• Registered: 2014-05-23
  • Posts: 17

Topic: Control Room and Direct Monitoring

Hi guys,

I bought a MADI FX a couple of days ago and I'm on the setup procedure at the moment. It works fine but I think I have some troubles understanding Total Mix.

Basically there are two things:

- I'd like to use the Total Mix control room, my monitor controller is connected via ADAT. How can I assign ADAT 1/2 as my main output? Clicking the "Assign" button brings up a selection with AES, PH and analogue 1-16 but no ADAT.

- direct monitoring... I've checked the forum here but couldn't find an answer. So here we go:

In Cubase (7.5.20) I route my tracks to subgroups, then to master outputs, these again show up in Total Mix as software playbacks. This is my final mixing stage, the mix I create there is sent to my monitors on ADAT 1/2. Now I'd like to use direct monitoring for some applications. I've noticed that if I use it, the input signal of the MADI FX is routed to the according hardware output which I assigned in Cubase. In playback, it shows up on software playback - got it! Since my monitors are connected to ADAT 1/2 I'd need the direct signal from the input routed to that output. (How) can I do that? I have no use for the signal showing up on some hardware output other than my monitoring path.

Thanks folks!

  • Jeff
  • Jeff
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  • Registered: 2007-05-21
  • Posts: 4,667

Re: Control Room and Direct Monitoring

Which interface is this? The MADI FX card does not have analog 1-16 or ADAT...

Regards,
Jeff Petersen
Synthax Inc.

Jeff's Website

3 Reply by nicolaskeller (edited by nicolaskeller 2014-05-24 15:26:21)

  • Registered: 2014-05-23
  • Posts: 17

Re: Control Room and Direct Monitoring

Hi Jeff,

my MADI FX is connected to a SSL Alpha Link MADI AX. This one has 24 analogue in/out and 3 ADAT in/out. And MADI obviously.

  • Jeff
  • Jeff
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Re: Control Room and Direct Monitoring

Have you already set up the Alphalink to route MADI in to ADAT out?

In the TMFX control room, you will select the MADI output channel of the card corresponding to the ADAT port you are using on the Alphalink. Then use the same output channel assignment in Cubase, and you won't need to route anything in TMFX to get playback.

Regards,
Jeff Petersen
Synthax Inc.

Jeff's Website

  • Registered: 2014-05-23
  • Posts: 17

Re: Control Room and Direct Monitoring

Yes, I've set up the Alphalink accordingly. But as I said - in the control room dropdown list there are no madi channels available, only the aes and some analogue outs for whatever reason. do I miss something? Some box which isn't ticked perhaps?

6 Reply by MC

  • MC
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  • Registered: 2007-04-06
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Re: Control Room and Direct Monitoring

Driver version, firmware version, and TotalMix FX version please. Windows or Mac?

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

  • Registered: 2014-05-23
  • Posts: 17

Re: Control Room and Direct Monitoring

Hi MC,

the driver says

RME HDSPe FX, Driver date 02/27/2014 Version 1.19. The firmware update tool won't start (although it did once - let me get back to you on this topic) and the Total Mix FX version is 0.998.

I'm on Windows 7, PC

  • Registered: 2014-05-23
  • Posts: 17

Re: Control Room and Direct Monitoring

firmware:

PCIe: 89
DSP: 21

that is the current status

9 Reply by MC

  • MC
  • MC
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Re: Control Room and Direct Monitoring

While I am not aware of such a bug in TM FX 0.998 you might want to try the soon to be released driver 1.20:

https://archiv.rme-audio.de/download/dr … in_120.zip

It includes TM FX 1.00 and some interesting changes (see readme). Please note: this one comes without installer, so use the old manual install method outlined here:

http://www.rme-audio.de/forum/viewtopic.php?id=732

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

  • Registered: 2014-05-23
  • Posts: 17

Re: Control Room and Direct Monitoring

Thanks for the update but it didn't really change anything. It worked, this is shown in the software. But the outputs for the control room main out are still AES, PH, 1/2, 3/4 ..., 15/16

I guess I could use all the monitoring from Cubase to get the system running. What should I do about the direct monitoring (or routing in general)? Any great ideas or is my setup just pointless? Do you guys out there have any recommended workflows?

Cheers.

11 Reply by MC

  • MC
  • MC
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Re: Control Room and Direct Monitoring

The outputs are fully correct. How comes you refer to '1/2' as 'analog' outs? These are MADI channels 1/2, obviously, and as explained in the manual. Everything outside the MADI FX has to be set up outside the MADI FX. If you expect that 1/2 will play back on the analog SSL channels 1/2 then you have to set the SSL accordingly.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

  • Registered: 2014-05-23
  • Posts: 17

Re: Control Room and Direct Monitoring

aha - got it. true, I'm sorry that I described the channels as analogue outs, they are of course only madi streams (which doesn't change the topic). I just read in the online manual that the control room is limited to the channels up to 15/16. This is not stated in the printed manual I have here. Thanks for the help so far!

  • From: Houston, TX
  • Registered: 2007-05-11
  • Posts: 1,191

Re: Control Room and Direct Monitoring

His problem is similar to a limitation I ran into on my MF-XT and wanting 8 stereo HP Mixes (MADI 9-24), and also where I had my Speakers B connected (MADI 25-26).

His Alphalink's ADAT channels begin with MADI 25 (unfortunately can't change this on the SSL Alphalink units), and he wants to use these ADAT connections for the CR assignments (control room).  However, since the MF-XT (and MADI-FX) purposely limit the CR channel assignments based off 192KHz sample rate channel counts, only MADI 1-16 are available.

I will never work @ 192K, and have my doubts if I will ever get to 96K, yet my CR assignments are artificially limited to MADI 1-16 like I'm expecting to use 192K any day now.  My external MADI gear won't even run @ 192K!  So this 192K limitation would assume I'm using the MF-XT's onboard preamps and internal clock with nothing else running in my system wink

Any word on expanding the available CR Assignments as not to artificially penalize us that don't work @ 192K?  Even allowing MADI 1-32 (still 96K "Safe") in the CR would free up some artificial limitations in my setup, and likely fix up nicolaskeller as well.

Also - Any word on adding more HP Mixes in TMFX?  The extra 4 HP Mixes (HP5-HP8) could only appear when something is assigned to them - thus they would remain invisible to those that don't need them, and would allow keeping all 8 HP Mixes located together in the CR Section.  8 Stereo HP Mixes is not an unreasonable request in setups that have close to 200 I/O's  IMO (like the MF-XT!).

Regardless, I'm still loving the MF-XT as-is smile

MADIface-XT+ARC / 3x HDSP MADI / ADI648
2x SSL Alphalink MADI AX
2x Multiface / 2x Digiface /2x ADI8

14 Reply by MC

  • MC
  • MC
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Re: Control Room and Direct Monitoring

Well put. Looks like we have to discuss this topic again.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

15 Reply by MC

  • MC
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Re: Control Room and Direct Monitoring

Here is a version that allows to choose any channel for Main Out, Main Out B, Phones 1-4, on MADIface XT and HDSPe MADI FX:

https://archiv.rme-audio.de/download/To … 01_win.zip

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

  • From: Houston, TX
  • Registered: 2007-05-11
  • Posts: 1,191

Re: Control Room and Direct Monitoring

Neato bendito!  Will have to check this out along with the beta 1.20 driver later this week.  Should be just what nicolaskeller needed as well...

Just to ask - Are there any future plans to allow up to 8 Headphones assignments in the CR section?  Not a huge deal really, but would be nice for ergonomic coherency in TM when juggling tons of HP Mixes...

RME & MC are the best! cool

MADIface-XT+ARC / 3x HDSP MADI / ADI648
2x SSL Alphalink MADI AX
2x Multiface / 2x Digiface /2x ADI8