1 (edited by vertigo194 2020-05-29 23:55:24)

Topic: UFX+ routing DAW to external PH 11/12

I'm trying to send a signal from my daw (Ableton Live 10) to ext out PH 11/12 but the (headphone 2) output remains silent. When I move the software playback fader in totalmix (for PH 11/12) all the way up there's no signal to be found?

See the screenshot attached.. I'm probably doing something stupid, same issue when trying to achieve this for PH 9/10.. I have done a total reset but it doesn't seem to change anything (operational mode). Routing audio via 'normal' analog ins/outs (1-8) works fine..

https://i.imgur.com/WqipOtr.png

2 (edited by ramses 2020-05-30 07:37:00)

Re: UFX+ routing DAW to external PH 11/12

If you look to the middle row - SW Playback Channel PH11/12 - there is no audio signal.
So PC/DAW do not seem to send audio to PH11/12.
Then it's no wonder, that you do not hear anything if you raise the fader of SW Playback 11/12 for HW Output Ph11/12.

Maybe it's not fully clear to you, that TM FX adds an additional Layer between PC/Application and HW Outputs on your recording interface. If the application sends audio, e.g. to PH11/12, it will not be send directly to the HW output on your UFX+, instead of this audio 1st appears in the middle row of TM FX, SW Playback Channel PH11/12.

The strength of this concept is, that it allows you to create an individual submix for each of the HW outputs by adding audio from
- HW Inputs on your UFX+ (TM FX top row) with near zero latency
- SW Playback Channels from PC/Applications (TM FX middle row) with the typical RTL (round trip latency over USB3/TB)

Coming back to your picture. I see you have audio signals on SW Playback Channels AN1/2 - AN 7/8, so the PC/DAW sends audio to AN 1/2 - AN 7/8. This you can route to your phones output.
1. Stay in submix mode, its a very comfortably mode for routing audio.
2. Keep your Phones 11/12 HW output selected.
3. Now raise the faders of SW Playback Channel AN 1/2-7/8 as you need
    You can even add audio from the HW inputs to the submix with near zero latency .. as you like/need.

A little more background information:

For this reason every "HW output" is sometimes also referred to as a "submix".
Thus a recording interfaces has as many submixes as it has HW outputs.

Hence the name for this routing mode "submix mode" as you click on a HW output (aka "submix") and then create the submix by raising the faders of HW inputs and SW playback channels.

There are also other modes available for performing routing (free mode, the matrix) but I recommend you to stay with submix mode, IMHO this is the easiest to work with for the usual tasks ...
You can even disable TM FX routing capabilities and enter the so called "DAW mode" which allows you to perform routing within the DAW. I can not really recommend this, because you loose a lot of features and the possibility to route audio in near-realtime directly at the device from HW input to HW output. Then every audio stream has the RTL as everything has to go though USB3/TB.

BTW .. in submix mode you see the name of the selected HW output - in your case/picture PH11/12 - at the bottom of every HW Input and SW playback channel. This is a clear indication that you work in Submix mode and that you selected the submix for HW output PH11/12.

Tip: as your recording interface has many channels .. to make it easier to identify HW Inputs and SW playback channels that play an active role for a submix you can toggle the button "Sub". If Sub is activated then TM FX shows only the active channels for the submix.

I hope this answers your question, if you have additional questions, feel free to ask.

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

3 (edited by vertigo194 2020-05-30 10:48:16)

Re: UFX+ routing DAW to external PH 11/12

Thanks for the thorough reply, it refined my view on the submix possibilities. However I still don't understand why there's no audio send to playback channels 11/12 while my DAW's channel 4 clearly sends its sample to Ext out 11/12... The same thing works fine when using Ext out 1/2, 3/4, 5/6 or 7/8... (which are all located at the rear of the UFX+).. The only difference I can spot is 9/10 and 11/12 being on the frontside of the UFX+ and the channels being in the control room section of total fx..

Yes selecting the 9/10 phones channel (or 11/12) and then opening up the software playback channel 1/2 or any of the earlier mentioned rear side channels will produce audible levels (but not the channels I want to output), but this doesn't work for 9/10 and 11/12 software playback channels..

So in a nutshell somehow Ext out 9/10 and 11/12 are not being send audio by the DAW.. Could you elaborate on the signal flow? I assume when I select the Ext out option 11/12 which is presented by the interface's drivers via ableton audio preferences, ableton should send the software channel audio over USB to the UFX+, right? (I have setup the interface with USB3, could also use thunderbolt)... then what?

Kind regards and thanks for your time!

4 (edited by vertigo194 2020-05-30 11:01:00)

Re: UFX+ routing DAW to external PH 11/12

So... magically after rebooting the computer this morning, it is now working... (without any changes...) is this a malfunction in the RME drivers, hardware, daw or coreaudio??? I'm lost..

Re: UFX+ routing DAW to external PH 11/12

Sorry, I have no idea, I am using several RME products since years with Cubase as DAW and had no comparable issue.

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

6

Re: UFX+ routing DAW to external PH 11/12

Issues like that can happen in Cubase when changing the interface itself or its sample rates. Needs a simple reset of the I/O section the, so all currently valid I/Os are listed again.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME