• Registered: 2011-11-20
  • Posts: 22

Topic: Trying to mix "out of the box" with UFX & Sonar

I feel like this ought to be easier than I am making it, but I can't seem to get things working.

What I would like to do is take a 16 track Sonar 8.5 project, send it out through the analog outputs of the Fireface UFX and an 8 channel ADAT to a 24 channel analog mixer, then take the stereo out of the mixer and record it onto two new tracks of the Sonar project.

What's the best way to do this?  Should I

1.  Load the console view and send each track to an output
or
2.  Use the submix features of TotalMix to do the same?

TotalMix does not seem to work as the manual suggests for assigning software PB to outputs (positive criticism, not ragging).  There is a YouTube video on TotalMix that explains this and whatever is happening when I try that method, it's not what I expect.

So, if there are any  kind souls out there who could lend me a hand, it would be greatly appreciated.  This is a very important task for me, and besides the obviously superior sound, it's a reason I bought this piece.

Thanks in advance....

Bill

  • Jeff
  • Jeff
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  • From: USA
  • Registered: 2007-05-21
  • Posts: 4,622

Re: Trying to mix "out of the box" with UFX & Sonar

You have to assign these discrete outputs in software. In TotalMix FX, try Options > Reset Mix > Straight playback.

Regards,
Jeff Petersen
Synthax Inc.

Jeff's Website

  • Registered: 2011-11-20
  • Posts: 22

Re: Trying to mix "out of the box" with UFX & Sonar

Hi, Jeff,

Thanks for jumping in.

I tried doing as you suggested in TotalMix... and I'm only getting signal out of the first pair of analog outs.  When I look at the setup in Matrix view, it looks as if it ought to be working; there's a line of green boxes starting at the left side at the intersection of AN 1/2 and PB1, and then each next column goes down one for each PB channel.  At the Phones and Main, I interrupted the sequence so that PB9 goes into the first ADAT output and so on through 16 outs.

Oh, also, only getting signal on channels 1&2 as you might expect.

Can you think of anything else I might be missing?

  • Registered: 2011-11-20
  • Posts: 22

Re: Trying to mix "out of the box" with UFX & Sonar

Oh... wait a minute.

Jeff, did you mean set up TotalMix for straight playback and then set the outputs for each track in Sonar individually?  That would make sense... I think I will try that as it's rainy here in Iowa and it's too wet to plow the back 40.

Thanks again....!

  • Jeff
  • Jeff
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  • From: USA
  • Registered: 2007-05-21
  • Posts: 4,622

Re: Trying to mix "out of the box" with UFX & Sonar

Yes, that's what I meant. TotalMix can't separate the tracks if you already mixed them together in Sonar.

Regards,
Jeff Petersen
Synthax Inc.

Jeff's Website

  • Registered: 2011-11-20
  • Posts: 22

Re: Trying to mix "out of the box" with UFX & Sonar

Hi, Jeff...

Thanks again.

OK, so by trial and error, heavy on the error, I think I have determined that the outputs for each pair of tracks in Sonar should each be sent to the same stereo analog output.  I.E., tracks 1 & 2 go to AN 1/2, tracks 3 & 4 go to AN 3/4 etc through the first 8 outs and then skip over to the first output pair of the ADAT card and continue.  Does that make sense?  I am trying to avoid panning in the analog mixer due to recall problems down the line.

I am not exactly sure what is going on but bringing the mixer back into the UFX AN1 and AN2 is not working... input #2 seems to be out.  If I plug the 1/4" plug into AN3 it works fine... the settings for AN 1&2 are the same according to what I can tell from scrolling through the channel settings on the front panel.

Anyway, I have inputs AN1 and AN3 sent to outputs 11/12 which runs to my monitor setup.  The mains were assigned to AN 1/2 out which threw me a slow curveball as it the first output pair disappeared from my output list in Sonar.  That's well integrated, I'd say.  :-)

The unit has only been here less than a month and I'm pretty sure I didn't break it... do you think that channel 2 has failed or is there another way to shoot your foot that I haven't found yet?

Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated... I'm in the middle of a project and it's not an issue at the moment because I can work around it.  Someday I'd like to be able to use it, though.

Thanks sincerely for your help, I am up and running (I think).  If you think there's a better way to do what I am doing, I'd love to hear about it.

  • Registered: 2011-12-10
  • Posts: 9

Re: Trying to mix "out of the box" with UFX & Sonar

I have never used Sonar but maybe you could try and go into total mix fx and clear everything out turn on everything on the bottom row except fx send, phones 1 and 2, and AES. Then go from AN 1/2 on the pb row and go diagonally until you get the pb 30 and adat 16 ( although you probably don't need 9-16 because you aren't using them. This should, i think, normalize everything for playback.

then you could take two cable from the output of the mixer to the input of say 7/8 then go into Sonar and select these as inputs. I'm sure you could route it with total mix but this may be easier for now.

I hope maybe that helped someone.

----------------------------------------------
or is there another way to shoot your foot that I haven't found yet?

you may have the volume down or have it disabled in the total mix window. Also when you select an output in the control room section of total mix and then touch a fader on the ins and outs on the left it will remember that setting and go back to it.

Anyway I hope that you are managing ok, take care

  • Registered: 2011-11-20
  • Posts: 22

Re: Trying to mix "out of the box" with UFX & Sonar

Thanks, killaken2000....

I seem to have the routing problem solved; I just need to update the template in Sonar so the outputs of the tracks go to the appropriate analog outs.  When I say "solved", I mean it's working OK this way so I can proceed with the project which is going to make the guys much happier.

I still can't figure out why input 2 is "broken". 

TotalMix is a great product (I'm coming from the 64 bit version of M-Audio Delta1010 which is pathetically limited).  It's just a little bit less obvious.  However, I've found that if I can figure out how to frame the question there is usually somebody who can answer it.  Survival technique that lets old dogs learn new tricks.  :-)