Topic: Questions about Auto Level and/or Compressing Outputs
I am considering replacing my RME Fireface 800 with a Fireface UFX. One key feature I've been looking for is a way to limit the analog output to avoid excessively loud blasts when software crashes.
Here is what I would really like to be do. I tend to mix a low digital levels, so it is rare for the rms level to get above -10 dBfs. The problem is that when software does something stupid, I get a ~0 dbfs RMS signal, which is dangerously loud. Therefore, I would love to have a compressor that is triggered by a -10 dbfs RMS signal.
I'm very interested in using the compression available on the outputs to accomplish this goal. However, for it to work well, the compressor would need to be activated by an RMS level, not a peak. Is there anyway to do this? If not, I would absolutely buy the UFX if the feature was added. Considering that the rms levels of the track are already being calculated, I can't imagine it would be that hard.
Alternatively, it looks like the "auto level" feature could accomplish something similar, but I don't see much documentation so I really don't know how it works.
Does anyone know if I can already achieve this? If not, do I have other possible options? I really don't want to use a separate hardware compressor because it will color the sound, whereas RME's compressor will not have any effect when not being used. Thanks for the help.