DM0 + SQ5 + SQ6 clocking

[ioTonParticipant]

Hi Folks,
For an upcoming show we want to setup:
-> DM0 for FOH – Live sound (equipped with 2 GAce cards, plus DX Expanders on DX Ports)
-> SQ5 for Monitors
-> SQ6 for Streaming with a Dante card for external processing
Each of the SQ is connected to one GAce card and clocked to this sLink Port.

So the DM0 is the Clock “Master”
Is there anything to be aware of?
Is this clock-structure safe (also with the Dantein SQ6?? )?

Thanks for your comments!
Have a nice Day,
dd

[JgriftParticipant]

You will need to set the Dante card to sync to external. To make sure it clocks to the SQ. Otherwise your Dante network will have clocking issues.

[ioTonParticipant]

I was told to set up the SQ6 (with the Dante card) as “Clock-Master”, and the DM0 as slave.
Because in the manual of the SQ is written:

When connecting to another system or 3rd party audio network (such as Dante or Waves), one master clock source on the network should be determined and all other units should synchronise to it.

Is this necessary, or a better solution?

@jgrift: In “normal” mode, the Dante card in the SQ6 is my preferred Master, and the “Enable Sync To External” is checkt, because the clock of the SQ6 is set to “internal”. But in this setup it will be set to “sLink”

[msteelParticipant]

What @jgrift said is correct – If the SQ6 is deriving its clock from the DM0 via GigaACE, then the Dante card in the SQ6 must be set to “sync to external” so that the card clocks from the SQ.

Essentially, every device in the system needs to get its clock from one ultimate clock source.

If the DM0 is master clock over the whole system:
SQ5 should clock from DM0 via GigaACE
SQ6 should clock from DM0 via GigaACE
The Dante card in the SQ6 is a separate device and should clock from SQ6 by checking “sync to external” (ultimately deriving its clock from the DM0)
The Dante system will then elect a clock leader. Because the card in the SQ6 is syncing to an external device, the Dante clocking rules will cause it to be elected as the Dante Leader clock. All the other Dante devices on the network will then follow it (ultimately deriving their clock from the DM0).

If you do not check “sync to external” on the card in the SQ, then the Dante system will choose one Dante device as its leader clock and all the others will follow it. Because the SQ is clocking to the DM0, its clock will not be synchronized with the card’s clock and you will get clicks and pops between the Dante card and the SQ6 as the two clocks drift.

There are other ways of clocking things, but the one rule is that everything in the entire system must clock from one single source. That is what the SQ manual you quoted is reinforcing. If you have two mixers with Dante (or Waves) cards, then you must ensure in some way that all the clocks ultimately derive from one single master clock.

A lot of times where several mixers all connect to the same Dante network it is easiest to have the Dante network be the master clock for all the mixers. The main reason is that Dante will automatically elect the “best” clock among the Dante devices, and will automatically elect a new leader if that device goes away. In your case, that would require the clock to be Dante -> SQ6 -> DM0 -> SQ5. That may be an acceptable alternative but it will depend on how you use the system. Sometimes it only makes a difference if some devices need to stay operating when others are switched off.

[msteelParticipant]

I just noticed your comment about “normal mode.”

What you describe sounds like it will work. If the Dante network is synced to the SQ’s Dante card then it will not care where the SQ gets its clock. Internal in “normal” mode, and sLink when connected to the DM0.

[ioTonParticipant]

Dear Matthew,

Thanks a lot for your detailed and comprehensive answer!!!
Things cleared up!

Thanks a lot!

[ChrisParticipant]

Everything that has been said, I agree with. Only one master is the key. I have had issues where the most important device in the setup was not the master and the non-important device was. All of the devices that are not master will try their best to follow, but ti doesn’t always work that one. At one point we had someone who didn’t know what they were doing, changed the clock master and it took the other devices down. Since then, I make sure that the most important system is the master so if anything changes, accident or otherwise, I at least know that the device that must be operational at all times, is fine.

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