Hi, everyone.
maybe we need to identify a leader?
We did that. Still no change. We’ve tried making GLD preferred leader, or not. Some Dante resources suggest you always make your mixer the preferred leader, others suggest you don’t set the leader unless you have a specific clocking device and just let Dante choose.
Either way, with GLD selected as preferred leader, or with it not selected, both the GLD and the AVIO are always shown as the leader in Dante Controller.
Regarding your software issue:
You should connect the AR84 direct to the GLD to make sure the update performs as needed. With the AR2412 in between, it sometimes fails.
Regarding the spikes (clicks):
That’s a clocking issue. If the clocking is broken, it could affect the complete system.
Which sample rate is your Logic using?
The two clock leaders are indicating that two word clocks are used in your system.
That’s why I asked for the 96kHz…
But maybe there is something wrong with the AVIO-2I
What happens if you don’t use the AVIO?
Does your system/recording still have clicks?
Remove the AVIO from the network. Clicking will likely go away, and you might even be able to get Dante audio into the console.
SteffenR - We tried connecting the AR84 directly to receive the update after we put the 1.6.2 firmware on the GLD. We tried many times. No matter what we did, we could only get two racks to sync at a time. Either An AR84 Local + AR84 Expansion or AR84 Local + AR2412 Expansion. No matter what we tried, on 1.6.2 it would not sync AR84 Local + AR2412 Expansion + AR84 Expansion.
We downgraded to 1.6.1 and now they are working correctly again.
Logic is running in 48kHz, like the GLD. We’ve used Logic to multitrack record from the GLD for years.
I’m going to remove the AVIO to see if the clicks go away. I haven’t had a chance to try that yet.
Scott - We’ll attempt. Though, the AVIO was the one method we had to get Dante into the board. We’ll try with another adapter that we purchased.
Thanks for helping us troubleshoot this, fellows. Appreciate you guys.
Looking at the Dante Controller log that you posted earlier in the thread, there seems to be an excessive amount of clock activity - locking clocks, unlocking clocks, changing primary clock leader, etc, etc, etc. I think this is because there is an underlying network issue that is causing the clocking to not be stable. Are you running Dante on a regular network with other non-Dante data on it? Obviously this is allowed, but it certainly is more problematic that creating a new network that only carries Dante traffic. This can be done by literally creating a separate network, or by using VLANs on an existing network with a “Dante only” VLAN.
I can’t say with 100% certainty that this would fix your problem, but I always have better results when I run Dante traffic on a “Dante only” network. Obviously Dante is designed to work on a network with non-Dante traffic, but you’ll need to go through the Audinate training and really nail down all of your network traffic options to ensure it works correctly.
As Brian said there is seems to be a network issue. Shure has a good article of what to look for when you end up with multiple clock leaders. You can view that here: Service I suspect that this is the cause of the lack of inputs issue (especially when they are both leaders), and I am sure it is causing the popping noises.
Thanks for the input everyone. Here’s my latest update…
Our Dante network is, currently, on our regular network. We’re in the process of separating it out.
Meanwhile, I set up a closed network where there was nothing but the GLD, our Mac Pro, and 2 AVIO adapters connected together. The problems all persisted.
We finally made a little progress when I plugged the GLD primary AND secondary ports into our network, in addition to the Dante Control port. Once I have all 3 ethernet ports on the GLD Dante card plugged into our network we were able to get audio into the GLD from an AVIO adapter plugged into the Dante network. BUT, the audio was very choppy no matter which AVIO we used or what the source was. Clearly a sync or clock issue.
With the GLD plugged in this way, it finally became the only clock leader, with the AVIO adapters being followers. But, now GLD won’t talk to the Mac Pro which is a major step backward. Dante Controller sees the Mac Pro, but won’t assign it or sync it.
Just for fun, have you experimented with assigning a different Dante source to one of those inputs? Give it a shot by routing audio from Waves Tracks into those two channels to check for sound.
Sorry to restart this thread.
I am a QU and SQ user.
I have an opportunity to buy a GLD80 with Dante card.
I have never used Dante.
To record onto Logic pro, is it a simple, stable setup?
Many thanks.
We still use the GLD-112 and multitrack record to Logic every Sunday.
It was a nightmare to set up. Took forever to get the Dante Virtual Soundcard to play nice with the GLD.
If it were me, I wouldn’t buy the GLD80. It would be easier to just multitrack from a QU board onto a USB and then load tracks into your DAW later.
Plus, our GLD is definitely showing its age. Starting to have lots of random problems. It’s been a great board, but I wouldn’t start over with one in 2025.
I also don’t think I would recommend buying a GLD today due to it’s age.
I did recently buy an iLive iDR, but that is a just an I/O box with the processing built it. It doesn’t have screens, faders, buttons and encoders to go bad on it like the GLD has. If you are just looking for an “inexpensive” Dante interface, I think an iLive iDR boxes are a great choice.
For example, there is an iDR48 on Reverb currently for $600 shipped. Add another $500 for the correct Dante card and for about $1100 you can have a 64x64 Dante interface with 48 in 24 out of local I/O. In addition, it’s obviously a normal audio mixer in itself with 64 mixable channels, 32 user defined busses, and 8 FX racks of processing power should you want to use it as a live mixer. The overall cost is similar in price to a used X32 Rack with a Dante card, but with tons more built in I/O and processing power.
PS - I have no connection to the Reverb seller. I am just using that as an example of what is currently available.
PSS - Mixing Station now supports the iLive system which is honestly what pushed me over the edge to purchase one. Having to mix on a “rack style” system is so much easier with Mixing Station, plus you can use MIDI controllers if you want physical hardware. Personally I use a Behringer X-Touch to get physical faders with my system.
PSSS - I wanted my rig primarily to practice mixing using VSC. As such, I didn’t need tons of local I/O and ending up getting an iDR16 for only about $350. Even with the added expense of a Dante card ($500), I am still at the price of a used X32 Rack without Dante.
Thanks for the replies.
I multitrack gigs with QU’s and SQ’s.
I own a QU16, and hire the SQ’s.
Its time for me to buy a board with more I/O than the QU16, and my budget has me looking at the GLD’s + stage boxes.
The only reason i think i am not going to buy a very good condition GLD80 (hardly been used) with stage boxes is because on the bigger shows i do where i’ll need a separate monitor mixing desk GLD can’t be linked with SQ’s, QU’s and DLive easily. I think getting a SQ and they hiring a 2nd one is a good option with an extra S-link port.
If i have this right, if i got the GLD for FOH, the monitor desk would also have to be GLD using Allen and Heath stage boxes?
A&H’s Keith said this in another chat. (so if i understand Keith, it is possible to connect GLD’s and SQ’s using Dante)
Unfortunately there is no way to do this with the A&H protocols, in brief:
ACE = Audio and Control over Ethernet
dSnake = Audio and preamp control over ethernet (but we decided not to go with ‘APE’ for some reason… shame).
GLD supports the ACE card but runs only dSnake (the ‘brain’ is in the surface, unlike iLive with a mixrack and surface for control).
The SLink port on SQ supports dSnake, but needs to ‘discover’ an expander.
The GLD cannot be made to be discovered in the same way that we were able to achieve with Qu (it’s a completely different platform).
Therefore, the only way to connect an SQ and GLD digitally is through use of Dante, Waves or MADI option cards.
You wouldn’t be able to do this with 2x AR2412’s, as you can only have one of these on a port (and it needs to be in the first position), meaning you would need to be using the built-in port on the SQ along with an SLink option card, just to connect the two 2412’s.
So GX4816 to the SLink port on the SQ, tie lines to an option card and then option card to the same option card type in the GLD would be the best way to build the system you describe.
Or 3x DX168’s + 1x DX Hub in place of the GX.
Or AR2412 or AB168 + AB168 + SQ Local inputs in place of the GX.
Or 3x DT168’s with Dante cards in both mixers (though you would only get preamp control from the SQ).
Sorry it’s not a simple one! This is why we’ve been moving to ‘Everything I/O’ over the past few years, so you CAN hook everything up.
Thanks,
Keith.
You are correct. GLDs won’t talk to the SQs or the QUs.
GLD has been great for us the last 10 years or so…but I wouldn’t buy one today. I certainly wouldn’t buy 2. And the Dante setup has been far from bulletproof on the GLD. For us, it was almost impossible to get Dante INTO the board. Getting it out to Logic was also hard.
It seems like GLD is a more affordable route, but once you start buying more interfaces, adapters like Audinate AVIOs, and the time spent just trying to get all the gear to play nice, you’re no longer going to feel like you got a good deal.
Just my 2 cents.
Just to clarify - in our experience, GLD really doesn’t want to receive Dante at all. We worked for weeks just to get GLD to accept a simple audio signal from a Mac Pro over Dante. Not multi track, just a basic 1 channel audio signal.
Dante “works” on the GLD. It definitely doesn’t work well or intuitively for us.