1 Topic by Lunatique (edited by Lunatique 2021-12-25 04:11:31)

  • Registered: 2020-05-15
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Topic: Can someone help me set up this type of loopback routing?

I read on the Gearspace forum a method to setup the RME TotalMix to create a loopback with a VST host that will run a room/speaker correction plugin (such as the IK Multimedia ARC 3 System), so that all of your Windows audio (including websites like Youtube, music players like Spotify) can be routed to the correction software. I'm terrible at setting up this kind of stuff so I was wondering if someone could help me out by pointing me the direction on how to get this done. Doesn't have to be detailed step-by-step, but ideally clear enough that even someone like me will know what to click on to even get started.

Here's the link to what was suggested: https://gearspace.com/board/showpost.php?p=15728455

Thanks, and happy holidays!

2 Reply by waedi (edited by waedi 2021-12-25 09:56:05)

  • waedi
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Re: Can someone help me set up this type of loopback routing?

In this ARC3 can you select input and output channels ?
Select input channels 1/2 and output channels 3/4.
Is your setup working with the speakers ? Can you listen music from the computer ?
Is Totalmix main-out channel the one that send music to the speakers ?
If so then do this :
Totalmix bottom row of channels, click on the first channel from left.
Click the little wrench tool button to open the channel.
Click the Loopback button.
In the middle row of channels (software playback channels) doubleclick on the first fader from left.
Click the main-out channel and pull the fader down to a moderat quite level and pull the first fader software playback fully down.
Doubleclick the second fader software playback.
Thats it.

M1-Sequoia, Madiface Pro, Digiface USB, Babyface silver and blue

3 Reply by Lunatique (edited by Lunatique 2021-12-25 23:54:11)

  • Registered: 2020-05-15
  • Posts: 13

Re: Can someone help me set up this type of loopback routing?

waedi wrote:

In this ARC3 can you select input and output channels ?
Select input channels 1/2 and output channels 3/4.
Is your setup working with the speakers ? Can you listen music from the computer ?
Is Totalmix main-out channel the one that send music to the speakers ?
If so then do this :
Totalmix bottom row of channels, click on the first channel from left.
Click the little wrench tool button to open the channel.
Click the Loopback button.
In the middle row of channels (software playback channels) doubleclick on the first fader from left.
Click the main-out channel and pull the fader down to a moderat quite level and pull the first fader software playback fully down.
Doubleclick the second fader software playback.
Thats it.

ARC 3 is hosted by a VST host software (any will do, as long as it can host VST plugins). So technically, it's the VST host that needs routed to be used to process the room/speaker correction from ARC 3. (In my case, I'm using Blue Cat's Axiom, but any will do.)

My computer is indeed used as my main workstation and connected to the RME Babyface, then to 2.1 monitor speakers.

Thank you for the tips. I tried to follow but I don't think I'm doing it right. I tried resetting everything back to default factory setting and gave it another shot, but I don't think I'm clicking on the right things based on your instructions. The loopback is somehow creating an additional stream of audio on top of the original, which then results in this weird doubling distorted sound.

Is it possible for you to draw some stuff on my screenshot to show me what I'm doing wrong?

This is what I have currently: https://i.imgur.com/yh64VYq.jpg

4 Reply by waedi (edited by waedi 2021-12-26 03:53:04)

  • waedi
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Re: Can someone help me set up this type of loopback routing?

In your Totalmix I can't see wich output is activ, please click onto the first one AN1/2, the channel should become highlighted, only then we can see what is routed there.
Make two screenshots of Totalmix, one with AN1/2 activ and a second screenshot with the Main active.
The audio preferences looks ok, a bit irritating why all inputs and outputs are called Analog, its a software there is all digital, but the numbers are correct, it looks not bad.

M1-Sequoia, Madiface Pro, Digiface USB, Babyface silver and blue
  • Registered: 2020-05-15
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Re: Can someone help me set up this type of loopback routing?

waedi wrote:

In your Totalmix I can't see wich output is activ, please click onto the first one AN1/2, the channel should become highlighted, only then we can see what is routed there.
Make two screenshots of Totalmix, one with AN1/2 activ and a second screenshot with the Main active.
The audio preferences looks ok, a bit irritating why all inputs and outputs are called Analog, its a software there is all digital, but the numbers are correct, it looks not bad.

Here are the two screenshots：

https://i.imgur.com/Q0sn88E.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/YEWbR8C.jpg

6 Reply by waedi (edited by waedi 2021-12-26 10:02:29)

  • waedi
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Re: Can someone help me set up this type of loopback routing?

What is connected on the AN2 input ? You probably want to send this thru the VST host as all the other sound, no problem.
Click (activate) the Main-out.
Pull fully down the Software playback channel AN1/2 (the first fader in the middle row).
Pull fully down the hardware input channel AN2 (the second fader in the top row).
Click the hardware output AN1/2
Pull fully down the Software playback channel PH3/4 (the second fader in the middle row).
And also activate again the Loopback, click the Loopback button in the AN1/2 hardware output channel.
The fader of the Main-out is very loud, I would pull it down a bit for safety reason.

M1-Sequoia, Madiface Pro, Digiface USB, Babyface silver and blue
  • Registered: 2020-05-15
  • Posts: 13

Re: Can someone help me set up this type of loopback routing?

waedi wrote:

What is connected on the AN2 input ? You probably want to send this thru the VST host as all the other sound, no problem.
Click (activate) the Main-out.
Pull fully down the Software playback channel AN1/2 (the first fader in the middle row).
Pull fully down the hardware input channel AN2 (the second fader in the top row).
Click the hardware output AN1/2
Pull fully down the Software playback channel PH3/4 (the second fader in the middle row).
And also activate again the Loopback, click the Loopback button in the AN1/2 hardware output channel.
The fader of the Main-out is very loud, I would pull it down a bit for safety reason.

AN 1 is for my microphone, and AN 2 is for my guitars/basses.

I have a hardware monitor controller for volume, so I just leave the Babyface's volume at 0 and only use the monitor controller. Is that not a good idea?

I followed your steps, and it doesn't work with what I'm trying to do. When I turn down PH3/4, the audio that's processed by Blue Cat Axiom/ARC 3 is silenced, but I need to hear that audio because that's is the whole point  of setting this up in the first place, so that all the audio going through Windows OS gets processed with ARC 3's room/speaker correction. And if I turn PH3/4 up, I'm back to getting the duplicated/doubled audio distortion (but I can tell ARC's correction is working because when I bypass it, I hear the difference). Now I just need to mute the original audio unprocessed by ARC, and I'd have exactly what I need.

Also, now when I connect a guitar to AN 2, no sound comes out now--not in TotalMix or Blue Cat Axiom.

Ideally, I want the setup to do the following:

1) Any sound that can be heard while using the computer will be processed by ARC 3/Blue Cat Axiom, so they are being corrected for the room modes, and I only hear the most accurate/neutral sounds, no matter if I'm playing/recording my guitar, watching YouTube, or listening to music with a media player.

2) I can still plug in my guitars/basses and hear them, and use Axiom to run amp sims as I normally could

3) When I use my DAW, all the sounds are also correctly by ARC 3/Axiom. (But if I can't get this, I don't mind having to run ARC inside of the DAW.)

8 Reply by waedi (edited by waedi 2021-12-27 04:24:38)

  • waedi
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Re: Can someone help me set up this type of loopback routing?

Using the monitor controller is a good idea, in this case you can leave the Main-out fader at zero, no problem.

When you say you turn down PH3/4 wich is the. software playback channel 3/4, that means nothing unless you add the information wich one of the hardware output channels is active (highlighted) at that moment.
I understand well what you want, but you are not following the steps preciseley and you have not learned how the routing works in Totalmix.
Step-by-step instruction failed, therefor next you have to do is learn Totalmix by videos.
https://youtu.be/ZkxzYlBiScA
https://youtu.be/0SJhl2wBc2k
https://youtu.be/7O5i3s29Id4

And any video you can find for Totalmix.

There is no way around to learn this routing as your setup is already a bit advanced (Loopback).
It is much much easier as you may think.

Give it a last try with step-by-step instruction:
Totalmix menu Options / Reset Options / Total Reset
We do a total reset and start from scratch.
Click the ASSIGN button in Totalmix (bottom right side).
Assign Main to AN1/2, this creates the main-out channel for the speakers, we want to hear something.
Activate (for routing) the Main-out (highlight it) and pull fully down the software playback channel AN1/2, we don't want sound from the computer directly on the speakers.
The PH2/3 shall be up at 0, - when the Main-out is active, when any other output is active then the fader may have another position (!).
Activate the hardware output channel AS1/2 and activate Loopback.
PH3/4 software playback channel fully down, this is the sound from the VST we don't want to make feedback.
AN1/2 software playback channel up to 0, this is computer sound (Finder, Safari, Youtube etc.) that shall go into the VST.
Hardware inputs 1 and 2 up to 0, we want to send this via Loopback into the VST.
The VST should be still configured for inputs AN1/2 and outputs 3/4.

M1-Sequoia, Madiface Pro, Digiface USB, Babyface silver and blue
  • Registered: 2020-05-15
  • Posts: 13

Re: Can someone help me set up this type of loopback routing?

waedi wrote:

Using the monitor controller is a good idea, in this case you can leave the Main-out fader at zero, no problem.

When you say you turn down PH3/4 wich is the. software playback channel 3/4, that means nothing unless you add the information wich one of the hardware output channels is active (highlighted) at that moment.
I understand well what you want, but you are not following the steps preciseley and you have not learned how the routing works in Totalmix.
Step-by-step instruction failed, therefor next you have to do is learn Totalmix by videos.
https://youtu.be/ZkxzYlBiScA
https://youtu.be/0SJhl2wBc2k
https://youtu.be/7O5i3s29Id4

And any video you can find for Totalmix.

There is no way around to learn this routing as your setup is already a bit advanced (Loopback).
It is much much easier as you may think.

Thanks for talking the time to help. Unfortunately, I started this thread after I've already watched some tutorial videos. Like I said, I'm bad with this kind of stuff. I've contacted RME support to see if they can help me.