Usb 2.0 digital i/o system 22 channels analog / adat / spdif interface 24 bit / 192 khz digital audio 20 x 12 matrix router midi i/o midi remote control stand-alone operation class compliant operation (94 pages)
Usb 2.0 / firewire 400 digital i/o system 12 + 16 + 2 channels analog / adat / aes interface 24 bit / 192 khz digital audio 60 x 30 matrix router 2 x midi i/o full stand-alone operation midi remote control (110 pages)
Usb 2.0 digital i/o system 8 + 8 + 2 channels analog / adat / spdif interface 24 bit / 192 khz digital audio 36 x 18 matrix router 2 x midi i/o stand-alone operation midi remote control (92 pages)
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User's Guide Babyface Pro Crafted with Passion ™ TotalMix 24 Bit / 192 kHz ™ ™ SteadyClock SyncCheck USB 2.0 Digital I/O System 24 Channels Analog / ADAT / SPDIF Interface 24 Bit / 192 kHz Digital Audio 24 x 12 Matrix Router...
9.9 Clock Modes - Synchronization .......23 Operation under ASIO 10.1 General ..............24 10.2 Channel Count under ASIO .........24 10.3 Known Problems ..........25 Using more than one Babyface Pro ......25 DIGICheck Windows ..........26 Hotline – Troubleshooting........27 Installation and Operation - Mac OS X Hardware Installation..........30 Driver and Firmware 15.1 Driver Installation ..........30...
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17.2 Repairing Disk Permissions......... 34 17.3 Supported Sample Rates........34 17.4 Channel Count under Core Audio ....... 34 17.5 Various Information..........35 Using more than one Babyface Pro ...... 35 DIGICheck Mac............36 Hotline – Troubleshooting ........37 TotalMix FX TotalMix: Routing and Monitoring 21.1 Overview ..............
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26.4 DS – Double Speed ..........79 26.5 QS – Quad Speed..........79 26.6 Noise Level in DS / QS Mode ......80 26.7 SteadyClock ............80 Diagrams 27.1 Block Diagram Babyface Pro .......81 27.2 Connector Pinouts..........82 Stand-Alone and Class Compliant Modus General ..............84 System Requirements for iPad Operation....84 Operation ..............84...
Windows and Mac computers. The latest Plug and Play technology guarantees a simple installation, even for the inexperi- enced user. Numerous unique features put the Babyface Pro at the very top of the range of computer-based audio interfaces.
5. First Usage – Quick Start 5.1 Connectors – Controls – Display The top of the Babyface Pro features a hi-precision rotary encoder, 6 buttons, 4 LED bands and 6 status LEDs. The four LED bands show the current gain, the input and output level, and the channel to be set, all dependent on the current mode.
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A connection to ground might cause a decreased THD (higher distortion) and increased power consumption! The Babyface Pro has two analog microphone inputs that can operate as line inputs with lev- els up to +19 dBu, when set to 0 dB gain and PAD active. The electronic input stage uses a servo balanced design which handles unbalanced and balanced signals correctly, automatically adjusting the level reference.
TotalMix or at the Babyface itself to make sure that the loudest signal reaches about -3dBFS. The XLR line inputs of the Babyface Pro can be used with +4 dBu and -10 dBV line signals. The electronic input stage can handle balanced (XLR, TRS jacks) and unbalanced (TS jacks) input signals correctly.
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TotalMix FX in Submix view (default) will highlight the currently selected submix and move the corresponding input fader in sync with the Babyface Pro, so that the ongoing process can be controlled and followed easily at the screen. This helps in setup and understanding of the moni- toring function.
But it will also work the other way round. In case the level meters of the Babyface Pro show CC during power-on: the unit is in Class Compliance mode and will not work under Windows. Remove the USB cable, hold SELECT and DIM button down, plug-in the USB cable or the power supply.
Select Windows Driver Package – RME Fireface USB, then Uninstall. 7.3 Firmware Update The Flash Update Tool updates the firmware of the Babyface Pro to the latest version. It re- quires an already installed driver. Start the program fut_usb.exe. The Flash Update...
8. Configuring the Babyface Pro 8.1 Settings Dialog - General Configuration of the Babyface Pro is done via its own settings dialog. The panel 'Settings' can be opened: • by clicking on the fire symbol in the Task Bar's notification area The mixer of the Babyface Pro (TotalMix FX) can be opened: •...
Synthesizer (DDS). This superior circuitry can generate nearly any frequency with highest pre- cision. DDS has been implemented into the Babyface Pro with regard to the needs of professional video applications, as well as to maximum flexibility. The section Pitch includes both a list of typical video frequencies (so called pull up/pull down at 0.1% and 4%) and a fader to freely...
9. Operation and Usage 9.1 Playback In the audio application being used, Babyface Pro must be selected as output device. It can often be found in the Options, Preferences or Settings menus, as Playback Device, Audio De- vices, Audio etc.
AC-3/DTS capable receiver using the Babyface Pro's SPDIF output. For this to work, the WDM SPDIF device of the Babyface Pro has to be selected in >Control Panel/ Sounds and Multimedia/ Audio< or >Control Panel/ Sound/Playback<. Also check 'use preferred device only'.
9.3 Notes on WDM The driver offers one WDM streaming device per stereo pair, like Analog 3+4 (Babyface Pro). WDM Streaming is Microsoft's current driver and audio system, directly embedded into the op- erating system. WDM Streaming is hardly usable for professional music purposes, as all data is processed by the so called Kernel Mixer, causing a latency of at least 30 ms.
9.4 Channel Count under WDM The Babyface Pro’s ADAT optical interface offers sample rates of up to 192 kHz using a stan- dard ADAT recorder. For this to work single-channel data is spread to two or four ADAT chan- nels using the Sample Multiplexing technique. This reduces the number of available ADAT channels from 8 to 4 or 2 per ADAT port.
XLR sockets. Phantom power is required for condenser microphones. Input channels 3 and 4 are found as TS jacks on the right side of the Babyface Pro. These Hi-Z universal inputs have an input impedance of 470 kOhm. The input gain is controlled and per- formed digitally and limited to 9 dB.
The output signal in TotalMix has to be present on the first ADAT channels, AS 1+2. MIDI Babyface Pro offers one MIDI I/O via two 5-pin DIN jacks. The MIDI ports are added to the sys- tem by the driver. Using MIDI capable software, these ports can be accessed under the name Babyface Pro Midi.
- few CD players can be synchronized. The samples will inevitably be corrupted, be- cause the signal from the CD player is read with the clock from the Babyface Pro, being out of sync. In this case, the Clock Source should be set temporarily to Optical In.
The Babyface Pro supports ASIO Direct Monitoring (ADM). The Babyface Pro MIDI I/O can be used with both MME MIDI and DirectMusic MIDI. 10.2 Channel Count under ASIO At a sample rate of 88.2 or 96 kHz, the ADAT optical input and output operates in S/MUX mode, so the number of available channels is reduced from 8 to 4.
Lock instead of Sync, the devices have not been set up properly! The same applies when using more than one Babyface Pro - they all have to be in sync. Else a periodically repeated noise will be heard.
• Hardware Level Meter for Input, Playback and Output. Reference Level Meter freely con- figurable, causing near zero CPU load, because calculated from the Babyface Pro hardware. • Spectral Analyser. World wide unique 10-, 20- or 30-band display in analog bandpass filter technology.
• Check that there is a valid signal at the input. If so, the current sample frequency is dis- played in the Settings dialog. • Check whether the Babyface Pro has been selected as recording device in the audio appli- cation.
USB.pkg. During driver installation the programs Totalmix (TotalMix FX) and Fireface USB Settings are copied to the Applications folder. They will automatically start into the dock if a Babyface Pro is connected. A reboot of the computer is not required.
A progress bar will indicate when the flash process is finished (Verify Ok). After the update the unit needs to be reset. This is done by powering down the Babyface Pro for 5 seconds. A reboot of the computer is not necessary.
16.1 Settings Dialog Configuring the Babyface Pro is done via its own settings dialog. Start the program Fireface USB Settings. The mixer of the Babyface Pro (TotalMix FX) can be configured by starting the program Totalmix. The Babyface Pro’s hardware offers a number of helpful, well thought-out practical functions and options which affect how the card operates - it can be configured to suit many different requirements.
- few CD players can be synchronized. The samples will inevitably be corrupted, be- cause the signal from the CD player is read with the clock from the Babyface Pro, being out of sync. In this case, the Clock Source should be set temporarily to Optical.
MIDI devices will solve the problem. The Babyface Pro is class compliant. Therefore it comes without a driver. OS X recognizes it as MIDI device and will be using it with the driver included in the operating system.
Programs that don't support card or channel selection will use the device chosen as Input and Output in the System Preferences – Sound panel. Via Launchpad – Other – Audio MIDI Setup the Babyface Pro can be configured for the sys- tem wide usage in more detail.
• Hardware Level Meter for Input, Playback and Output. Reference Level Meter freely con- figurable, causing near zero CPU load, because calculated from the Babyface Pro hardware. • Spectral Analyser. World wide unique 10-, 20- or 30-band display in analog bandpass filter technology.
• Check that there is a valid signal at the input. If so, the current sample frequency is dis- played in the Settings dialog. • Check whether the Babyface Pro has been selected as recording device in the audio appli- cation.
FX adds 3-band parametric equalizer, low cut, echo and reverb. Here are some typical applications for TotalMix: • Setting up delay-free submixes (headphone mixes). The Babyface Pro allows for up to 6 fully independent stereo submixes. On an analog mixing desk, this would equal 12 Aux sends.
The visual design of the TotalMix mixer is a result of its capability to route hardware inputs and software playback channels to any hardware output. The Babyface Pro has 12 input channels, 12 software playback channels, and 12 hardware output channels: TotalMix can be used in the above view (View Options 2 Rows).
The gain (fader knob position) of the currently active routing (the submix selected in the third row) is shown as white triangle. Background: TotalMix has no fixed channel fader. In case of the Babyface Pro there are 6 stereo Aux sends, shown alternately as single fader within the channel strip.
FX - DSP Meter. Shows the DSP load caused by activated EQs and Low Cuts. The DSP of the Babyface Pro has been designed so that an overload cannot occur. The display therefore is for information purposes only.
CPU load. The transmission of the stereo signal FX Send to the computer and the effects signal FX Out back to the Babyface Pro is done by two invisible ASIO channels. The delay (latency) generated by this method is of no consequence for the offered effects reverb and echo.
Main Out and all groups of output faders joined by Main, so the current setting for all these is not changed. Device Handling Always init… and Count MADI… are not valid for the Babyface Pro. Disable ASIO Direct Monitoring. Disables ASIO Direct Monitoring (ADM) for the Babyface Pro within TotalMix FX.
AD- conversion to ADAT, AES/EBU and MADI, plus 4 channels of DA-conversion for monitoring. It can be used as universal front-end for the Babyface Pro and other interfaces. To simplify operation the most important parameters of the XTC (gain, 48V,...
Additionally, the stereo output faders (lowest row) which are set up as Main Out in the Control Room section can also be controlled by the standard Control Change Volume via MIDI chan- nel 1. With this, the main volume of the Babyface Pro is controllable from nearly any MIDI equipped hardware device.
24.5 MIDI Control The hardware output set up as Main Out can be controlled by the standard Control Change Volume via MIDI channel 1. With this, the main volume of the Babyface Pro is controllable from nearly any MIDI equipped hardware device.
Input Gain control is available via CC9, value range as the gain itself (up to 65). The MIDI channel determines the controlled channel, from 1 to 16 (Babyface Pro: only 1/2/3/4). For this to work, Enable MIDI Control in the Options menu has to be activated.
PLL tracks the receiver's frequency. If an ADAT or SPDIF signal is applied to the Babyface Pro, the corresponding input LED starts flashing. The unit indicates LOCK, i. e. a valid input signal (in case the signal is also in sync, the LED is constantly lit, see below).
2 ms. Low Latency! The Babyface Pro uses AD/DA converters with latest digital filters, causing a delay of only a few samples. With 12 samples AD and 7 samples DA the delay caused by the conversion is only about a quarter of previous generations.
An additional small Safety Buffer on the playback side has proven to be very efficient and use- ful. The Babyface Pro uses a fixed additional buffer of 32 samples, which is added to the cur- rent buffer size. The main advantage is the ability to use lowest latency at highest CPU loads.
26.4 DS - Double Speed When activating the Double Speed mode the Babyface Pro operates at double sample rate. The internal clock 44.1 kHz turns to 88.2 kHz, 48 kHz to 96 kHz. The internal resolution is still 24 bit.
26.6 Noise Level in DS / QS Mode The outstanding signal to noise ratio of the Babyface Pro's AD-converters can be verified even without expensive test equipment, by using record level meters of various software. But when activating the DS and QS mode, the displayed noise level will rise from -113 dB to -105 dB at 96 kHz, and –79 dB at 192 kHz.
Sysex capable MIDI I/O. In stand-alone mode the Babyface Pro needs to be powered. You have the choice to use USB bus power by one of the numerous LiPo batteries with USB ports, sold as mobile power for your smartphone and iPad, or an external power supply.
In newer iOS versions even the device name and its serial number will be shown. When the power supply for the Babyface Pro is insufficient, iOS will complain about the at- tached unit drawing too much power. When using hard covers as back panel protection for the iPad, the Kit's/adapter’s plug may not fit completely, causing a loose connection or partial functionality.
Device Manager. In the correct mode (PC) and with installed drivers, the full name including RME is shown, without serial number. Windows does not support USB Audio 2.0 directly. The Babyface Pro will be detected when in CC mode, but automatic driver installation will fail.
ADAT input signal the Babyface Pro enters master mode and uses the sample rate set by Mac OS X or iOS (the app in use). The Babyface Pro can be set to fixed Master mode as well, but the set sample rate is ignored, as the iPad (the current app) controls the sample rate value.
Hold down the keys SELECT and DIM while inserting the USB cable. During the boot process the level meters show CC for about 2 seconds, confirming the CC mode has been activated. The Babyface Pro stays in CC mode until this procedure has been performed again, it will then show PC.
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Still the unit can be set into fixed clock mode ‘master’ by selecting one of the Master settings. This setting can be quite useful. When pulling the cable from the iPad, the Babyface Pro imme- diately enters stand-alone mode – and would turn to the user-preferred sample rate.
XLR and Phones outs. Analog Microphone Preamp Activate phantom power if necessary, then set the Mic gain as needed. Set the Babyface Pro to Master 192 kHz for widest frequency range and lowest delay. Use the internal mixer to send the analog input signal to the analog outputs –...
Audio AG does not accept claims for damages of any kind, especially consequential damage. Liability is limited to the value of the Babyface Pro. The general terms of business drawn up by Audio AG apply at all times.
All trademarks, registered or otherwise, are the property of their respective owners. RME, DIGICheck and Hammerfall are registered trademarks of RME Intelligent Audio Solutions. SyncCheck, ZLM, DIGI96, SyncAlign, TMS, TotalMix, SteadyClock and Babyface Pro are trademarks of RME Intelligent Audio Solutions. Alesis and ADAT are registered trademarks of Alesis Corp.
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