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RME User Forum → Miscellaneous → 5.1 monitor controller?
I’m looking for a USB audio interface that can also serve as monitor controller for a 5.1 (analog) loudspeaker setup. Are there any solutions from RME for this? For stereo only, an ADI-2 would obviously be the way to go, but with more than 2 analog outputs that need to be volume-controlled things obviously get difficult.
Any ideas how to manage this within the RME product range?
Thanks
This Karl Ranseier? 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HX0B3ozEgI
You can use all recording interfaces with the right amount of analog output channels.
Especially useful will be recording interfaces that are capable of running the new Room EQ.
It also allows to dial-in a certain delay for each of the channels.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ja-qxkIqbWY
There will be a public Beta.
Currently, only the UFX III is supported, for which other recording interfaces this will fit is not known yet.
Once this list is out, you can use my Excel to compare different USB recording interfaces.
https://forum.rme-audio.de/viewtopic.php?id=35156
What is your budget? Which other devices need to be connected?
Thanks very much! But I’m afraid I’ll simply be missing a volume knob… Doing all the volume control only via Total Mix seems pretty risky to me as the speakers might accidentally get full-level audio from the e.g. Fireface… So I was hoping for something like SPL Surround Monitor Controller, but from RME and connected to your workstation. Am I being too conservative here?
Room EQ looks nice, though!
What is your budget? Which other devices need to be connected?
No dedicated budget limit so far, but I would like to avoid spending thousands for a big AoIP setup (like Merging Anubis with HAPI and D/A interface option)… And actually no other devices will need to be connected.
(And yes, Karl Ranseier ist tot…)
Volume mismatches can be solved by using attenuators, see this sticky thread from RME.
https://forum.rme-audio.de/viewtopic.php?id=25399
By this you can reduce the maximum volume at 0dBFS.
EDIT: two examples:
- https://www.thomann.de/de/jts_ma_123.htm -10, -20, -30 dB switchable
- https://www.thomann.de/de/shure_a15as.htm -15, -20, -25 dB switchable
Choose according to attenuation demands / range
You can use this in combination with the two basic things that you can / should do:
- to use a reference level with lower output volume on your analog outputs of your recording interface.
- to lower the sensitivity of your active monitors inputs
Regarding volume control:
- you can assign any pair of stereo channel to the TM FX control room as "Main Out"
- you can use the big volume knob of ARC USB (for operating the TM FX control room) to control the volume
ARC USB can be connected to any USB port of your PC and some recording interfaces offer a special USB port for ARC USB, so that you can use it even in stand-alone mode without a computer connected.
Additional channels of your 5.1 setups can be grouped together in a so-called "fader group".
Then they follow the volume settings of "Main Out" / the volume knob on the interface (and/or ARC USB).
The volume of the other channels of your setup / in your fader group can have other volume settings.
The proportion to the volume of Main Out will be kept when you turn the volume knob.
The new room EQ might be helpful to fine tune the setup by using the EQ and delay settings per channel.
If the recording interface has an FX chip inside, then you get even 3 more bands on top.
Thanks very much for all of this. Just to get this right: By creating a "fader group" in Total Mix I can assign 4 more mono channels to the stereo "Main Out" and thus control the output level of 6 analog outputs at once with the ARC USB's knob? That would perfectly fit what I need.
Yes, I should make use of some attenuators as well.
Regarding the Room EQ feature: Are there any chances that this will be released to the Fireface UFC II and the Fireface UFX II as well, or are there any hardware-related limitations towards the up-to-date UFX III?
Thanks very much for all of this. Not everything has been clear to me yet. Just to get this right:
1- By creating a "fader group" in Total Mix I can assign 4 more mono channels to the stereo "Main Out" and thus control the output level of 6 analog outputs at once with the ARC USB's knob? That would perfectly fit what I need.
2- Yes, I should make use of some attenuators as well.
3- Regarding the Room EQ feature: Are there any chances that this will be released to the Fireface UFC II and the Fireface UFX II as well, or are there any hardware-related limitations towards the up-to-date UFX III?
You're welcome :-)
to 1, exactly, it is exactly what you need.
Even better, you can Assign Main out in one Snapshot to be the output of monitors in another one for headphones
to 2, yes :-)
to 3- Surely for UFX III, for which other recording interface is not yet out.
Some information about the new UFX III (vs UFX+) here:
https://www.tonstudio-forum.de/blog/ent … iii-en-de/
RME User Forum → Miscellaneous → 5.1 monitor controller?
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