• From: Canada
  • Registered: 2016-02-11
  • Posts: 87

Topic: UFX+ Thunderbolt Not showing input status Sync etc

I switched from a working USB connection to Thunderbolt for my Windows 10 machine. Now, it works fine, except that the Input Status display shows only "No Lock" for all settings.

At the same time, I changed from an external input via AES, to playing from a Windows software player (Squeezelite-X) to the AES channel (second row Total Mix) and using Loopback to pass the signal to Acourate convolver, and out to Analog 1-4.

I do not know whether "No Lock" is expected when using an internal signal and loopback? Or, is there a problem with my Thunderbolt setup?

System: Win 10x64 (20H2) v.19042
Asus Z390A prime motherboard,
Processor    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-8700K CPU @ 3.70GHz, 3696 Mhz, 6 Core(s), 12 Logical Processor(s)
RAM 32 GB
RME Thunderbolt driver 06/27/2019 v.1.16
WDM Devices AES, Analog 11+12; Same for "Speaker"
Clock source Internal or AES -- makes no difference
Totalmix 1.72
UFX+ SW version 44; Fireface UFX+: Thunderbolt 105, USB 51, DSP 44
ThunderboltEX-3 Driver Win 10x64 2020-08-25 v.1.41957.0 Util v.17.477.400
Thunderbolt 3 to 2 converter Startech
Thunderbolt cable 2 m Startech

ADI-2 pro fs be; UFX+; MADIfaceUSB; Startech active USB3 cable; Sonnet Allegro Pro adapter; Win11x64
  • Registered: 2019-10-01
  • Posts: 675

Re: UFX+ Thunderbolt Not showing input status Sync etc

Hello!

If you don't have any external devices connected via AES or ADAT or MADI, then "No Lock" is expected behaviour!

RME Gear: Digiface USB, HDSP 9632

3 Reply by ramses (edited by ramses 2021-02-09 13:20:21)

  • ramses
  • DAW Mastermind
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Re: UFX+ Thunderbolt Not showing input status Sync etc

Clocking is independend from the connection to the computer, independend from loopback, etc.

When you switched to Thunderbolt you had to install a different ASIO driver, by this you surely got the default driver settings. So it could be the case that you have to redo some configuration settings in the RME driver settings for thunderbolt.

Usually the recording interface is clock master (clock source = "internal"), this means it uses it's own clock for A/D, D/A and digital connections to the outside. This has advantages, as then you can set the sample rate in the the DAW/application and the recording interface is being set to that automatically through the ASIO driver.

Or do you need one of your external devices to be clock master, because otherwise this device can't get the clock from the UFX+ (either by a digital port into this device or WC) ?

BR Ramses - UFX III, 12Mic, XTC, ADI-2 Pro FS R BE, RayDAT, X10SRi-F, E5-1680v4, Win10Pro22H2, Cub14
  • From: Canada
  • Registered: 2016-02-11
  • Posts: 87

Re: UFX+ Thunderbolt Not showing input status Sync etc

@MetalHeadKeys - Thank you.

@ramses
Thank you also.

Yes, I have the RME set to Internal Clock Source. For what it is worth, I tried some other settings, e.g. AES clock source, and it makes no difference. From what @MetalHeadKeys said, this is to be expected, since I have no external input to the UFX+, only internal routing via Loopback.

As you may guess, I do not use the UFX+ with a DAW. I use the UFX+ as a multichannel DAC. I also use the mic input to measure room response. The Acourate program allows digital room correction and cross-over between main speakers and subwoofers. I think TotalMix is fabulous - even a novice can make it work. Thank you for creating this software and hardware!

ADI-2 pro fs be; UFX+; MADIfaceUSB; Startech active USB3 cable; Sonnet Allegro Pro adapter; Win11x64
  • Registered: 2019-10-01
  • Posts: 675

Re: UFX+ Thunderbolt Not showing input status Sync etc

You 're welcome!!

Yeah, TotalMix is great! It has "un-tied" my hands, regarding recordings and latency-free monitoring! One can, really, tell that there is so much thought that went behind the realisation and implementation aspects of it !!
DigiCheck, as well !!
Both are (more than) great tools!!

Here's a link to the Tech info, if you're interested to read some  more on TM:

https://archiv.rme-audio.de/old/english … tmhard.htm

RME Gear: Digiface USB, HDSP 9632
  • ramses
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Re: UFX+ Thunderbolt Not showing input status Sync etc

Labdoc wrote:

Yes, I have the RME set to Internal Clock Source. For what it is worth, I tried some other settings, e.g. AES clock source, and it makes no difference.

Just stumbled over this old thread. But you need to have a valid clock source.
If you do not receive a valid clock signal from the AES input, then you get no valid clock at all.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/qu0xy1d0cwvo8rk0uaeby/2024-08-19-UFX-III-wrong-clock-source-example.jpg?rlkey=4quh7nsqvs2li1qxsthqj8quw&dl=1

Maybe my new blog article about clock synchronization is of help for you.

https://www.tonstudio-forum.de/blog/ent … ios-en-de/

BR Ramses - UFX III, 12Mic, XTC, ADI-2 Pro FS R BE, RayDAT, X10SRi-F, E5-1680v4, Win10Pro22H2, Cub14
  • From: Canada
  • Registered: 2016-02-11
  • Posts: 87

Re: UFX+ Thunderbolt Not showing input status Sync etc

Ramses, thank you for the link to the new blog post on clock synchronization. It is very well written. The examples are for recording use cases. For hifi enthusiast use, I have questions about clock synchronization for USB playback sources. I will post these in the more recent thread you responded to recently https://forum.rme-audio.de/viewtopic.ph … 62#p223062

ADI-2 pro fs be; UFX+; MADIfaceUSB; Startech active USB3 cable; Sonnet Allegro Pro adapter; Win11x64