Breakaway DJ – Device Does Not Support Requested Format

[quote author=”Leif”]I’m starting to realize then need for BDJ PRO, which should support line inputs, four decks, and TCV. Will look into it 🙂.

///Leif[/quote]

If anyone can do it, I know you can. I can’t believe how awesome BDJ already is in terms of low latency for live use with video.

Maybe you should really consider adding 24-bit support while you’re at it. Although, it is more of a compatibility issue more than a necessity because 16-bit doesn’t sound good enough. The Echo Indigo DJx seems to be a very good audio card and you may be getting more customers wanting the 24-bit support too?

That said, here is an excerpt from my Indigo DJx owner’s manual regarding 24-bit, what do you think of this?

Appendix B: An Introduction to Digital Recording
Converting Sound into Numbers
In a digital recording system, sound is represented as a series of numbers, with each number representing the voltage, or amplitude, of a sound wave at a particular moment in time. The numbers are generated by an analog-to-digital converter, or ADC, which converts the signal from an analog audio source (such as a guitar or a microphone) connected to its input into numbers. The ADC reads the input signal several thousand times a second, and outputs a number based on the input that is read. This number is called a sample. The number of samples taken per second is called the sample rate.
On playback, the process happens in reverse: The series of numbers is played back through a digital-to-analog converter, or DAC, which converts the numbers back into an analog signal. This signal can then be sent to an amplifier and speakers for listening.
In computers, binary numbers are used to store the values that make up the samples. Only two characters, 1 and 0, are used. The value of a character depends on its place in the number, just as in the familiar decimal system. Here are a few binary/decimal equivalents:
BINARY DECIMAL
0000000000000000 0
0000000000000001 1
0000000000000011 3
0000000000000111 7
0000000000001111 15
0000000000011111 31
1111111111111111 65,535
Figure A. Binary numbers and their decimal equivalents
Each digit in the number is called a bit. The binary numbers expressed in Figure A are sixteen bits long, and have a maximum value of 65,535. The more bits that are used to store the sampled value, the more closely it will represent the source signal. In a 16-bit system, there are 65,535 possible
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combinations of zeroes and ones, so 65,535 different voltages can be digitally represented. (see Figure A above).
[attachment=0:2sc4xruh]echo24.jpg[/attachment:2sc4xruh]
Figure B. The more bits there are available, the more accurate the representation of the signal and the greater the dynamic range.
Your Echo card’s analog inputs use 24-bit ADCs, which means that the incoming signal can be represented by any of over 16 million possible values. The output DACs are also 24-bit; again, over 16 million values are possible. Your Echo card processes signals internally with 24-bit resolution to insure that there is no degradation to the audio signal as it is processed through the system.
The number of bits available also determines the potential dynamic range of the device. Moving a binary number one space to the left multiplies the value by two, so each additional bit doubles the number of possible values that may be represented. Each doubling of the number of values provides 6dB of additional dynamic range (see decibel section below). So, a 24-bit system can theoretically provide 144dB of dynamic range (6dB times 24 bits = 144dB) versus a 16-bit system with a maximum dynamic range of only 96 dB.
Also important to the quality of a digital recording is the frequency with which the samples are stored, called the sample rate. In order for a waveform to be faithfully digitized, it must be sampled at a minimum of twice the highest frequency to be stored. Failure to sample frequently enough results in a kind of distortion called aliasing. (If you like technical issues, do some research on The Nyquist Theorem which explains why this
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happens). In addition to aliasing, sampling too slowly will result in reduced high frequency reproduction. Your Echo card allows you to sample sound at up to 96,000 times per second.
Once the waveform has been transformed into digital bits, it must be stored. When sampling in stereo at 96kHz using a 24-bit word size, the system has to accommodate 4,608,000 bits per second. In the past, storing this vast amount of data was problematic. Today, computer-based digital recording systems record the data directly to the computer’s hard disk. Today’s hard disks are capable of storing large amounts of data, though the performance of hard drives can vary substantially. The speed and size of your hard drive will be a major determining factor in how many tracks of audio you will be able to simultaneously record and playback.

Oh wow – good luck with your moving, Leif. You are a busy guy. ❗ If you can do 24-bit support better yet for all! Thanks!