• Registered: 2014-05-24
  • Posts: 2

Topic: UCX pre purchase question

I've watched the videos, and read (some) of the manual, and I think I have a general sense of what is possible, but the devil is in the detail, so I wanted to ask a specific question. I use Live9, and want to be sure that I can send, say, a drum loop from Live9 to an external fx unit (e.g. Otto Biscuit) and back into Live9. Would Loopback be used for this or something else?
Thanks in advance.

  • Registered: 2009-04-17
  • Posts: 85

Re: UCX pre purchase question

You can send anything out of the UCX and then back in.

To use an external unit, I route out of Sonar X3 Prod to the UCX, then out of 2 of the 1/4 outs on the back of the UCX... lets say Analog outs 1 and 2. (7 and 8 are for headphones usually).

Then you can route back into the unit through any two inputs and pick up the feed with any software you like (Live9 in this case).

Now, Sonar does automatic delay compensation. In other words, when using an external effect, Sonar will measure the latency from Sonar to the Effect and back into Sonar and it will automatically align the returned signal with the other recorded audio so it doesn't nudge it's way out of sync with the other tracks. I don't know if Live9 has this.

If you just want to route between multiple applications sharing the driver on the same computer you can use the loop back feature.

As an example, you can record your guitar going into Sonar, then route the guitar through some FX processors and then to your master bus output to Analog 7+8. Now route the 7+8 to Adat3+4 as well and click the loopback button for these tracks. Now, start RME DigiCheck and use Global Record to directly record the output from Sonar. Now, you are using Sonar as an enhanced mixer and recording the final stereo pair with RME DigiCheck software.

  • Registered: 2008-12-06
  • Posts: 198

Re: UCX pre purchase question

In the Ableton effects list you have a device called external effect or something like that. Just plug the in and outs of your hardware fx into seperate in and outs of your card and configure the Ableton device to use these as such. Now you can throw in you hardware fx everywhere in the signal chain of any channel of your session - only once of course :-)
Remind that this will introduce some latency which depends on your settings of the soundcard. Also Ableton isn't very accurate regarding external inputs latency compensation - you have to check for your self if the groove is still there or shifting. In this case there is a delay parameter in the external fx device...

  • Registered: 2014-05-24
  • Posts: 2

Re: UCX pre purchase question

Thanks for the replies, I went ahead and bought the unit anyway just after my post.  Within about an hour I had everything setup as I wanted, with no problems at all. Having spent the previous two weeks fighting with a MOTU and CueMix, this came as a great relief.
   Once again, thanks for taking the time to reply, much appreciated. I'm sure i'll be back with a few more questions as I dig deeper, but for now I'm just enjoying the sound of my new best friend!