massive bugs like this out in production. Does the raspberry pi also need rebooting? Should they just send me the source code to debug myself? lol This is a procedure I personally run after firmware updates and loading new Dirac filters. I’ve historically found that I don’t have all the gremlins/ghosts in the machine that others may have. If it didn’t/doesn’t work for you, I apologize for wasting your time. Your fine, no worries on your part - this is totally an Emotiva problem, something like this shouldn't happen. It's not like this is the only issue I've had with this processor - most consumers would never put up with any of the bugs that I do. |
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Post by rjrauso on Sept 3, 2021 16:37:54 GMT -5
I've been apart of the software building world for 20 years and that is a lot to ask us consumers (even technical people like myself)... just for Dirac. It's obvious Emotiva dropped the ball when contracting out their development team because this unit shouldn't have massive bugs like this out in production. Does the raspberry pi also need rebooting? Should they just send me the source code to debug myself? lol When I update my macOS, I reboot it (if it doesn’t do it by itself), when I update a Windows machine I reboot it (if doesn’t do it by itself), when I update my TV, Oppo, iPadOS, iOS, DTV, Sony, Harmony, Unifi Router / Switch / AP, RainMachine, Bluebot, Sense, etc. — I reboot them (though they usually do that on their own). If any of these devices have been on a long time I might pull the power just to get a clean start. As for the Raspberry Pi, I unplug it when it’s not in use, so yes, it gets rebooted too. If you are a ‘technical person’ (as many of us are), this shouldn’t seem unusual. I would expect that owners of other processors do the same when they update firmware or make significant changes. Maybe Emotiva should recommend this, but maybe it’s not always needed. I think all of this is part of the ‘technical’ life we live in and don’t consider anyone has ‘dropped the ball’ when it’s required. Are you serious? Having to back up my settings and do a factory restore then reload everything just to get some new Dirac settings loaded isn't unusual? WUT? If you payed attention, a simple reboot did not work... Loud snapping/cracking noises that surprisingly didn't nuke my $500 compression drivers is never ok under ANY circumstances. Is Emotiva going to pay to fix my equipment if this processor breaks something? I'm a software developer, I build my own speakers, computers, you name it - I can't remember the last time I needed to do a factory reset on any electronic device just to get it to operate it's marketed features. That is simply unacceptable and Emotiva should be ashamed of themselves. I couldn't imagine anyone I know technical or not spending time filling with any device just to get it to work properly. |
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Post by AudioHTIT on Sept 3, 2021 17:03:30 GMT -5
When I update my macOS, I reboot it (if it doesn’t do it by itself), when I update a Windows machine I reboot it (if doesn’t do it by itself), when I update my TV, Oppo, iPadOS, iOS, DTV, Sony, Harmony, Unifi Router / Switch / AP, RainMachine, Bluebot, Sense, etc. — I reboot them (though they usually do that on their own). If any of these devices have been on a long time I might pull the power just to get a clean start. As for the Raspberry Pi, I unplug it when it’s not in use, so yes, it gets rebooted too. If you are a ‘technical person’ (as many of us are), this shouldn’t seem unusual. I would expect that owners of other processors do the same when they update firmware or make significant changes. Maybe Emotiva should recommend this, but maybe it’s not always needed. I think all of this is part of the ‘technical’ life we live in and don’t consider anyone has ‘dropped the ball’ when it’s required. Are you serious? Having to back up my settings and do a factory restore then reload everything just to get some new Dirac settings loaded isn't unusual? WUT? If you payed attention, a simple reboot did not work... Loud snapping/cracking noises that surprisingly didn't nuke my $500 compression drivers is never ok under ANY circumstances. Is Emotiva going to pay to fix my equipment if this processor breaks something? I'm a software developer, I build my own speakers, computers, you name it - I can't remember the last time I needed to do a factory reset on any electronic device just to get it to operate it's marketed features. That is simply unacceptable and Emotiva should be ashamed of themselves. I couldn't imagine anyone I know technical or not spending time filling with any device just to get it to work properly. You’re right, I missed that, most of the recommendations were that you do a complete shutdown and power off, I find that acceptable. But when that didn’t work and you still had trouble, then the factory reset was recommended. Yes, you shouldn’t expect to have to do that each time, and I’ve never done it after loading Dirac (I do it for firmware updates however). But again, you came here for help, and this was suggested, maybe it helped I’m not sure. If your equipment is damaged that’s certainly not good, nor typical. But this is a user forum and people are tying to help you use your system, if your unhappy about how your system works and need to vent, ok, but no one here can do anything about that (you would need to contact Emotiva directly and open a ticket etc). Sorry my reboot philosophy upset you. |
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