• Registered: 2011-05-12
  • Posts: 15

Topic: HELP - Madi FX - Error Number 4 - wont operate under windows 8

I just cannot get my MADI FX card to work with windows 8.
Same hardware set up as prior to 8.
I just changed from Windows 7 - where i was also having some intermittent problems, and thought maybe windows 8 would improve matters as apparently 'better' for audio?

But now, although the MADi FX card is 'working' (all the attached MADI devices - 2 x 8QS, 1 x Octa XTC, 1 x M32 DA, 1 x Micstasy) see the card in terms of MADI sync, I cannot get total mix to appear.
audio inputs / outputs appear in Windows from the MADI FX.

On windows 7 i was intermittently getting 'Error number 4' when I looked at device info for the MADI FX - but it worked fine.

On initial upgrade to 8 - total mix would not keep clock speed in memory - so on restart, the system went back to 44 every time (rather than 96)

So i did a completely clean install of OS and all software.
Now total mix and hammer fall will not appear at all - even though device manager sees the MADI FX and says it is working correctly with the latest drivers (1.19)
digicheck 5.71 installed - when opened it now reports 'error number 4' when opening audio device
neither hammerfall DSP nor total mix icons appear in system notification area icons.

midi remote works on MADI FX- i can contact the M32, 8QS's and micstasy via MIDI over MADI.

I have now uninstalled all drivers, removed card and started again.
But the same issue persists.

I am at my wits end after spending the whole day on this.

Not sure if its related, I was also having issues with ipMIDI - total mix was (before it disappeared) somehow get entangled with ipMIDI as a device - error messages about ipMIDI would appear when starting total mix
I need ipMIDI for my SSL matrix desk.

Any advice gratefully received

  • From: Germany
  • Registered: 2007-04-10
  • Posts: 9,806

Re: HELP - Madi FX - Error Number 4 - wont operate under windows 8

Is the card running with the latest firmware?

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

RME Support's Website

  • Registered: 2011-05-12
  • Posts: 15

Re: HELP - Madi FX - Error Number 4 - wont operate under windows 8

yes, 89/21 - was on this version before change to windows 8.

I even reflashed the ensure there was no corruption

what does 'error number 4' mean?
it used to intermittently (well, more often than not actually) be in 'device info' when totalmix was working

4 Reply by MC

  • MC
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  • Registered: 2007-04-06
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Re: HELP - Madi FX - Error Number 4 - wont operate under windows 8

Your description is a bit mixed up (like TotalMix set 44 - it doesn't do anything regarding sample rates).

The main question is: are the Settings and TotalMix FX (! not TotalMix) loaded on computer start-up? Then you will see them in the Task Manager as processes. If they are there they might even be accessible but hidden behind the small triangle in the Task Bar's notification area.

If they are not in there, but the HDSPe MADI FX is listed correctly and without errors in the Device Manager, then try to start the processes yourself:

C:\Windows\System 32\TotalMixFX.exe
C:\Windows\System 32\hdspe_fx.exe

or just hit the Windows key and type in the app names, they should appear then.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

  • Registered: 2011-05-12
  • Posts: 15

Re: HELP - Madi FX - Error Number 4 - wont operate under windows 8

thanks MC
sorry, I was not being exactly precise over what is set where - the sample rate is indeed not set in TotalmixFX  - but when TMFX starts, it used to always restart at the same sample rate it was on previously (in this case 96)

The icons (TMFX and the hammerfall DSP icon) used to be in the task bar / manager - but now they are not (not even behind the little triangle - but in device manager the MADiFx is there and working - and I can communicate to the other RME boxes over MIDI over MADI, and they sync to the madi signal.

i'll try starting the services manually.

But what is 'error number 4'??
Are there any known issues between ipMIDI and TMFX interfering with each other?

  • Registered: 2011-05-12
  • Posts: 15

Re: HELP - Madi FX - Error Number 4 - wont operate under windows 8

OK

so both TMFX and HDSPe FX are in system 32 - but neither starts spontaneously when the PC starts - hence the last set sample rate is lost each time
I can start them both manually.
but on restart, both do not start again, i have to manually start them from system 32.

in device info, there are no errors.
it used to usually say 'Error Number: 4'

Also I am getting weird issues with my trackball (kensington slimblade) when the HDSPeFX is present - doesn't work on startup, then scroll direction reversed when in use.
These disappear and return to normal when the MADI FX is removed from the machine

7 Reply by MC

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Re: HELP - Madi FX - Error Number 4 - wont operate under windows 8

So that looks much better! Error Number 4 simply means that DIGICheck doesn't find the device that it is supposed to use (the one used last time).

Settings and TM FX are (autorun) started via reg entries, and I am pretty sure they exist, but your computer seems screwed up that these are either blocked or crash directly. You will have to look into antivirus software or your trackball drivers (remove them for a test) and more.

As you said you had problems before - it might be wasted time because the motherboard simply isn't the right one. Maybe a BIOS update will help.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

  • Registered: 2011-05-12
  • Posts: 15

Re: HELP - Madi FX - Error Number 4 - wont operate under windows 8

well - actually not so great as TMFX and HDSPe  doesn't start when the computer starts and it used to and its not clear why it now does this.

Actually the build from a MADI FX point of view has been very stable - its based on a high end Asus P8Z77 motherboard.
Now it turns out 'error 4' is minor, that was really the only audio concern.
I did have a corrupted workspace file issue at one point - which you helped sort out.

And i'm still unsure if ipMIDI and TMFX are getting mixed up in some way. Any known issues?

And just one other question - since it's possible to integrate the Octamic XTC into TMFX via MIDI-over-MADI, can you also integrate the Micstasy? And maybe even aspects of the 8QS and M32?

9 Reply by MC

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Re: HELP - Madi FX - Error Number 4 - wont operate under windows 8

8QS and M32 make no real sense. Micstasy is on our list but I have no date.

I have never used ipMIDI (in fact before your post didn't even hear from it). If everything worked and you set up TM FX to work with and react on ipMIDI ports, and there is something wrong, it would indeed be possible that TM FX crashes on startup. On the other hand you say that starting it manually later works. Are the ipMIDI ports set in TM FX? Does it work if you remove them (set selection to None)? If so then this might be a timing problem, with one or the other coming too late. Please check this, workarounds for such a case are easy.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

10 Reply by MC

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Re: HELP - Madi FX - Error Number 4 - wont operate under windows 8

Meanwhile I installed ipMIDI for Windows and found no obvious issues. Even setting the Ethernet ports in TM FX while Loopback is active in ipMIDI doesn't harm anything.

>  issues with ipMIDI - total mix was (before it disappeared) somehow get entangled with ipMIDI as a device - error messages about ipMIDI would appear when starting total mix

Then there was a local loopback, means wrong configuration somewhere.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

  • Registered: 2011-05-12
  • Posts: 15

Re: HELP - Madi FX - Error Number 4 - wont operate under windows 8

thanks MC - thats' good to know - i wasn't using ipMIDI ethernet ports for Totalmix, only for controlling an SSL Matrix.
No loopback set.
I think the only solution is to start from scratch again and reinstall everything clean.

  • Registered: 2011-05-12
  • Posts: 15

Re: HELP - Madi FX - Error Number 4 - wont operate under windows 8

Hi MC,

one quick further thought - do you have any informal advice / experience on which mother boards tend to be stable and well set up for complex audio PC's - with several PCIe audio devices - eg MADI FX and UAD cards?
And have you found much (or any?) difference between windows 7 and 8 from an audio system stability / latency perspective?

thanks

13 Reply by MC

  • MC
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Re: HELP - Madi FX - Error Number 4 - wont operate under windows 8

I can't, maybe others can recommend something. The main problem is that these days usually the PCIe x1 slots are connected to a bridge chip (PLX etc) and indeed often work unreliable. Using the higher numbered ones (x4 and up) works, but those are limited on many boards due to graphics cards and additional stuff (from TB to USB 3).

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website