Jerry Gerber

by the way, which model of Focal monitors did you get? I hear good things about their monitors. I mixed the 2nd movement of symphony #12 on AdamS3H's...

Wow, you made me laugh bitflipper! I am glad my audio skills are coming along, Yes, I am a bit of a obsessive-compulsive personality, no doubt. I am still working on being a fully civilized person-not there quite yet!

Thanks Tom! I compose a piece in CW and it might contain many midi tracks and numerous softsynth tracks. When I am ready to render everything to a wave file, I don't create stems, I create a stereo track of all the instruments in the piece. So I think the loopback function is ideal for me. Otherwise, I'd have to choose which instruments go to to which output , which means I'd have to record an audio track for each softsynth (or bounce them) and the midi tracks would have to be recorded in multiple takes based on which ADAT input they're coming into. That's an awful lot of work for my purposes. Instead, I created on stereo output channel on TotalMix that is receiving signal from outputs 7-8, which are then looped back into Cakewalk. This way I record all of the MIDI and software synth tracks in one fell swoop. Since I do extensive editing and mixing in CW, there's no need for audio stems. The only time I want that is when I am recording a soloist or singer and need to take multiple takes which become a composite track using bouncing. I am not hearing any delay in the recorded audio track that is noticeable. CW is reporting an input latency of around 6.2 ms seconds and an output latency of 7.1 ms. Using 1 stereo output channel with loopback that renders a stereo wave file of all my tracks is the most efficient way for me to use the UFX II and Total Mix FX. The Total FX manual confirms this on page 78. Best, Jerry

Thanks Scook, but that's not the issue. When I am done composing a piece, I record all the MIDI tracks and all the soft synth tracks together and render them into a stereo wave file. I don't bother to turn the instrument tracks into audio separately, they are already mixed exactly as I want them. With the MOTU 1248, which I was using before I got the UFX II, all I did was record all of the tracks back into Cakewalk; the USB cable sends MIDI data, audio and synth tracks in both directions. No loopback involved. I have figured out how to achieve the same results with the UFX II but I have to use the loopback function. I am not sure why, but I see no other options as far as getting audio into Cakewalk. Is this by design, or am I not understanding something? My confusion, I think, isn't about using Cakewalk, it's about understanding the UFX II and the TotalMix software...

Hey Tom or Scook, I think I am not understanding something about recording into Cakewalk. Say I have a piece with 20 midi tracks and some soft synths. I named a hardware output channel on TotalMix FX "Rec to DAW" and turned on the loopback function and the cue function so I can hear exactly what's going to get recorded back into Cakewalk as a stereo audio file. No other submix is receiving audio other than this one hardware output. Am I doing this right? Is there another way to get the MIDI and synth tracks recorded in CW as a stereo audio track without using the loopback function? The video on RME's website suggests that there is, but I haven't figured it out yet. Thanks, Jerry

I figured out why RME names the drivers as they do. Each USB output, using the loopback function, can be routed back into Cakewalk as well as sending signal to any hardware output on the UFX II. That's why they name each USB driver ADAT, AES, or Analog--those are the hardware outputs. After using the MOTU 1248 for years it didn't make sense at first. But now it does, TotalMix FX is far more flexible in both routing and submixes..

I have figured out all the routing with the TotalMix FX software. What really bewildered me for a few minutes was the loopback feature, but once I understood it all is well. There is still one minor issue I am having. I am running a high quality digital cable between the AES XLR digital IN of the UFX II to a CD player that has an SPDIF output. The sound is fine, but the green light on the panel of the UFX II is flashing, telling me that the sync is not locked. Can this be resolved by getting a digital cable that has XLR AES on both ends (or an XLR to RCA adaptor)? The CD player also has an XLR AES digital output. If this won't stop the flashing green light I'd rather not spend $75 for a high quality cable. But if it stops the flashing I will get it. It might be that the CD player (a TASCAM CD-500B) just doesn't have the capability to sync lock to word clock no matter how I connect it to the UFX II. Thank you! Jerry

Oh, yes, I know about those and have been using them since they were introduced. It's the actual names of the drivers that are associated with ADAT or analog; what does ADAT or analog have to do with the signal coming in and out of the computer via USB? It seems that I'm also limited to only 15 pairs of stereo outputs, I use a lot of soft synths and would not mind a few more.

Perfect! I spent all of yesterday unwiring the 1248 and wiring the UFX ii. Everything went smoothly other than my unfamiliarity with TotalMix software. The sound is a little more "crisp", a bit more detailed than the 1248 and the software is definitely easier to work with. I'm still confused about the way RME names their drivers, I definitely could use some explanation. Thank you for asking Tom.. Jerry

Hi Timbo, Sure, thanks for asking! First, since is the 2nd movement of a longer work, I decide which elements (if any) I use from the 1st movement. In this case I ended the 1st movement on C# with a recognizable motive in the cellos and basses and used that to begin the 2nd movement in a different tempo, and including 8 soft synths; there are no synths in the 1st movement. In choosing the synth timbres the first thing I do is decide which synths I want in the piece, in this case I chose Dune and Zebra. Then, I go through the laborious work of listening to dozens of synth patches, some of my own and some factory patches, to see which ones I want in the piece. I chose 4 instances (timbres or patches) from Dune and 4 from Zebra. Sometimes a patch will need light editing, often adding cc's to control the release time and the delay cutoff time. Then I choose the orchestration, in this case a modest sized ensemble of 4 horns, trumpet, percussion, synths and string section from the Vienna Symphonic Orchestral Cube library. Then I begin composing. For me, I never have a particular form in mind when I write. I believe that form grows from content, every measure I write determines what comes next. Even in song form I never think "verse, chorus, bridge, etc.", but rather let the music determine the form. This allows for more experimentation, and doesn't lock me into trying to fit music into a pre-existing mold. The composing continues until I feel I've said everything I want to say in the piece. I do usually have some idea how long I want the piece or movement to be, in this case I set a parameter of between 5 and 7 minutes, I think it's about 5:30. I do all of my composing in Cakewalk's staff view, and all cc programming in the event list and controllers view. I also use tempo view a lot when inserting tempo changes, ritards and accelerandos. After the composing is complete I send a Cakewalk MIDI file type 1 over to Sibelius and create the score. The last step, before rendering to a stereo wave file is to go over the event list details of every track looking for errors and unnecessary programming. I master in Cakewalk and use EQ, Dynamic EQ, sometimes I'll use the Ozone exciter or the Sonnox Inflator. I usually also make use of volume envelopes once the stereo wave file is recorded to match sections dynamically. That's it! The devil's in the details, so the more MIDI programming I do (attack times, release times, velocity, note lengths, cc11s, etc), the better it begins to sound. I hope this is helpful in your music. Best, Jerry

I really enjoyed that Bjorn. The music goes well with the beautiful images. It makes me want to get on a plane and go to Norway. It's exquisitely beautiful. On the other hand, I am very sorry to hear about your experience with COVID. That is exactly what makes me not want to get on a plane and go anywhere. Thanks for posting! I hope you fully recover! Best, Jerry

I'll learn more when I get it set up. The MOTU 1248 shows up in Cakewalk as only the USB channels that allows for playback/recording and softsynths, although I can still send audio out the analog ports of the 1248. It seems like a naming issue, that's all. Thanks Scook.

Wonderful! Can't wait to set it up and resume writing and recording with it.. Thanks Tom.

Hi Tom! I purchased the UFX II today. I'm busy studying the manual and images of TotalMix FX to learn it as quickly as possible. I saw an image online of Cakewalk's audio device menu with an RME interface and I thought it strange that the USB device channels were listed something like "RME analog 1". I have no idea what USB data, whether going in or out to Cakewalk, has to do with the analog hardware ins or outs of the UFX II. Hmm... TotalMix FX looks fairly easy to learn. Can't wait till it arrives... I never switch sample rates so I probably would not have even noticed that. But all in all, does it play nicely with Cakewalk? Thanks, Jerry

i am considering purchasing the RME UFX II audio interface. Can anyone around here share their experience using this interface with Cakewalk? I've been using the MOTU 1248 for 4 years but Iike TotalMix software better. I also hear a lot of great things about the UFX II's mic preamps.. Thanks, Jerry