Topic: UFX III / Total Mix - New User - Help Needed

Hello,

Thanks in advance for any assistance. Hopefully I am explaining this signal flow in the correct way!

I have the UFX III configured this way:

1. Microphones to UFX microphone inputs.
2. Microphone signal being copied to the AN Line outputs in total mix (at bottom of the "hardware inputs" channel strips).
3. The corresponding Line Outs are being sent to my console, and from there to hardware units, and back - then to the Line Inputs on back of UFX III.

All of this I can successfully capture in the computer/DAW. I can configure Pro Tools inputs/record channels for both the Mic Inputs and the Line Inputs of the UFX (so I record an untreated Mic Input, plus the Line IN/OUT that has been looped through the console/outboard.

So far so good, my problem is being able to monitor all of this in the Total Mix headphone setup. I have only been able to hear what is happening in the "Hardware Input" section of Total Mix. That is, anything that is happening in "Hardware Outputs" (in this case, the loop from Line Output > Console > Outboard > Line Input) ... none of this I hear in the headphone outs.

I have read the manual I believe carefully, I suspect it has something to do with "loopback" function but I have not been able to get this to work.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

With thanks,

Re: UFX III / Total Mix - New User - Help Needed

Hi
Set Totalmix to submix mode (blue control area on the right in the mixer window). Then select your headphone output by clicking on its channel strip. Now raise the faders up of all the input channels you want to hear.
Totalmix is like a mixing desk with separate, totally independent mixes for every output. Every hardware input and every 'software playback' (or 'return' when software monitoring is activated in the DAW) can be part of such a mix.

FF 400 - Babyface pro - Digiface USB - ADI-2 (original)
Mac mini M1 - Macbook pro - iPad Air2

3 (edited by ramses 2023-05-20 22:32:26)

Re: UFX III / Total Mix - New User - Help Needed

See manual ch 25.2

and https://forum.rme-audio.de/viewtopic.php?id=34394

BR Ramses - UFX III, 12Mic, XTC, ADI-2 Pro FS R BE, RayDAT, X10SRi-F, E5-1680v4, Win10Pro22H2, Cub13

4 (edited by gabe.inning 2023-05-23 00:20:08)

Re: UFX III / Total Mix - New User - Help Needed

Thank you Ramses & Oli for your replies.

I've read through the material you suggested (I had done the responsible thing and read the whole manual before posting, btw).

Unfortunately I'm no closer. I must have it all wired correctly because the various signals get to protools successfully, as I mentioned.

If I've understood it correctly, I was expecting to see the same drop-down at the bottom of each channel on the "Hardware Outputs" row that you see on the "Hardware Inputs" row ... so I could then send those output signals also to the phones channel ...?

Sorry I must be missing something very obvious.

with thanks,
gabe

5 (edited by oli77sch 2023-05-23 06:13:29)

Re: UFX III / Total Mix - New User - Help Needed

gabe.inning wrote:


If I've understood it correctly, I was expecting to see the same drop-down at the bottom of each channel on the "Hardware Outputs" row that you see on the "Hardware Inputs" row ... so I could then send those output signals also to the phones channel ...?

Sorry I must be missing something very obvious.

with thanks,
gabe

Set Totalmix to 'submix' mode - not 'free' mode. Then you do what I described above. It’s much easier to have the overview on the mixes than using the drop down menu in 'free' mode!
And no: you can’t send one hardware out to another. You have to do separate input and playback mixes for each output.

FF 400 - Babyface pro - Digiface USB - ADI-2 (original)
Mac mini M1 - Macbook pro - iPad Air2

6 (edited by ramses 2023-05-23 06:40:28)

Re: UFX III / Total Mix - New User - Help Needed

gabe.inning wrote:

Thank you Ramses & Oli for your replies.

I've read through the material you suggested (I had done the responsible thing and read the whole manual before posting, btw).

Unfortunately I'm no closer. I must have it all wired correctly because the various signals get to protools successfully, as I mentioned.

If I've understood it correctly, I was expecting to see the same drop-down at the bottom of each channel on the "Hardware Outputs" row that you see on the "Hardware Inputs" row ... so I could then send those output signals also to the phones channel ...?

Sorry I must be missing something very obvious.

with thanks,
gabe

It's highly unlikely that you've actually read the information from the sticky post.

By watching the RME tutorial videos and following my step-by-step setup guide for a recording interface on the blog, you should be able to create a simple routing in Submix mode.

I'm not sure how many times it has been described in the forum, but routing in "submix mode" is really straightforward.
Just click on an output and adjust the input and software playback levels as desired.
Every HW output has its individual submix and my consist of channels from
- top row (audio from hw inputs, with near zero latency)
- middle row (sw playbacks, audio from computer/applications with the latency over usb/..).
Audio to the HW inputs is per default passed unchanged to the application.

Of course, we can always post the instructions again and again, but it becomes inefficient and also much time consuming over the years. That's why I asked for a sticky article where this is briefly explained and where all helpful information sources are listed: the videos, the step-by-step guide, and the manual.

It's important to take the time to go through all of that and follow the instructions.

For the "impatient" ones who don't want to read the manual anymore:

- see my short comments at the beginning and in the sticky
- watch the videos to get a preliminary understanding, as it provides a visual demonstration,
- work through my step-by-step guide for a functional basic setup,
- and then do yourself a favor by simply skimming through the manual.

The manual is excellently structured, with the most important information up front and progressively more detailed explanations later on.
When someone invests in an expensive product, it's reasonable to expect them to familiarize themselves with its features.
Once you grasp the fundamental principles of operation and Submix mode, you're already on your way to success.

I know it from own experience. When I started with RME UFX I watched the videos, this made it easier to read and understand the manual, the implementation of a basic setup went smoothly after the device was delivered.
One additional step on Windows: setup of WDM devices for your monitor for OS and applications which do not support ASIO and to make it in the Windows sound settings as the default sound device.

BR Ramses - UFX III, 12Mic, XTC, ADI-2 Pro FS R BE, RayDAT, X10SRi-F, E5-1680v4, Win10Pro22H2, Cub13