• Registered: 2011-01-23
  • Posts: 11

Topic: FF800 vs. WMP on win7 64bit

Hello,

I've bought the FF800 two days ago and don't know how to make it work correctly. The problem seems a little strange to me:

The FF800 works allright with Pro Tools 9, the problems come when i try to listen to the music with Windows Media Player. Each time the scenario is the same: First time I launch an mp3 it works, but when I want to do it again there is no sound. After closing the WMP for the second time, the red Host light on FF800 sets and the fireface mixer goes crazy.

May it be because of the Ricoh Firewire in the laptop?

I hope that someone can help me.

2 Reply by MC

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Re: FF800 vs. WMP on win7 64bit

http://www.thesycon.de/deu/latency_check.shtml

http://www.rme-audio.de/forum/viewtopic.php?id=9827

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

  • Registered: 2011-01-23
  • Posts: 11

Re: FF800 vs. WMP on win7 64bit

Thnx for fast reply, but unfortunately it doesn't solve the problem. I've found this solution on forum and installed the legacy driver, but it doesn't make any change at all. I've installed the microsoft hotfix for IEEE1394 as well. DPC latency checker shows dropout excatly on the moment I shot down the WMP for the second time.

I've disabled WLAN, Wireless, Bluetooth and the integrated soundcard. Nothing has changed.

Any other ideas? Please, I'm starting to feel desperate.

4 Reply by MC

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Re: FF800 vs. WMP on win7 64bit

So how do you 'launch' the mp3?

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Matthias Carstens
RME

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  • Registered: 2011-01-23
  • Posts: 11

Re: FF800 vs. WMP on win7 64bit

double-clicking the mp3 file smile what do you mean?

  • From: Germany
  • Registered: 2007-04-10
  • Posts: 9,558

Re: FF800 vs. WMP on win7 64bit

Seems like a WMP issue to me. When "there is no sound", do you see a level display in the middle row of Totalmix? What exactly does WMP do? Does it appear to play a signal?



Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

RME Support's Website

  • Registered: 2011-01-23
  • Posts: 11

Re: FF800 vs. WMP on win7 64bit

When there is no playback, there's no display in the middle row of Totalmix. Only the first row is active showing input level on In1 -In10 moving between -109,1 and -109,4.
I've tried Winamp and the story is exactly the same. I can launch it only once. Shutting down and launching again leads to the permanent red host light on FF.

Do you think it may be a matter of some missing codecs?

I'm using preset nr1 of the Totalmix - maybe I should change the routing somehow? For this moment I use only one Analog input and one analog output.

The manual says that using FF as a "preferred playbak device" can cause sync problems. How to make it not a preferred device since I have disabled the integrated soundcard? Should I enable it back? Is this the way?

  • Registered: 2008-01-01
  • Posts: 3,025

Re: FF800 vs. WMP on win7 64bit

Does turning the FF off and on again help in this situation?

Try the following:

- Play the MP3, stop WMP, Play the MP3 again. Then open Device Manager and let it "Scan for hardware changes". Does that help?

- Do the same again, but this time do the Device Manager step before playing the MP3 for the second time. Does that work?

  • From: Germany
  • Registered: 2007-04-10
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Re: FF800 vs. WMP on win7 64bit

Fonomachina wrote:

When there is no playback, there's no display in the middle row of Totalmix.

So WMP does not seem to be sending a signal. Is playback ok, i.e. will WMP show an animation? Have you tried alternative media player software?

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

RME Support's Website

  • Registered: 2011-01-23
  • Posts: 11

Re: FF800 vs. WMP on win7 64bit

Turning FF on/off doesn't help, only the computer restart works.

"Scanning for hardware changes" doesn't make anything at all. The only change is always the same - after starting the WMP or WInamp twice, FF800 disappears from the Device Manager's list.


However, when I uninstall the integrated soundcard, "scanning for hardware changes" or restarting the computer enables it back. Shall I pay a visit to BIOS?

  • Registered: 2011-01-23
  • Posts: 11

Re: FF800 vs. WMP on win7 64bit

So WMP does not seem to be sending a signal. Is playback ok, i.e. will WMP show an animation? Have you tried alternative media player software?

I managed to play a .wmv file once. When I do it second time there is only video, no audio.

O, winamp asks for directx update, may it be the reason??

12 Reply by MC

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Re: FF800 vs. WMP on win7 64bit

Fonomachina wrote:

double-clicking the mp3 file smile what do you mean?

The mp3 file is listed where? Explorer? Total Commander? WMP itself?

The mp3 link in your system can be broken in case you installed whatever codecs/tools/players. I had the same effect a log time ago but can not remember what crap caused it.

But I did not have communication problems, the red light never came on.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

13 Reply by Fonomachina (edited by Fonomachina 2011-01-24 14:29:07)

  • Registered: 2011-01-23
  • Posts: 11

Re: FF800 vs. WMP on win7 64bit

Either I launch the mp3 from the explorer or from inside the WMP or from Winamp, the result is the same.
I haven't installed any codecs yet - apart from what comes together with win7 and winamp. the system is brand new and original.

14 Reply by Fonomachina (edited by Fonomachina 2011-01-24 15:18:46)

  • Registered: 2011-01-23
  • Posts: 11

Re: FF800 vs. WMP on win7 64bit

I've moved the FF800 to my old Dell Inspiron with Win XP 32Bit. Everything works fine here. At least I know that the FireFace is ok and it's the windows what makes the smell of crap in my studio...

However, still it would be nice to be able to make use of the "better" (newer) maschine...

  • Registered: 2008-01-01
  • Posts: 3,025

Re: FF800 vs. WMP on win7 64bit

Change the power profile of the malfunctioning Windows installation to "High Performance" and try again. If this works you may manually edit your other profiles as follow:

Go to Advanced power settings, look for "PCI Express" and set the "Link State Power Management" from "Moderate power savings" to "OFF".

"Maximum" leads to drop-outs and possible BSODs (on my bootcamped Macbook Pro with Fireface400). "Moderate" should already cure the dropouts, but it still can leads to occassional BSODs. So "OFF" is the most secure option.

It's possible that the change of "Link State" management helps Windows to stay in contact with the FF.

If it does not help: Which MS hotfix did you install precisely? There are several different ones. As far as I know the latest (should be including all past fixes) is: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/982669

  • Registered: 2011-01-23
  • Posts: 11

Re: FF800 vs. WMP on win7 64bit

Timur wrote:

Change the power profile of the malfunctioning Windows installation to "High Performance" and try again. If this works you may manually edit your other profiles as follow:

Go to Advanced power settings, look for "PCI Express" and set the "Link State Power Management" from "Moderate power savings" to "OFF".

"Maximum" leads to drop-outs and possible BSODs (on my bootcamped Macbook Pro with Fireface400). "Moderate" should already cure the dropouts, but it still can leads to occassional BSODs. So "OFF" is the most secure option.

It's possible that the change of "Link State" management helps Windows to stay in contact with the FF.

If it does not help: Which MS hotfix did you install precisely? There are several different ones. As far as I know the latest (should be including all past fixes) is: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/982669

No luck this time. I had had the power profile set in that way.

The hotfix I had installed was an older one, so I've installed the latest. The results are poor. Only difference is that now I don't get any sound at all.

  • Registered: 2011-01-23
  • Posts: 11

Re: FF800 vs. WMP on win7 64bit

After disabling the integrated soundcard, I'm back to the begining. Cannot launch WMP more than once. I think I'll try to reboot the system, maybe it will help.

  • Registered: 2011-01-23
  • Posts: 11

Re: FF800 vs. WMP on win7 64bit

Finally, I've solved the problem! :-) After two visits of dell service, which included replacing the motherboard and the firewire chipset, few visits of friends and few times I've reinstalled the system, I found the solution. I have bought the expresscard firewire controller based on the TI chipset. After plugin it to the computer and setting the 1394 driver to "legacy", everything started to work just fine. No problems with latency, no drop-outs. It seems that the problem was with the Ricoh firewire R5U230 chipset. Thank's for your help!!!

19 Reply by MC

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Re: FF800 vs. WMP on win7 64bit

Which driver version is installed for this chip? You might find a much newer one in the web than on Dell's support site, especially if the notebook is more than a year old.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website