1 Topic by j0hnglist (edited by j0hnglist 2010-05-10 16:08:33)

  • Registered: 2010-03-11
  • Posts: 17

Topic: Fireface 400 problems (Windows 7 32-bit)

Hello all. I'm a music producer and recently got a FireFace 400 and have some really annoying issues I would like clarification on (I want to love this interface!). Hope you guys can help:


Quick background: Running Fireface 400 on Windows 7 (32-bit). Also, had to use the "legacy" driver to get the Fireface to show up in Windows 7

1. For some reason the outputs for Channels 1+2 do NOT detect in Windows 7 and its impossible to set those to "default" stereo out in Windows, it doesn't even show up as an option.  However, Channels 3+4 work fine, in Device Manager I can set them as my default outputs and everything plays in Windows 7. I am curious though if something is wrong with my card when 1+2 don't work or is it some sort of driver bug in Windows? I produce in Cubase and have gotten channels 1+2 to work intermittently but its unstable and everything else in Windows won't play, only Cubase sometimes when I route it to those channels (weird)

2. When I run Cubase routed to stereo outs 3+4, for some reason it somehow takes exclusive control of the sound output and nothing else will play simultaneously until I close Cubase. Why won't say Windows Media player or winamp or youtube etc play while Cubase is on ? I've never seen this before with my previous sound cards using Cubase. Would really love some help on this

3. As I mentioned earlier, I use outs 3 and 4.  But sometimes theres a bug where audio cuts off from the Left channel aka output 3 (the right is still on). Then I notice in the Mixer that its trying to play the left channel out of channel 1 instead of 3 (and obviously since theres no connection from 1 to my speaker I dont hear it).  If I reboot my machine the problem is solved and its playing back on channel 3.  Weird. 

4. Another bug is in the volume control.  To adjust both channels 3 and 4 at the same time, I set the knob to L3. and then Adjust both. But sometimes it only adjusts 4 and 3 isn't affected.  sometimes 3 goes to 0 while 4 plays as normal.  What is going on there?
Also, is there a way to LINK channels in the mixer so that I can move the faders of 2 outs simultaneously? Seems silly if this isn't possible as most people listen to 2 channels at the same volume in stereo lol.

Please help guys! this stuff is killing my workflow.  Thanks!

2 Reply by MC

  • MC
  • MC
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  • From: Germany/Thailand
  • Registered: 2007-04-06
  • Posts: 25,599

Re: Fireface 400 problems (Windows 7 32-bit)

1. Are you sure you did not overlook the entry 'Loudspeaker Fireface 400' (= analog 1/2)?
4. Hotkey L. See TotalMix menu.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

  • Registered: 2010-03-11
  • Posts: 17

Re: Fireface 400 problems (Windows 7 32-bit)

thank you very much for the quick reply. I am pretty sure before I switched to 3+4 ,I did guess it was Loudspeaker but I had issues with that especially when switching between various audio applications. I will test again though.  One thing I am not understanding is how I need to route things to diff outputs and how they affect each other. If Cubase takes hold of 3+4, why can't Windows music applications like winamp or windows media player no longer use those outs, since they worked before Cubase was opened?

Also, any clarification on the bugs where the audio jumps to a diff out that I didn't intend to randomly? or the volume bug?
thanks!

4 Reply by j0hnglist (edited by j0hnglist 2010-05-12 16:50:15)

  • Registered: 2010-03-11
  • Posts: 17

Re: Fireface 400 problems (Windows 7 32-bit)

OK thanks to the search feature, I figured out all my issues. In case anybody else has similar issues:

1. Yes, the "Speakers" option in the sound devices list in Windows 7 worked and now Outputs 1 and 2 play perfectly. Thank you MC for clarifying this.

2. So apparently by design, Asio applications take a stronghold of those sound sources.  So, to get Cubase and my PC to play sound at the same time, I basically configured channels 1 and 2 to be the default windows sound.  Then I hooked up channels 3 and 4 to be the source for Cubase. I then used TotalMix (in the Submix section) to route channels 3 and 4 to the main stereo outs. So Now I have sound from all my sound sources.  It was pretty easy to do once I understood how. 

4. I didn't realize that when you hold the hardware knob for a long time when in Channel Select mode, it toggles between Link ON and OFF. I accidentally toggled it off. So last nite I held it again, set it to ON and now my volume changes affect both linked channels simultaneously. 

For the Bug I had in 3, hopefully now that I am routing different sound source to diff channels, I wont encounter these types of issues which seemed to happen when I was switching sound sources frequently that all were pointed to the same outputs.


Thanks.