Topic: UCX / UFX class compliant / firewire

Hi all
Short question: how would the two units UCX and UFX behave when set to class compliant mode but connected to a computer over firewire? Would it be recognised as ususal? I cannot find an answer to that in the manuals.

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

2 (edited by ramses 2023-05-28 14:05:01)

Re: UCX / UFX class compliant / firewire

See chapter class compliant mode, 1st chapter:

"[...]For example there will be no hardware settings, no (Total) Mix and no settings for the effects.
On the iPad (iOS) the UFX can be fully controlled by the optional app TotalMix FX for iPad.[...]
"

"[...]Neither Windows nor Mac Class Compliant support is relevant, though, since there are dedicated and matured drivers for both OS X and Windows, which provide ALL the device's features at lowest latencies. The main reason for implementing Class Compliant mode was to allow connecting the UFX to an Apple iPad®![...]"

By the way: The CC mode is also interesting for Linux.

There is also a CC mode for the Octamic XTC. I tried it once. If I recall correctly, on Windows you see the WDM devices for the channels of the recording interface that are supported in CC mode and that's it. You can access those channels with Windows apps, but no driver settings and for recording interfaces: no TotalMix FX and no settings for FX."

Of course, you would have to clock synchronize both recording interfaces.

More useful information you can find here in the archive
https://archiv.rme-audio.de/en/support/ … c_mode.php

There is one thing where I am not 100% sure, whether CC-mode is only working via USB.
When CC mode has been primarily made for connecting the iPAD, then I would guess that it is limited to USB.

Maybe RME can detail this, many thanks.

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

3 (edited by oli77sch 2023-05-28 13:46:43)

Re: UCX / UFX class compliant / firewire

Thank you ramses. Maybe my question was not that clear. I do know the difference between class compliant and native driver modes with USB interfaces by RME. Class compliant affects only the USB connection, firewire class compliant does not exist (at least I never heard about such). So I would like to know if the two interfaces, UCX and UFX would still work as usual with native drivers and TotalMix on a firewire connection when they are set to cc mode (which of course only works with USB connections). I guess it's the case because there are separate firmware versions for the different modes anyway. I don't have any of these interface models and I'm only asking for someone unexperienced from a Facebook user group (otherwise I would have just tried it briefly).

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

4 (edited by ramses 2023-05-28 14:06:36)

Re: UCX / UFX class compliant / firewire

> So I would like to know if the two interfaces, UCX and UFX would still work as usual
> with native drivers and TotalMix on a firewire connection
> when they are set to cc mode

Hmm, there is a clear statement in the manual chapter (which I quoted abobe) that tells that
you won't have TotalMix FX in CC mode (now in boldface and underlined).

As soon as you enter CC mode, there is no control over TotalMix FX possible anymore.

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

5 (edited by oli77sch 2023-05-28 16:57:49)

Re: UCX / UFX class compliant / firewire

Sorry, but you still don’t understand what I mean. Please read my previous post again where I cleraly state about what I’m aware of. I do know about the differences between native USB and cc mode regarding RME units. Also there is no cc for FireWire, it’s only for USB devices!
UCX, UFX and 802 have both, USB and FireWire connectors. There are separate drivers needed for each connection type and also there are separate firmware versions stored on the units. And there is also a separate firmware for USB cc mode.
I now try to find out if the „FireWire part“ of such an interface (separate driver on computer, separate firmware on the device) is affected in some way when cc mode is active or not. If yes, of course it wouldn’t work at all because there is no generic driver on a computer for FireWire devices. Or does it behave as I assume and it still detects the FireWire connection and loads the related firmware regardless to all what is related to USB and works with the native FW driver and TotalMix as usual.
Background info: in a Facebook RME user group someone stated, his UCX works well over FireWire on different Windows 7 / 10  computers but not at all over USB. I then assumed it could be the case, the interface is in cc mode and for this doesn’t work over USB. When the „FireWire part“ isn’t affected when the interface is set to cc mode (for USB connection) it would explain the issue.
Interface set to cc:
Connected over FireWire = normal native FW driver functionality, not affected by USB setting
Connected over USB = class compliant, doesn’t work on Windows
Interface set to native USB driver mode:
Connected over FireWire = normal native FW driver functionality
Connected over USB = normal native USB driver functionality
BTW I do also know the different behaviour of the Fireface 802 which automatically switches back to native driver mode when connected to a computer with installed RME drivers and TotalMix.

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

Re: UCX / UFX class compliant / firewire

Now I just found a statement by Matthias Carstens concerning the UCX:
This is not possible. As soon as you activate (the not yet existing) CC mode both USB and FW ports are no longer available for computer communication. USB is CC and FW is dead.
But this is from 2012, still valid?

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

7

Re: UCX / UFX class compliant / firewire

When FireWire is detected then the unit switches to FireWire, no matter if USB or USB-CC mode has been set before.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

Re: UCX / UFX class compliant / firewire

MC wrote:

When FireWire is detected then the unit switches to FireWire, no matter if USB or USB-CC mode has been set before.

Thank you, short and clear so far. But if USB CC is set once, remains it like that also when FW is in use in the meantime?

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