• Registered: 2019-01-01
  • Posts: 3

Topic: ADI-2 Pro Signal flow for small studio

Hey guys,

I've been using my UFX for years in and really enjoy it, however, mine is quite worn and missing a knob. I'm thinking of taking this chance to upgrade to the ADI-2 Pro. I never used TotalMix FX other than to adjust volume and instead monitored through my DAW (reaper and reason) and the latency was just fine for vocal/guitar overdubs and VSTi playing. My headphone mix for vocals was just the DAW output as well mirrored. I also never used more than 2 channels at a time! My only uses in my studio are 1 or 2 channel overdubs and some light mastering through a small hardware mastering chain.

Could some of you RME experts help me these few questions:

1. How would this signal chain look for sending out to my mastering comp while hearing the results through my monitors to make adjustments at the same time? I understand how my studio monitors and external preamps would look for tracking, but this other use isn't clear to me even after staring at page 38 of the manual with the routing diagram for multi-channel 6in/8out mode. Daniel kindly confirmed it's possible to do what I'm asking with the ADI-2 Pro, however I can't wrap my head around how.

2. For my studio, is this the best option? Should I just forget it and go with the babyface pro to make it easier...? Would I have to get an additional piece of hardware with the BFP to make what I'm talking about happen like an additional converter since there are only physically 2 xlr outs on it...?

3. Am I missing a PCIe option that could do be better/cheaper? I know next to nothing about these.

Thank you all for your time.

2 Reply by ramses (edited by ramses 2019-01-01 13:58:19)

  • ramses
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Re: ADI-2 Pro Signal flow for small studio

My recommendation to you is to

1. stay with the UFX to keep the flexibility of TM FX in terms of routing.

2. add the ADI-2 Pro to your setup (via ADAT or AES) to enhance the quality of D/A conversion towards monitors and phones, also for A/D if needed.

In this blog article I put together how easy it is to integrate an ADI-2 Pro/* to your setup: https://www.tonstudio-forum.de/blog/ind … our-Setup/

If you should not require the capabilities of the ADI-2 Pro FS as phones preamp, no dynamic loudness, no PEQ, etc,
then you can also take the ADI-2 FS as simple and straightforward 2 channel AD/DA converter, which you can connect to your UFX via ADAT.

But I would recommend you to take the ADI-2 Pro FS, because the phones preamp section is extremely sweet in terms of high quality D/A conversion and features.

Additionally you could repair the knob of the UFX.

The UFX is still a phantastic unit that I would definitively keep to still have the option to use DURec for recordings.
Either standalone or as backup to DAW recording.

I am also overdubbing a lot (playing guitar). Meanwhile I use my UFX+ as tape dec and do not require all the overhead anymore to record with a DAW.

One of my use cases is that MusicBee performs playback of Music (lossles).
Guitar I am recording with two Mics (SM57 and 906).
I am recording
- 2 channels music playback
- 2 mics and
- the Guitar, which I plug to the instr channel of my UFX+ (then I can even reamp whenever I want/need)

From my UFX+ I have one cable to my amp (and an overdrive in between)
and the UFX I use additionally to build a parallel effect loop for my amp, to keep the punch of the amp.
In a serial effect loop the sound quality decreases when the signal has to run through two Multi Effect.
Setup described here: https://www.tonstudio-forum.de/blog/ind … arren-Rig/

So keep your UFX and TotalMix FX as a basis for your recording rig. It gives you so much flexibility and options.
Get simply the ADI-2 Pro FS on top to enhance this unit with high quality AD/DA conversion where needed (monitors, phones, recording from vinyl, etc ...).

BR Ramses - UFX III, 12Mic, XTC, ADI-2 Pro FS R BE, RayDAT, X10SRi-F, E5-1680v4, Win10Pro22H2, Cub14
  • Registered: 2019-01-01
  • Posts: 3

Re: ADI-2 Pro Signal flow for small studio

Thanks for your suggestions ramses!

Part of my post was that I was trying to avoid a lot of the hookup and routing hassle by having a unit that has less going on. While incredibly impressive, I simply would not get around to using both the UFX and adi-2 pro together probably ever. I should have mentioned, but I'm much more likely to use the UFX in a different location for drum tracking or even your re-amping scheme, and keep the adi-2 pro at the home studio as well as travel.

If I were to have only the adi-2 pro in one location like I originally asked, what would that look like routing wise?

  • ramses
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Re: ADI-2 Pro Signal flow for small studio

As you want this device anyway I would suggest you try it out whether it fits your functional and workflow requirements.

BR Ramses - UFX III, 12Mic, XTC, ADI-2 Pro FS R BE, RayDAT, X10SRi-F, E5-1680v4, Win10Pro22H2, Cub14

5 Reply by ryryrye (edited by ryryrye 2019-04-02 16:48:37)

  • Registered: 2019-01-01
  • Posts: 3

Re: ADI-2 Pro Signal flow for small studio

What in the world are you talking about?

'you want this device anyway I would suggest you try it out whether it fits your functional and workflow requirements'- this is an indirect way of calling someone dumb for not wanting to find something that fits their needs or simply decides to get something for no practical reason. I'm on your forum TRYING to figure out more about your product... that's the opposite thing you're saying I'm doing.

I'm sorry if my ignorance of your product line is offensive; I make music for a living and I'm not the best with computers.

Could you pretty please with a cherry on top answer the original question of how signal flow would look for sending audio out of the adi-2 pro to an outboard compressor and then back in? AKA using as your only interface in the studio

6 Reply by ramses (edited by ramses 2019-04-02 16:53:33)

  • ramses
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Re: ADI-2 Pro Signal flow for small studio

This was a completely honest neutral statement to try it out.

Why try it out ? To see whether the ADI-2 Pro FS fits your requirement for your work at home.

It has no TM FX.

So if you want to route you need
- to operate it in multichannel mode and
- then do the routing in the DAW

This has eventually acceptable RTL latency over USB for you .. but you need to try.

And as you intend to get the ADI-2 Pro FS anyway ... get it .. with some luck 30d money back ..  try it out .. decide.

Nothing more I wanted to say. You misinterpreted my posting and intention fully.

BR Ramses - UFX III, 12Mic, XTC, ADI-2 Pro FS R BE, RayDAT, X10SRi-F, E5-1680v4, Win10Pro22H2, Cub14

7 Reply by MC

  • MC
  • MC
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Re: ADI-2 Pro Signal flow for small studio

Solution here?

https://www.forum.rme-audio.de/viewtopic.php?id=28568

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

  • jchan
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Re: ADI-2 Pro Signal flow for small studio

I have the FF800 and the ADI-2 Pro but only used the FF800 occasionally when needing a preamp (using spdif IO) but I never hooked them up together with FF800 as MASTER until I read your setup tip ramses.

Dont I loose anything of the ADI-2 Pro great properties when using the FF800 as master and the ADI-2 Pro as slave?
Do I use SRC on the ADI-2 Pro?
Any preference of connecting the FF800 and ADI-2 Pro, Spdif or Adat?

9 Reply by ramses (edited by ramses 2019-04-22 17:56:04)

  • ramses
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Re: ADI-2 Pro Signal flow for small studio

jchan wrote:

I have the FF800 and the ADI-2 Pro but only used the FF800 occasionally when needing a preamp (using spdif IO) but I never hooked them up together with FF800 as MASTER until I read your setup tip ramses.

1- Dont I loose anything of the ADI-2 Pro great properties when using the FF800 as master and the ADI-2 Pro as slave?
2- Do I use SRC on the ADI-2 Pro?
3- Any preference of connecting the FF800 and ADI-2 Pro, Spdif or Adat?

to 1: according to RME the final D/A conversion is being performed by the internal clock of the ADI-2 *
So there is no issue if you use the clock of your primary recording interface which has routing capabilites, i.e. by TM FX.

to 2: no you just use the sample rate which you want / require.
If you have an i.e. 44.1 kHz audio material, then upsampling doesn't add any quality. You typically use SRC in situation, where one of your devices only i.e. 48 kHz, but your DAW project uses a different sample frequency.

to 3: it doesn't matter whether you take SPDIF or ADAT, both is lossless transmission of digital data.
I personally prefer optical cables because then you have a galvanic isolation between two devices.

BR Ramses - UFX III, 12Mic, XTC, ADI-2 Pro FS R BE, RayDAT, X10SRi-F, E5-1680v4, Win10Pro22H2, Cub14