Hi,
 
Out of desperation I thought maybe some of the knowedgable experts here on the Sonar forum might be able to enlighten me as to how to solve a device/software interaction challenge in a DAW which revolves around Sonar.   I use Sonar and a FireFace 400 with a Windows PC.  Simple so far, right?  But I also have a Sound Blaster card that I like very much for the onboard synth chips which I use primarily for soundfonts.  So, I set the system rate to 48K and everything works fine (FF400 as Master).  Now enters the challenge - a Kemper Profiling Amp.  For whatever reason this device cannot do anything but 44.1K and has to be master as well.  Which is not a problem for analog connectivity into the FF400.  HOWEVER I really want/need to connect this device via S/PDIF.  The S/PDIF output is superior and ultimately results in less "smear" and better feel than the analog outs.  How can I accomplish making this all work??  Is there some tip or trick anybody might know of?  Or is there a small single-channel rate converter box that I might fit into the system to allow the Kemper to play with the rest?
 
Help.....    
 
     Sonic

I would just go analog on the case. I know it isn't what you want. The FF will do a great job.

gswitz
I would just go analog on the case. I know it isn't what you want. The FF will do a great job.

Believe it or not, something is impacting the sound, very minor but enough.  Not sure if it is Kemper or FF or both. The analog connection just doesn't sound as clear and punchy.  There's also more smear/hair in the high-frequency gain harmonics of the modeled amp.  S/PDIF is just better sounding, more real.
 
So....if it turns out there is absolutely no way to solve this S/PDIF connectivity problem, and I decide to run at 44.1K, then what is the proper way to configure the FF400 and Sonar?  I know to set the FF400 to Slave so it syncs properly with the Kemper - but then what should the Sonar playback & recording timer Master settings be set to - "FF400 Analog", "FF400 SPDIF" or "None" ?

gswitz
I would just go analog on the case. I know it isn't what you want. The FF will do a great job.

Believe it or not, something is impacting the sound, very minor but enough.  Not sure if it is Kemper or FF or both. The analog connection just doesn't sound as clear and punchy.  There's also more smear/hair in the high-frequency gain harmonics of the modeled amp.  S/PDIF is just better sounding, more real.
 
So....if it turns out there is absolutely no way to solve this S/PDIF connectivity problem, and I decide to run at 44.1K, then what is the proper way to configure the FF400 and Sonar?  I know to set the FF400 to Slave so it syncs properly with the Kemper - but then what should the Sonar playback & recording timer Master settings be set to - "FF400 Analog", "FF400 SPDIF" or "None" ?

You should be fine setting the playback and recording master to FF400 Analog.  
 
My set up is FF400 on my desktop salved to the FF UFX connected to my laptop and I have it set to analog on both machines without any problems. 

I've done this exact same thing with a competent guitar player and my FF UCX, we A/Bd after leveling and could hear no difference between analog and S/PDIF. I think this is psychoacoustics at work. I have Dynaudio BM5As and BeyerDynamic DT990s. That not to boast because it's hardly top of the line but just to say what we tested on.

Nevertheless, I had no problems setting the FF to digital slave and letting the Kemper be Master. Any digitally connected system can only have one clock rate and one master. So it's either that or analog. If you're asking if you can keep the system master and clock at the FF 48KHz AND connect the Kemper with S/PDIF at 44.1KHz, no you can't. Sample rate conversion products like your speaking of (like the RME ADI 8 DD or ADI 192 I guess) cost way more than I'm guessing you want to spend on this.

Everybody, thanks for the replies so far....

Sanderxpander
I had no problems setting the FF to digital slave and letting the Kemper be Master. Any digitally connected system can only have one clock rate and one master. So it's either that or analog.

 
Can you tell me what is the proper way then to configure the FF400 and Sonar via S/PDIF at 44.1K then?  I know to set the FF400 to Slave so it syncs properly with the Kemper - but then what should the Sonar playback & recording timer Master settings be set to - "FF400 Analog", "FF400 SPDIF" or "None" ?   I don't plan on keeping the Kemper powered on simply to act as Master clock unless I am tracking with it.   I assume I should NOT choose "None" because that would cause Sonar to "float" or use an internal/system clock of some sort which is probably not a good thing.  Which leaves "FF400 Analog" or "FF400 SPDIF".

 
What would happen if I were to select "FF400 SPDIF"?  I know it works fine when the Kemper is powered on, but when the Kemper is shut off then what would happen when I went to track something else or play back?
What would happen if I were to select "FF Analog"?  Would this cause Sonar to always use FF internal clock and keep things in sync regardless of whether the Kemper was powered on and acting as Master via SPDIF?  
 
I think you get my confusion here......

For Playback Timing Master and Recording Timing Master use the interface you actually use with SONAR.

I assume you use ASIO driver mode, so you can only choose one device (at least in this case) and since you prefer the FF400 for general work, set the FF400 to Playback/Recording Master (Analog or SPDIF, both will work).

It doesn't matter if the FF400 is set to Slave when you use the Kemper as Master.
 

If recording via S/PDIF, you must select it as the recording timing master. 

bitflipper
If recording via S/PDIF, you must select it as the recording timing master. 

OK, I got this part, but I only plan to have the Kemper powered on when tracking with it.  So if I were to turn it off, am I still okay to just continue on with Sonar still set to SPDIF as timing master?   This is what's confusing me, because I don't want to have to keep the Kemper on all the time simply to act as a Master for the project, and I also don't want to have to go and keep tweaking Sonar's settings because sooner or later I will forget.  I suppose I'm really asking what are the dependencies in this situation?   If I accept that I'll be stuck in 44.1K, is there at least some solution that will allow me to track using the Kemper, turn it off when not in use, and still have my project stay in proper sync without having to go back and continually tweak Sonar settings?