For those wanting the short version: he does not like the reverb and delay on Totalmix. My 2 cents: They could improve the reverb but I find it absolutely usable for tracking. Never had a complaint in 10 years!
That's what I was thinking as well... its just for tracking and I actually think its good enough for just that... furthermore I think Barry is in the minority with this type of concern for RME, who's users probably aren't relying on internal effects processors
I don’t get why a case has been made out of TotalMix; the whole concept lies in a sentence in the manual, all you need to know lies in a one sentence, right there in the manual, and it’s very simple to grasp. To paraphrase that sentence: select a destination (i.e. an output in the third row), then send the input(s) (first and second row) you want to that output by raising its fader. Tell me it’s hard to grasp? Select a destination, then send to that destination. Couldn't be simpler than that, right? In this regard, there’s nothing to complain about RME. A simple concept, described in one sentence in the manual.
Im a Pianist/writer arranger…. Been in the music game for 40 years. To me, Total mix is extremely complicated. Probably has a lot of things ill never use but to me, its a total mystery; and I hate spending time trying to figure it out. And Im dreading this new Kernal Extension driver I’ve been hearing about.
This! This was the only thing I needed to know when I started using TotalMix FX, everything else is quite intuitive, at least if you're a little familiar with working in a DAW.
Barry I spoke to RME about this cause I have been communicating about the Room EQ update that they are doing with Sonarworks and this was their response: Thank you for your honest opinion. Great video. Unfortunately the used DSPs on the RME devices are completely maxed out, as every feature in every channel should work. Additionally the DSP is doing all the display features. It was really a miracle the developers could fit the new Room EQ into so many devices. So an improved reverb or cCompressor is simply not possible, as it would need to double the DSP load. Maybe in future devices.
Frankly I have no issues and. Ever have with my RME ufx which I’ve had now for line 15 yrs. Total mix is actually very intuitive as long as you understand its flow. Also… the manual is great in case you do have a question. These days everyone wants things easy. A little brain power and common sense goes a long way here.
I use TotalMix with an old PCI based RME HDSP9652 card. Still works spectacularly, but has no DSP effects in TotalMix. For recording vocals, the singer gets their main vocal foldback from the direct monitoring. I get reverb for them by record arming the vocal mic on an additional DAW track set to monitor only, so it doesn't actually record any audio. It does provide a foldback for the vocal mic though, albeit delayed by buffers etc. I route this to a reverb for the singer's headphone mix. None of this delayed direct signal gets back to the singer, only the reverb. In practice it never seems to matter if the reverb onset is delayed by a few milliseconds as most people are used to a certain amount of pre-delay on reverbs anyway. A big advantage is that you have the option to keep the reverb used for recording as your mix reverb. Of course, this won't work with inline / insert based effects like compression and EQ.
Great video, I just purchased two used RME FIREFACE 800 to replace my old presonus firestudio and the first thing I noticed was the quality of the RME quite a bit heavier thus the hook on the back but I have heard nothing but the best on these units and I got them for about $400 a piece (one from Japan) so I am looking forward to my mixes giving me some new feedback. But will definitely do like you said and learn that mix routing and all they have to offer! Thanks again.
Thanks Barry for your video. I use my RME UFX+ with Live Professor and I am able to make monitor settings with my favorite vst plugins (compressors, eq, reverb,delay and one ove the most important thing for my clients - AUTO-TUNE with low latency settings) only for the headphones outs. In my DAW I have plugins with 0.5sec latancy (like lin-phase eq, soothe2 and ect) but I dont use is to monitor.
I have been a RME user since the Fireface 800 came (just checked and its almost to the day exactly 20 years). Have been using Totalmix since day one, and honestly I never really had an issue understanding it. 20 years later it fits like a glove, and is part of my daily workflow. But I can understand that it can be hard to wrap your head around it... Anyway nowadays using RME HDspe MADI FX together with a FerroFish A32pro (Which btw is also "RME"). For me the perfect combo, and the FerroFish has great converters. The great thing about RME, no matter which interface you use, Totalmix is always the same. Has been for 20 years and will probably be the same for the next .... years 🙂
I agree with your take on RME, Barry. It’s the drivers. Those of us who have been doing this for decades may have more appreciation for their drivers, having suffered through ridiculous hours of troubleshooting and hacking drivers/latency/bugs, etc. Also, you are right about RME’s training materials - like you, I consider myself fairly savvy, yet I came away from their TotalMix videos scratching my head. That’s why I appreciated your “cracking the TotalMix code” videos. I’ll bet that RME outsourced those plugins so they could tout it in their marketing.
I use Zero Latency Monitoring feature in Nuendo / RME with the Nuendo monitoring mixer. This allows Nuendo to control RME Total mix mixer with the Nuendo monitor mixer,therefore Zero Latency. This bypasses any plugins that as the monitored audio is not going through the pc. Great video, magic of Totalmix.
UFXiii user here. LOVE RME! I have to say I don’t really understand why you think RME’s TotalMix videos are so hard to understand though. I watched them before I decided to buy my interface, and again when I actually had it in front of me for the first time as a refresher. I think their videos are fine. I’m no rocket scientist, but I do have German ancestry. 🤣 The biggest thing is to remember to before you start pushing faders is to select the output you want to create a mix for FIRST. I do a ton of live audio too, so this workflow is no different than when I switch a live console to sends on faders for a monitor mix. In most cases you have to select the monitor send’s main output, then press the send on faders button and mix away. Perhaps they’re borrowing from that workflow, which may not be as obvious to people if they don’t also have a live audio background? I agree the built in TotalMix reverb isn’t great, but I don’t use it much. I used the delay to dial in a slap back echo while tracking vocals a couple weeks ago, and it did what it needed to do. I almost never use the EQ and comp, so I don’t have much to say about them.
We needed this video! RME are great, but I want to feel inspired and not like a scientist when using TotalmixFX. I think the UI could be more intuitive as well.
I actually like the RME verb....and I own every verb under the sun. I suggest putting on some headphones some evening....and run through all the different algorithms and see if there is anything in there you like. There are a lot of different ones and they sound drastically different. It is no bracasti or anything. On a side note...I am an engineer running a commercial studio and have had many artists over the years ask what the verb was because they liked it. I believe the real problem is how the tools are presented. They do require a lot of messing about to sound great. They should update and simplify the algorithms to some universally great sounding plates, rooms and chambers we all know and love. I wish they would update the delay more than the verb. Also add a bpm parameter. Also the ability to mouse drag eq points would be convenient. Fin.
My ADI Pro FS R Black edition first started with grounding issues, then it would over heat in an ACed zone. It eventually killed over and died. I owned it for 6 months till it died. For $2,000, that should not happen!
I totally agree with you about the RME TotalMix tutorial videos. Absolute gobbledygook. I thought it was just me but it turns out I'm not the only one. Thanks for pointing that out.
bought the rme ucx fireface years ago for my windows pc....wanted to use it for the first time with an apple macbook to record some vocals and was stunned that it doesn't support direct monitoring on ios
Great video Barry. I got a 2015 iMac 2 years ago and my Babyface (original) just won't work with it. I have gone online to try and find any help nothing has worked. The interface work fine with any other computer. Any helpful tips from anyone will be appreciated.
Additionally for tracking purposes the internal DSP is great. All you need is a little bit of reverb and a little bit of delay for the Artist to hear while they’re tracking. I would never record that stuff. To complain about that is absurd
Long time RME user here... Ive always felt the verbs in TotalMix FX were *OK only. The real problem is in the decay. Theres an abrubt drop out at the tail end of most of the verbs. But agree, they arent great. Just passable for tracking which is indeed odd considering everything else they do is BANGER. That said, the only REAL issue I have in the DSP is the compressors not having actual gain reduction meters. Yeah the little blue bar goes down but never tells you exactly how much youre compressing. Again, not end of the world, but seems like they could easily just add a gain reduction meter, or add the actual values somewhere in there. I think the EQs are actually pretty solid and Ive actually mixed a live show through Total Mix back when I ran a UFX. The EQs were great. And the new Room EQ feature is just ridiculously useful.
The RME eq is really good in my opinion. My complaint with the effects would be it's too hard to see some details. A refresh visually and sonically would be nice.
I would have to agree that RME certainly falls short in their videos. In fact, it was watching your videos on total mix that finally made it clear to me. So thank you for your work and your efforts to share useful information. And also thank you for being critical, we all need to hear it now and again.
Only gripe I have with RME BFP FS is my headphone port short circuits with my LCD-X headphones and I have to reboot the interface. Retail location refused to warranty this and RME forum was helpful but never helped me solve the issue. Only options left is not use my primary headphone with my interface or find a 3rd party that would be willing to open the unit up and inspect and measure the headphone out.
My main gripe is that they’re so incredibly rude on their forum. They’re a hair away from calling you an absolute moron for not knowing how to do something...
Nah, only when tons of people ask questions that can be answered with very minimal searching. Ive always thought it was amazing that Mathias himself is on there constantly adding value. I have plenty of grace for any of the comments that seem slightly impatient. Do your due diligence before asking questions. But even then he usually either gives an answer or directs you to one.
@@LaminarSound they reply rudely and curtly across the board, including to plenty of ‘new’ questions too. You can love them all you want but don’t discredit people’s experience with ‘nah’. I’ve done my due diligence thank you very much.
@@Beatsmith2005 if you feel discredited thats on you. I gave my opinion. Ive been on the forum upwards of 12 yrs off and on, so it's based on experience. You might have had a different one. Thats fine.
I have excactly the opposite experience there. Asked a question about a 15 year old RME device and had an polite answer within a day by one of their techs.
@@AndredeBruinSoundengineer over the many years ive been on there its been by far mostly polite and quick responses. I HAVE indeed seen a few less than patient responses, and its always been for questions that have easily found answers already in many places in the forum. Again, MY EXPERIENCE.
I switched from Motu to RME because of the driver stability (Win 10,11). In combination with Cubase = perfect, no more frozen DAW and no more broken recording session. But as always with German technology, you have to dig in, just compare e.g. with Cubase, I have similar experience. I am already working in a German company and this is an overall approach, so nothing new for me. But I fully understand the point, they should update the learning content to be more in line with the modern world and the effects are obsolete, except the quite usable compressor.
I've been trying to upgrade my audio interface setup for 3+ years now. Finally thought I had it set with a MOTU M64 and Pulse 16MX (and hanging my 828 off that via ADAT) but seems like nearly all of MOTUs AVB interfaces are MIA and have been. So when RME dropped the AoX (which is coming out in a few weeks), I got both frustrated and excited at the same time. Frustrated because I found a cost effective solution that was going to finally get me into a more modular solution while giving me options to record in other rooms (just of my house, nothing fancy) - notably recording my piano which is too far from my workstation to do without something like AVB which would make that very easy to do. The MOTU hit the price point and while the 828 isn't sonically amazing, it's good enough. But womp. The RME is 3x the price. But also excited because the RME is a PCIe card (yes I know USB is "fine" but I found I got the best results with FW which isn't an option and Thunderbolt is a non-starter on PCs, thanks Intel). I've been wanting a PCIe card forever and the AoX delivers having both MADI and AVB (Milan) in the same card and, at least in terms of RME money, not an extreme price. But definitely not cheap relative to MOTU. Good to know that TotalMix may be an initial climb and also I did pick up on the built-in effects being poor to nonexistent relative to other solutions. For just MADI, I found a few PCIe options but either it's an ancient SSL card that may not work on modern operating systems or another brand I've never heard of. I think RME might be worth the investment. We'll see when the AoX drops in a few weeks where folks can get their hands on it. I didn't make any conclusions in the above haha I guess just explaining what my thought process is for my next home studio upgrade to add context for simply saying thanks for the video! I found it very helpful!
I have the RME Babyface v1. I stopped using it as I couldnt get the signal in without digital distortion due to the original mixing software being such a pain in the arse to use. My Zoom H6 and Line 6 Helix was plug and play, I've ended up using those instead even though its inferior. Interesting to see their FX havent progressed. They should do a deal with Valhalla
Hey Barry, my guy a Sweetwater suggest the RME Babyface. Now I'm using the Clarett+8pre and I'm having some artifact, wah wah sounding digital issues. For weeks I couldn't wrap my head around this, I brought new cables, unplugged all my gear, ran line to another room outlet, switched power conditioner, purchase a TLM103, built a booth lol, changed sample rates you name it. So come to find out my interface picks up local radio stations 😅 So, I found a work around by connecting mic to my modded eureka pre and the local station is gone, but I still slightly get the artifacts. Could this be a slow convention issue? I'm running on a iMac 3.4 Quad, 2017, 32 Gb 2 SSD 3 Tb .Will upgrading my Interface to the RME do the trick? I just purchased this one a year ago, sucks to be me!
Hi Barry, why don´t you try using Waves superrack Performer? You can you use almopst any plugin under the sun with minimal latency inserted in your totalmix fx.
You've hit the nail on the head about the efx. I've used the reverbs for vocalist and know off the top that it is lacking to the point of sometimes it's just better not to use it at all. Ive tried just about anything you can try regarding their efx offerings but, nothing seems to be good enough to get a nice smooth buttery reverb for reference tracking. An upgrade in this area would be welcomed tremendously!!
I don't use any onboard effects of the RME. From my understanding when i talked to someone from RME on superbooth, those gimmicks aren't in their focus i think. I asked why they don't build a Totalmix Remote for Android, and guess what, there are only four guys at RME who are developing, engineering the Hardware and Software... and thats the reason why the drivers are still updated and working perfectly fine. They didn't outsourced Software Development, like many others did. I mean four guys, making firmware and driver updates beside of creating new devices. Totally crazy. I'm sure there are way more people at Universal Audio. Also i need to mention. The Firmware File would be huge if they would go on implement State of the art reverb.
Great info, Barry. I never knew that they have a poor reverb in that Mix FX.... I assumed I would be a great sounding reverb, as anyone would expect from RME. Since I have a very very very old RME device still running I have Total Mix, but not FX. ;-)
Took me a little while to figure out Loopback, and when I finally did I thought, what the hell. But what's needed from RME is very simple step by step written instructions on how to set things up, separate from the manuals The videos aren't enough. And also, Use Case diagrams on how all their interfaces and converters work together, and how they work in the studio or live. There are use case diagram out there. I think Synthax does some great educational content. Having said that, you learn more with some struggle. Great topic.
if I had $25k to spend and I am a song-writer & artist who wants to work mostly in the box and record my own cd's but I also want to record a band occassionally at my 12 x 15 home studio space, what specific equipment would you recommend?
you can do overdubs and use a send in the daw for any reverb or delay you want and then use the direct in total mix to control the amount of wet/dry. this solution works as long as your buffer is not insanely high as any delay will just be percieved as slight pre delay for reverb or a few extra ms for a delay. its pretty simple. rme is for professionals who either know these 'work arounds', have a powerful enough computer to handle real time tracking or use hardware compressors ect on the way in. after all these interfaces are not expensive. also not including plugins is the reason that the rme software works so easily and has such good backwards compatibility. keep rme rme
@@BarryJohns I pre-ordered the new RME M-1620 Pro that has 16 in's and outs to go with my UFX III. I hope I did not make a mistake. Can RME upgrade the effects with firmware or would it require a whole new interface?
@@BarryJohns I see RME has a video about something called Live Professor. It appears to be program you can run with RME interface for low latency and it runs your plugins. Not sure how this works. Have you seen it?
Never used any of the fx processing on my RME UFX3 and Multiface interfaces. TMix is weirdly complex, powerful but makes doing complex patching much easier, mults are a freeking breeze now.
OK. look up this RME video about TotalMix and a program called LiveProfessor. You use the loopback feature in TotalMix to connect to LiveProfessor and you can use any of your plugins and avoid the round trip latency. Looks like LiveProfessor is 99 euros. I am still watching the video. It maybe worth your while.
Both RME PCIe MADI cards have had strange mechanical design issues. For the first one the choice of breakout connector was insane. For the FX the expansion PCB is only attached to the mounting bracket at one end, so the whole thing flexes into the computer chassis when you put the slightest pressure on the connectors.
@@BarryJohns The actual MADI part works well. One thing I will say though is that having to remap channels at different sample rates due to multiplexing is a pain. The Ferrofish ADAT implementation somehow avoids this.
Not sure Barry, because I tested the reverb on a guitar and it sounded fine, although it was more for demoing and getting a better understanding of TotalMix. Now you are spot on about their training videos as those were horrible and the only way I became halfway proficient with it was due to YOUR video series so thank you so much for that. But to your main point, revamping the plugin may increase the price point which RME is already on the premium end of the spectrum however the units you are comparing it to are more budget friendly, so compromises have to be made. Not sure if I or others would agree with the potential increase when there are a gluttony of plugins available that will get the job done.
Yeah, ,Totalmix could really use a flowchart based start tutorial...thats how I learn anyway I ultimately use a connected ur IO and plug that into the chain with no latency...but probs not for anyone else (you can get 2nd hand for barely anything and a couple of lightpipes)
totaly agree. I use and love RME since 2008 but the UCXII is not as good as my old trusty fireface 400. The phone output jack is showing connection problems, sometimes channel 5 doesnt work (I have to reboot the whole unit, meaning I have to reboot pro tools...), the rvbs, delays and compressors are not good either. It is a shame, I still love RME (although Total Mix could have been simplified), but they really should fix these issues.
Not to invalidate your experience but rather to share my perspective - I find Total Mix quite intuitive and logical once I got the general overview / flow of the controls which did not take me that long. I've struggled (and I'm still struggling) to do anything with UAs Console. I started audio as a digital native and never worked on consoles or big mixing boards so the sort of retro interface of UAs Console had me scratching my head for many old hours. Total Mix in comparison, especially with the routing matrix is pure gold for me. I guess it's really a matter of where you're coming from and what your expectations are. Either way I appreciated your Total Mix videos as well and yes - germans doing explaining videos on youtube have a different vibe. I say this as a german :) Definitely can't hurt to have a bit of variety there. In regards to the Reverb and Compressor sound I shall investigate. I'll be receiving an UFX III this week and will run it through its paces. I mostly work on instrumental music so I'm rarely tracking vocals and haven't had an RME when I did.
My main gripe with totalmix is the inability to reorder channels. It makes zero sense when it's just a software thing and not a hardware or dsp limitation. It's infuriating when you have outboard preamps - say I'm tracking drums and have snare mics on api pres which are on madi channels and other mics which are on analog lines, and then some on adat. It becomes a nightmare monitoring and dealing with cue mixes because channels are all over the places and not in a logical order. Sure, a patchbay solves this, but then setting up tracking presets in totalmix becomes unnecessarily complicated. I find in sessions everything takes so much longer because navigating around totalmix is a nightmare if you have a bunch of different pres you use. It also makes using the ipad app for cue mixes a nightmare too. Personally i think totalmix is fine otherwise and incredibly simple to use for monitoring and cue mixes. The UI could be better (they should take notes from modern digital mixing console UI's) and that includes the ipad app which is a lazy implementation of the desktop ui with bad scaling.
I want to buy RME as of December 12, 2024. I've been thinking about it for 1-2 months. I decided to purchase UFX PLUS (2016) because of its USB3.0 and Thunderbolt2. I ran into the problem that Steadyclock is not SteadyClock FS and When I heard it in person at the store, I felt that the UFX PLUS sounded better than the UFX2. In this case, which should I buy: UFX PLUS or UFX2 (2017)? Putting financial issues aside, is it right to purchase UFX3 (2023)? Seeking an expert's opinion
It‘s true that the initial obstacle to understand TotalMix is a bit higher, even (or especially?) when you come from a classic mix desk background. But after you got the concept it‘s easy. And another thing is: I don‘t know how to change the actual GUI to a more easy interface without losing functionality. Okay, they could have been implement a total n00b mode where you get graphical bubbles asking you: „what do you wanna record: Mic/Guitar/Bass/Voice?“ and providing presets for the most usecases. But this a truckload of work maybe for a group of users which may not be the main target group.
The frustration of getting my bus compressor routed thru RME UCX as an insert was worth it in the end. Its like having the flock audio patch built into your interface BUT I'll reiterate what Barry said they could do a way better job at explaining this stuff. I guess their interfaces are geared towards ""professional studio users"" who already know the system or can figure it out easily but sheesh. Total mix reminds me of going from android to apple, everything is different but actually simpler when you find the menu its tucked in.
I got to know, is that a table you’ve made? Is that also Purple Heart wood? If so that looks Amazing and I’ve never seen that much Purple Heart on one piece.
I concur completely. Your videos on TotalMix are incredibly more informational and clear than all of the RME videos. They should certainly hire you to do a comprehensive series on TotalMix.
@@SoundFixationTV And he'd go into greater detail than he did in his videos. But yea', for what it's worth, Barry's videos helped me way, way more than the RME ones did.
@@ZekeMagnar Absolutely. In all honesty, except through my own trial and error, the RME videos were mostly useless. Barry's videos were miles above better. A sponsored/detailed video on Totalmix by Barry, sanctioned by @RMEAudio, would be the best money RME would ever spend on their Totalmix software.
I had a UFX3 for about 6 months and i loved it. Totalmix FX are just straight up for tracking and nothing else. I traded up for a Prism Titan strictly on conversion and yes, it’s better in that regard and the mic pres are the best interface pres I’ve ever heard. I want totalmix back though with my whole heart. It wasn’t hard. I think after a day of messing with it now it’s hard to not have it.
I actually don’t use total mix for tracking very often, I use it for many other things daily. Actually, I would say the tracking aspect of it, is the least significant thing that you can do with total mix. It’s the most powerful system I’ve ever seen, and I’ve tried a lot of them!
yeah total mix is a bit hard to get around. I have a babyface pro FS and I set it to daw mode and other than setting the input gain, phantom power on/off, the pad on/off I try to avoid it. Not the best approach, but I like the low latency and solid quality, dsp and mad routing I don't need so appreciate that I don't need to mess with it. But my approach is due to my inability to learn to use total mix properly and yes the RME training is not helpful.
Using a RME PCIe Raydat on Linux - I would say the programming is not just the drivers, but the FPGA that adds to the stability, and also the electronics themselves. The linux driver is not written by RME (although they did provide answers to the developers for whatever they wanted).. and the stability is the best I've had on Linux). I only use windows sparingly (to use izotope - which isn't all the time) .. so I don't use TotalmixFX .. I use HDSPMixer which has no documentation - but basically facilitates any routing you could want. (that said the HDSPE doesn't have the same DSP power of the UFX plus -- so I don't think I'm really missing anything)
RME fanboi and Madi fx user here. I have way too many rackmount hardware synthesizers hooked up into my system. (24 channels?) When all the units are on and nothing playing, they make an incredible noise together… Not a good one ha ha. The gate setting on the dynamics plug-in in RME mix does the trick nicely on all those channels. I haven’t had anyone be uninspired by the verb, neither singers I’ve been working with, nor myself singing and playing brass/ string instruments. I admit I don’t think the reverb is great, but for my uses as just something to listen to when tracking it has been fine. I do have a couple hardware units I could use if Barry (or someone else with similar concerns ) wants to come over and sing a track though ha ha 😆👍 kurtzweil ksp8 or lex pcm 91 FTW 😍 If RME were to really up the game on that software, would it mean less instances? I think that is the advantage of a lighter plug-in… These MADI systems in theory can handle hundreds and hundreds of tracks... now I am just brainstorming. Thank you for the video Barry. You are always doing great work.
I love my baby face. I got it bc if I switched to windows at some point, I would probably have the best luck with them. TotalMix doesn't seem that bad to me, but the loopback is very weird to me, how it just routes back to a certain physical input. I had not noticed the issue with the verb, but I also am not used to using a lot of higher end stuff.
Man I 1000% agree. I have both the og UFX and the UFX+ (with the ferrofish of course) and I’ve been waiting for well over a decade now for actual USEABLE dsp. The EQs are OK… but the dynamics are so limited they’re basically useless, just like the time effects. I’d love to print with them but it’s rare that I find an occasion they actually are capable of doing what I want them to. I would KILL to have full ratio, attack/release, and knee settings on the dynamics section. Imagine having a key input from the EQ like every other digital console! It’s not like the DSP power isn’t there. Also how bout an RTA on each active EQ? I know we have DIGICheck (I have mine up always on a second monitor for meter, RTA, and phase scope) but it’s cumbersome to constantly have to change channel selections. Hell I feel like they could at least add an option to make the RTA follow the EQ in focus.
I got a UFX II recently and I had to return it because of RFI noise that would come into all my recordings. When they examined the returned unit, they said it was working perfectly. I tried five different interfaces with the exact same setup otherwise, and none of them had that much of an issue with RFI noise. Not sure why that happened, as I would expect such a quality of interface to be mostly immune to that, but it wasn't, and sadly it had to go back...
RME fanboi and Madi fx user here. I have way too many rackmount hardware synthesizers hooked up into my system. (24 channels?) When all the units are on and nothing playing, they make an incredible noise together… Not a good one ha ha. The gate setting on the dynamics plug-in in RME mix does the trick nicely on all those channels. I haven’t had anyone be uninspired by the verb, neither singers I’ve been working with, nor myself singing and playing brass/ string instruments. I admit I don’t think the reverb is great, but for my uses as just something to listen to when tracking it has been fine. I do have a couple hardware units I could use if Barry (or someone else with similar concerns ) wants to come over and sing a track though ha ha 😆👍 kurtzweil ksp8 or lex pcm 91 FTW 😍 If RME were to really up the game on that software, would it mean less instances I think that is the advantage of a lighter plug-in… These MADI systems in theory can handle hundreds and hundreds of tracks... now I am just brainstorming. Thank you for the video Barry. You are always doing great work.
Yep - absolutely nitpicking - but probably a fair call. There's really good reverb you can get from some very lightweight plugins.. -- You've also got heaps of hardware there -- so you could always setup a hardware chain with reverb but only record the dry signal (maybe not with an audient -- depends on the hardware reverb you are using ) -- but this is why I track with a A&H Zed R16 - with it's current 2nd hand pricing is actually a really good option for 16 converters with 16 really clean pre-amps.. (and here's where the RME Raydat comes into play ... with all the clock cleaning goodness of RME and just lower jitter on the pcie bus vs firewire - Firewire audio is not dead on Linux - Firewire will still be supported till 2029, but the RME just performs better - and if you already have a system with 16 channels of ADAT your'e laughing ) -- The AD conversion on the Zed R16 still punches high at 114 DB a-weighted .. only 2db lower than your UFX plus... GIven the death of Firewire on most platforms, the price on these have bottomed out and you can buy them for under 1,000 .. (When I bought mine it cost the same as it's modern day equivalent the SSL Big Six - both SSL and A&H are owned by AudioTonix - so you may have noticed that A&H have moved totally away from studio focussed gear while that's SSL's bread and butter - but the SSL Six and Big Six are also great options here - but more costly than a 2nd hand Zed R16 and Audient id44 - or even evo16)
Ok, so here is the thing. I use the updated RME tech AVB e.g. Fireface AVB. There is no EQ of Reverb in those interfaces or tech. The AVB tool, 12Mic and M1610-Pro- If you have a modern computer (Apple Silicon) you get an extremely low latency, you will no be able to hear/feel the latency. AND by just pull in a reverb in your DAW you get the quality you need. It actually don't need to be in the interface anymore. Same with EQ and delay. Sorry man but your complaint is actually not so relevant. I have the same concern until I realised this. I have used RME since 2010, TotalMIX is not difficult either, but I have an engineering degree.
I speak about the challenges of using a plugins when doing and overdub in an intense session, which most of mine are. As far as TotalMix, read through the comments here and on my videos. It’s overwhelming.
nice man) is it truly possible to use DAW input monitoring with RME setup without any pops\clicks\dropouts with a few plugins on insert in real time? 48khz\32 or 64 samples buffer\latest macbook pro or latest intelPC. in real project with 30-40 vsti and 50-100 vsts (without any plugins on master) is it possible to monitor in real mid-high classic project (80-100 tracks) without latency and pops? DAW realtime monitoring with plugins. ?
@@MrMukundas I use Cubase/Nuendo. there is a button that can skip vst with higher latency during recording. But you can also freeze tracks if needed while recording new tracks. That said, a H90 from Eventide is nice to have, then you get the processing you need in real time.
@@BarryJohns If you get problems, just use freeze some tracks. I use Cubase/Nuendo so in that DAW this is not a problem, Its way better then Logic and Pro Tools in utilising the CPU power on the machines. Good luck with your videos, but RMEs videos is fully understandable - at least for me.
This is exactly what I was worried about while watching their interface review. I’m not sure it’s worth the price hike right now compared to other items!
@@BarryJohnsso is it mostly the low monitoring latency you’re paying for? Because I bet most people wouldn’t be able to hear the difference between a high end preamp and upper mid
Personally I think this was a great video with excellent points made! The reason music (and many other things in our country) is trash today is because as a society we have become lazy and have learned to settle for mediocre. I recently upgraded my interface and looked into an RME. I ultimately didnt think I needed to pay that much for what I needed so I didnt. But that is part of Barry's point he didnt really mention. RME's are expensive, and for good reason, but at that price there is zero excuse to have less than good plugins included. Now Im not saying they should compare to a brand new Bricasti, but they shouldnt get Barry's kind of reaction from it (who is a huge RME fan)! I could go on. But I agree Barry
Barry, thanks for the vid. There is a very easy way to use whatever reverb plugin you like with low latency: On your recording track, engage monitoring/listening. Pull the volume fader all the way down. Do a pre-fader send on said track to your reverb plugin. Use the DAW/Input balance on interface to balance monitoring of dry input with reverb (fed by the pre-fader send). Now, if you need lower latency (more computer power), render the whole project first, solo the rendered backing. Dis-engage plugin delay compensation. Lower the latency. Record. The tiny bit of remaining latency on the reverb send can be considered 'free pre-delay'. And the latency for monitoring your interface input signal is pretty much close to 0. So, if it is just an overdubbing affair, there is no real need for onboard DSP regardless of the interface.
I really don't get why any companies can't make a DSP that you can loaded with third-party plugins that you might be able to do via the HDX system, without having to get stuck in a eco system of one DAW, or get stuck with the companies own plugins like you do with the UAD or Antelope interfaces... even heritage audio now. It really does feel like audio technology can be so far in the future while also being stuck in the dark ages. The Oria from Audient has suddenly made the best Atmos interface while being infinitely cheaper than the competition that also will work if you just play Atmos or Apple Spatial Audio content on your computer and act then as a standard computer interface for it (just wish they offered e-arc hdmi out also so I could monitor on Atmos soundbars also as this will be a common home setup for most listening) and have no issues or work arounds, it just works. I've seen companies make standalone plugin players before so why is it so hard to put plugin loading DSP into a interface? Would be fantastic is RME had a shot at this because it would then be the most stable version of it. I'm with you that it can be find to track through plugins until a track count is higher and most times you have another artist to record vocals, quite often the by the time it comes for their takes most of the track is done so of course it will be full. Maybe there's a way of having a separate computer for recoding tracking into a project in a DAW on another computer?.. that seems convoluted to even think about. RME for me, if you take away the need to have plugins on the inputs, are the best interfaces out there, but if they do not innovate soon they might get left behind by studio consistently recoding onto bigger tracks. And with Atmos coming in fast they better start doing more. I have used them before and back when nothing had DSP it was a god send for them to have plugins you could use not to commit to to help the artist hear themselves better... but, we are far from those days and not much innovation has happened unless a form of eco system herding. It does seem also anyone that does make there system all inclusive will make all the other companies have to follow suit and it seems no one wants to be that black sheep yet and just go for it. Even controller surface manufactures seem to be reluctant to let their control surfaces be easily universal, and the ones that are, are either a bit janky or have some way of herding you to a particular DAW at least, or with the SSL guys, let to map a controller but it make little sense with how they setup the controller. Softube should be in development of allowing use to map our own plugins so that is good. All these companies need to do is have a safeguarding algorithm that will say "this plugin maybe have trouble working properly in this DSP and so has been disabled" to protect from plugins messing up their DSP and giving them a bad name and pretty much the same for controllers any time that happens we can go to the specific plugin maker to ask them if they can make the plugin compatible. It will at least give us a whole wealth of options other than to odd exception. For RME to give better updated plugins for your issue, they could easily do that and offer it in a firmware update, so I hope they at least step up for current RME users. I love RME. If I was just doing mixing and mastering and only in stereo, I would be RME all the way.
right. I love my RMEs, specially the Fireface USB III. The RME videos could be way better. I hope they hire maybe, Dan Worrall, to fix that and convert them into great publicity.
If you think Lynx Aurora makes the best products then why don't you just go with that? I use lynx and I don't even understand how RME software can be that complicated? Or why it would be complicated at all? 😔
You’d have to use TotalMix which is incredible but confusing until you learn it, which is why I did the videos. What I said was the Lynx Aurora was better at conversion, I used it with HDX. Frankly at this point, stability is the most important to me, as well as connectivity. I use MADI and ADAT. Madi is currently not an option for the LN version. I would have to buy a MADI to Dante converter. I also don’t like Dante.
I loved the RME sound, but I tried one of the old PCI interfaces a long time ago, and it was glitchy with my G5 tower at the time. So I returned it and tried the (then new) Fireface UC. The sound was there, but I did not like their documentation at all, and I did not like TotalMix at all. I found that every time I used it, I was frustrated. So I ended up selling the UC. Poor documentation, support from Synthax that I found lackluster, and the spartan and minimalist TotalMix that did not gel with the way my brain works. I still have my RME OctaMic II, but even that relatively simple box gives me trouble. I couldn't get it working with a Gen 1 Scarlett 18i8 recently. Glad you like it, but that brand is not for me.
For those wanting the short version: he does not like the reverb and delay on Totalmix. My 2 cents: They could improve the reverb but I find it absolutely usable for tracking. Never had a complaint in 10 years!
Thanks god
He is right the reverb absolutely sucks I would be embarrassed to put that on a monitor mix for a singer. It's shockingly awful 😢
Thank you!
@@ignacedhont9816 it's not meant to be used on a track.
That's what I was thinking as well... its just for tracking and I actually think its good enough for just that... furthermore I think Barry is in the minority with this type of concern for RME, who's users probably aren't relying on internal effects processors
I don’t get why a case has been made out of TotalMix; the whole concept lies in a sentence in the manual, all you need to know lies in a one sentence, right there in the manual, and it’s very simple to grasp.
To paraphrase that sentence: select a destination (i.e. an output in the third row), then send the input(s) (first and second row) you want to that output by raising its fader.
Tell me it’s hard to grasp? Select a destination, then send to that destination. Couldn't be simpler than that, right?
In this regard, there’s nothing to complain about RME. A simple concept, described in one sentence in the manual.
its a matrix mixer...
@@regrettingthis It is. And the Matrix view, although not “sexy” is even simpler to grasp!
There’s no “code to crack”, really!
Im a Pianist/writer arranger…. Been in the music game for 40 years. To me, Total mix is extremely complicated. Probably has a lot of things ill never use but to me, its a total mystery; and I hate spending time trying to figure it out. And Im dreading this new Kernal Extension driver I’ve been hearing about.
This! This was the only thing I needed to know when I started using TotalMix FX, everything else is quite intuitive, at least if you're a little familiar with working in a DAW.
People who cannot read or digest text will have problems yes.
Barry I spoke to RME about this cause I have been communicating about the Room EQ update that they are doing with Sonarworks and this was their response:
Thank you for your honest opinion. Great video. Unfortunately the used DSPs on the RME devices are completely maxed out, as every feature in every channel should work. Additionally the DSP is doing all the display features. It was really a miracle the developers could fit the new Room EQ into so many devices. So an improved reverb or cCompressor is simply not possible, as it would need to double the DSP load. Maybe in future devices.
Thanks for sharing
Frankly I have no issues and. Ever have with my RME ufx which I’ve had now for line 15 yrs. Total mix is actually very intuitive as long as you understand its flow. Also… the manual is great in case you do have a question. These days everyone wants things easy. A little brain power and common sense goes a long way here.
You did a great job on your tutorials! I have upgraded to another rme! You are right about there reverb!
Great video, my plan is to upgrade to RME from uad twin hopefully is the right way to go
I use TotalMix with an old PCI based RME HDSP9652 card. Still works spectacularly, but has no DSP effects in TotalMix. For recording vocals, the singer gets their main vocal foldback from the direct monitoring. I get reverb for them by record arming the vocal mic on an additional DAW track set to monitor only, so it doesn't actually record any audio. It does provide a foldback for the vocal mic though, albeit delayed by buffers etc. I route this to a reverb for the singer's headphone mix. None of this delayed direct signal gets back to the singer, only the reverb. In practice it never seems to matter if the reverb onset is delayed by a few milliseconds as most people are used to a certain amount of pre-delay on reverbs anyway. A big advantage is that you have the option to keep the reverb used for recording as your mix reverb.
Of course, this won't work with inline / insert based effects like compression and EQ.
Great video, I just purchased two used RME FIREFACE 800 to replace my old presonus firestudio and the first thing I noticed was the quality of the RME quite a bit heavier thus the hook on the back but I have heard nothing but the best on these units and I got them for about $400 a piece (one from Japan) so I am looking forward to my mixes giving me some new feedback. But will definitely do like you said and learn that mix routing and all they have to offer! Thanks again.
I watched RME videos. They are what led me to you mate. They need to incorporate your videos in to their training.
RME = Really Magical Effects
Totally! I bought my RME Babyface because of you but I'm trying to understand it and I hope it doesn't take too long.
Thanks Barry for your video. I use my RME UFX+ with Live Professor and I am able to make monitor settings with my favorite vst plugins (compressors, eq, reverb,delay and one ove the most important thing for my clients - AUTO-TUNE with low latency settings) only for the headphones outs. In my DAW I have plugins with 0.5sec latancy (like lin-phase eq, soothe2 and ect) but I dont use is to monitor.
I have been a RME user since the Fireface 800 came (just checked and its almost to the day exactly 20 years). Have been using Totalmix since day one, and honestly I never really had an issue understanding it. 20 years later it fits like a glove, and is part of my daily workflow. But I can understand that it can be hard to wrap your head around it... Anyway nowadays using RME HDspe MADI FX together with a FerroFish A32pro (Which btw is also "RME"). For me the perfect combo, and the FerroFish has great converters. The great thing about RME, no matter which interface you use, Totalmix is always the same. Has been for 20 years and will probably be the same for the next .... years 🙂
I agree with your take on RME, Barry. It’s the drivers. Those of us who have been doing this for decades may have more appreciation for their drivers, having suffered through ridiculous hours of troubleshooting and hacking drivers/latency/bugs, etc. Also, you are right about RME’s training materials - like you, I consider myself fairly savvy, yet I came away from their TotalMix videos scratching my head. That’s why I appreciated your “cracking the TotalMix code” videos. I’ll bet that RME outsourced those plugins so they could tout it in their marketing.
I use Zero Latency Monitoring feature in Nuendo / RME with the Nuendo monitoring mixer.
This allows Nuendo to control RME Total mix mixer with the Nuendo monitor mixer,therefore Zero Latency. This bypasses any plugins that as the monitored audio is not going through the pc.
Great video, magic of Totalmix.
UFXiii user here. LOVE RME! I have to say I don’t really understand why you think RME’s TotalMix videos are so hard to understand though. I watched them before I decided to buy my interface, and again when I actually had it in front of me for the first time as a refresher. I think their videos are fine. I’m no rocket scientist, but I do have German ancestry. 🤣
The biggest thing is to remember to before you start pushing faders is to select the output you want to create a mix for FIRST.
I do a ton of live audio too, so this workflow is no different than when I switch a live console to sends on faders for a monitor mix. In most cases you have to select the monitor send’s main output, then press the send on faders button and mix away. Perhaps they’re borrowing from that workflow, which may not be as obvious to people if they don’t also have a live audio background?
I agree the built in TotalMix reverb isn’t great, but I don’t use it much. I used the delay to dial in a slap back echo while tracking vocals a couple weeks ago, and it did what it needed to do. I almost never use the EQ and comp, so I don’t have much to say about them.
I agree with you... once I realized the general workflow was the same as a digital mixing console, I was off! TotalMix FX is da bomb
@@darylsamuel90 It really is simple to use - dare I say intuitive - if you’ve used just about any live digital console.
I have connected mackie controller how can I make use of it with software playback and hardware output…thanks
We needed this video! RME are great, but I want to feel inspired and not like a scientist when using TotalmixFX. I think the UI could be more intuitive as well.
Thanks so much. What about RME’s brand new conversters, have you any chance with them?
Not yet.
I actually like the RME verb....and I own every verb under the sun. I suggest putting on some headphones some evening....and run through all the different algorithms and see if there is anything in there you like. There are a lot of different ones and they sound drastically different. It is no bracasti or anything. On a side note...I am an engineer running a commercial studio and have had many artists over the years ask what the verb was because they liked it. I believe the real problem is how the tools are presented. They do require a lot of messing about to sound great. They should update and simplify the algorithms to some universally great sounding plates, rooms and chambers we all know and love. I wish they would update the delay more than the verb. Also add a bpm parameter. Also the ability to mouse drag eq points would be convenient. Fin.
Idk what you hear but the RME reverbs are not impressive at all. Doesn’t matter how much you flip through them.
My ADI Pro FS R Black edition first started with grounding issues, then it would over heat in an ACed zone. It eventually killed over and died. I owned it for 6 months till it died. For $2,000, that should not happen!
I totally agree with you about the RME TotalMix tutorial videos. Absolute gobbledygook. I thought it was just me but it turns out I'm not the only one. Thanks for pointing that out.
I have four training videos for total mix if you’re interested. They’re on my channel.
@@BarryJohns Thanks Barry, I will check them out.
BARRY YOU ARE NEVER SATISFIED OMG
I'm never satisfied TOO, so your not alone :)
OMG, clearly YOU are never satisfied with Barry, which is neither here nor there
@@owlmuso lol
Because we’re always looking for “BETTER” 😜🎚🎧
@@GeorgeAmodei21 *either
bought the rme ucx fireface years ago for my windows pc....wanted to use it for the first time with an apple macbook to record some vocals and was stunned that it doesn't support direct monitoring on ios
Great video Barry. I got a 2015 iMac 2 years ago and my Babyface (original) just won't work with it. I have gone online to try and find any help nothing has worked. The interface work fine with any other computer. Any helpful tips from anyone will be appreciated.
Additionally for tracking purposes the internal DSP is great. All you need is a little bit of reverb and a little bit of delay for the Artist to hear while they’re tracking. I would never record that stuff. To complain about that is absurd
Isn't the easy fix to use Gig Performer to use any efx plugin you want without introducing much latency?
Long time RME user here... Ive always felt the verbs in TotalMix FX were *OK only. The real problem is in the decay. Theres an abrubt drop out at the tail end of most of the verbs. But agree, they arent great. Just passable for tracking which is indeed odd considering everything else they do is BANGER. That said, the only REAL issue I have in the DSP is the compressors not having actual gain reduction meters. Yeah the little blue bar goes down but never tells you exactly how much youre compressing. Again, not end of the world, but seems like they could easily just add a gain reduction meter, or add the actual values somewhere in there. I think the EQs are actually pretty solid and Ive actually mixed a live show through Total Mix back when I ran a UFX. The EQs were great. And the new Room EQ feature is just ridiculously useful.
The RME eq is really good in my opinion. My complaint with the effects would be it's too hard to see some details. A refresh visually and sonically would be nice.
mowing from universal audio i find their mixer especially routing much more confusing then Total mix
hahahah.... i thought the same everytime.....
I would have to agree that RME certainly falls short in their videos. In fact, it was watching your videos on total mix that finally made it clear to me. So thank you for your work and your efforts to share useful information. And also thank you for being critical, we all need to hear it now and again.
Only gripe I have with RME BFP FS is my headphone port short circuits with my LCD-X headphones and I have to reboot the interface. Retail location refused to warranty this and RME forum was helpful but never helped me solve the issue. Only options left is not use my primary headphone with my interface or find a 3rd party that would be willing to open the unit up and inspect and measure the headphone out.
My main gripe is that they’re so incredibly rude on their forum. They’re a hair away from calling you an absolute moron for not knowing how to do something...
Nah, only when tons of people ask questions that can be answered with very minimal searching. Ive always thought it was amazing that Mathias himself is on there constantly adding value. I have plenty of grace for any of the comments that seem slightly impatient. Do your due diligence before asking questions. But even then he usually either gives an answer or directs you to one.
@@LaminarSound they reply rudely and curtly across the board, including to plenty of ‘new’ questions too. You can love them all you want but don’t discredit people’s experience with ‘nah’. I’ve done my due diligence thank you very much.
@@Beatsmith2005 if you feel discredited thats on you. I gave my opinion. Ive been on the forum upwards of 12 yrs off and on, so it's based on experience. You might have had a different one. Thats fine.
I have excactly the opposite experience there. Asked a question about a 15 year old RME device and had an polite answer within a day by one of their techs.
@@AndredeBruinSoundengineer over the many years ive been on there its been by far mostly polite and quick responses. I HAVE indeed seen a few less than patient responses, and its always been for questions that have easily found answers already in many places in the forum. Again, MY EXPERIENCE.
I switched from Motu to RME because of the driver stability (Win 10,11). In combination with Cubase = perfect, no more frozen DAW and no more broken recording session. But as always with German technology, you have to dig in, just compare e.g. with Cubase, I have similar experience. I am already working in a German company and this is an overall approach, so nothing new for me. But I fully understand the point, they should update the learning content to be more in line with the modern world and the effects are obsolete, except the quite usable compressor.
About the inserts for recording, it really sucks, takes time to tweak
Yes...
I've been trying to upgrade my audio interface setup for 3+ years now. Finally thought I had it set with a MOTU M64 and Pulse 16MX (and hanging my 828 off that via ADAT) but seems like nearly all of MOTUs AVB interfaces are MIA and have been. So when RME dropped the AoX (which is coming out in a few weeks), I got both frustrated and excited at the same time.
Frustrated because I found a cost effective solution that was going to finally get me into a more modular solution while giving me options to record in other rooms (just of my house, nothing fancy) - notably recording my piano which is too far from my workstation to do without something like AVB which would make that very easy to do. The MOTU hit the price point and while the 828 isn't sonically amazing, it's good enough. But womp. The RME is 3x the price.
But also excited because the RME is a PCIe card (yes I know USB is "fine" but I found I got the best results with FW which isn't an option and Thunderbolt is a non-starter on PCs, thanks Intel). I've been wanting a PCIe card forever and the AoX delivers having both MADI and AVB (Milan) in the same card and, at least in terms of RME money, not an extreme price. But definitely not cheap relative to MOTU.
Good to know that TotalMix may be an initial climb and also I did pick up on the built-in effects being poor to nonexistent relative to other solutions. For just MADI, I found a few PCIe options but either it's an ancient SSL card that may not work on modern operating systems or another brand I've never heard of. I think RME might be worth the investment. We'll see when the AoX drops in a few weeks where folks can get their hands on it.
I didn't make any conclusions in the above haha I guess just explaining what my thought process is for my next home studio upgrade to add context for simply saying thanks for the video! I found it very helpful!
I have the RME Babyface v1. I stopped using it as I couldnt get the signal in without digital distortion due to the original mixing software being such a pain in the arse to use. My Zoom H6 and Line 6 Helix was plug and play, I've ended up using those instead even though its inferior. Interesting to see their FX havent progressed. They should do a deal with Valhalla
Hey Barry, my guy a Sweetwater suggest the RME Babyface. Now I'm using the Clarett+8pre and I'm having some artifact, wah wah sounding digital issues. For weeks I couldn't wrap my head around this, I brought new cables, unplugged all my gear, ran line to another room outlet, switched power conditioner, purchase a TLM103, built a booth lol, changed sample rates you name it. So come to find out my interface picks up local radio stations 😅 So, I found a work around by connecting mic to my modded eureka pre and the local station is gone, but I still slightly get the artifacts. Could this be a slow convention issue? I'm running on a iMac 3.4 Quad, 2017, 32 Gb 2 SSD 3 Tb .Will upgrading my Interface to the RME do the trick? I just purchased this one a year ago, sucks to be me!
Send me an email do we can talk about this offline. Hard to do that here.
Hi Barry, why don´t you try using Waves superrack Performer? You can you use almopst any plugin under the sun with minimal latency inserted in your totalmix fx.
You've hit the nail on the head about the efx. I've used the reverbs for vocalist and know off the top that it is lacking to the point of sometimes it's just better not to use it at all. Ive tried just about anything you can try regarding their efx offerings but, nothing seems to be good enough to get a nice smooth buttery reverb for reference tracking. An upgrade in this area would be welcomed tremendously!!
I don't use any onboard effects of the RME. From my understanding when i talked to someone from RME on superbooth, those gimmicks aren't in their focus i think. I asked why they don't build a Totalmix Remote for Android, and guess what, there are only four guys at RME who are developing, engineering the Hardware and Software... and thats the reason why the drivers are still updated and working perfectly fine. They didn't outsourced Software Development, like many others did. I mean four guys, making firmware and driver updates beside of creating new devices. Totally crazy. I'm sure there are way more people at Universal Audio. Also i need to mention. The Firmware File would be huge if they would go on implement State of the art reverb.
I just use a reverb in Pro Tools, using 'sends persist in LLM'.
Yes I'm interested In RME But I don't have a clue How you would even hook it up to different microphones. Need some kind of breakout box ?
It has mic preamps
Great info, Barry. I never knew that they have a poor reverb in that Mix FX.... I assumed I would be a great sounding reverb, as anyone would expect from RME. Since I have a very very very old RME device still running I have Total Mix, but not FX. ;-)
Do you have a recommendation for a rack reverb delay combo multi processor? Because I’m not a guitar player set up reverb pedals.
i just wish they could implement a patchbay view like the one found in the Flock stuff, to swap around gear easier.
Yes!
Took me a little while to figure out Loopback, and when I finally did I thought, what the hell. But what's needed from RME is very simple step by step written instructions on how to set things up, separate from the manuals The videos aren't enough. And also, Use Case diagrams on how all their interfaces and converters work together, and how they work in the studio or live. There are use case diagram out there. I think Synthax does some great educational content. Having said that, you learn more with some struggle. Great topic.
Have you seen the TotalMix videos I’ve made?
@@BarryJohns I’ve seen a couple. I’ll have to sub and make sure I catch up with a few more. Cheers.
if I had $25k to spend and I am a song-writer & artist who wants to work mostly in the box and record my own cd's but I also want to record a band occassionally at my 12 x 15 home studio space, what specific equipment would you recommend?
Way too much to get into here. So many variables and options.
you can do overdubs and use a send in the daw for any reverb or delay you want and then use the direct in total mix to control the amount of wet/dry. this solution works as long as your buffer is not insanely high as any delay will just be percieved as slight pre delay for reverb or a few extra ms for a delay. its pretty simple. rme is for professionals who either know these 'work arounds', have a powerful enough computer to handle real time tracking or use hardware compressors ect on the way in. after all these interfaces are not expensive. also not including plugins is the reason that the rme software works so easily and has such good backwards compatibility. keep rme rme
That send won’t die if you have an intense session as mine typically are.
@@BarryJohns no it will not unless you use obscene buffer size
@@BarryJohns what?
I believe with Cubase you can freeze in place your tracks taking the load off your computer so you can track easier with a plugin
Yes but I’m not a fan.
@@BarryJohns I pre-ordered the new RME M-1620 Pro that has 16 in's and outs to go with my UFX III. I hope I did not make a mistake. Can RME upgrade the effects with firmware or would it require a whole new interface?
@@BarryJohns I see RME has a video about something called Live Professor. It appears to be program you can run with RME interface for low latency and it runs your plugins. Not sure how this works. Have you seen it?
Never used any of the fx processing on my RME UFX3 and Multiface interfaces. TMix is weirdly complex, powerful but makes doing complex patching much easier, mults are a freeking breeze now.
OK. look up this RME video about TotalMix and a program called LiveProfessor. You use the loopback feature in TotalMix to connect to LiveProfessor and you can use any of your plugins and avoid the round trip latency. Looks like LiveProfessor is 99 euros. I am still watching the video. It maybe worth your while.
Both RME PCIe MADI cards have had strange mechanical design issues. For the first one the choice of breakout connector was insane. For the FX the expansion PCB is only attached to the mounting bracket at one end, so the whole thing flexes into the computer chassis when you put the slightest pressure on the connectors.
That’s interesting, I’ve never had a single issue with Madi on my device.
@@BarryJohns The actual MADI part works well. One thing I will say though is that having to remap channels at different sample rates due to multiplexing is a pain. The Ferrofish ADAT implementation somehow avoids this.
Do you think UAD is working on new Apollo Units?
I thought so, but today I don’t know. I do think it’s long overdue.
i use a rme digiface usb with a prism sound orpheus and a behringer ada8200......0 problems......excellent drivers....other companies should take note
Not sure Barry, because I tested the reverb on a guitar and it sounded fine, although it was more for demoing and getting a better understanding of TotalMix. Now you are spot on about their training videos as those were horrible and the only way I became halfway proficient with it was due to YOUR video series so thank you so much for that. But to your main point, revamping the plugin may increase the price point which RME is already on the premium end of the spectrum however the units you are comparing it to are more budget friendly, so compromises have to be made. Not sure if I or others would agree with the potential increase when there are a gluttony of plugins available that will get the job done.
Yeah, ,Totalmix could really use a flowchart based start tutorial...thats how I learn anyway
I ultimately use a connected ur IO and plug that into the chain with no latency...but probs not for anyone else (you can get 2nd hand for barely anything and a couple of lightpipes)
totaly agree. I use and love RME since 2008 but the UCXII is not as good as my old trusty fireface 400. The phone output jack is showing connection problems, sometimes channel 5 doesnt work (I have to reboot the whole unit, meaning I have to reboot pro tools...), the rvbs, delays and compressors are not good either. It is a shame, I still love RME (although Total Mix could have been simplified), but they really should fix these issues.
Not to invalidate your experience but rather to share my perspective - I find Total Mix quite intuitive and logical once I got the general overview / flow of the controls which did not take me that long. I've struggled (and I'm still struggling) to do anything with UAs Console. I started audio as a digital native and never worked on consoles or big mixing boards so the sort of retro interface of UAs Console had me scratching my head for many old hours. Total Mix in comparison, especially with the routing matrix is pure gold for me. I guess it's really a matter of where you're coming from and what your expectations are. Either way I appreciated your Total Mix videos as well and yes - germans doing explaining videos on youtube have a different vibe. I say this as a german :) Definitely can't hurt to have a bit of variety there.
In regards to the Reverb and Compressor sound I shall investigate. I'll be receiving an UFX III this week and will run it through its paces. I mostly work on instrumental music so I'm rarely tracking vocals and haven't had an RME when I did.
I’d love to get your feedback on the Totalmix tutorials I did.
Apart from reverbs, I hate the fact they don't include gates. True, there is expander, but then you lose the compressor
My main gripe with totalmix is the inability to reorder channels. It makes zero sense when it's just a software thing and not a hardware or dsp limitation. It's infuriating when you have outboard preamps - say I'm tracking drums and have snare mics on api pres which are on madi channels and other mics which are on analog lines, and then some on adat. It becomes a nightmare monitoring and dealing with cue mixes because channels are all over the places and not in a logical order. Sure, a patchbay solves this, but then setting up tracking presets in totalmix becomes unnecessarily complicated. I find in sessions everything takes so much longer because navigating around totalmix is a nightmare if you have a bunch of different pres you use. It also makes using the ipad app for cue mixes a nightmare too. Personally i think totalmix is fine otherwise and incredibly simple to use for monitoring and cue mixes. The UI could be better (they should take notes from modern digital mixing console UI's) and that includes the ipad app which is a lazy implementation of the desktop ui with bad scaling.
You can hide unused channels in Totalmix.
@@svyatoslavlevin7858 I know, but you can't reorder them
I like how you call it out... Most TH-camrs are so afraid to call any company out.
Barry, your TotalMix videos saved me
I want to buy RME as of December 12, 2024.
I've been thinking about it for 1-2 months.
I decided to purchase UFX PLUS (2016) because of its USB3.0 and Thunderbolt2.
I ran into the problem that Steadyclock is not SteadyClock FS and
When I heard it in person at the store, I felt that the UFX PLUS sounded better than the UFX2.
In this case, which should I buy: UFX PLUS or UFX2 (2017)?
Putting financial issues aside, is it right to purchase UFX3 (2023)?
Seeking an expert's opinion
It‘s true that the initial obstacle to understand TotalMix is a bit higher, even (or especially?) when you come from a classic mix desk background. But after you got the concept it‘s easy. And another thing is: I don‘t know how to change the actual GUI to a more easy interface without losing functionality. Okay, they could have been implement a total n00b mode where you get graphical bubbles asking you: „what do you wanna record: Mic/Guitar/Bass/Voice?“ and providing presets for the most usecases. But this a truckload of work maybe for a group of users which may not be the main target group.
That's funny. I also thought their TotalMix tutorial videos sucked, but I just thought it was because I was too dumb to work it out.
The frustration of getting my bus compressor routed thru RME UCX as an insert was worth it in the end. Its like having the flock audio patch built into your interface BUT I'll reiterate what Barry said they could do a way better job at explaining this stuff. I guess their interfaces are geared towards ""professional studio users"" who already know the system or can figure it out easily but sheesh. Total mix reminds me of going from android to apple, everything is different but actually simpler when you find the menu its tucked in.
I got to know, is that a table you’ve made? Is that also Purple Heart wood? If so that looks Amazing and I’ve never seen that much Purple Heart on one piece.
I concur completely. Your videos on TotalMix are incredibly more informational and clear than all of the RME videos. They should certainly hire you to do a comprehensive series on TotalMix.
Why would they pay him when he's already done it for free?😂
@@jdl2180 Because he deserves it.
@@SoundFixationTV And he'd go into greater detail than he did in his videos. But yea', for what it's worth, Barry's videos helped me way, way more than the RME ones did.
@@ZekeMagnar Absolutely. In all honesty, except through my own trial and error, the RME videos were mostly useless. Barry's videos were miles above better. A sponsored/detailed video on Totalmix by Barry, sanctioned by @RMEAudio,
would be the best money RME would ever spend on their Totalmix software.
@@SoundFixationTV Agreed!
totally agree... I keep saying the same thing about DMG audio plugins or Samplitude/Sequoia DAW... They just don't make in-depth tutorials
I had a UFX3 for about 6 months and i loved it. Totalmix FX are just straight up for tracking and nothing else. I traded up for a Prism Titan strictly on conversion and yes, it’s better in that regard and the mic pres are the best interface pres I’ve ever heard. I want totalmix back though with my whole heart. It wasn’t hard. I think after a day of messing with it now it’s hard to not have it.
I actually don’t use total mix for tracking very often, I use it for many other things daily. Actually, I would say the tracking aspect of it, is the least significant thing that you can do with total mix. It’s the most powerful system I’ve ever seen, and I’ve tried a lot of them!
@@BarryJohns What do you use then, for tracking?
yeah total mix is a bit hard to get around. I have a babyface pro FS and I set it to daw mode and other than setting the input gain, phantom power on/off, the pad on/off I try to avoid it. Not the best approach, but I like the low latency and solid quality, dsp and mad routing I don't need so appreciate that I don't need to mess with it. But my approach is due to my inability to learn to use total mix properly and yes the RME training is not helpful.
Using a RME PCIe Raydat on Linux - I would say the programming is not just the drivers, but the FPGA that adds to the stability, and also the electronics themselves.
The linux driver is not written by RME (although they did provide answers to the developers for whatever they wanted).. and the stability is the best I've had on Linux).
I only use windows sparingly (to use izotope - which isn't all the time) .. so I don't use TotalmixFX .. I use HDSPMixer which has no documentation - but basically facilitates any routing you could want.
(that said the HDSPE doesn't have the same DSP power of the UFX plus -- so I don't think I'm really missing anything)
RME fanboi and Madi fx user here. I have way too many rackmount hardware synthesizers hooked up into my system. (24 channels?) When all the units are on and nothing playing, they make an incredible noise together… Not a good one ha ha. The gate setting on the dynamics plug-in in RME mix does the trick nicely on all those channels.
I haven’t had anyone be uninspired by the verb, neither singers I’ve been working with, nor myself singing and playing brass/ string instruments.
I admit I don’t think the reverb is great, but for my uses as just something to listen to when tracking it has been fine. I do have a couple hardware units I could use if Barry (or someone else with similar concerns ) wants to come over and sing a track though ha ha 😆👍 kurtzweil ksp8 or lex pcm 91 FTW 😍
If RME were to really up the game on that software, would it mean less instances? I think that is the advantage of a lighter plug-in… These MADI systems in theory can handle hundreds and hundreds of tracks... now I am just brainstorming. Thank you for the video Barry. You are always doing great work.
Is totalmix really that hard? Took me about two hours to figure out
I love my baby face. I got it bc if I switched to windows at some point, I would probably have the best luck with them. TotalMix doesn't seem that bad to me, but the loopback is very weird to me, how it just routes back to a certain physical input. I had not noticed the issue with the verb, but I also am not used to using a lot of higher end stuff.
Fancy table top you’re resting on! Is that one of your creations??
Yes it is!
The compressor sound pretty decent to be honest. Totalmix could have a better user interface though!
I thought you were going to have a British accent, but you sound like my old neighbor back in Huntington, WV. lol
Man I 1000% agree. I have both the og UFX and the UFX+ (with the ferrofish of course) and I’ve been waiting for well over a decade now for actual USEABLE dsp. The EQs are OK… but the dynamics are so limited they’re basically useless, just like the time effects. I’d love to print with them but it’s rare that I find an occasion they actually are capable of doing what I want them to.
I would KILL to have full ratio, attack/release, and knee settings on the dynamics section. Imagine having a key input from the EQ like every other digital console!
It’s not like the DSP power isn’t there.
Also how bout an RTA on each active EQ? I know we have DIGICheck (I have mine up always on a second monitor for meter, RTA, and phase scope) but it’s cumbersome to constantly have to change channel selections. Hell I feel like they could at least add an option to make the RTA follow the EQ in focus.
So do you record other people or make recordings yourself?
I'm glad to hear that someone else finds Total Mix less than user-friendly.
Watch my videos that are LinkedIn this video in the description, and it will become very clear to you fairly quickly.
I got a UFX II recently and I had to return it because of RFI noise that would come into all my recordings. When they examined the returned unit, they said it was working perfectly. I tried five different interfaces with the exact same setup otherwise, and none of them had that much of an issue with RFI noise. Not sure why that happened, as I would expect such a quality of interface to be mostly immune to that, but it wasn't, and sadly it had to go back...
Hi Barry. I'm a UFX-user. And I'm 100% with you on this! RME: go fix! Now!
Spot on!
*PREACH THAT GOSPEL!!! I DONT WASTE MY MONEY ON ANYTHING ELSE*
Your Lights in back really bring out your Artisan Table ( Off TOPIC : SORRY )
RME fanboi and Madi fx user here. I have way too many rackmount hardware synthesizers hooked up into my system. (24 channels?) When all the units are on and nothing playing, they make an incredible noise together… Not a good one ha ha. The gate setting on the dynamics plug-in in RME mix does the trick nicely on all those channels.
I haven’t had anyone be uninspired by the verb, neither singers I’ve been working with, nor myself singing and playing brass/ string instruments.
I admit I don’t think the reverb is great, but for my uses as just something to listen to when tracking it has been fine. I do have a couple hardware units I could use if Barry (or someone else with similar concerns ) wants to come over and sing a track though ha ha 😆👍 kurtzweil ksp8 or lex pcm 91 FTW 😍
If RME were to really up the game on that software, would it mean less instances I think that is the advantage of a lighter plug-in… These MADI systems in theory can handle hundreds and hundreds of tracks... now I am just brainstorming. Thank you for the video Barry. You are always doing great work.
Am a MOTU person, but recently really diggin the RME stuff, probably gonna get some of it when i get a new computer.
Yep - absolutely nitpicking - but probably a fair call.
There's really good reverb you can get from some very lightweight plugins.. --
You've also got heaps of hardware there -- so you could always setup a hardware chain with reverb but only record the dry signal (maybe not with an audient -- depends on the hardware reverb you are using ) -- but this is why I track with a A&H Zed R16 - with it's current 2nd hand pricing is actually a really good option for 16 converters with 16 really clean pre-amps..
(and here's where the RME Raydat comes into play ... with all the clock cleaning goodness of RME and just lower jitter on the pcie bus vs firewire - Firewire audio is not dead on Linux - Firewire will still be supported till 2029, but the RME just performs better - and if you already have a system with 16 channels of ADAT your'e laughing ) --
The AD conversion on the Zed R16 still punches high at 114 DB a-weighted .. only 2db lower than your UFX plus... GIven the death of Firewire on most platforms, the price on these have bottomed out and you can buy them for under 1,000 .. (When I bought mine it cost the same as it's modern day equivalent the SSL Big Six - both SSL and A&H are owned by AudioTonix - so you may have noticed that A&H have moved totally away from studio focussed gear while that's SSL's bread and butter - but the SSL Six and Big Six are also great options here - but more costly than a 2nd hand Zed R16 and Audient id44 - or even evo16)
Ok, so here is the thing. I use the updated RME tech AVB e.g. Fireface AVB. There is no EQ of Reverb in those interfaces or tech. The AVB tool, 12Mic and M1610-Pro- If you have a modern computer (Apple Silicon) you get an extremely low latency, you will no be able to hear/feel the latency. AND by just pull in a reverb in your DAW you get the quality you need. It actually don't need to be in the interface anymore. Same with EQ and delay. Sorry man but your complaint is actually not so relevant. I have the same concern until I realised this. I have used RME since 2010, TotalMIX is not difficult either, but I have an engineering degree.
I speak about the challenges of using a plugins when doing and overdub in an intense session, which most of mine are. As far as TotalMix, read through the comments here and on my videos. It’s overwhelming.
nice man)
is it truly possible to use DAW input monitoring with RME setup without any pops\clicks\dropouts with a few plugins on insert in real time? 48khz\32 or 64 samples buffer\latest macbook pro or latest intelPC.
in real project with 30-40 vsti and 50-100 vsts (without any plugins on master)
is it possible to monitor in real mid-high classic project (80-100 tracks) without latency and pops? DAW realtime monitoring with plugins. ?
@@MrMukundas I use Cubase/Nuendo. there is a button that can skip vst with higher latency during recording. But you can also freeze tracks if needed while recording new tracks. That said, a H90 from Eventide is nice to have, then you get the processing you need in real time.
@@BarryJohns If you get problems, just use freeze some tracks. I use Cubase/Nuendo so in that DAW this is not a problem, Its way better then Logic and Pro Tools in utilising the CPU power on the machines. Good luck with your videos, but RMEs videos is fully understandable - at least for me.
@@asmundma thanks!
i know that freezing is a way to go) but it's compromise again))
what cpu do you use?
it's interesting for me to know
This is exactly what I was worried about while watching their interface review. I’m not sure it’s worth the price hike right now compared to other items!
I would not let that hold me back from buying one as the benefits far outweigh the cons.
@@BarryJohnsso is it mostly the low monitoring latency you’re paying for? Because I bet most people wouldn’t be able to hear the difference between a high end preamp and upper mid
Personally I think this was a great video with excellent points made! The reason music (and many other things in our country) is trash today is because as a society we have become lazy and have learned to settle for mediocre. I recently upgraded my interface and looked into an RME. I ultimately didnt think I needed to pay that much for what I needed so I didnt. But that is part of Barry's point he didnt really mention. RME's are expensive, and for good reason, but at that price there is zero excuse to have less than good plugins included. Now Im not saying they should compare to a brand new Bricasti, but they shouldnt get Barry's kind of reaction from it (who is a huge RME fan)! I could go on. But I agree Barry
🙏
Barry, thanks for the vid. There is a very easy way to use whatever reverb plugin you like with low latency: On your recording track, engage monitoring/listening. Pull the volume fader all the way down. Do a pre-fader send on said track to your reverb plugin. Use the DAW/Input balance on interface to balance monitoring of dry input with reverb (fed by the pre-fader send). Now, if you need lower latency (more computer power), render the whole project first, solo the rendered backing. Dis-engage plugin delay compensation. Lower the latency. Record. The tiny bit of remaining latency on the reverb send can be considered 'free pre-delay'. And the latency for monitoring your interface input signal is pretty much close to 0. So, if it is just an overdubbing affair, there is no real need for onboard DSP regardless of the interface.
RME IS KING
I really don't get why any companies can't make a DSP that you can loaded with third-party plugins that you might be able to do via the HDX system, without having to get stuck in a eco system of one DAW, or get stuck with the companies own plugins like you do with the UAD or Antelope interfaces... even heritage audio now.
It really does feel like audio technology can be so far in the future while also being stuck in the dark ages.
The Oria from Audient has suddenly made the best Atmos interface while being infinitely cheaper than the competition that also will work if you just play Atmos or Apple Spatial Audio content on your computer and act then as a standard computer interface for it (just wish they offered e-arc hdmi out also so I could monitor on Atmos soundbars also as this will be a common home setup for most listening) and have no issues or work arounds, it just works.
I've seen companies make standalone plugin players before so why is it so hard to put plugin loading DSP into a interface?
Would be fantastic is RME had a shot at this because it would then be the most stable version of it.
I'm with you that it can be find to track through plugins until a track count is higher and most times you have another artist to record vocals, quite often the by the time it comes for their takes most of the track is done so of course it will be full.
Maybe there's a way of having a separate computer for recoding tracking into a project in a DAW on another computer?.. that seems convoluted to even think about.
RME for me, if you take away the need to have plugins on the inputs, are the best interfaces out there, but if they do not innovate soon they might get left behind by studio consistently recoding onto bigger tracks.
And with Atmos coming in fast they better start doing more.
I have used them before and back when nothing had DSP it was a god send for them to have plugins you could use not to commit to to help the artist hear themselves better... but, we are far from those days and not much innovation has happened unless a form of eco system herding.
It does seem also anyone that does make there system all inclusive will make all the other companies have to follow suit and it seems no one wants to be that black sheep yet and just go for it.
Even controller surface manufactures seem to be reluctant to let their control surfaces be easily universal, and the ones that are, are either a bit janky or have some way of herding you to a particular DAW at least, or with the SSL guys, let to map a controller but it make little sense with how they setup the controller.
Softube should be in development of allowing use to map our own plugins so that is good.
All these companies need to do is have a safeguarding algorithm that will say "this plugin maybe have trouble working properly in this DSP and so has been disabled" to protect from plugins messing up their DSP and giving them a bad name and pretty much the same for controllers any time that happens we can go to the specific plugin maker to ask them if they can make the plugin compatible.
It will at least give us a whole wealth of options other than to odd exception.
For RME to give better updated plugins for your issue, they could easily do that and offer it in a firmware update, so I hope they at least step up for current RME users.
I love RME.
If I was just doing mixing and mastering and only in stereo, I would be RME all the way.
I would love better quality effects but I can live with it. I would rather have an autotune type plugin would be a dream.
right. I love my RMEs, specially the Fireface USB III.
The RME videos could be way better. I hope they hire maybe, Dan Worrall, to fix that and convert them into great publicity.
If you think Lynx Aurora makes the best products then why don't you just go with that? I use lynx and I don't even understand how RME software can be that complicated? Or why it would be complicated at all? 😔
You’d have to use TotalMix which is incredible but confusing until you learn it, which is why I did the videos. What I said was the Lynx Aurora was better at conversion, I used it with HDX. Frankly at this point, stability is the most important to me, as well as connectivity. I use MADI and ADAT. Madi is currently not an option for the LN version. I would have to buy a MADI to Dante converter. I also don’t like Dante.
YES!
I loved the RME sound, but I tried one of the old PCI interfaces a long time ago, and it was glitchy with my G5 tower at the time. So I returned it and tried the (then new) Fireface UC. The sound was there, but I did not like their documentation at all, and I did not like TotalMix at all. I found that every time I used it, I was frustrated. So I ended up selling the UC. Poor documentation, support from Synthax that I found lackluster, and the spartan and minimalist TotalMix that did not gel with the way my brain works. I still have my RME OctaMic II, but even that relatively simple box gives me trouble. I couldn't get it working with a Gen 1 Scarlett 18i8 recently. Glad you like it, but that brand is not for me.