1 Topic by Danny_DJ (edited by Danny_DJ 2016-04-14 19:41:44)

  • Registered: 2015-05-28
  • Posts: 21

Topic: New to Babyface Pro - design disappointments/questions & bug report

Hey guys,

I currently own a MOTU 828 MK3 and for some usability reasons I ogle at the BFP which I currently have at home for testing.

Some questions occured:
1. Are third party USB cables not latching? I am disappointed about the short cable and want to avoid an extension cable.
2. Is it designed for XLR connectors to be not latching?
3. Is it possible to limit the output faders to 0dB? - instead of up to 6dB boost which causes many output systems to overload.
4. Is there any option to attenuate the hardware output’s level so that it doesn’t send +19 dBu at  0 dBFS?
5. Is it possible to disable the core audio volume controls (like MOTU offers it) so that I cannot accidentally level by the Mac’s keyboard volume controls?

Bug report:
There is an irregular, non-linear fade-down behavior: when fading down e.g. the main out, it mutes at the SINGLE mark exactly below the -62dBFS mark. When winding down further, it has the displayed level (e.g. -70dB). Whats wrong there?

Thanks for quick reply
Regards
Danny

2 Reply by MC

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Re: New to Babyface Pro - design disappointments/questions & bug report

Danny_DJ wrote:

1. Are third party USB cables not latching? I am disappointed about the short cable and want to avoid an extension cable.

Not sure what you mean. You can use any USB cable with the Babyface Pro.

Danny_DJ wrote:

2. Is it designed for XLR connectors to be not latching?

Yes.

Danny_DJ wrote:

3. Is it possible to limit the output faders to 0dB? - instead of up to 6dB boost which causes many output systems to overload.

Not possible.

Danny_DJ wrote:

4. Is there any option to attenuate the hardware output’s level so that it doesn’t send +19 dBu at  0 dBFS?

Only by passive attenuators at the outputs.

Danny_DJ wrote:

5. Is it possible to disable the core audio volume controls (like MOTU offers it) so that I cannot accidentally level by the Mac’s keyboard volume controls?

Not possible.

Danny_DJ wrote:

Bug report:
There is an irregular, non-linear fade-down behavior: when fading down e.g. the main out, it mutes at the SINGLE mark exactly below the -62dBFS mark. When winding down further, it has the displayed level (e.g. -70dB). Whats wrong there?

I can reproduce that, thanks for notifying. Will be fixed shortly.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

  • Registered: 2015-05-28
  • Posts: 21

Re: New to Babyface Pro - design disappointments/questions & bug report

Thanks Matthias for clearing things up.

Danny_DJ wrote:

1. Are third party USB cables not latching? I am disappointed about the short cable and want to avoid an extension cable.

Not sure what you mean. You can use any USB cable with the Babyface Pro.

Yes but other cables than the original one dont seem to lock as tight as the original.

Danny_DJ wrote:

2. Is it designed for XLR connectors to be not latching?

Yes.

hmm.. pity. It would just have taken two little holes in the case for the outputs.

Danny_DJ wrote:

5. Is it possible to disable the core audio volume controls (lik

e MOTU offers it) so that I cannot accidentally level by the Mac’s keyboard volume controls?

Not possible.

Could you introduce an option for that? In MOTU’s preferences it is just a checkbox.

Danny_DJ wrote:

Bug report:
There is an irregular, non-linear fade-down behavior: when fading down e.g. the main out, it mutes at the SINGLE mark exactly below the -62dBFS mark. When winding down further, it has the displayed level (e.g. -70dB). Whats wrong there?

I can reproduce that, thanks for notifying. Will be fixed shortly.

thanks. will you fix it for being muted below -62 or for being linear down to like -90? I would prefer the latter one so that I can also listen to very quiet levels.

4 Reply by MC

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Re: New to Babyface Pro - design disappointments/questions & bug report

We can only change that to muted. The 0 dB preference has never been asked for, and as we have to carefully select which options get added to an already overflowing and convoluted Preferences dialog I don't expect that to be added. Regarding the two holes: you are aware that this housing is machined from a block of aluminium? Adding those two 'holes' is far from easy.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

  • Registered: 2015-05-28
  • Posts: 21

Re: New to Babyface Pro - design disappointments/questions & bug report

Oh really only muting below -64? Why that? This would reduce the feature set hmm

6 Reply by MC

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Re: New to Babyface Pro - design disappointments/questions & bug report

All our units do that since 10 years up and we see no reason to change that.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

7 Reply by Danny_DJ (edited by Danny_DJ 2016-04-20 13:55:33)

  • Registered: 2015-05-28
  • Posts: 21

Re: New to Babyface Pro - design disappointments/questions & bug report

A question on the Dim Setting: there seem to be irregularities. Actually, I observed a behaviour like this:

being at level X (e.g. -20), pressing dim subtracts the dim amount (e.g. 20) from the current level (resulting in -40).
Changing the level then (e.g. down to -50) and pressing dim again, adds the dim amount (20) again (to -30).

But now, the BF somewhat returns the level after the second dim press back to where it was before (in my example to -20). No matter what changes it dit to the level when I was in dim mode. This could even lead to the absurd behaviour of reducing the level when disabling dim if I faded the level above where it was before the dimming while being in dim mode (being at -20, enabling dim → -40, fading to -10, pressing dim again to disable → -20).


How did I get there and why?

8 Reply by Danny_DJ (edited by Danny_DJ 2016-04-21 13:25:49)

  • Registered: 2015-05-28
  • Posts: 21

Re: New to Babyface Pro - design disappointments/questions & bug report

Nobody any ideas?

Or am I erring and pressing dim actually has never been readding the dim-amount instead of returning to the level before dimming?

Oh and another question: Am I forced to have Totalmix always running in order to use the dim feature? When I quit it, the unit doesn't react to the dim button and stays in the current state hmm