RME MADI Router User manual
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User’s Guide
MADI Router
12 x 12 Port MADI Stream Switcher/Router/Merger
With Integrated 768 x 256 Channel Routing Matrix
4 Coaxial Inputs and Outputs
4 Optical Inputs and Outputs
4 Twisted Pair Inputs and Outputs
Preset Memory
TFT Display
Word Clock I/O
24 Bit / 192 kHz Digital Audio
Firmware 1.33b
User’s Guide MADI Router © RME !2
Table of Contents
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Important Safety Instructions ...................................... 3
1. Introduction ................................................................ 4
2. Package Contents ..................................................... 4
3. Brief Description and Characteristics ..................... 4
4. Firmware .................................................................... 5
5. Technical Specifications .......................................... 6
5.1 Inputs ......................................................................... 6
5.2 Outputs ...................................................................... 7
5.3 Other Connectors ..................................................... 7
6. First Usage ................................................................. 8
6.1 Overview & Basic Concepts .................................... 8
6.2 Creating a Simple Routing ....................................... 9
6.3 Loading a Preset From a USB Flash Drive ........... 10
7. Front Panel Operation and Usage ......................... 11
7.1 Status Display ......................................................... 11
7.2 Detailed Input Status .............................................. 12
7.3 ROUTE Menu ........................................................... 14
Full Stream Routing ................................................. 14
Channel Block and Individual Channel Routing ....... 16
7.3.1 Accessing a matrix .......................................... 16
7.3.2 Inspecting a matrix .......................................... 18
7.3.3 Routing Indicator ............................................. 19
7.3.4 Modifying a matrix ........................................... 23
7.3.5 Buttons while in matrix view ............................ 23
7.4 PRESET Menu ......................................................... 25
7.5 SETUP Menu ............................................................ 26
7.5.1 Matrix Clocking ............................................... 26
7.5.2 Word Clock Output .......................................... 29
7.5.3 Bit Transparency ............................................. 30
7.5.4 Remote Operation ........................................... 31
7.5.5 Lock Device .................................................... 31
7.5.6 Firmware Updates ........................................... 32
8. Appendix .................................................................. 33
9. Declarations of Conformity .................................... 34!
User’s Guide MADI Router © RME !3
Important Safety Instructions
ATTENTION! Do not open chassis – risk of electric shock
The unit has non-isolated live parts inside. No user serviceable parts
inside. Refer service to qualified service personnel.
Mains
• The device must be earthed – never use it without proper grounding
• Do not use defective power cords
• Operation of the device is limited to the manual
• Use same type of fuse only
To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock do not expose this device to
rain or moisture. Prevent moisture and water from entering the device.
Never leave a pot with liquid on top of the device. Do not use this
product near water, i. e. swimming pool, bathtub or wet basement.
Danger of condensation inside – don't turn on before the device has
reached room temperature.
Installation
Surface may become hot during operation – ensure sufficient ventilation.
Avoid direct sunlight and do not place it near other sources of heat, like
radiators or stoves. When mounting in a rack, leave some space
between this device and others for ventilation.
Unauthorized servicing/repair voids warranty. Only use accessories
specified by the manufacturer.
Read the manual completely. It includes all information necessary to
use and operate this device.
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User’s Guide MADI Router © RME !4
1. Introduction
The RME MADI Router is designed to be the centerpiece of small and large digital audio
networks based on the widely adopted point-to-point Multichannel Audio Digital Interface
(MADI alias AES10).
It is able to manage all the tasks that are required to set up and to control a MADI environment,
from inspection of signal integrity and sampling frequency, to format conversion, to full stream
and single-channel block routing. It supports a variety of common physical interface formats
of MADI including optical and coaxial, supplemented by the evolving twisted pair variant, which
allows much simpler and more affordable MADI setups.
2. Package Contents
Please check that your MADI Router package contains each of the following:
● MADI Router
● 2 rack ears with screws
● 2 power cords
● User’s guide
3. Brief Description and Characteristics
The MADI Router is a compact device designed to link MADI devices of any manufacturer with
unprecedented flexibility in signal routing. It provides this flexibility by serving as a format
converter between optical and electrical signals, as a signal repeater, and as a distributor and
merger of several MADI signals, all at the same time. The MADI Router combines many
advantages of point-to-point audio connections, such as low latency and fast recovery time
from signal line interruptions, with the flexibility of networked audio connections in which any
device has access to any channel available on the network of connected devices.
At the simplest level all input signals are passed on to the desired output unaltered. This type
of connection is beneficial when manufacturers have embedded additional status or remote
control data information in the MADI stream, or if parts of the MADI signals should be re-routed
at the touch of a button, for example if a stage box fails.
It is also possible to create new arrangements of audio channels within a MADI output stream.
For this purpose, four independent ‘virtual’ matrices are provided, each of which comprises
768 input and 64 output channels. As such, any of the 768 audio channels that make up the
12 physical MADI input ports can be used to compose a 64 channel output from this matrix.
This 64 channel 'virtual' matrix output can then be sent to any of the MADI Router's 12 physical
MADI output ports.
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User’s Guide MADI Router © RME !5
4. Firmware
The MADI Router’s core has been created using programmable logic and is user updateable.
This is achieved by simply saving a firmware update file to a USB stick, attaching the USB
stick directly to the MADI Router’s USB port and then running the firmware update from the
SETUP menu. Please see chapter 7.5.6 for detailed information.
At the time of writing this manual, the unit is shipped with firmware 1.29. The firmware version
is displayed on the TFT display after powering the unit on.
When updates become available, they are published on http://www.rme-audio.com in the
download section.
Version 1.28: first release
Version 1.29: added transparency settings (see chapter 7.5.3)
Version 1.33b: compatibility improvements
Known issues:
In the current MADI TP implementation, the usable bandwidth of the four ports is reduced to
either 56/28/14 audio channels at 48/96/192 kHz sampling frequency, or 64/32/16 audio
channels at 44.1/88.2/176.4 kHz sampling frequency. Signals that exceed these limits are not
detected.
User’s Guide MADI Router © RME !6
5. Technical Specifications
● Two internal redundant power supplies, 100-240V AC, typ. 30W, max. 75W1
● Dimensions without rack ears (WxHxD): 440 x 44 x 240 mm (17.32” x 1.73” x 9.45”)
● Temperature range: +5° up to +50° Celsius (41° F up to 122° F)
● Relative humidity: < 75%, non condensing
● Weight: 2.8 kg
5.1 Inputs
MADI
● Coaxial via BNC, 75 Ohm, according to AES10-1991
● High-sensitivity input stage (< 0.2 Vpp)
● Optical via FDDI duplex SC connector
● 62.5/125 and 50/125 multimode compatible
● Both Optical and Coaxial ports accept any MADI signal
● Twisted Pair via RJ45 connector (input and output)
● Pinout “EXT”: 1-2 receive, 3-6 send, 4-5 DC +48V, 7-8 -48V
Note: The Twisted Pair implementation uses standard ethernet technology such as
8b/10b encoding for DC-balance, which is important to achieve stability over long cable
runs. At the time of writing it is proprietary to RME. Different implementations made by
other manufacturers may show incompatibilities.
Word Clock
● BNC, not terminated (10 kOhm)
● Switch for internal termination 75 Ohm
● Automatic Double/Quad Speed detection
● SteadyClock guarantees super low jitter synchronization
● Capacitive coupled, galvanically isolated input
● Signal Adaptation Circuit: signal refresh through auto-center and hysteresis
● Overvoltage protection
● Level range: 0,7 Vpp – 3.3 Vpp
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depending on number of attached MADI TP powered devices and USB peripherals.
User’s Guide MADI Router © RME !7
5.2 Outputs
MADI
● Coaxial via BNC, 75 Ohm, according2 to AES10-1991
● Output voltage 1,6 Vpp
● Cable length: up to 200 m
● Optical via FDDI duplex SC connector
● 62.5/125 and 50/125 multimode compatible
● Fiber length: up to 2000m
● Twisted Pair via RJ45 “EXT” connector (combined input and output)
● Category 5e cable: length up to 75m
● Category 7 cable: length up to 150m
Word Clock
● BNC
● Max. output voltage: 3,3 Vpp
● Output voltage @ 75 Ohm: 1.65 Vpp
● Impedance: 68 Ohm
● Frequency range: 27 kHz – 200 kHz
5.3 Other Connectors
USB
● USB 2.0 Type A socket for attaching USB Storage
● USB 2.0 Type B - reserved
SFP
● SFP 1 and SFP 2 slots - reserved
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the MADI output voltage is higher than AES10-1991, which leads to better performance over long
cable runs and causes no known issues
User’s Guide MADI Router © RME !8
6. First Usage
6.1 Overview & Basic Concepts
Connect a power cable to either of the MADI Router's AC inlets and flip the adjacent power
switch. The device will go into Standby or Power On mode, depending on the state that the
device was in when the rear switch was last turned off. This is indicated by the color of the
illuminated Standby switch on the front of the device - red for standby, white for power on.
When in Standby mode, pushing the Standby switch (inside the illuminated circle on the front
panel) will power on the MADI Router. Note: in standby mode, the connectors of the unit do
not send or receive any signal.
The following information is important to understand in order to successfully operate the MADI
Router:
● The device’s features are controlled with a set of four buttons and two rotary encoders
that can also be pushed. Throughout this manual, the buttons and encoders are
referred to as [ROUTE], [GANG], [PRESET], [SETUP], [IN] and [OUT].
● After powering on, the device shows the current routing status on the TFT display. The
buttons [ROUTE], [PRESET] and [SETUP] open different menus on the display.
Pushing one of these buttons several times leads back to the status display.
● The device has four I/O groups labeled A, B, C and D. On the display, inputs are shown
as a horizontal line of icons in the upper half of the display, ordered by group, then by
format: A Optical, A Coaxial, A Twisted Pair, B Optical, B Coaxial, B Twisted Pair, etc.
● Four additional inputs labeled “MX 1” to “MX 4” appear when turning the [IN] encoder
beyond the furthest right MADI input icon. They are used to combine audio channels
from several MADI inputs into up to four new MADI signals. See Chapter 7.3 for details.
● The outputs are shown likewise as a horizontal band in the lower half of the display.
Routings are shown as a line going from an input icon (upper half) to an output icon
(lower half).
● If the IDLE display is active, [IN] can be turned to inspect the signals at each individual
input in detail.
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User’s Guide MADI Router © RME !9
● The [ROUTE] button opens the main routing page from which all MADI signals can be
routed in streams, individual channels, or in groups of 2, 4 or 8 channels.
● The concept of the patching operation is to address an output first. Selecting an
output is non-destructive and will not alter the current routing. It should always
be the first step when creating a patch. Conversely, adjusting the input selector
is destructive and changes the routing immediately. A useful consequence of
this mode of operation is that the user can always turn the output encoder to
toggle through channels and ports to verify the current routing.
● The firmware should always be updated to the newest available version (see Chapter
7.5.6). The firmware version is shown after powering on the unit.
6.2 Creating a Simple Routing
Connecting a physical input port to one or more physical output ports, regardless of connector
type, sampling frequency or channel count, is easy and straightforward.
1. Verify that you have a valid input signal (source) on the STATUS display by
checking if the icon of the respective input shows a small green indicator, or
that the LED next to the connector on the back panel is on.
2. Press [ROUTE]
3. Turn the [OUT] encoder in either direction to select the desired output port
4. Turn the [IN] encoder in either direction to select the desired source port
5. Press [ROUTE] again to return to the STATUS display.
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User’s Guide MADI Router © RME !10
6.3 Loading a Preset From a USB Flash Drive
If you have been provided with a configuration file ROUTING.RME, save it onto a USB flash
drive (do not place it into a folder), then eject the USB Stick from the computer and connect it
to the USB port on the MADI Router.
1. Press [PRESET]
2. Rotate the [IN] encoder to select “Load USB Preset”
3. Press the [IN] encoder
4. Confirm that you want to load the preset by pressing [IN] again
The preset is now loaded and activated. In order to save it into internal storage, follow the
steps below:
1. Press [PRESET]
2. Rotate the [OUT] encoder to select one of the 15 internal presets that you would
like to overwrite
3. Rotate the [IN] encoder to highlight “Save”
4. Press the [IN] encoder twice to confirm overwriting the selected preset.
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User’s Guide MADI Router © RME !11
7. Front Panel Operation and Usage
The TFT display provides quick access to the status and control options of the MADI Router.
The device’s features are controlled with a set of four buttons and two rotary encoders that
can also be pushed as buttons. The buttons are labeled and in this manual referred to as
[ROUTE], [GANG], [PRESET], [SETUP], [IN] and [OUT].
7.1 Status Display
The status display provides the user with an overview of the current state of the device
regarding input signals present at the rear connectors and the current routing setup. The upper
row of connector icons displays the inputs, the lower row displays the outputs. Lines in
between input and output reflect the active routing.
Icons for inputs and outputs are placed in four groups A, B, C and D. Pictograms of an optical
SC port, a BNC connector for coaxial cables and an RJ45 port have been chosen to distinguish
the physical connectors. Additionally, the input icons show a small green indicator when a
signal is detected.
It duplicates the green status LED at the rear of the device associated with the input ports.
‘Valid’ means that the signal at the input is free of errors. As soon as an error occurs, the
associated output is muted. If a connector is removed or a connection broken, then this
behavior results in a distortion- and noise-free transition to the muted state. The mute is
removed after the signal has been entirely free of errors after a minimum of one second.
Each output can receive a signal from any of the twelve source signals, or from one of the four
matrices. If an output is configured to receive a signal from a matrix, the line originates at the
output icon but stops shortly after.
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