Topic: Totalfx Routing for Hardware.

Hi guys, i am new here and also new to RME products. I recently bought a Babyface Pro which sounds great and i am really pleased with it. Having said that i am struggling a little bit with Totalfx. What i am trying to achieve is, i want to connect my 500 series outboard gear but for the life of me can't get it working.

Bear with me here, so my signal chain is, Babyface Pro is linked via ADAT to the Behringer ADA8200. I then connect my Radial Cube to the Behringer as follows. Input from the 500 series goes out into the output 5 of Behringer and then the output from the 500 series back to input 5 of the Behringer. I think that's the correct routing but i am not so technically inclined so i could be wrong. Then i select the same in my Daw which is Reaper. I selected ADAT 5 don't get any signal coming in. Anyone have any advice for me. I am thinking my problem lies within the Totalfx software. I should mention i have ADAT 5 volume in Totalfx engaged.

Thanks in advance for any help guys.

2 (edited by ramses 2021-01-09 14:53:21)

Re: Totalfx Routing for Hardware.

We had such routing topics already in some other threads here on forum which you should be able by usign the search function of the forum or by using google using this pattern to limit the google search to the RME forum:

<search text> site:forum.rme-audio.de

Or look here, which contains some useful diagrams:
https://forum.rme-audio.de/search.php?a … 42&p=2

Its no problem to use outboard gear and to send audio through it as needed. Its simply a routing task.

In your case the AD/DA converter is external, so the channel names differ, "ADAT" x/y instead of "AN" x/y.
The routing part stays the same.

The key is here to use submix mode and what to send to the external device ...
In TM FX you select the HW output to which the external device is connected (ADAT "x" or "x/y", mono or stereo)
and then to create the required submix, which audio you want to send through this external device
by raising the faders of HW inputs and/or SW Playback channels (top and middle row).
HW inputs = inputs on the recording interface or external device
SW playback channels = audio from PC/Applications.

Don't become fooled by TM FX design.
If you send audio to an output then it is not directly sent to the real output on the device.
1st it appears in SW playback channels (kind of "virtual" output).
Then its under your control in TM FX which outputs shall get this audio stream (monitors, phones, etc).

TM FX also offers a simpler mode "DAW mode" where TM FX routing features are turned off.
But then you need to route everything in the DAW (then there are no SW playback channels).

If you want something like this in TM FX as an easier starting point, then you can simulate "DAW mode" in TM FX
by sending audio from SW Playback Channels to the corrensponding HW output.

Easiest such a routing can be performed in TM FX by using a predefined routing:
TM FX: Options -> Reset Mix -> Straight Playback

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

Re: Totalfx Routing for Hardware.

Thank you for your advice, unfortunately i still can't get it working leading me to believe my Behringer ADA8200 is faulty. Maybe you could also answer me a question about my Fireface settings. When i choose my sample rate of 4800Hz for some reason it shows 47800Hz instead. Also when i open up my Daw it converts to 4100Hz even though my Daw is setup for 4800Hz. Quite strange.

4 (edited by ramses 2021-01-09 18:16:35)

Re: Totalfx Routing for Hardware.

The usual sample rates are 44.1 and 48 kHz. You seem to have typos in your text which make it difficult to understand what exactly the situation is.

General advice: check your setup step by step.

Babyface seems to be or should be clock master.
Check / ensure in the RME driver settings that clock source is set to "internal".
On the Behringer ensure that settings are for clock slave, use clock from optical (ADAT).

Check the ADAT ports by loopback test with TOSLINK cable.
One the RME side you can look at the driver settings whether you get a connection.
Change / swap cables to validate both cables, not that one is defective.

Not sure whether this brings something visible on the Behringer side, possibly not.

Then check each transmission direction:
1. receiving direction:
Get a Mic, connect it to 1st ADA8200 port, enable 48V if required (condenser mic).
Do you see a signal on the ADA8200 ? Do you see a signal in TM FX port ADAT 1?
2. sending direction:
Send audio to ADAT1/2 and see whether a signal arrives at the ADA8200 by connecting speaker to output 1/2.

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

Re: Totalfx Routing for Hardware.

Wow thanks so much for that i see signal now. On the Fireface settings side, should it be set to internal or Optical in? What i was saying before is, after i choose my Sample rate of 4800KHz for some reason it shows 47800KHz. I would post an image but i don't see an option for that.

6 (edited by ramses 2021-01-09 20:11:46)

Re: Totalfx Routing for Hardware.

> On the Fireface settings side, should it be set to internal or Optical in?

Already told in post #4 :
Babyface seems to be or should be clock master.
Check / ensure in the RME driver settings that clock source is set to "internal".

> I would post an image but i don't see an option for that.
The usual thing: save image to a cloud (e.g dropbox) and post URL with an image tag.
Either add the tags manually or select the URL with the mouse and click to image icon of the forum editor.
See also: https://www.tonstudio-forum.de/blog/ind … rum-EN-DE/

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

Re: Totalfx Routing for Hardware.

So you choose sample rate on the BF pro and make sure the ada8200 is slave. Where are you seeing the wrong sample rate?

Babyface Pro Fs, Behringer ADA8200, win 10/11 PCs, Cubase/Wavelab, Adam A7X monitors.

Re: Totalfx Routing for Hardware.

Great thank you, i am seeing it in my Fireface settings, this surely can't be normal?

Re: Totalfx Routing for Hardware.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/est5i9bxfryhahs/Capt.PNG?dl=0

10 (edited by ramses 2021-01-09 21:50:35)

Re: Totalfx Routing for Hardware.

Works as designed ;-)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/est5i9bxfryhahs/Capt.PNG?dl=1

You used the pitch function of the driver to reduce the sample rate by -0,417%, see manual chapter 8.2:
https://www.rme-audio.de/download/bface_pro_d.pdf
https://www.rme-audio.de/download/bface_pro_e.pdf

Set the ruler back to the center and you will have 48 kHz again ...

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

Re: Totalfx Routing for Hardware.

Haha i'm an idiot but also a newbie. Thanks for your help guys, its much appreciated.

Re: Totalfx Routing for Hardware.

Don't worry be happy wink

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

Re: Totalfx Routing for Hardware.

Guys is there a way to switch the software playback channels? I am currently having trouble with my outboard gear because it seems my Daw and PC are both using the one playback channel. So when i try for example to compress drums,  i get a lot of feedback and when i play a youtube video i hear an echo, seems like latency.  I seen a video where it shows the Master channels in a Daw being changed to achieve this but my master channels are of course routed to my Speakers so i can't change this. Sorry if this is dumb question but i'm drawing a blank on this.

14 (edited by ramses 2021-01-10 15:07:52)

Re: Totalfx Routing for Hardware.

There is a 1:1 relationship between output channels in the DAW and software playback channels.
The final routing happens then in TM FX where you decide per HW Output which SW playback channel(s)
you want to hear on this particular submix.

This picture shows how you can organize different audio streams on your PC.
I created this picture for another thread, but its also useful here.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/mxkolbbi60pd1n1/TM%20FX%20Audio%20Stream%20Separation%20via%20SW%20Playback%20Channels.jpg?dl=1

Do you see ? You can split audio very nicely by sending audio to different outputs.
The good thing is, at that point its not being send to the real outputs of your recording interface.
Its only being send to "virtual outputs".

Next step in submix mode is to route the required audio to the HW outputs as needed by simply raising the faders of
- HW inputs (audio directly from the HW inputs with near zero latency)
- SW playback channels (audio from PC/ applications with the usual RTL (round trip latency) via USB/FW/etc..)

And this is a diagram which shows you the signal flow when working with external HW.
In Cubase its very easy to define external devices, so that you can use it like a VST.
There you only need to define the HW input and the HW output.
Latency is being calculated automatically.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/heyqmpg42c5i4me/TM%20FX%20Routing%20External%20HW.jpg?dl=1

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

Re: Totalfx Routing for Hardware.

Haha brilliant stuff but this looks like rocket science to me;) Looking at these graphs shows me how i don't know anything about Totalmix Fx. Do you know if there is a video that shows how to achieve this? I should mention i am also using sonarworks reference monitor system so i am wondering would that cause more problems?

16 (edited by ramses 2021-01-10 17:54:06)

Re: Totalfx Routing for Hardware.

Don't get confused, it's easier than you think.
Start slowly.
RME offers different videos to various topics: https://www.youtube.com/user/RMEAudio

Maybe this one is helpful from the title ..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApwZyRTTmc0

Here I offer a nice collection, but maybe not containing the last recent ones:
https://www.tonstudio-forum.de/blog/ind … al-Videos/

I made a primer for the 1st setup steps:
https://www.tonstudio-forum.de/blog/ind … rnal-equi/

And the manual is your friend ...

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

Re: Totalfx Routing for Hardware.

Thanks for your help i appreciate it. I will go through these videos slowly. Thanks again.