• Registered: 2017-06-30
  • Posts: 8

Topic: RayDat DSP Expansion to access TotalMix FX's effects

I understand that the RayDat does not have a TotalMix FX DSP chip built-in, but was wondering if there is currently any way that one could connect an expansion board (or anything at all) to or from the RayDat that allows RayDat users access to the effects in the Total Mix FX?

Perhaps something that doesn't cost more than the RayDat itself?

2 Reply by ramses (edited by ramses 2018-03-22 10:17:37)

  • ramses
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  • Registered: 2012-10-14
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Re: RayDat DSP Expansion to access TotalMix FX's effects

Not to my knowledge.

This solution would come closest to your requirements, look at my blog article:
https://www.tonstudio-forum.de/blog/ind … ME-RayDAT/

Maybe with an used UFX to reduce the price tag a little, but if you look on ebay, the wave of UFX sellers (because of UFX+ and UFX II) is over and many UFX found their new home already.

I think its a good but not an ideal solution. You have at the beginning more work to set it up and later you might discover, that the RME USB driver work so good, that it is not required to build up this more complex solution.
Normally you would add Mic Preamps or AD/DA converter to a RayDAT.

But I kept the RayDAT, shall I have an issue with my Recording interface or shall it be elsewhere in the studio, that I can use this built-in card to connect my nearfield speakers directly via AES (RL906D).

I think it would be better to get the RME UFX II directly then you have all the advantages of the latest design and DuRec !

BR Ramses - UFX III, 12Mic, XTC, ADI-2 Pro FS R BE, RayDAT, X10SRi-F, E5-1680v4, Win10Pro22H2, Cub14
  • vinark
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Re: RayDat DSP Expansion to access TotalMix FX's effects

Do you need reverb and delay or the compressors and eq? I use a EMU 1212m for fx via adat and have a reverb and delay set up that way, accessible from totalmix of my HDSP9652. It is a PCI card though. And is not really working on win10. But I already had it and it is a second win7 64 machine. Perfect for recording vocals and synths that need a litle fx while singing/playing.

Vincent, Amsterdam
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BFpro fs, 2X HDSP9652 ADI-8AE, 2X HDSP9632
  • Registered: 2017-06-30
  • Posts: 8

Re: RayDat DSP Expansion to access TotalMix FX's effects

Thank you for taking the time to respond. I guess it's relevant to explain why I would've liked to access the FX in the TotalMix; I run a recording studio in a city where competition is fierce (NYC), so I've begun allowing bands to hold rehearsal sessions in the live room. As it goes, I have a Mackie MCU pro, with extension, but no actual console, so I run everything into the digital preamps, through the RayDat, and back out from the digital pre outputs via DB25 to XLR snake, to the P.A system. I have quite a few analog outboard rack units, but it gets too tedious to constantly have to switch physical cables and knobs around between recording, mixing, and live sound applications. Lately, I've been bypassing the analog rack altogether, and running the signals into Pro Tools for processing, and out through TM FX's individual software playback channels.(Which I control using the MCU). So far I have had zero issues with latency, but I know that this is not a sustainable way to achieve digital signal processing for live performance and playback, and it's only a matter of time before latency becomes an issue, and I'm scrambling around the rack again. Having the the EQ, compression, and reverb right in the TotalMix FX would've made things so much easier to achieve my purposes.

It seems obvious now that I'll have to get some other hardware for this purpose. Perhaps the XR16, or something similar. It's a shame that there is no reasonable way to expand the RayDat to be DSP capable. I don't know what the logistics of such an expansion would be, but there are a few RME products out there that use TotalMix FX, but lack the DSP to access the full potential of the software, and I'm sure many users of those products (such as myself) would be willing to shell out a few hundred bucks to simply integrate what we already have along with the full TotalMix software,without requiring complete overhaul of one's entire system.

As far as the Total Mix FX as it currently functions with the RayDat, I am still quite happy with the routing, monitoring, loopback, and host of other features that I can access, I just wish I could get that pesky DSP chip somehow integrated into what I currently have. If RME ever makes such an expansion, I will be the first customer to ever buy it.