1 Topic by lucasheight (edited by lucasheight 2020-04-20 00:39:17)

  • From: Australia
  • Registered: 2020-04-20
  • Posts: 11

Topic: RME Fireface UFX ii problem with Microsoft Surfacebook 2

Background - I have been using RME products since the multiface and card bus days. After this I upgraded to a Fireface 400 and about 2 years ago started using primarily a Babyface Pro with the Fireface 400 as an AD converter into the Babyface.
The Babyface Pro has been rock solid on this Surfacebook 2.

Recently I purchased the UFX ii to enable more IO and reduce clutter on my desk by mounting in a rack.
After installing the new interface everything appeared great. Playback through the unit performs well, live routing all fine. Only when I started to monitor inputs over ASIO when recording into Ableton did I notice the issue.
It appears that as soon as I hit a key on the computer keyboard it causes this distortion. Kind of like being played through a ring modulator. After a moment or two the sound returns back to normal until I hit a computer keyboard key again.I have tried with Cubase 10.5 and the same issue is present.

This is a fresh install of Windows 10 with only the RME driver and Ableton Live Suite 10.1.3 installed. No other peripherals are attached to the laptop, the power mode is on best performance. Wifi disbled or enabled does not make a difference. I have tried all USB ports (2) and have tried a USB-C hub with USB 2 ports and the same problem exists.
Tried changing USB cables

Driver: 0.9716
Hardware Revision: 20

I have made a short video that highlights the issue. Please excuse the background noise in the video.
https://youtu.be/O_nQ0ODtDS4

Can anyone offer a clue, is the unit defective?

Regards
Lynden

=========================================================
OS Name    Microsoft Windows 10 Pro
Version    10.0.18362 Build 18362
Other OS Description     Not Available
OS Manufacturer    Microsoft Corporation
System Name    PLUTO
System Manufacturer    Microsoft Corporation
System Model    Surface Book 2
System Type    x64-based PC
System SKU    Surface_Book_1793
Processor    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-8650U CPU @ 1.90GHz, 2112 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 8 Logical Processor(s)
BIOS Version/Date    Microsoft Corporation 389.2837.768, 21/08/2019
SMBIOS Version    3.1
Embedded Controller Version    255.255
BIOS Mode    UEFI
BaseBoard Manufacturer    Microsoft Corporation
BaseBoard Product    Surface Book 2
BaseBoard Version    Not Available
Platform Role    Slate
Secure Boot State    On
PCR7 Configuration    Elevation Required to View
Windows Directory    C:\WINDOWS
System Directory    C:\WINDOWS\system32
Boot Device    \Device\HarddiskVolume1
Locale    United Kingdom
Hardware Abstraction Layer    Version = "10.0.18362.752"
Username    PLUTO\lynde
Time Zone    AUS Eastern Standard Time
Installed Physical Memory (RAM)    16.0 GB
Total Physical Memory    15.9 GB
Available Physical Memory    9.64 GB
Total Virtual Memory    18.8 GB
Available Virtual Memory    10.9 GB
Page File Space    2.88 GB
Page File    C:\pagefile.sys
Kernel DMA Protection    Off
Virtualisation-based security    Not enabled
Device Encryption Support    Elevation Required to View
Hyper-V - VM Monitor Mode Extensions    Yes
Hyper-V - Second Level Address Translation Extensions    Yes
Hyper-V - Virtualisation Enabled in Firmware    Yes
Hyper-V - Data Execution Protection    Yes

  • From: Australia
  • Registered: 2020-04-20
  • Posts: 11

Re: RME Fireface UFX ii problem with Microsoft Surfacebook 2

Just bumping this, any takers?
I have tried the unit on 2 desktops since with mixed results.
First desktop, a fairly recent Intel I7 PC it work fine one the USB I randomly picked.

Second desktop, a 6 year old Intel I7, works depending what USB port it is plugged into. When it was sharing a hub with other devices the noise when recording would manifest. This was kind of expected according to the manual.

What can I do for the surface book 2? It has the same issue regardless of whether the UFX ii is sharing a hub or not.


Regards
Lynden

  • From: Australia
  • Registered: 2020-04-20
  • Posts: 11

Re: RME Fireface UFX ii problem with Microsoft Surfacebook 2

Hello again
I haven’t had any luck getting this to work properly with the surface book 2. As soon as I record or hit any key on the sb2 sound is garbled, much like a ring modulator. This sound lasts for a minute then returns to normal, doesn’t matter what buffer size is used or whether network is on or off. And no, I’m not prepared to use only a mouse to drive my daw.
Also I have a baby face pro and it works flawlessly with the sb2, what is different on the USB interface between these two devices that could cause this?
Could there be a problem with the unit as the sb2 meets the minimum requirements for the manual:
•  Windows 7 or up, Intel Mac OS X (10.6 or up) •  1 x USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 port •  Computer with at least Intel Core i3 CPU

Thanks in advance

4 Reply by MC

  • MC
  • MC
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  • From: Germany/Thailand
  • Registered: 2007-04-06
  • Posts: 24,837

Re: RME Fireface UFX ii problem with Microsoft Surfacebook 2

The BF Pro uses a different method to transfer audio, a method that is not the standard and is limited in the number of channels. Of course the BF Pro also transmits less data (less channels). The UFX II uses isochronous streaming, so your test just shows that the USB controller of your computer does not support a standard transfer method correctly.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

  • From: Australia
  • Registered: 2020-04-20
  • Posts: 11

Re: RME Fireface UFX ii problem with Microsoft Surfacebook 2

MC wrote:

The BF Pro uses a different method to transfer audio, a method that is not the standard and is limited in the number of channels. Of course the BF Pro also transmits less data (less channels). The UFX II uses isochronous streaming, so your test just shows that the USB controller of your computer does not support a standard transfer method correctly.

Thanks for the reply Matthias, is there a way of knowing if a USB controller is compatible with the UFX ii, or a way of testing via software?
I don't want to buy another laptop without knowing if it will work or not.

Thanks and regards
Lynden

6 Reply by lucasheight (edited by lucasheight 2020-05-05 23:29:05)

  • From: Australia
  • Registered: 2020-04-20
  • Posts: 11

Re: RME Fireface UFX ii problem with Microsoft Surfacebook 2

Forgot to mention, would the UFX+ have the same issue? Although I dont have a need for MADI and the additional channels, I could return the UFXii and the additional cost is far less then a top end laptop.
Cheers
Lynden

7 Reply by MC

  • MC
  • MC
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  • From: Germany/Thailand
  • Registered: 2007-04-06
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Re: RME Fireface UFX ii problem with Microsoft Surfacebook 2

The UFX+ will cause even bigger problems on your computer as it has many more channels. That said most laptops should work. The main difference is the available lowest latency, but basic operation is not a known problem for most.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

  • pjm
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  • Registered: 2020-09-25
  • Posts: 1

Re: RME Fireface UFX ii problem with Microsoft Surfacebook 2

Hello, i'm Paul and i'm new member of this forum...i've to buy all new stuff for my new home studio , the pc i have is surface pro 5(2018) . I wanted buy the UFX II but after read this post i'm afraid.

So now i think to a Babyface pro fs but i have 2 xlr mic pre, or arturia audiofuse studio..I'd like have 4 mic pre amps so if i buy rme i have to go to older model like 802 and i don't know if the 802 will have same problems of the UFXII on surface pro 5.

Have you any advice ?
Thank you so much!
Paul