Topic: routing issue : DAW -> BFPro -> pedal effect -> BFPro -> DAW

Hi, I guess this topic has already been posted, however I can't find any correct answer, and I don't know how designers of Total Mix think but it's counter intuitive as hell, and don't tell me to read the manual, I did and nothing I need pops out (and I'm totally ok to agree about my incompetence as well)
I want to do something quite simple : put a sound from my laptop to an effect pedal then go back into the laptop for recording. That means : sound out of laptop -> into Babyface Pro (via USB cable) -> out of Babyface (from XLR outputs) -> into pedal -> out of pedal -> into Babyface Pro (via XLR or TRS) -> into the laptop. And being able to hear the sound with effect only through headphones.

I tried routing in submix mode but can't get what I'm looking for. I watched this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkxzYlBiScA and even if it's sounds clear I can't get the right routing...

I'm pretty sure that stuff is doable but man, it's a shame how it's so badly explained !

Thanks for any help

2 (edited by ramses 2019-11-27 17:24:40)

Re: routing issue : DAW -> BFPro -> pedal effect -> BFPro -> DAW

Sorry if I disagree ;-) But submix mode is easy once understood, but everything needs a little time and
patience at the beginning.

General procedure to be understood:

1. enable submix mode
2. click to an HW output (bottom row)
3. Create the submix by raising the faders of channels that you want to hear on that HW output (aka "submix")
- from top row "HW inputs" (the inputs of your recording interface)
- from middle row "SW Playback" (audio playback channels of OS + applications (ASIO, WDM))
  also those need to be mapped to proper HW outputs (*)

(*) This is the very nice thing about TM FX, that you can finally decide to which HW output audio goes.

Actual doing:

So if you want to send audio to the external effect, click to the HW output where it is connected to your BBF Pro
and send the audio to that you want to have there by turning the faders of HW inputs / SW playback channels as you need.

If you want to record what comes out of this external effect, well then simply record the input channel in the DAW. HW inputs (whats connected to an input of your recording interface) will always be passed unaltered to the application / DAW by TM FX.

Do you the effect output also in your phones mix ?

Click to Phones HW Output and raise the fader of the HW input where the Effect is connected to.
By this you add this audio to your phones submix.

Do you the effect output also in your main monitors ?

Click to the Main Output where your monitors are connected to and raise the fader of the HW input where the Effect is connected to. By this you add this audio to your monitor submix.

Save your settings / routings

You can save the different routings for different putposes to snapshots:
- to a file on PC
- to one of the 8 Snapshot slots on the right side of the TM FX window
More on this in my step by step primer below.


Once this basic principle of routing is understood in submix mode, then you will see that this is the easiest, most logic, reliable and intuitive mixer which is available on the market.

Give it some time rome has not been build in one day. I came from different HW, latest Focusrite, there the mixer was not logic and I always had to struggle with it. In contrast to that TM FX is superb, actually the best one I ever saw.

Maybe my TM FX step by step primer helps you to get a good intro to the basics:

https://www.tonstudio-forum.de/blog/ind … rnal-equi/

PS: its good to follow this forum regulary, because from questions of other users and answers you can learn a lot and sometimes its also inspiring to try new things. There are many threads in this forum already, where questions like this about routing, submix mode, etc have been answered in detail.

BR Ramses - UFX III, 12Mic, XTC, ADI-2 Pro FS R BE, RayDAT, X10SRi-F, E5-1680v4, Win10Pro22H2, Cub13

Re: routing issue : DAW -> BFPro -> pedal effect -> BFPro -> DAW

Thanks a lot ramses, I'm starting getting results smile - can't get the whole picture right know but effect pedal is coming through
Thanks again !