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anonymous 16 May 2005

Does anyone here use the RME TotalMix for summing his Logic (or Cubase/Nuendo) tracks? I've heard from someone who said he had better results than with the logic mixer. In theory it could be, since the totalmix has a 40 bit resolution, whereas the logic mixer is 32 bit...

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esencia Tue, 02/20/2018 - 00:47

Hi,

This is an old post, but during last year I'm involved into my journey from analog summing to "audiokid's method" (y)... (so I'm simplifying my summing analog gear setup).

Based on the fact the fact that digital summing has been evolving during last years.
Recently, I was talking with a friend (composer and producer), and he is fully working doing digital mixing using his Yamaha DM2000 mixer.

  • 96 digital channels ready to be mixed using its dedicated DSPs.

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The result is that the mix is much open and clear than the one made by the DAW (no matter if logic, cubase or protools was the DAW)
He thinks that the reason could be based on the fact that Yamaha's mixer is using dedicated fpgas for digital summing instead of "software code lines"..

So I decided to do my own test.
SETUP:
Orion32 with Dangerous music 2bus+ and 2busLT, plus a RME HDSPe MADI FX card (connected to Orion through MADI).
I took a 39 tracks mix.

  1. Full ITB mix. Using Protools 2018 and also with Logic 10.4
  2. Routing 28 analog channels to external summing.
  3. Using RME internal TOTALMIX FX. (this card is able to mix by hw more than 3oochannels!).
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    RESULTS:
    • RME TOTALMIX is better than ITB mix clearly.
    • Comparing TOTALMIX with Analog summing, it was like the analog version had some silk over it, so it made me think that it could be just the effect of going outside through an analog gear.
    • So I took mi TOTALMIX track, and I play it though my external Dangerous unit (only the already stereo mixed stem), and BINGO!
    • The result... RME's TOTALMIX was as good or even better than the full 28ch analog mix.

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    CONCLUSION:

    • IMHO there are diferences in the way that DAW or dedicated hardware create the digital mix.
    • It´'ll be always better to use dedicated hardware for summing (fpga, RME's TOTALMIX), than common software (I don´t know if Sequoia is leading a much better approach similar to the way that other hw does).
    • Once you have that hw digital mixed stem, it well worth to go through an analog path (2bus paco) to add certain silk and glue (even just a stereo stem).
    • At the end it seems that we will have a better mix, easier & cheaper (in terms of GAS), ...

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    What do you think about this? did you have the same results/opinion?

    Do you know if other top-end solutions as HORUS or MTRX/DAD AX32 are using same or better hw based digital summing for lot of channels?
    Thanks!!

Tony Carpenter Tue, 02/20/2018 - 02:21

esencia, post: 455889, member: 50057 wrote: Cool!
How many channels do you have available for UAD "hw mixing" from the DAW?

It’s not handled the same way :). It’s about using the Apollo minus the software monitoring always. Console scales to number of inputs you have though, plus virtual tracks, which are hardware handled. When I say hardware handled you then get to use UAD effects and the near zero hardware throughput.

cyrano Thu, 02/22/2018 - 06:22

The latest TotalMix (1.50, in beta) even has control over the network with a browser. So you can use an old ipad, your Android phone or whatever device that has a browser to control your mix.

https://www.forum.rme-audio.de/viewtopic.php?id=26568

And REAPER has the same possibilities. With the two, you can have a completely RC DAW...

https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=188151
https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=200154

I'm rearranging my mini rack as we speak :D

cyrano Thu, 02/22/2018 - 13:48

It was late...

The RME solution doesn't work on a phone, I'm afraid. Screen is too small. But the REAPER solution does, with a custom html file. Needless to say there are already a few custom layouts available on the REAPER forum. The RME remote controle doesn't allow for customisation, but it's still a beta and some feature requests have already been posted.

The RME remote works with all other devices that sport a browser. Doesn't have to be the latest one either. An old ipad 1 will work. And that means a use for a lot of old devices.

I'm incorporating a computer in the rack. No screen, but the webserver is enabled on REAPER and TotalMix. TotalMix control is only for me, musicians can control their monitoring setup, volume and mix individually from their phone in REAPER. Touchscreens work very well, but no multitouch yet.

You can try both already.

Totalmix 1.50 beta is available through the first post in the RME forum thread above. The REAPER webserver has been around for ages, but saw little use until a webbuilder app was released.

pcrecord Fri, 02/23/2018 - 05:01

cyrano, post: 455937, member: 51139 wrote: The RME solution doesn't work on a phone, I'm afraid. Screen is too small. But the REAPER solution does, with a custom html file.

I have a tablet so .. hopefully it'll work. I tried Reaper, didn't like it.. Samplitude seems to be my next step (after Sonar) but I have much to learn ;)

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