1 Topic by OmegaStylesBC (edited by OmegaStylesBC 2017-10-11 06:46:21)

  • Registered: 2017-04-25
  • Posts: 14

Topic: help with monitoring AIO

Forgive me if this is out of place, but I've only ever used USB & FW before. Connection problems/drivers have led me to want to test out PCI-E. Before I purchase anything, I wanted to figure connections out.

I've been using the Scarlett Pro 40 Firewire, which has been giving me some connections problems. I now want to use it only to connect my hardware synths to & use it as a converter, connected to a HDSPe AIO.

But my problem is with monitoring, when it comes to my JBL LSR 305 speakers & my pair of DT-770s.

If I were to connect my hardware synths to the Saffire Pro 40, then ADAT from the Saffire to the RME AIO..... could I plug my speakers & phones to the Saffire Pro & use it's knobs to control the volume of audio from the connected synths AND all audio from the PC (youtube, media player, FL Studio)

So like this?:

3 hardware synths -> Saffire Pro 40 inputs
Saffire Pro 40 monitor outputs 1 & 2 -> JBL Speakers
Saffire Pro 40 headphone out 1 -> DT-770 phones
Saffire Pro 40 ADAT Out -> RME AIO ADAT In

This is all I can think of, without having the RME in front of me & having never used a PCI-E device before.

Greatly appreciate any help you can share or any direction you can send me in! Thanks smile

2 Reply by ramses (edited by ramses 2017-10-11 07:25:56)

  • ramses
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  • Registered: 2012-10-14
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Re: help with monitoring AIO

With RME it does not matter much, which bus system you use (USB, Firewire, PCIe). With RME all drivers are excellent and round trip latencys do not differ much, as you can see from my blog article here: http://www.tonstudio-forum.de/blog/inde … -RME-UFX/. See especially this tabular therein:
http://www.tonstudio-forum.de/index.php/Attachment/1931-UFX-UFX-RayDAT-Latencies-jpg

Its more a question how comfortably you want to work in terms of handling, features and workflow
and which quality of preamps and AD/DA conversion you want to achieve.

The AIO comes with TotalMix FX software mixer. Its very powerful and comfortably to use.
There you can configure the routing of the AIO.

But you might still be limited by the focusrite Saffire Pro, because at the moment its not quite clear to me, whether this product has "stand-alone" capabilities, so that you can store the required routing directly on the Saffire 40, so that the routing becomes active once you power on the device/PC. Eventually you need then Focusrites Mixcontrol additionally to always setup/control the routing of the Saffire.

In regards to your question, things like this should be possible, its only a question of routing.
TotalMix FX is very flexible allowing any to any routing and storing routings on 8 so called snapshots,
which is very comfortably to work with, as you can easily recall setups to listen via Main Monitor, Monitor B,
Phones, etc.

The Safire Pro should be able to make AD conversion of synths, send it through ADAT towards the AIO.
And there you can control then, that the signal goes either out via Monitors or Phones connected to the AIO.
But to have a better more straight forward solution I would sell the Focusrite and get an RME UC or better UCX.
Later you can even expand this solution nicely with an ARC USB.

Here an example how I used an RME UFX as preamp, connected via ADAT to a RME RayDAT to my PC.
Its basically the same like you want to do, with the little difference, that the RayDAT has no analog i/o
and that Phones, Monitors and all other devices are only connected to the RayDAT.
http://www.tonstudio-forum.de/blog/inde … ME-RayDAT/

By using i.e. and UC or better UCX (ARC USB can come at any time later) you would have more quality of AD/DA and everything in one box under the control of TotalMix FX and not having to control to different boxes in terms of routing.

I wrote a blog article to compare different RME devices:
http://www.tonstudio-forum.de/blog/inde … ME-RayDAT/
Therein you will find an excel/PDF which compares different RME audio devices.

http://www.tonstudio-forum.de/index.php … 017-01-pdf
http://www.tonstudio-forum.de/index.php … 17-01-xlsx

Its maybe more than you initially wanted to spend, but an UC or UCX would definitively a much better step forward to have all in one unit and under the control of TotalMix FX. Get later an ARC USB on top and then you additionally have a very nice controller offering a lot of features.

And with the UC / UCX you also have a very nice small formfactor.

BR Ramses - UFX III, 12Mic, XTC, ADI-2 Pro FS R BE, RayDAT, X10SRi-F, E5-1680v4, Win10Pro22H2, Cub13
  • ramses
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Re: help with monitoring AIO

More information about TotalMix FX you can get from watching RME tutorial videos:
http://www.tonstudio-forum.de/blog/inde … al-Videos/

and in this blog article I give you step by step guidance how to 1st setup and use TotalMix FX:
http://www.tonstudio-forum.de/blog/inde … rnal-equi/

BTW, I also used Focusrite in the past (Liquid Saffire 56 and OctoPre Mk II.
And all I can say, I was amazed from my 1st RME device, all much better compared to Focusrite.
If money is the limiting factor ok .. then the stability and flexibility of RME products, especially TotalMix FX will help you with your goal.  If you have a little extra money then better get the "whole cake".

BTW2: as RME introduced last and this year new flagship interfaces (UFX+ and UFX II), you get the old flagship interface UFX still to a much lower price as long as units are available, but I assume they do not become produced anymore.
So an UFX which formerly costed around €2000 you can get now eventually for €1600.

BR Ramses - UFX III, 12Mic, XTC, ADI-2 Pro FS R BE, RayDAT, X10SRi-F, E5-1680v4, Win10Pro22H2, Cub13