Hi I'm using the FF800 for a while now (including 2 adat eightchannel preamps) for recording and lately also as a live monitoring mixer with my band.
It works great as a monitormixer because I can make eg. 8 stereo individual in-ear mixes which normally would cost you 16 aux-send channels.
For now I'm controling everything thru a behringer BCF2000 with Mackie Emulation. Also this works fine. The only thing is that you constantly have to "bankswitch" to control all the channels.
Since Driver version 2.66 you can also control all channels via Control Change commands. This works OK !!!
But the data send back from the Fireface Mixer is still Mackie Protocol format.
So when i now have a controler with 24 motorfaders or rotaries, and I program them to control via the Control Change commands, I will never get proper feedback to my faders / "knob-leds".
It would be very nice if there would be a 1 to 1 relationship to this eg.:
- sending to first row channel 4 ( midi ch.0, cc. 105 ), then Fireface Mixer sends back on : midi ch.0, cc. 105
I think It would not be that much of an effort to create an option in wich you can choose between the Mackie Protocol and the above option ?
Furthermore it would be nice to be able to select the output bus without having to use the mackie protocol (rec. select 1-8), because this also implicates the use of the bankselect. This could be easely done like in the Mackie protocol with a "note on" message, but then not limited to eight channels (in fact 4 pairs of two channels), just by extending the range of used notes.
By adding these two "features" I think it will enhance the usability of this great equipment especially for live situations.
Maybe others feel the same, so please share your opinion about this, and maybe RME is willing to implement something like this !!
Greetingzzzz, Rene