• Registered: 2013-08-22
  • Posts: 6

Topic: Somebody please help me with Total Mix - can't configure it whatsoever

To start off, this should probably be in another section as I'm using the Multiface II and not any of the Firefaces - however this forum gets the most attention and traffic it seems like and my problem has to do with the DSP so I figured I'd post here.

For starters, I'm coming off an M-Audio ProFire 610 - and that thing's DSP was easy as cake to setup and have running how I wanted it to. Enter Total Mix, completely lost.

1) I cannot get playback out of multiple output channels to run simoultanously, it's either one or the other. Even setting up my sounds through Windows, whatever was plugged in first seems to want run the signal through - being my monitors in today's case, headphone amp would not get any feed whatsoever through Windows sounds. Enter my DAW, if I default my output to channels 3&5 - it'll play through the headphone amp. Actually, if I have my DAW running through my headphone amp and have audio running through it and then pull up audio running through Windows it'll play out of both simoultenously - but that's not helping me. On the M-Audio, no matter what program I'm in, whatever is connected to any outputs will play if they're powered on - easy as that. Through Windows if I had two sets of monitors and my headphone amp all on at once, signal would play through all of them at once. Windows only wants to play sound through channels 1&2 on the RME. Same with the DAW, it only wants to playback whatever output channel is set to default. With the M-Audio the output channel for the Master would be defaulted to 1&2, but like I stated above, anything powered in any other output channels would play through as well. So is there something simple that I'm missing here in Total Mix that will fix this?

2) Headphone mic monitoring. Only comes out of one ear, no matter what, one ear.

3) Headphone mic monitoring is quiet unless I boost the living crap out of the faders, which obviously isn't usable when I have to unmute instruments to track as I'll blow out both my ear drums and my headphones. What I used to do with the M-Audio's DSP was to set the mic input within the DSP all the way up or around 3/4's, and then the outputs that feed the headphone amp only up about 1/4th - and then I'd crank the knobs on the headphone amp and voila, got a nice loud instrument level and a nice loud mic monitoring level so I can track nicely. I think this worked because there's line levels in the M-Audio DSP as well as a Master. The Master was always maxed out, while I'd adjust the line output levels low, and compensate with the headphone amp. I can't seem to find any 'Master' level within the Total Mix DSP, so that blows my process I'm accustomed to using.

I believe that's about all my problems with it so far. I can't get past any of that to even see if any further problems would come up.

Anybody have any solutions to this? Or better yet, would anybody be generous enough to Team View my PC and go through my DSP and fiddle with things to alleviate the problems? Would greatly appreciate that. Thanks in advance.

2 Reply by Dizzy714 (edited by Dizzy714 2013-08-23 22:13:50)

  • Registered: 2013-08-22
  • Posts: 6

Re: Somebody please help me with Total Mix - can't configure it whatsoever

In desperation of some help with this thing as I'm on the verge of just giving up on the unit and selling it off hmm

Feel free to email me @ Dizzy714@Gmail.com

  • From: Germany
  • Registered: 2007-04-10
  • Posts: 9,853

Re: Somebody please help me with Total Mix - can't configure it whatsoever

Please take a look at this: http://vimeo.com/1665619

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

RME Support's Website

  • Registered: 2013-08-22
  • Posts: 6

Re: Somebody please help me with Total Mix - can't configure it whatsoever

Just did, alright - not sure if that helped me with my microphone monitoring or not. But I have the microphone monitoring figured out now, I'm getting playback through all microphones in any input.

HOWEVER, the simultaneous output playback will just not work. Is this not possible to work like it did on the ProFire? Where, unless muted, anything played through any output routed through the ProFire's Master fader. Real world use, like I believe I stated above, although my DAW is set to be defaulted to playback the DAW's master signal through outputs 1&2 - if I fipped on my output monitors 3&4 it would also playback through those monitors as well without any further configuration, not touching anything. Is this not possible in Total Mix? I see that I'm able to set each track individually to whatever outputs I'd like, and it'll play that way - but that's not what I'm looking to do. I'm looking for the DAW's master to play through all outputs in Total Mix simultaneously, is this possible?

If not, since my PC is currently in the same room as the tracking room - it's not a HUGE deal, it'll just be annoying when going from tracking, having to re-set the audio hardware setup to route from my headphone amp outputs back to monitors, restart the DAW, and then begin mixing. However, when Studio B is completed this is going to be a problem - as I'll be need to be hearing the tracking through outputs 1&2's monitors, while the tracker in the tracking room hears the same thing I do in outputs 3&4 through the headphone amp.

Have an idea of what I'm getting out now?

  • From: Germany
  • Registered: 2007-04-10
  • Posts: 9,853

Re: Somebody please help me with Total Mix - can't configure it whatsoever

While automatic playback of one signal on all or multiple output channels is not the basic idea of this multitrack device, you can simply copy/route channels from the software playback section to any desired physical outputs in the mixer or matrix. This is also explained in the tutorial.

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

RME Support's Website

  • Registered: 2013-08-22
  • Posts: 6

Re: Somebody please help me with Total Mix - can't configure it whatsoever

The section where it explains the submix? Or the section talking about tracking and whatnot and it displays a bunch of channels being put to use. I thought that was just giving an example of the DAW's output settings set to each individual channel and that's what we were seeing in the video?

Either way, I still cannot figure out how to 'copy/route' two or more channels to play the same thing...

Is remotely controlling my PC via Team Viewer not an option?

7 Reply by MC

  • MC
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  • Registered: 2007-04-06
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Re: Somebody please help me with Total Mix - can't configure it whatsoever

> Either way, I still cannot figure out how to 'copy/route' two or more channels to play the same thing...

That's as easy as these few sentences:

Usage in mode Submix View (Default): simply click on the hardware output channel where you want to have an audio signal. This channel turns brighter, means it is selected as current submix. Now move the faders up from all sources - input and playback channels - that you want to hear at the submix output.

Obviously you do the same again with any other output that should send out the same signal.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

  • isaac
  • isaac
  • S/Mux specialist
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  • From: Auckland New Zealand
  • Registered: 2007-05-01
  • Posts: 339

Re: Somebody please help me with Total Mix - can't configure it whatsoever

Search youtube for totalmix instruction videos.
Everything you are describing seems to be related to routing in totalmix.

Also the manual (from the RME website) has great info on totalmix.

Isaac P


Dizzy714 wrote:

In desperation of some help with this thing as I'm on the verge of just giving up on the unit and selling it off hmm

Feel free to email me @ Dizzy714@Gmail.com

  • Registered: 2013-08-22
  • Posts: 6

Re: Somebody please help me with Total Mix - can't configure it whatsoever

MC wrote:

> Either way, I still cannot figure out how to 'copy/route' two or more channels to play the same thing...

That's as easy as these few sentences:

Usage in mode Submix View (Default): simply click on the hardware output channel where you want to have an audio signal. This channel turns brighter, means it is selected as current submix. Now move the faders up from all sources - input and playback channels - that you want to hear at the submix output.

Obviously you do the same again with any other output that should send out the same signal.

Yeah, I wish it was that easy - that does absolutely nothing for me.

http://i42.tinypic.com/11huqzd.jpg

No signal whatsoever, still. When I click any other channel the Playback section of the first output drops all the way down, click that channel again and it goes back to where it was before - not sure what that means but it's not a problem. Still can't get any other output to play the same signal as the other.....

10 Reply by MC

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Re: Somebody please help me with Total Mix - can't configure it whatsoever

It IS that easy.

> No signal whatsoever, still.

Did you take that screenshot while playback was active? In that case the missing level meters in the second row tell you that there is no audio sent to the Multiface at all.

> When I click any other channel the Playback section of the first output drops all the way down

Sure. And what prevents you from raising that fader?

Exactly as I wrote: ...do the same (adjusting all input/playback faders) again with any other output that should send out the same signal.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

  • Registered: 2013-08-22
  • Posts: 6

Re: Somebody please help me with Total Mix - can't configure it whatsoever

You're right, bringing up the playback in channel one brought up the sound in channel 3 - I'm not sure why I didn't try clicking that and bringing it up before. I guess I figured that when I clicked the fader on channel one it was going to highlight channel one again, which would do nothing for any other channels. Alright, cool. I'm keeping the RME then.

Last question. Since there's no PSU on this thing and it's bus powered, should I unplug it after use? I leave my PC on 24/7, and this thing gets hot after 5 minutes of use - so assumption is telling me it's not that safe to keep it on 24/7 with my PC, and might lower its longetivity life?

12 Reply by MC

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Re: Somebody please help me with Total Mix - can't configure it whatsoever

Every device has reduced lifetime when it is powered on all the time. That said I would indeed turn it off when you don't need it. But it will work many years even if on 24/7. Just make sure it gets some air around to not overheat.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website