[Richard Crowley]

That sounds like an attempt to make the scale look like the old analog days. In digital when all the bits are on (“Full Scale”), there simply is no more. You bang your head against the ceiling. ANY audio over 0dBFS is distorted and likely unusable.

As you observed, the transition from analog reckoning to the digital world is that “0dB” in the analog world is equated to some dB value of Full Scale (dBFS). Indeed, the professional standard is that 0dB analog is equivalent to -20dBFS digital. Or for prosumer or some applications like mastering for DVD, etc. 0dB analog may be set to be -12dBFS in the digital world. But NOTHING is above 0dBFS. That is why it is called “Full Scale”. And the term dBFS implies “digital”.

[Richard Crowley]

@Ty, I apologize. I didn’t mean to come off as disagreeing. I mis-read what you wrote. You are absolutely correct that “you need to know what the receiving party expects and give it to them.” But it looks like Mr. Ach is having a hard time getting that information out of them. 🙁

[Richard Crowley]

It sounds like whomever you are communicating with doesn’t know what they are talking about. Unless they said “-6dB” that little negative symbol is very important. Peaks at -6dB make perfect sense. There is no +6dBFS. It stops at 0dBFS, by definition.

[Richard Crowley]

I’m not quite as confident as Mr. Ford. There appear to be several different PPM scales, and many of them do not even include “0” anywhere in the range. And those that do include “0”, don’t agree on what it means.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peak_programme_meter#Table_of_characteristics

Without a definition of what “0 PPM” means TO THEM, I believe this “spec” is ambiguous at best, and quite possibly meaningless.

Who exactly is giving this “spec”? It that everything they offered? No reference? (Reference in both senses: Audio level reference; information reference such as a URL or spec document number, etc.)

What country are they in? Perhaps you could guess the reference from the country and/or broadcasting entity, etc. Do they possibly have a website with technical specs posted, etc?

[Richard Crowley]

You can hold most any flaky connector together with the proper application of cable-ties and/or gaffer’s tape. Really. Four small cable-ties will hold well enough that the cable will break before the connectors come apart.

[Richard Crowley]

I wrote a countdown timer app many years ago that many people have found useful. I most recently used it a couple weeks ago and put the numbers into a smaller window in the corner overlaying the presentation slides.

https://www.rcrowley.com/Cmcount/index.htm

I should write a new version for modern OS versions. And maybe for Mac, although I have no development resources available for Mac.

[Richard Crowley]

I have a nearly-identical setup at the office with a Mackie mixer. I simply connect the “Tape Out” to the line-level input of the computer, and the computer “Line Out” to the “Tape In” on the Mackie. i.e. I use the computer as the “tape recorder” as far as the Mackie is concerned. The mixer should give you the monitoring options you need if you are routing audio through it in the conventional manner.

[Richard Crowley]

You mentioned how you are getting audio IN to the computer, but you didn’t mention how your monitoring system is rigged? It sounds like you have only speakers connected to the audio output from the computer. That puts you at the mercy of whatever the software thinks you should have. A more conventional setup would use an audio mixer, even a very modest 1 or 2 mic input Behringer. That would provide you the flexibility for monitoring that you aren’t getting now.

Of course, there may also be a software operational solution, but I use Adobe Audition (and Syntrillium CoolEdit before Adobe bought it), so I am not familiar enough with Soundroom to recommend anything. I was never impressed enough by Soundroom enough to buy it.

BRILLIANT UPDATE(!): There may be an operating-system solution. Depending on which OS you are using (not revealed) you may be able to go into the audio control windows and find a check-box to cause the input audio to be routed to your output at all times.

RANT: Back before Adobe bought out Syntrillium, they made a low-end version called “CoolEdit” for 2-track/stereo, and a high-end version called CoolEdit Pro for up to 64 tracks. The 2-track CoolEdit product was ~$50 and essentially as full-featured as Adobe Audition is today, except with the limit of 2 tracks. Unfortunately, money-grubbing Adobe completely abandoned the low-end market (which they apparently disdain) and kept only the high-priced version. Then they came out with “Soundbooth” apparently for the lower-end market, and I’ve never heard any users come along and say they like it.

[Richard Crowley]

There could be several problems. But sorting them out would require more information. It would be helpful to know:
1) the exact model numbers of the microphones.
2) how the adapters are wired.
3) listening to a sample of the noise

You may not know #2, but you may need to get out a meter and measure it if you can’t open the connectors and trace the wires.

If you can post an UNcompressed 10-20 second sample online somewhere, it would make it easier to diagnose. Not everyone uses the same terminology when describing audio artifacts.

[Richard Crowley]

Yes a device to do that would be relatively simple and inexpensive. I can draw a block diagram or a detailed circuit schematic if you want to build one (or find someone to make it for you).