• Registered: 2015-01-13
  • Posts: 7

Topic: Help Babyface please!

Hello!

I'm trying to properly setup a silver and blue babyface and have hit my head on the desk for quite some hours. The first issue was that once setup there was no audio in the headphones, either one of them. After lot of trial and error, and referencing manual finally I found out about "TotalMix Fx" which for some reason was nowhere on the CD that came with the Babyfaces.

Strangely, TotalMixFX was also nowhere to be found to download even when going to the support website and selecting the Babyface product, all that was shown was the 1068 driver update, the firmware update download, and Digicheck download.

Finally after doing some heavy googling, I found a link in a forum here to a zip file with TotalMixfix and after running that, like by magic suddenly we had Audio in the Headphones on playback etc.

The next problem adding a couple more bumps on the head was getting Live Audio Monitoring to work. I was using Audacity, tried many different things, 'software playback' in edit preferences, tried using computer built-in soundcard/interface for the audio monitoring but too much delay/latency so obviously I needed to get it to work through headphone jack direct on babyface.

Well I finally found out that if I enabled REVERB or ECHO inside TotalMix FX, all the sudden I have Live Audio Monitoring in terms that I can hear in the headphones whatever I'm saying through the microphone in basically more or less realtime it seemed.

So here's my problem now, I don't see how I can DISABLE the "through" audio so I don't hear myself in the headphones but to still have REVERB and AUDIO enabled so that I can RECORD the TotalMix FX "wet" signal.

(ALSO though, how do I do LIVE Audio Monitoring without Reverb or FX enabled? Right now I can only hear myself in the headphones if I have Reverb or Echo enabled in Totalmix, I have not figured out how to monitor myself Dry without reverb or echo with just TotalMix. I was able to do this with Kristal Audio Engine with it's "monitor" feature on the track and Echo/Reverb disabled on the TotalMix, that way I can hear my dry voice in headphones for live "dry" monitoring, but this doesn't work with Audacity since it seems Audacity doesn't support ASIO so I was hoping I could just have TotalMixFx do it, and it works but only if I enable Reverb or Echo and I'd like to also be able to hear it dry since Audacity can't record TotalMix Reverb anyway, or can it?)

So how should I record the TotalMix FX's Reverb or Echo so that my recorded WAVE file has a wet signal in it with the fx? I was able to do that only with KRISTAL AUDIO ENGINE not with AUDACITY, but I did it by enabling "loopback" in the TotalMixFX hardware output for Analog 1/2 of babyface.

The problem with this though is that when I try to record a Second Track inside Kristal Audio Engine (using ASIO) I get bleeding of the 1st track playing back into my second track recorded. This doesn't happen if I disable the "loopback" in hardware output it seems but then I miss out on recording the wet totalmix's reverb signal to file. Any solutions?

Thanks!

  • Registered: 2015-01-13
  • Posts: 7

Re: Help Babyface please!

Oh boy, sorry but Totalmix is turning into totalmess for me sad
After fiddling forever I finally had totalmix doing live monitor through headphones of dry signal not just wet/reverb etc (by setting Main's assign button for everything to none except Main out to PH 3/4)

I had also tried the 'loopback' button on AN 1/2 hardware output and confirmed Kristal Audio recorded the wet signal. But before I could get a chance to check if loopback enabling also leaks 1st track audio into second track recording, I had wanted to be 'smart' and SAVE the "mix" as a preset, so I clicked to 'store' and gave it a name etc. Anyway this saving stuff broke everything it seems. Now there's no audio coming through headphones regardless if FX/reverb/echo is enabled or not. I can still playback audio that I previously recorded in Kristal Audio, but if I try to record something its blank no signal. I tried exiting and reopening totalmix, next I'll try disconnecting babyface from USB and reconnecting.

  • Registered: 2015-01-13
  • Posts: 7

Re: Help Babyface please!

Ok now its kind of working again, now TotalMix FX does not do any live monitoring at all still but I can record again in Kristal Audio etc, I get an input signal. But in TotalMix FX I can't hear myself in the headphones anymore even when I enable FX/reverb/echo, no sound comes out. But if I click the 'monitor' button on the track inside Kristal Audio Engine then I can monitor myself, at least the dry signal. Strangely I checked in TotalMix FX preferences and noticed that ASIO Direct Monitoring was set to be DISABLED, I though Kristal Audio was using that ASIO ADM monitoring but its working even with that enabled, doesn't seem to make a difference if I enable or disable it.

Anyway, now I just want a way to record the totalmix's Reverb into the wave file again. I wish there was a way to upload Screenshots on here.

  • Registered: 2015-01-13
  • Posts: 7

Re: Help Babyface please!

OK, finally I got it working again, reset levels properly etc and now I can do Live Audio Monitoring with TotalMix FX both dry and wet/FX/reverb or combination of reverb+dry or just wet signal. I can also disable monitoring with TotalMix FX by turning the meters/sliders (including small fx slider) all the way down on AN 1 in the hardware inputs and then I just click the track "monitor" icon in Kristal Audio and I can hear myself in the headphones.  It will be in left ear only but a quick hit on the "Mono" in the ControlRoom Settings fixes that and sends same signal to both ears.

BUT I still can not record a WET signal to file other than enabling LOOPBACK inside AN 1/2 hardware output strip. I guess this is ok if its the 1st and only track being recorded, but if you are laying down a SECOND track and have loopback enabled you end up with the previous track blended into the currently live recorded audio track.

So is there another way I can record the FX (reverb/echo etc) wet signal that TotalMix creates into a recorded audio file?

Thanks!

  • Registered: 2015-01-13
  • Posts: 7

Re: Help Babyface please!

AH! Finally! I think I have it working, I believe what did it is changing the routing on the software playback channels from AN 1/2 to PH 3/4 so this way using LOOPBACK does record FX/wet signal with reverb from totalmix fx without bleeding the previous tracks into current recording.

I'm EXHAUSTED!! I think enough audio for today! big_smile

  • Registered: 2015-01-13
  • Posts: 7

Re: Help Babyface please!

Oh and one more thing to add, looking back its possible that I broke the totalmix fx setup when I tried to "save" my working or partly working preset because I think I assumed I could click on one of the "open" unsaved "mix" settings and then click "store"
But I guess those were not empty and when I clicked one it probably changed my settings and actually 'loaded' some defaults or something. Now I realize that after I get my settings right I must first click "store" button and then select slot where to save to.

The routing could be improved, probably I had too much a headache, I should of realized sooner that the software playback routing to 1/2 would give me tracks bleeding on recording new track and should of sent it to PH 3/4, makes sense.

I'm a computer geek but you audio geeks are way over my geekness! big_smile
But if this isn't supposed to be just a product for the el33t could use a little tiny bit of Apple design, or some joe schmoe wizard or common presets smile

  • Registered: 2015-01-13
  • Posts: 7

Re: Help Babyface please!

Oh but congrats on the "hardware" Apple-is fancy design! And also would be good to include something about TotalMix FX in the support downloads for the product or include it on the CD. Ok enough talking to myself today, maybe I've earned bit more points towards future ubergeekness status, hope everyone's sleeping well in Uberland.

8 Reply by judelaw (edited by judelaw 2022-01-16 14:57:14)

  • Registered: 2022-01-06
  • Posts: 57

Re: Help Babyface please!

It seems the forum is full of such unanswered cries for help. They are videos on youtube from rme but it's painfull : For one long minute the rme youtuber guy tells you to subscribe and and that he's going to tell you how toltalmix fx works, then he slowly "explains"(not really) how some stuff work for a minute and a half, and that's it, your 2 and a half minutes youtube video is finished and there's no stuff that really helps.

  • ramses
  • DAW Mastermind
  • Offline
  • From: UTC+1
  • Registered: 2012-10-14
  • Posts: 13,173

Re: Help Babyface please!

https://forum.rme-audio.de/viewtopic.php?id=34394

BR Ramses - UFX III, 12Mic, XTC, ADI-2 Pro FS R BE, RayDAT, X10SRi-F, E5-1680v4, Win10Pro22H2, Cub14
  • mkok
  • DAW Mastermind
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2020-11-04
  • Posts: 632

Re: Help Babyface please!

Like most things these days you rarely get a dvd with products. All the firmware and software versions are easy to find on the RME webpage where you will be directed to the right ones provided you know what version your OS is.

I actually think RME have done a good job. Admittedly TotalMix does cause a bit of head scratching at the beginning but there are plenty of videos that make it clear.

Babyface Pro Fs, Behringer ADA8200, win 10/11 PCs, Cubase/Wavelab, Adam A7X monitors.