Hi I Am fairly new to Sonar Producer 8 and have a basic question if anyone can help - I am using the SPS250 audio interface and have no problems except I am trying now to record using the Digital input on the back of the SPS250 - the signal is there in the headphones socket and I have depressed the "Digital Input" button but when I create an audio track in Sonar and Arm it there is no signal getting to the track - the only input options are from the Cakewalk SPS250 I am using the WDM driver and if I use analogue inputs on the SPS250 instead of Digital the signal comes through fine. 44kHz option is selected Can anyone help?

Well, I couldn't find a manual anywhere online for this product, but typically if you use the digital IN you also have to use the digital OUT, not the analog outs. Check your manual.  

Thanks No Manual for the SPS250 Interface - There is an Optical out on the back too but don't know how to get this into my computer? It is connected by USB - does the USB not transmit Digital Audio then? The SPS250 is the Soundcard effectively Just found a manual and it states that the Digital signal will be sent to the computer when the Digital input switch is on and blue light is lit - this is happening but no signal is being recorded on Sonar 6. Digital input switch If you want to record the digital input, turn this on ( inward position). This allows you to synchronize with an external digital device connected to the digital input connector (16) . * When the digital input switch is on, you will not hear the sound from the computer. * When the digital input switch is on, the settings of the Direct Monitor section are ignored. In other words, operating the direct monitor switch (8) , STEREO/MONO select switch (9) , or direct monitor volume (10) will have no effect. * When the digital input switch is on the input from the digital input connector (16) is sent to the computer. * I presume this means it should go via the USB cable

Sorry, Dave is wrong,
The input is a input just like any input. The only difference is the interface does not do the conversion. It only converts the connection from RCA jack to a USB. So the sound is output from the UBS . 
 I use the digital in all the time. It will ( should ) be at the bottom of your input selection list for the track. If it is not then  you need to use the ASIO drivers.


Digital input - Tascam- Left 
Digital input -Tascam Right 
Digital input - Tascam Stereo. 

The SPDIF output is to use for things like  studio monitors that have SPDIF input or to record to a DAT or digital recorder , or in my case to a digital mixer.  It can be used concurrent with the analog outputs, It will have it's own faders in concol veiw if active.   

On my M audio interface you had to choose the SPDIF in the M audio control panel to make it work, It shut down the 3/4 analog output.  

I'm also assuming you understand that the digital device your patching to the SPDIF input is output at 44.1 too, You will get a warning asking which device is the master clock if not.  
What is it your trying to patch in, A CD player or Mini Disk?  

Sorry, Dave is wrong,

Very possible, I did say I couldn't find a manual for reference. 

I did find a picture though. Since he doesn't have a manual, it looks to me like the digital input that look like an RCA jack is really a coax jack which requires a special cable. The other jacks look like fiber optic jacks. 


EDIT: After reviewing the UA-25 manual, those are analog RCA jacks. My mistake. 

I used to have that interface. It only supports optical (ADAT) data inputs. What you need is a S/PDIF to optical converter, which I believe set me back about $40 with cables. 

Consumer products like Sony MINI disk used TOS link optical connection. Some like my Philips CD player/recorder have both and you could use it as a optical to SPDIF converter if left in rec standby. . Interestingly my old Sound blaster audigy II has both optical and SPDIF on the front.      

   That's why I'm wondering what it is the OP is plugging into this jack. 

Thanks Guys very helpful - I will try tonight - the inputs are balanced jacks/RCA on the back and Optical - I am connecting a Minidisc Player using a fibre Optic cable Optical out to the optical in on the SPS 250 (same as Edirol UA25 from M Audio by Roland just Cakewalks version originally bindled with Sonar but now upgraded to Sonar Producer)picture is here http://www.rolandus.com/products/details/704

There is no RCA style SPDIF input on the interface just Standard analogue RCA and Fibre Optic in/out on the back and the usual JAck/XLR Combos on the front with level adjustment - I have used these but the original recording was recorded at a high level so I either get clipping/distortion or have to turn the input gain right down and loose dynamics hence the requirement for digital recording Thanks for all f your help on this

It is a shame that Sony still has not made it possible to do a direct hi speed transfer via USB from Mini disk back to a PC. Letters have been written by the thousands. Because it is a dead format there is no desire to even make a hack of the protection codes. 
The request is that only analog source recordings be made transferable. 

I still use mini disk as a back up when I do live PC recordings and this means I have to transfer in real time anything I needed. Thank goodness this has been a rare case. 


A little bit of reading about what is actually output from the digital cable had me pondering the fact that there can be a few clock and bit rate formats depending on the recorder and the ATRAC system used.  A CD player is easy, it's always 44.1 / 16, but Mini Disk is a different animal. 
I think it might be best to record directly to a wave editor like Wave Lab, Sound Forge or Audacity which is what I have always done. Sonar might not like a odd ball clock/bit rate. 


I have never had to do anything special, I hook the optical cable into the SB Audigy TOS input and then select that as the recording source in the Audigy's mixer GUI. Wave Lab would record it as a 44.1/16 bit wave which is what my deck must output digitally. Sony  MDS JD 530 

Thanks for posting the picture and I see that you might have to also select the digital source on the interface. If there is a GUI ( software) mixer for the interface you will possibly have to set that too. 

As my interface uses SPDIF , I'm not sure how a TOS link digital in shows in Sonar, must be the same. The only difference in the data is that SPDIF cannot transfer the Serial copy protection but TOS Link does,,, that's why Sony used it.