BR1600 weird issue

[StephenM]

Interesting....
I am using two BR's as Master and slave....oddly enough the documents have me connect the digital out to the digital out (on both units)....

Which documents say to connect out to out? This one from the Boss Knowledge Base says slave out to master in:

Connect the DIGITAL (COAXIAL) OUT of the second "Slave" BR-1600CD to the DIGITAL (COAXIAL) IN of the first "Master" BR-1600CD.

64;  HMMMMM i SEE WHAT YOU ARE SAYING...THIS IS FROM ROLAND***** NOW i AM GOING TO HAVE TO FIND OUT WHICH IS BETTER OR WHAT THE REASONS ARE FOR EACH....

BR-1600CD, BR-1600: USING TWO BR-1600CDS SIMULTANEOUSLY (DIGITAL AUDIO CONNECTION)
Tags: midi, slave, sync, mtc, master, two, mmc, simultaneous, first, second
The following steps will guide you through setting up two BR-1600CDs to be used simultaneously using the DIGITAL (COAXIAL) audio connection to pass audio from one to the other.

Connections

Audio Connection:
Connect the DIGITAL (COAXIAL) OUT of the second "Slave" BR-1600CD to the DIGITAL (COAXIAL) IN of the first "Master" BR-1600CD. Note: This will require a digital audio coaxial cable. RCA analog cables cannot be used. Check the specifications of the cable on the packaging or on the cable itself and be sure that the cable is a digital audio cable.
MIDI Connection:
Using a MIDI cable, connect the MIDI OUT of the Master BR-1600CD to the MIDI IN of the Slave BR-1600CD.
Speaker/Headphone Connection:
Connect your speakers to the LINE OUT, or headphones to the headphone jack, of the Master BR-1600CD.

[64Guitars]

****** STEP 5 64...... AND THEN A NOTE THAT GOES WITH IT.... AND THIS WORKS BECAUSE I USE IT....

5. Connect the S/PDIF cable to the DIGITAL OUT connectors on BOTH units. Note that the DIGITAL IN connector is never used in this configuration so you are reading this correctly. The first time we read this in the Version 2 Additional Functions manual we had to re-read it to make sure we read it correctly.

That's referring to page 9 in the BR-1600 Version 2 Additional Functions manual which does indeed say to connect the Digital Out of the master to the Digital Out of the slave. However, I believe that's most likely a misprint. I can't think of any reason not to connect the output to the input. Nor can I think of any benefit in connecting output to output. Frankly, I'm surprised that that even works. It makes no sense to connect an output to another output. It's a bit like connecting a garden hose from one tap directly to another tap, then turning on both taps. The water would have nowhere to go. I suppose that Roland could have made the Digital Out port bi-directional, but then why would they provide two connectors labelled In and Out? Also, according to this page, the EBU standard (professional version of S/PDIF) only allows for "One way communication: from a transmitter to a receiver". So the data should flow from the transmitter (Digital Out) of one BR to the receiver (Digital In) of the other BR. Connecting two transmitters together should not accomplish anything, though I don't doubt your assertion that it does indeed work.

I think you'll find that connecting the Digital Out of the slave BR to the Digital In of the master BR as described in the Boss Knowledge Base article will work just fine.

[StephenM]

****** STEP 5 64...... AND THEN A NOTE THAT GOES WITH IT.... AND THIS WORKS BECAUSE I USE IT....

5. Connect the S/PDIF cable to the DIGITAL OUT connectors on BOTH units. Note that the DIGITAL IN connector is never used in this configuration so you are reading this correctly. The first time we read this in the Version 2 Additional Functions manual we had to re-read it to make sure we read it correctly.

That's referring to page 9 in the BR-1600 Version 2 Additional Functions manual which does indeed say to connect the Digital Out of the master to the Digital Out of the slave. However, I believe that's most likely a misprint. I can't think of any reason not to connect the output to the input. Nor can I think of any benefit in connecting output to output. Frankly, I'm surprised that that even works. It makes no sense to connect an output to another output. It's a bit like connecting a garden hose from one tap directly to another tap, then turning on both taps. The water would have nowhere to go. I suppose that Roland could have made the Digital Out port bi-directional, but then why would they provide two connectors labelled In and Out? Also, according to this page, the EBU standard (professional version of S/PDIF) only allows for "One way communication: from a transmitter to a receiver". So the data should flow from the transmitter (Digital Out) of one BR to the receiver (Digital In) of the other BR. Connecting two transmitters together should not accomplish anything, though I don't doubt your assertion that it does indeed work.

I think you'll find that connecting the Digital Out of the slave BR to the Digital In of the master BR as described in the Boss Knowledge Base article will work just fine.

******
See... what i was surpised about was that the master slave routine does not transfer digital information over from the slave to the master.... I wonder if connecting the out on the slave to the input on the master would change that?  The only thing the Midi cable does is send a simpte time code.... and start stop etc...so in order to master down the info on the slave I have to either take the wav files and bounce them to two and send them to the computer and then to the master  or mix them 8 track analog on the way back out from the slave to the master, which would be conversion from dig to ana to dig.... now you have me wondering what that dig cable does at all....if anything....hmmmm... I will have to experiment...but right now I am working crazy hours...

[64Guitars]

now you have me wondering what that dig cable does at all....if anything....hmmmm... I will have to experiment...but right now I am working crazy hours...

The S/PDIF cable routes the stereo mix from the slave as digital audio to tracks 1 & 2 of the master so you can monitor the slave and mix it with the tracks of the master to create a complete stereo mix of all the tracks from both machines.

[StephenM]

now you have me wondering what that dig cable does at all....if anything....hmmmm... I will have to experiment...but right now I am working crazy hours...

The S/PDIF cable routes the stereo mix from the slave as digital audio to tracks 1 & 2 of the master so you can monitor the slave and mix it with the tracks of the master to create a complete stereo mix of all the tracks from both machines.

golly gee willickers... I am glad that I jumped on this thread....way off topic but sounds like I fixed a problem...thanks to you 64 for taking the time to respond so nicely!  I'll let you know how it works out...