Hey,

what is the power consumption of the BFP, when its connected to my Mac and the Mac is asleep? Macs always power thru their USB ports. The unit never gets unlit.

Sometimes when I touch the babyface pro, I get a small static discharge. Is this safe for the unit >?

Thanks !

Hi,

I wrote before about my Babyface Pro clipping my monitors, so I had to get a passive volume knob for my monitors to solve the problem. Now I have had a different problem with it for a while.

What happens is that when I listen to music, the music can suddenly sound distorted. It's like a digital distortion, most noticeable in the lows, especially on kick drums etc. The physical signal metering lights on the Babyface Pro are in the reds, and the clipping light is on. It doesn't seem relevant to Windows 10, because it can happen when listening to wav/FLAC in VLC, and it can just as well happen in Spotify/YouTube. The only way to get rid of the clipping is by unplugging the USB cable from the Babyface, then replugging it. The Babyface then reconnects and plays the music normally. In other words, the clipping doesn't seem to come from the actual sound source, nor the sound player.

Has anybody had this issue? I'm on Windows 10 and i haven't been able to pinpoint the cause or trigger for this. I don't know exactly what triggers this clipping, and I don't know if it's related to something deeper in Windows 10, or if it's the RME drivers or if the unit's hardware is defect in some way.

I always figured this pesky Windows behaviour was widely known amongst sound pro's. It has passed on this forum several times, IIRC.

Matthias, I hope you have the time to watch the video I will link just below.

I found a semi-reliable way to reproduce this clipping issue on Windows 10 (it doesn't seem to happen in Windows 7). If my RME BabyFace Pro is idle and I hit play in for example VLC, to play a song, then it usually takes half a second for the BabyFace Pro to play the song. If I manage to play another sound from another source within this time, then both VLC and the other source will start playing at the same time. When this happens, it seems as if something triggers within Windows and makes the signal clip (it's actually clipping, both visually on the level meters of the RME BabyFace and audibly from the speakers).

Here is what I mean - I hope you can watch the whole 5 minutes:

https://youtu.be/KixrjoO32xs

Is this some issue with the RME drivers for Windows 10, or is it an issue within Windows 10? What do you think?

Edit: Yes I was correct, I cannot reproduce this under Windows 7 - only in Windows 10 so far.

Thanks for the quick reply!

I uninstalled everything I could think of that had the potential to affect the audio stream in Windows 10 - Skype, Spotify and some other things. Rebooted and tested again - still clipping. Uninstalled my second soundcard (ASUS Xonar DGX) which I use with my gaming headset for whenever I do some gaming - after a reboot, still same issue. Went into Device Manager and removed all hidden and unused audio devices - rebooted and tried again to no avail. Reinstalled the RME drivers and rebooted - still same behaviour.

Then I had an idea: what if I try to reproduce this bug with Microsoft Edge as the YouTube player, instead of Google Chrome? To my surprise - I cannot reproduce this bug in Microsoft Edge! It's only happening in Google Chrome. I checked Chrome for any audio settings but couldn't find any.

Then I did the same test again - play a local music file and something else at the same time. Instead of playing something from YouTube, I tried playing a local music file + Spotify together to see if that bug would arise again. It didn't.

It seems as if it only happens in Google Chrome so far. That's weird. Also, when I boot into Windows 7 and try the same thing there (play local music file + Chrome and YouTube), it doesn't clip. Seems to be a combination of Windows 10 and Google Chrome.

If this is a fault in Windows/Chrome causing my BabyFace Pro to clip, then I guess I can live with that. The most important thing is that it doesn't do this under Windows 7 where I work with audio and music.

Does anyone know what the external adapters power requirements are for operating in CC Mode?  (I am sorry if this has been asked before I do not see a way to search text)

I may have misplaced the correct adapter when moving my home a few months back (everything is in boxes), but I recall finding on the web that the Babyface Pro needs something in the power range of the 9-12 volts DC @ 1.5A for operating in CC Mode. What I found in one of my boxes was an adapter that outputs 12 volts DC @ 3A.  It looks like the right unit and even fits the Babyface Pro, but I am afraid of smoking the device if I were to plug it in.

Does anyone know what the external adapters power requirements are?  Thanks in advance for any help.

@Danny_DJ

So, what you're saying is although the output of the wall transformer (switching power supply) outputs 12v @ 3A that spec is "potential" and not absolute?  The Babyface Pro will only pull what it can handle and not damage it by overloading?

The amperage spec on the transformer is what the transformer can output in terms of amperage. If a device tries to pull more than 3A from that particular transformer, then I guess the transformer could malfunction (not sure about any side effects from that, maybe a burnt transformer?).

More importantly, you should be very careful with voltages. Voltage is pushed, while amperage is pulled. If you plug in 30 V to a device that requires 12 V, that device WILL get 30 V whether it likes it or not. Components will get damaged in that case.

I need a reliable audio/midi interface for integrating my ipad pro in my live performance setup and the babyface pro seems to be a promising solution. For example for using it with my vocoder app, I would need the midi in, a mic in and two line outs simultaneously. Does anybody use the bf in a similar setup and can confirm that it works stable and reliably? And (less important) can I power the bf with some kind of battery pack?

It would be great if you could share your experiences.

Greetings from Berlin
Anton

Nope, because your device will be pulling as much amperage as it needs to function and that will be the limit of how much amperage there is in the entire circuit, including the transformer.

It's like if you try to suck air through a pipe, the amount of air you suck out from the pipe on your end will be the same amount of air flowing into the pipe from the other end. It's the same with amperage in electrical circuits. So, to keep it short, always be very careful with voltage ratings on gear because that is the 99% most likely reason something will fry if you get that wrong.

>  Question 1A: Using USB bus power only, Would it be possible to wire up a USB cable with an in-line switch on the +5v and or -5v lines?

Do not break the ground, but +5 V only. And yes, that would work.

>   Question 1B: With an external PSU attached, would it be possible to cut the +/-5v lines on a USB cable, using it for Data only?  Power on/off would be through the PSU (AC mains switch).

With an external PSU attached, the current flowing over USB is zero. So other than breaking the gound connection there is no need to do so. This scheme (only connectiing data lines) can also harm the sensitive USB chips, so it is not recommended.

>    #2: Digitising Vinyl recordings

Requires an external RIAA preamplifier, as the mic inputs (or Line inputs) do not have the correct resistive impedance and capacitive load needed for a MC or MM system to sound best.

>  Question 3: Would using OUT 3/4 be best advised (TRS>dual RCA phono) as per the manual if I read it correctly?

You have both choices. Get a fitting XLR  cable or use analog 3/4. An advantage of 3/4 could be that the output level at the small TRS output (+7 dBu) might fit RCA equipment better than the XLR output (+13 dBu, BF Pro XLR unbalanced).

1. Yes and Yes.
2. Yes.

TM FX must run in the systray, but does not need to have open or visible windows.

Hi, just bought BFP and now make a choose for headphones. Please confirm that 250Ohm & 91dB will sound a loud on 1/4" jack

Open style beyerdynamic DT-990 Pro 250 Ohm 96dB for example, because 32Ohm version is very hard to buy on local second hand market.

Loudness is very subjective variable agreed, but I have In-Ear Sony XBA-Z5 connected to 1/8" jack is enought at 60-70% level

Which one? Z5 or dt990?

Having trouble getting BF P to work with iPad Air 2 and electric guitar, straight in on channel 3 or 4. I have it coming up in CC mode, and can hear it in headphones if I launch TotalMix FX. I can continue to hear it after minimizing or even closing out TotalMix. But none of the apps I have tried it with seem to get any level from the guitar: Samplr, Flux-FX are two. Settings shows the BF P selected, I am using the provided (and have tried other) USB cables into an Apple Camera to Lightning connector. Further, I do not hear any other audio coming through the headphones, such as from YouTube videos playing in Safari. I am using an external power supply, 9 volt, center positive, 400mA.
I hope someone can help!
Thanks!

Thank you for quick replies. Is this routing done using TotalMix? Will it also resolve the issue of playing music files or YouTube videos, to have that sound come through the BFP?

Hello, I was wondering about an external preamp connected to babyface inputs 3+4.

Even level matched, it sounds noticeably better thru input 1+2 (set at 0 gain) than through 3+4 (at +4db) setting.

I am using a very short balanced jack cable from the pre balanced out into input 3. Is this the best way to do it?

Hello everyone, just bought my babyface, I'm new to audio recording and I have a doubt:

I have a digital piano with unbalanced outputs (1/4 jacks "mono" unbalanced). I know that de TRS instrument inputs of the Babyface are unbalanced, but are they "stereo" or "mono". Say, I would need something like this?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Seismic-Audio-I … Swu4BV5jy1

Being the mono males out the digital piano and the stereo male to the babyface?

Or just two regular TS-TS mono cables?

Thank you!!

So, another doubt: in recording the audio, I'll be actually recording 2 tracks in mono, right?

The DAW will recognize this as a stereo recording or I'll need to merge the two tracks to make a stereo one out of the two mono?

Understood, thanks again!

Just one last question (sorry, I'm drifting a little here): I want to connect my keyboard (kawai mp7) to my studio monitors. My keyboard have unbalanced outs (TS) and the monitors have balanced ins (XLR and TRS).

I have two TRS to XLR cables. Can I use these to connect them? Like, TRS on the TS jack (out) of the piano and XLR (in) to the monitors? I'm assuming I will have some sound loss in the process, but other than that is it okay?