Topic: can't get Multiface I to work reliably

Hi folks, my first post on the forums.

I've got a Multiface and PCMCIA card interface for it.  I've been using it successfully for several years in a laptop, but the laptop is pretty old these days and new laptops don't feature the PCMCIA slots anymore.

To squeeze more life out of this interface I've plugged it into a modern PC w/ Windows 8 and Nuendo 6, using a PCMCIA slot interface card.

The card seems to be detected OK in device manager, and when I select "Update Drivers" and browse to the folder where I have unzipped the 3.32 drivers, it seems to install OK and looks OK in Device Manager.

However, my problems begin as soon as I try to play anything.  The card locks up and Nuendo locks up.  If I try to select the "RME Speakers" as the default device for playing Windows audio back, nothing happens.  The "test" does not work... it appears to lock up w/ full signal and I have to use the "Stop Testing" command.

The Settings and Mixer icons do not automatically show up in the system tray, I have to run them from the drivers folder.

Settings are set to internal clock, 48K.  "I/O Box" appears to be Connected.

The problem is so bad that after I've set Nuendo to the RME Hammerfall ASIO device, it won't play anything, and locks up upon next loading of the program.  Also, it messes up the restart of "supposedly bulletproof" (ha!) Windows 8 and the OS won't restart, it just goes into some sort of sleep mode.  (Doesn't happen when drivers are disabled)

So clearly, drivers aren't working or installed correctly.  Any help would be appreciated.  What is the correct procedure, I have been locating & right-clicking the icon with yellow triangle on it in Device Manager and selecting "Update Drivers" - is this the proper way to do it?

Regards -MG

Re: can't get Multiface I to work reliably

PC is a P8Z68-V Pro w/ Intel Core i7-2600K processor, 8GB RAM and 256GB Crucial SSD.

Re: can't get Multiface I to work reliably

The adapter is the most likely problem here. But you can try setting WIndows 8 to the "High Performance" power scheme.

Regards,
Jeff Petersen
Synthax Inc.

4 (edited by MGalway 2013-03-08 23:25:29)

Re: can't get Multiface I to work reliably

It already is on the High Performance setting, and is set to never go to sleep.

Re: can't get Multiface I to work reliably

The PCMCIA interface adapter is this one -
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi … OC:US:3160

Should I be suspicious of it?  Is there an approved or recommended one for getting the RME PCMCIA interface to work?

Re: can't get Multiface I to work reliably

AFAIR, some Ricoh Cardbus chipsets have been problematic in the past.

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

7 (edited by tron 2013-03-14 03:54:54)

Re: can't get Multiface I to work reliably

i got a very similar problem... multiface 1 and pcmcia.. i got an adapter for the pcmcia for my tower... but it wont even recognize that i have pluged the cardbuss to the adapter... it just wont appear on device manager

i got an ENE CB1410 Pcmcia Adapter (EDIT : i just found out it doesnt work on win 7 only up to vista... but i can see the pcmcia on my device manager..)

is this chip ok?  Ricoh R5c485

regards!

Re: can't get Multiface I to work reliably

Hi tron, I am glad to say I think I have this solved.

I bought two interface cards that use the Ricoh chipset, and neither of them work properly.  They show up nicely up in Device Manager and allow drivers to be loaded correctly, but when you try to play any sound it simply doesn't work.

I bought a third card w/ an ENE chipset interface card on Ebay, this is it on Amazon -
http://www.amazon.com/Syba-SD-ENE-PPCM- … B000BU8ZZQ

At first, this interface card did not reveal the RME card at all when it was plugged in.  (No matter how many times I installed RME drivers, it was not showing the card at all so it didn't do any good)

However, I re-seated the ENE card in a different motherboard slot, and it sprang to life.  I have the Multiface I now playing off of the PCMCIA card and it sounds great, of course.

Good luck!  (and thanks to Daniel Fuchs)

Regards -MG