• Registered: 2014-05-17
  • Posts: 2

Topic: UCX as routable ADAT (no USB), from HDSP 9652 card (optical)

Hi guys,

I'm attempting to swap out a behringer ada8000 and replace with my brand new UCX unit.

Essentially, I've been using the Behringer unit as a digital-to-analog converter, running totalmix on my HDSP 9652 card (PC) to route out via optical to my analog studio monitors. It's been working fine, but now I'm ready to upgrade and use the UCX instead of the Behringer.

So, to explain via diagram, here is what I've been successfully doing:

HDSP 9652 card -----> ADAT Optical out ------> [Behringer ADAT in --> Balanced Analog out (x2 for L/R)] ------> Studio monitors.

Now I want to do this:

HDSP 9652 card -----> ADAT Optical out ------> [UCX ADAT in --> Balanced Analog out (x2 for L/R)] ------> Studio monitors

Which, after reading the manual and setting the UCX to be in "Ad" (ADAT) mode, via settings on front panel, I expected to be fairly trivial, but has not been at all successful.

From what I can gather, I shouldn't need to USB-connect my UCX to my PC, because the HDSP card is still my main brain and it needs to stay this way, because I require (and have been using) the extra ADAT inputs that the HDSP card provides. The UCX USB connection, from what I understand, would be used only if I were replacing the HDSP card with the UCX module. Not what I'm trying to achieve.

I've hit the following problems:
1. The very first time I [gently] inserted the TOSLINK cable into the UCX ADAT in, the plastic flap broke inside the unit and is now rattling around inside its enclosure. Awesome.
2. As a result, the cable is now rather loose at the socket. (I'm guessing this is the cause for the next problem...)
3. I have absolutely no signal coming from the UCX analog balanced outs (1/2).

Note: I am 100% certain TotalMix is [still] sending signal to these ADAT outs [as before] as I can see [and have been doing it this way with the Behringer for months] the levels being sent on-screen in TotalMix.

Any suggestions? Do I safely assume the broken TOSLINK flap is the cause of my problems? Or should the optical still work even though 'a bit loose'? Or have I missed some other fundamental setup / rule / purpose of the UCX unit in this otherwise-relatively-simple configuration?

Many thanks!
Tim

2 Reply by timbochu (edited by timbochu 2014-05-17 22:18:25)

  • Registered: 2014-05-17
  • Posts: 2

Re: UCX as routable ADAT (no USB), from HDSP 9652 card (optical)

Well.. After some more playing around, I'm sorry to say it's just not working out the way I expected. After going through the manual and setting everything up the way it should be, there are just too many conflicts...

The full situation:
I'm attempting to add two octamics (2 separate ADAT, for 8+8 channels) via optical.
Obviously the UCX can't take more than one ADAT IN, so I've sent the two optical cables down to my HDSP 9652 card (which can take 3x optical INs, no problems).
This is how I'd been doing it previously, with another optical (out) back up to my old Behringer ADA8000 for my DA conversion out to my egg monitors. BAM. Solution.
And this was working quite well. It's just that the Behringer wasn't my preferred solution.. Hence the upgrade to the UCX unit.

And so, setting the UCX to 'ADAT' mode, nothing actually appeared to work as the manual promised me it would. It's just bizarre. It's described perfectly and I apply the instructions without fail. But.. No dice.
So, I 'Factory Reset' the unit leave it in 'normal' mode and try configuring it via the USB instead - Even though I shouldn't really need USB at all, given I only need it to operate as a DA converter for my eggs. The result is that it kinda works, but it means I've now had to install the UCX drivers on my PC and also now have a second instance of TotalMix. That is, Totalmix FX is now loaded along-side TotalMix standard (originally installed for the HDSP 9652 card) and things start to really get messy on my PC. Not to mention super confusing.

But... I fumble through and manage to get it kinda behaving. Word clocks are synced, eggs are getting signal... Seems to be working. Muse Live at Wembley is CRANKING and I'm hesitant to change anything because Hysteria sounds pretty tight.
However, I look over to the other windows, and I have this second instance of TotalMix staring at me - totally additional to the HDSP 9652 TotalMix (standard) - and it's causing this pain behind my right eye that won't go away. Things are now WAAAY too double-handling-complicated. Not to mention the additional USB connection, which seems redundant, given my preferred ADAT-type nature of setup. It just doesn't need to be there if I've got the HDSP 9652 card doing the brain work. GAH!
So, I unplug the USB cable... Holy balls, to my surprise, things are still working... TotalMix FX just says the UCX is 'disconnected' but I don't care because it's kinda doing what I want. I still have signal to the eggs... Muse is now playing Supermassive Black Hole - not as good as the previous tune, but you can't fault their song-writing skills. They haven't missed a beat. I mean, Dom's a great drummer, but I expected to lose at least a few crotchets when I yanked the USB.

But, I discover now that I can't adjust the TotalMix levels for the UCX (because of this disconnected' state), so without the USB cable plugged in, all levels are 'locked' in position. BAH!

So anyway, it continues to 'work' in this ridiculously complicated and confusing setup... I'm reluctant to mess with it again, but wondering how I'm going to survive this new monstrosity of a setup. Until, my PC just shuts down. No warning. Just shuts down, like it pooped itself and couldn't clean up the mess. 
And, same again after a restart. It simply taps out after a few minutes of living in this strange double-TotalMix-co-existence world and the only remedy was to remove it all and reconsider my options. Frowny face.

So, long story short, I don't think this UCX setup is going to work for me. Period.

I've been looking at other RME options for ages now and I think the best thing I can do is this:
- Return the UCX to my forgiving retailer.
- Purchase either the Fireface 800 or Fireface 802 instead. Smiley face.
- Ditch the 9652 card from my machine and run everything outboard.
- Connect 2x Octamic units direct to the 800/802 via ADAT Optical.
- Send only one Firewire or USB cable down to my PC, from the Fireface 800 or 802 respectively (instead of 73 optical cables)
- Take the usual Analog outs from the new 800/802 unit out to my eggs.

It's a much simpler approach and I'm excited that everybody here is a part of it.

The bad news - I'll have to return the UCX under warranty, because, as I [gently, as always] plugged the toslinks into the back of the unit, the plastic flaps seriously just snapped and dropped into the unit.. I didn't think I had it in me to bust rme gear.. usually so sturdy.. with such little effort - turns out I do. Or, the connections were of poor quality.. I honestly don't know. Either way, the busted flaps now have a new home and are free to move and rattle around inside the confines of the UCX unit.
Surprised and slightly disappointed.