TX AF Monitor level with VAC

[oe3ide]

Hi there,

I suddenly have a very high volume on the TX monitor. I've searched everywhere but haven't found a suitable setting.
I use VAC (ASIO). Master AF has no effect.

Any ideas?

73 Ernst

[EA1DAV]

Try to adjust it during TX, with ptt activated, this work with sidetone in CW.

73 Jesus

[oe3ide]

Negative, Neither the Master AF nor the RX1 AF has any influence on the monitor volume.

Of course I could bring down the volume via output level on presonus or via voicemeeter, but that effects then also the rest (ie. RX AF)

73 Ernst

[ramdor]

afaik there is no way to change the monitor volume over vac. I have looked into it briefly but got no where and moved on. I had an email exchange with Bryan regarding it, and the short of it was that he said the vac stuff had been 'baked' into channelmaster, and each RX has its own vac, upstream from the audio mixer, so is not subject to volumes etc.

Interesting that it has just got louder for you though. Monitor volume has always been a problem for me as I use vac to interact with the radio, with no hard wired mic. Monitor blasts my ears out, as does audio playback etc.

Richie.

[oe3ide]

afaik there is no way to change the monitor volume over vac. I have looked into it briefly but got no where and moved on. I had a email exchange with Bryan regarding it, and the short of it was that he said the vac stuff had been 'baked' into channelmaster, and each RX has its own vac, upstream from the audio mixer, so is not subject to volumes etc.

Interesting that it has just got louder for you though. Monitor volume has always been a problem for me as I use vac to interact with the radio, with no hard wired mic. Monitor blasts my ears out, as does audio playback etc.

Richie.

Normally I use the monitor only for a quick test, to check if my tx audio is clean (I still have sometimes distortion after switching tx profiles).
I also use the monitor function to adjust the TX audio. In this case, however, I send the audio to Audacity.

Now I found out what happened here. I increased the master volume (presonus) because I had too low RX volume when using NR2 + NB.
And the next time I used the monitor function, it blasted my ears ...

A separate level or attenuator for monitor af would be great

73 Ernst

[w-u-2-o]

I had a email exchange with Bryan regarding it, and the short of it was that he said the vac stuff had been 'baked' into channelmaster, and each RX has its own vac, upstream from the audio mixer, so is not subject to volumes etc.

This is absolutely not true. RX1 AF and RX2 AF controls effect the audio levels coming out of VAC. Only Monitor is a problem.

The root of it is that the original UI design where audio was concerned assumed that the user was going to always attach audio input and output devices to the hardware unit, not the PC. IMHO, this set a bad paradigm for a thick client SDR, particularly since all the audio, transmit and receive, is processed through the thick client (lately Thetis).

The result of this paradigm is that VAC was assumed to be used ONLY by digital mode software and thus it would never care about monitor audio, and would not respond to Master AF, and that RX1 and RX2 audio are rigidly separated. The causes all manner of difficulties for those who want their hardware to be a "black box", particularly if remotely located. This also explains the intent behind the "override" options in VAC.

The easy, "A" answer is to implement a "VAC0" which carries the same audio stream as delivered from the thick client (Thetis) to the hardware CODEC. This way those who wish to live by the original design paradigm may do so, and those who wish to primarily use the "normal" audio stream can also do that via VAC.

I've been suggesting this for years, but of course it's easy for me to suggest since I'm not the one who has to code it (or could code it), so please don't take this as a complaint!

BREAK

That was already TLDR, but for even more historical background...

There were two other factors associated with the original design decisions. One was the fear of dealing with two different clock domains. Clearly we've beat that horse to death vis a vis the resampler stuff.

The other factor was a strong desire by many people for hardware that had the look and feel of a "conventional" radio, particularly some of the original design team. It apparently seemed wrong to them to plug speakers, microphones and keys into the PC. Witness the short-lived version of the 7000 with the built-in PC, and the work on the Andromeda model.

[ramdor]

This is absolutely not true. RX1 AF and RX2 AF controls effect the audio levels coming out of VAC. Only Monitor is a problem.

It is what I was told, of course I know that everything else can be adjusted as it changes when you drag the sliders . An extract from the email exchange :

[quote]
I think all of the points in your reply below are due to the fact that VAC1 & VAC2 were originally developed exclusively for the digi modes. In fact, it’s “baked in” to the architecture of ChannelMaster itself. That is, each receiver RXa that gets created comes with its own exclusive VAC. So all that stuff is upstream from the global audio mixer and not subject to master volumes, mutes, mics, etc..
[quote]

the points I had made were asking about :

1) Scott's RX2 into VAC1 audio
2) MON volume level & mute over VAC does not seem to be working
3) MON volume level & mute for recordings playback

EDIT: I have not looked into it since Nov'21 and even then it was only a 30 minute dig around.
EDIT2: I know Bryan has been working on a direct to ASIO stream, bypassing VAC/PA but this has not been integrated yet

Richie.

[W4WMT]

The easy, "A" answer is to implement a "VAC0" which carries the same audio stream as delivered from the thick client (Thetis) to the hardware CODEC. This way those who wish to live by the original design paradigm may do so, and those who wish to primarily use the "normal" audio stream can also do that via VAC.

The VAC0 idea is implemented in the prelim stuff I sent you last week for evaluation.

73, Bryan

[ramdor]

The mon level is now adjusted over VAC1 by the master af slider when in tx in 21k9pre6. This is only working when tx vfoa, or when using vac2 during split. It is also possible to have the monitor obey the mute over vac if required, but is not coded atm. I figured as the hardware seems to leave mon on when muted I would keep it the same over vac. Wave playback is not modified by the level it seems.

R.

[w-u-2-o]

The easy, "A" answer is to implement a "VAC0" which carries the same audio stream as delivered from the thick client (Thetis) to the hardware CODEC. This way those who wish to live by the original design paradigm may do so, and those who wish to primarily use the "normal" audio stream can also do that via VAC.

The VAC0 idea is implemented in the prelim stuff I sent you last week for evaluation.

73, Bryan

Sorry, Bryan. I've barely had time to type on the internet this week!