DIY dsp

[Urotdukidoji]

Hi everyone.

I want to replace my equalizers with a mini PC with this interface,

https://www.thomann.es/behringer_umc1820.htm

but I'm not entirely sure how an interface works. I don't know if it would be like this:

AVR pre-out > Behringer line-in > Behringer ADC > USB in to PC > APO equalizer > USB out to interface > Behringer DAC > Behringer line-out > T.amp power amps.

Is that right, or am I missing something?

Thank you for your time

 

[voodooless]

It can work. The major issue to account for is the Latency that is introduced by all the steps, which is significantly more than for a hardware DSP setup.

APO cannot use ASIO, so latency wise it might not be the best solution. Better would be a VST host solution. Lots of plugins available for that to do all kinds of processing.

 

[Keith_W]

AVR pre-out > Behringer line-in > Behringer ADC > USB in to PC > APO equalizer > USB out to interface > Behringer DAC > Behringer line-out > T.amp power amps.

This is generally correct, but the devil is in the details. When you say "AVR pre out", do you mean 2 channels or 5.1 channels? And why does the AVR need to be in the signal chain?

@voodooless makes a great point that latency will be an issue if you have to pass signal through so many devices. Since you said "AVR", I am assuming that this is for a HT application. For HT, you are much better off doing all your DSP in your AVR for a LOT of reasons (Dolby Atmos processing, lip sync, lower latency, already has all the inputs you need like HDMI, etc). If so, what you need is an AVR upgrade to something that can do the DSP that you want.

I would also be concerned about that Behringer interface because Behringer isn't known for quality, and also because it is a bit of an unknown. The reason most of us use things like Motu, RME, Lynx, etc. is because software support is robust and reliable. No glitchy ASIO drivers, the mixers do everything I need, and we are guaranteed software support years into the future. Don't get me wrong, it might work fine - but I would personally avoid it unless I had a money back guarantee.

 

[Urotdukidoji]

The problem is that it's a gift. I thought it was broken, so I bought a Denon X3800H.
The hardware I found with a DSP and 8 analog inputs and outputs was a Mini DSP kit. It wasn't an option due to the price; it was almost the same budget as a new AVR.
I'm going to give it away with two 4x4 Mini DSP track racks, but in four years, I've already replaced two. For the price, they're not bad, until they stop working.
What hardware would you recommend?

 

[Urotdukidoji]

En general, esto es correcto, pero la clave está en los detalles. Cuando dices "pre-salida AVR", ¿te refieres a 2 canales o a 5.1 canales? ¿Y por qué es necesario que el AVR esté en la cadena de señal?

@voodooless tiene razón al señalar que la latencia será un problema si se tiene que pasar la señal por tantos dispositivos. Como mencionaste "AVR", supongo que se trata de una aplicación HT. Para HT, es mucho mejor integrar todo el DSP en el AVR por muchas razones (procesamiento Dolby Atmos, sincronización labial, menor latencia, ya cuenta con todas las entradas necesarias, como HDMI, etc.). Si es así, lo que necesitas es actualizar el AVR a algo que pueda realizar el DSP que deseas.

También me preocuparía la interfaz de Behringer, ya que no es conocida por su calidad y es un poco desconocida. La mayoría de nosotros usamos herramientas como Motu, RME, Lynx, etc., porque el soporte de software es robusto y fiable. No hay controladores ASIO con fallos, las mesas de mezclas hacen todo lo que necesito y tenemos soporte de software garantizado durante años. No me malinterpreten, podría funcionar bien, pero personalmente la evitaría a menos que tuviera una garantía de reembolso.

The thing is, keep using it... I thought it was broken, but it works, and I already bought a new one.
The AVR is necessary in the chain; there are several sources, including analog; it acts as a switch and master volume.
My son is keeping it for a 5.1 system with all the speakers active, and to be honest, he wouldn't mind using it as is, without the current DSPs.
He already has the mini PC unused, and you know, it makes you think...

 

[Urotdukidoji]

Excuse me, I use a translator.

 

[Keith_W]

What hardware would you recommend?

I already answered. If it's for HT, use an AVR. I asked you how many output channels you need. You didn't answer. I'm not a mind reader you know.

 

[Urotdukidoji]

I already answered. If it's for HT, use an AVR. I asked you how many output channels you need. You didn't answer. I'm not a mind reader you know.

Not specifically, you're right. I assumed it was an AVR, and I looked at a Mini DSP kit with 8 inputs and outputs. In a way, I've answered my own question, since I bought a newer AVR with all the features I needed in the same box.

 

[kemmler3D]

As others have said your proposed signal chain is right, but latency is a concern. Behringer is also not known for top performance, but their stuff does tend to at least work.

All that said, I've used a mini PC for stereo EQ and EQAPO, and the latency was not bad enough to cause a problem. It worked fine for the most part. I used one of these just for digital stereo input which probably reduced latency a bit: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...000000_g3_portable_gaming_usb.html?ap=y&smp=y

People can actually tolerate up to 200ms of latency before the lip-sync problem becomes too bad to ignore. Your personal threshold might be lower. But 200ms end-to-end latency with this setup is quite possible depending on how much you are getting from the AVR in the first place.

ASIO and a VST host is a reasonable suggestion but keeping one running properly 24/7/265 in a screen-less device seems (to me, not based on anything) probably less reliable than EQAPO. It's definitely an option if latency on EQAPO is too much.