• Registered: 2009-08-16
  • Posts: 10

Topic: Fireface UFX - Genelec 8340 AES Questions

Hello,

I own a Fireface UFX and have owned it since around 2015 going traditional Analog 1-2 out into the Analog INs of my Genelec 8340A monitors. I recently moved and wanted to clean my setup up a bit so I wanted to go digital out using the AES/EBU digital out XLR port.

I went out of the AES XLR port to the input of one of my monitors and then to the other monitor via the Digital Thru. I unplugged the Analog XLR cables so there is only AES cables go into my Genelecs at the moment.

I do audio for video mostly and have my room calibrated to 80dB. To achieve this before with Analog out I ended up having to set to Main Mix fader on Total Mix to -27. However once I plugged in digitally my speakers were receiving a much louder signal and I have to place my main mix all the way down to -41 to get 80dB calibration. The signal to my monitors when playing a song for example is equally as loud but the Main Mix signal on Total Mix is super low, nowhere near Unity (compared to when I used Analog I/Os and cabling). Additionally, after I calibrated my level on the UFX interface screen itself seems to be mostly in Yellow and sometimes in Red in the Output section when playing back.

I have my Main Out on Total Mix set to AES in the Control Room of Total Mix. I still for some reason need to put up the AN 1/2 faders up in order to hear audio- is this normal? Possibly I have something routed wrong in Total Mix?

I suppose my question is does going out digital typically yield a much hotter signal? Are the dip switches on the Genelecs necessary or do you think my setup is working fine and I'm just used to a beefier signal going to my Mains?

Further more, the UFX mentions Emphasis Information but doesn't really clarify on whether something needs to be done about it. Any insight on that?

Sorry for the long list of questions, just looking for some help/insight.

Thank You

  • ramses
  • DAW Mastermind
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  • Registered: 2012-10-14
  • Posts: 13,214

Re: Fireface UFX - Genelec 8340 AES Questions

> I still for some reason need to put up the AN 1/2 faders up in order to hear audio- is this normal?

Normal, if Windows or applications still send audio to the output AN1/2.
One of the best features of TotalMix FX is,
- that audio is not directly sent to a HW output and
- that TotalMix FX acts like a patch bay.

Audio arrives in the middle row at the SW Playback channels. In submix mode you select a HW output and dial-in an individual submix for this particular output by moving the faders of
- HW inputs (top row, audio directly from the HW input in near-realtime performance)
- SW playbacks (middle row, audio from PC with the typical transfer time over USB)

If you connect your monitors digitally then you get the full level.
You need to look whether you can turn down the level on the active monitors.
When you connected the monitors analog you could additionally select a lower reflevel which makes volume lower.

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