Cubase pan law at 0db. Direct monitoring RME mixer at +3??

I have noticed that when using direct monitoring, when the Cubase fader is at 0db, the RME Totalmix fader is at +3db. Why is this?

Thanks,
Todd

I’m assuming this may be a bug. Can someone else check and see?

I have an RME FireFace. I can test your issue. But can you be more exact? Do you mean that, with your Cubase Pan Law set to 0dB, a center-panned signal hitting 0dB in Cubase’s meters = +3dB in corresponding RME output meter?

I quickly tested my setup. sine wave at 0dB = 0dB on all corresponding RME faders. Irrespective of pan law. Pan law just changes how the action of panning looks in your output faders. It shouldn’t add an overall output gain.

Perhaps you have a funky setting in your RME software?

No - what I mean is that with direct monitoring turned on, if I monitor enable a channel in Cubase, and the slide the Cubase fader up to the 0db position, that on the corresponding input channel in the RME mixer, the fader is at the +3db position. I believe it should match the Cubase fader position (it should be at 0db also). I haven’t checked the audio with a sine wave - just the position of the faders, and the position does not match.

This only seems to happen with the pan law set to 0db. At all of the other pan law settings, it behaves correctly.

I am using the latest version of TotalmixFX.

Ah ha. So your faders in Cubase affect TotalMix’s faders? I’m on an old FireFace, so my TotalMix faders are static. Can’t help after all, old sport! Good luck.

They affect them when “direct monitoring” is enabled. This way, while tracking someone in Cubase, you can just use the monitor button in Cubase to monitor enable the channel, but you are still getting true zero latency monitoring.

Sweet! I have to do such things manually.

Could it be that, due to your matrix setup, you’re double-monitoring when Direct Monitoring?

It’s possible to accidentally double monitor, but it is not very difficult to set up or check and see. I haven’t had any problems with that.

Why do you have to do things manually? You have the RME, you should be able to do it exactly as I am if you want. Basically, direct monitoring allows Cubase to control the input fader of the rme directly… From within Cubase.

-Todd

Yeah Todd. I’m sure you know what you’re doing. Sometimes it’s the cheesiest stuff that burns us.:wink:
I was shooting in the dark anyway.


Why do you have to do things manually? You have the RME, you should be able to do it exactly as I am if you want. Basically, direct monitoring allows Cubase to control the input fader of the rme directly… From within Cubase.

What? I wasn’t told/didn’t hear of this functionality with the FireFace 800!

I really don’t think it’s possible with the 800 and Mac Pro. How do you set this up?

Go do be device setup window in Cubase, and check “direct monitoring”. Now, any time you record enable a track in Cubase, the fader will now control the RME Fader. You will hear the audio instantly with no latency, because the RME mixer will automatically route the input you are using to the output. You will be monitoring through the RME hardware, not through the Cubase mixer. You cannot monitor through plug in FX obviously while doing this, but if you can deal with it, you can record with zero latency this way… And it can be controlled from within Cubase.

Ah ha! I thought so. No direct monitor for me on Mac Pro, yo. ASIO doesn’t speak CoreAudio. A downside of Cubase on a Mac.

Yeah man, I know what direct monitoring is. But I usually don’t need it. If I do, it’s all set up and one RME snapshot away.

Thanks though. You really had me going for a second there.

I did not realize this didn’t work on macs. Anyway, obviously you have no way to test the problem then.

I slide the Cubase fader up to the 0db mark, but the RME fader goes up to +3 instead.

As I stated above.

Good luck with your issues. I’ll bow out now.

TotalMix FX 1.04 in the Help/About menu?

Yes… version 1.04 in the help/about menu.

  1. Cubase pan law set to “Equal Power” - both the Cubase fader, and the RME input fader are at 0db
  2. Cubase pan law set to “0db” - Cubase fader @ 0db, RME fader @ +3db
  3. Cubase pan law set to “-3db” - Cubase fader and the RME input fader are at 0db
  4. Cubase pan law set to “-4.5db” - Cubase fader @ 0db, RME fader @ -1.5db
  5. Cubase pan law set to “-6db” - Cubase fader @ 0db, RME fader @ -3db

Do you have “RMS +3dB” active in TotalMix FX Preferences, under “Level Meters”?

try this, launch itunes and play a song, in the meantime launch cubase 8 and magically your volume will raise up 6db in itunes… with RME Fireface UC

damn

I have tried it both ways… with and without that box checked. It makes no difference.

I think this is the expected behaviour … but you might want to clarify this with Mathias over on the RME forum for the authoritative answer.