Hi,

i have a PCI HDSP 9632 with an AI4S (4 analogue input expansion board) it's the older card (not PCIe)
i'm sending DAW midi to a hardware synth and taking the analogue outputs from the synth back into the RME card on the AI4S

the problem is at this point.. i'm hearing audio from the synth when i shouldn't hear anything.
the DAWs (samplitude & Live 9) have no audio channels configures and the master buss show no audio signal present
but i can still hear audio.. even with the DAW master fader down to zero.

it's as if direct monitoring is on but it's disabled in preferences.

i can see the audio signal arriving in totalmix on the AI4S inputs (expected)
i can also see audio leaving on the main master bus.

but i shouldn't be hearing anything at this point, not until i bring up the audio fader within the DAW..
when i do bring up the audio fader, i hear the sound doubled (slight phasing and more level)

i've re-installed the drivers and haven't changed any settings.

can anybody suggest a solution ?
i've spent all day on this & can't figure it out..

system specs:
RME HDSP 9632 PCI with AI4S (latest driver version 4.1)
windows 10 x64
asus p8p67 deluxe mobo
16 GB ram
nvidia 7100 GS graphics card