User`s guide
24 
User's Guide HDSPe MADI FX © RME 
13. Operation under ASIO 
13.1 General 
Start the ASIO software and 
select  ASIO HDSPe FX as 
the audio I/O device. 
The HDSPe supports ASIO 
Direct Monitoring (ADM). 
The HDSPe MADI FX’s MIDI 
I/O can be used with both 
MME MIDI and DirectMusic 
MIDI. 
At a sample rate of 88.2 or 96 
kHz (Double Speed mode), 
the number of channels avail-
able at the MADI input and 
output is halved. At a sample 
rate of 176.4 or 192 kHz 
(Quad Speed mode), the 
number of channels is re-
duced to 16. 
Note
: When changing the sample rate range between Single, Double and Quad Speed the 
number of channels presented from the ASIO driver will change too. This may require a reset of 
the I/O list in the audio software. 
13.2 Known Problems 
If a computer does not provide sufficient CPU-power and/or sufficient PCIe-bus transfer rates, 
then drop outs, crackling and noise will appear. Raising the buffer size in the Settings dialog of 
the HDSPe system helps in most cases. We recommend to deactivate all PlugIns to verify that 
these are not the reason for such effects. 
Another common source of trouble is incorrect synchronization. ASIO does not support asyn-
chronous operation, which means that the input and output signals not only have to use the 
same sample frequency, but also have to be in sync. Devices connected to the HDSPe MADI 
FX must be properly configured for Full Duplex operation. As long as SyncCheck (in the Set-
tings dialog) only displays Lock instead of Sync, the devices have not been set up properly! 
The same applies when using more than one card - they all have to be in sync. Else a periodi-
cally repeated noise will be heard. 
RME supports ASIO Direct Monitoring (ADM). Please note that not all programs support ADM 
completely or error-free. The most often reported problem is the wrong behaviour of panorama 
in a stereo channel. 
In case of a drift between audio and MIDI, or in case of a fixed deviation (MIDI notes placed 
close before or behind the correct position), the settings in Cubase/Nuendo have to be 
changed. At the time of print the option 'Use System Timestamp' should be activated. The 
HDSPe system supports both MME MIDI and DirectMusic MIDI. It depends on the used appli-
cation which one will work better. 










