Thread: Audirvana Plus: Direct Mode

Mac mini, 8GB, Lion, A+ 1.3.9.5

As I was really into taking advantage of direct plus integer mode, I bought an HiFace v2 (no drivers needed) to feed my M2Tech Young DAC.
I constantly had kernel panics until I decided to restart from scratch, delete the plist file and then activate one preference option at the time trying to isolate which option was really causing the kernel panic: to my great surprise, everything worked fine and I was finally able to enjoy direct plus integer for hours without a single glitch.
Next day I powered up my system for another listening session and guess what: kernel panics again....
So this is what I found out, at least in my system: I need to play one song without direct mode enabled and after that I can re-enable the direct and integer options and everything works fine. I can also exit and then restart Audirvana: everything works until the next system restart.
It looks like Audirvana needs to "talk" to the HiFace once, before being able to go with direct mode. Or, more appropriately, it looks like Audirvana needs to load some piece of software in "standard" mode (library, driver, core audio component, who knows....) before being able of using direct (and integer) mode.
Hope this helps!
Thanks Damien for this great sounding software.

Originally Posted by soundix

The itunes library (the database file) is on my Macbook's SSD, but the music files are outside. They are on a Wi-Fi connected hard drive.

Now what happens when I double click a song from my iTunes library? The track will be transfered from the hard drive to my Macbook over the air. Audirvana will load the track into RAM and will play it back from there.

Not sure why you think I would have performance issues. The Kernel Panics also happen if I play music from the local SSD in non-iTunes mode.

I am not finding fault with you personally. Just reading the various posts, many members are experiencing kernel panics perhaps because of Damien's quest to make Direct/Integer mode perform (no thanks to Apple's OSX). And perhaps I am intruding on what you are basically satisfied with but for the occasional KPs.

Not sure it's a scenario, "If it ain't broken, don't fix it...". I am merely spouting the company line: Keep your music library on a separate disk from the internal disk in your computer with the OSX. Keep your cables attached to your peripherals of a different type than the one to your Dac. Sending files over Wifi is not optimal (i.e., streaming), turning off certain functions improve (maybe that's the operational word, "improve") SQ and performance just as a faster processor and more memory contribute to the performance of software players.
Perhaps what is best is for me to bow out gracefully and leave the "adjustments" if any to your good offices to decide what is ultimately satisfying. I am not proposing something arcane but rather fundamental. And, I think, there comes a time when one (read me) can become boorish to challenge another (that's what I am doing, I am a life coach/shaman) to rethink what they're doing that if changed would result in something not yet experienced. That is not my role in this case. So, allow me, to bow out and yield to what you discover and seek to change or not to change. You have exceptional equipment to start with.

Above all, enjoy the music, which I think is what you are telling me is taking place aside from the KPs which many are experiencing. If I am correct your Dac is enabled for Direct/Integer mode. Mine is not, so I haven't a clue what that must sound like when it's operational.

My best to you,
Richard

Originally Posted by peana61

Mac mini, 8GB, Lion, A+ 1.3.9.5

As I was really into taking advantage of direct plus integer mode, I bought an HiFace v2 (no drivers needed) to feed my M2Tech Young DAC.
I constantly had kernel panics until I decided to restart from scratch, delete the plist file and then activate one preference option at the time trying to isolate which option was really causing the kernel panic: to my great surprise, everything worked fine and I was finally able to enjoy direct plus integer for hours without a single glitch.
Next day I powered up my system for another listening session and guess what: kernel panics again....
So this is what I found out, at least in my system: I need to play one song without direct mode enabled and after that I can re-enable the direct and integer options and everything works fine. I can also exit and then restart Audirvana: everything works until the next system restart.
It looks like Audirvana needs to "talk" to the HiFace once, before being able to go with direct mode. Or, more appropriately, it looks like Audirvana needs to load some piece of software in "standard" mode (library, driver, core audio component, who knows....) before being able of using direct (and integer) mode.
Hope this helps!
Thanks Damien for this great sounding software.

Rubens, this is very reminiscent of its behavior on my system. See my post of 8:53 pm yesterday. If I start the computer and first play a DSD file, kernel panic without fail. Once I play a PCM file, I can play as many DSD files as I want without a problem, until the next restart.

Originally Posted by soundix

That isn't streaming, it's more like downloading, because the track doesn't starts playing before the file was completely transferred.

Step 1: I select a song in iTunes for playback

Step 2: The file (not the music stream) will be transfered over the air.

Step 3: Now as the music file is completely locally available, iTunes (or Audirvana in our case) starts playing the file.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

You are correct. I use an ethernet (wired) NAS drive with no issues. I don't think a wifi drive should present any special issues unless your wireless network is slow. I doubt it is the cause of the kernel panics, but best to send the crash log to Damien.

No. Shoot, you need a Hypex DLCP, not yet ready... but I wish it were. And a multiway buffered-output preamp. Such are uncommon in this universe! And I wouldn't trust my signal with current alternatives like a DEQX or a PA crossover.

3-way Crossover

Damien said he is focussing on implementing Direct Mode in this release, and then he intends to add plugin support in the next release. However, i don't recall whether he announced plans to support multi-channel output as required for a crossover. Try searching the previous Audirvana Plus thread:
Audirvana Plus with iTunes Integration

Pure Music has 2-, 3- and 4-way crossovers built in, provided you are willing to use one of the built-in 6, 12, 18 or 24 dB/octave filter slopes.
http://www.channld.com/PureMusicCrossover.pdf

Pure Music also has multi-channel AU plugin support, so you could use a 3rd-party convolution plugin to implement a crossover.

CHANNEL D - Pure Music

If people want to discuss multi-channel crossovers apart from Audirvana, I think someone should start a new thread rather than hijacking this one.

Originally Posted by Bob Stern

3-way Crossover

Damien said he is focussing on implementing Direct Mode in this release, and then he intends to add plugin support in the next release. However, i don't recall whether he announced plans to support multi-channel output as required for a crossover. Try searching the previous Audirvana Plus thread:
Audirvana Plus with iTunes Integration

1.5 (after the Direct Mode 1.4) will bring both AU/VST support, and multichannel.

Damien

Overall, for me 1.3.9.5 is working pretty well. No kernel panic, great sound, and no more stuttering.

However, I have a lot of smart playlists of the type of "not played in the last 6 months". When Audirvana finishes playing the first song of that playlist, it tries to load the next one, starts playing it for half a second, but during this time the smart playlist gets updated (as the first song is now removed from the playlist) and then Audirvana immediately stops.

Damien, please look into this.

I have a new Mac mini. I have one question. Is there *any* version of audirvana which is stable with OS Lion? Thanks.

Damien, I've just installed an outboard USB/SPDIF device which allows for integer mode...so I now get a living sense of a "kernel panic"....system falls apart every hour or so...but still, in the intervals between KP, sounds great.
WDw

Originally Posted by haujobb

This is a thread about a beta version helping to improve the future release of A+... ...I created an additional partition on my MBP for a clean install of Lion just to beta test A+. My shared library sits on an external hard drive. I did never have a kernel panic...

Thank you haujobb. I've been reading hundreds of Audirvana posts, but I missed the large section in the iTunes Integration thread that traces the success of older and current releases--it wasn't an obvious place to look if you only viewed the last few weeks. But now, I'm sure to get A+ 1.3.5 as you suggested. Best regards