9632 RME Advanced Remote Control USB User Guide

9632 RME Advanced Remote Control USB

USER GUIDE

For RME audio interfaces compatible with TotalMix FX

Important Safety Instructions

To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock do not expose this device to rain or moisture. Prevent moisture and water from entering the device. Never leave a pot with liquid on top of the device. Do not use this product near water, i. e.
swimming pool, bathtub or wet basement. Danger of condensation inside –don’t turn on before the device has reached room temperature.

Avoid direct sun light and do not place it near other sources of heat, like radiators or stoves.

Unauthorized servicing/repair voids warranty. No user serviceable parts inside. Refer service to qualified service personnel.

Read the manual completely. It includes all information necessary to use and operate this device.

1. Introduction

Thank you for choosing the Advanced Remote Control USB. This wired remote has been de-signed for direct access to the most frequently used actions and commands of TotalMix FX, being an indispensable tool in the studio’s daily applications. Its extremely flexible configuration through TotalMix FX will simplify workflow and greatly increase the usability of the RME inter-face in most real world situations.

2. Package Contents

• Advanced Remote Control USB
• USB cable 1.8 m (6 ft)
• Stickers to change the key labels

3. Supported Audio Interfaces

The Advanced Remote Control USB (ARC USB) communicates with TotalMix FX. Therefore it is compatible to all RME audio interfaces that are detected and supported by TotalMix FX. This goes back to RME interfaces released 2001.
Multiface, Multiface II, Digiface, RPM, no matter if PCI, PCIe, CardBus or ExpressCard
HDSP Series (PCI): 9652, 9632, AES-32, MADI, MADIface
HDSPe Series (PCI Express): RayDAT, MADI, MADI FX
Fireface Series (USB 2, USB 3, FireWire): 400, 800, 802, UC, UCX, UFX, UFX II, UFX+
Digiface USB, Babyface, Babyface Pro, MADIface Pro, MADIface USB
And all upcoming interfaces supported by TotalMix FX.
NOT supported interfaces: DIGI32 Series, DIGI96 Series, DIGI9632/9652
In stand-alone mode only the UFX+ and UFX II can be used.

4. Brief Description and Characteristics

• Solid metal case in a user-friendly desktop design
• Non-critical USB 1.1 connection allows to use long cables
• Full control over many TotalMix functions, like Volume, DIM, Speaker B etc.
• Special functionality for stand-alone mode operation of UFX+ and UFX II

5. Technical Specifications

• Power supply: by computer or UFX+, depending on connection
• Typical power consumption: 0.3 Watts
• Dimensions (WxHxD): 90 x 33 x 170 mm (3.5″ x 1.3″ x 6.7″)
• Weight: 0.3 kg (0.7 lbs)
• Temperature range: +5° up to +50° Celsius (41° F up to 122°F)
• Relative humidity: < 75%, non condensing

6. Overview

The ARC USB is a USB 1.1 MIDI remote control. Thanks to operating as UAC 1 class device it is natively compatible to Windows and Mac OS X. As soon as it is present in the operating sys-tem TotaIMix FX will detect it and communicate with it, without disturbing other remote controls. Therefore it is also not necessary to switch the ARC USB on or off within TotalMix FX. It will just work.

As soon as the ARC USB is connected to a computer any button press or wheel turning will cause the respective action performed by TotalMix FX – and therefore also by the RME audio interface.
Instead of being connected to a computer the ARC USB can also be connected directly to the UFX II and UFX+, which currently are the only RME interfaces having an internal USB 1.1 host with matching connector, to communicate with the ARC USB. This way of connecting is espe-cially useful in stand-alone mode, where the ARC USB is also supported by the UFX II and UFX+ (see chapter 8).

The ARC USB is bus powered, but draws only little current. Also it uses USB 1.1 as bus stan-dard, which these days is uncritical due to its lower frequency and speed demands. USB 2 ca-bles with 5 meter to 10 meter length, and cheap USB 2 cable extensions that usually make a bus-powered interface fail will work perfectly for the ARC USB. Still at higher lengths RME rec- ommends to use active USB 2 cables (also called extension or repeater cables), which are not expensive and work over lengths of more than 20 meters.

The ARC USB can control several interfaces simultaneously, which happens automatically as the Key Commands dialog in TotalMix FX is specific to the currently selected audio interface. Just assign only the functions that are desired for each respective interface. After that the ARC USB keys and the encoder wheel remote the respective interface where they have been as-signed to, without the need to further switch or select anything in normal operation.

Note that identical assignments on multiple interfaces are not allowed. This is mostly visualized by flickering/flashing buttons, or a jumping volume control.

The lower three keys have a useful diagnostic functionality.

Talkback: is lit dim as soon as the ARC USB is running on 5 V USB bus power.
Speaker B: is lit dim as soon as a USB communication is possible.
DIM: is lit dim as soon as a communication with TotalMix FX is established.

Therefore in normal operation all three lower keys are lit dim constantly.

The ARC USB comes with a standard set of Key Commands that already cover most usage scenarios, printed directly beneath the keys:

Row 1 and 2: activating Snapshots 1 to 8.
Row 3: Mono, Volume Phones 1, Volume Phones 2, External Input
Lower keys: Talkback, Speaker B, Dim.

A set of stickers with all currently available TotalMix FX commands is included. These can be used to label all keys reflecting the current user configuration.

7. Configuration of the Advanced Remote Control USB

The Advanced Remote Control is configured in the Options menu via the Key Commands dialog of TotalMix FX, tab ARC USB Settings. As the ARC does not have any memory, all configu-ration and storage is done via TotalMix FX. All settings of the ARC USB are stored within a Workspace, and are therefore identical in all Snapshots of that current Workspace.
More than 36 different commands can be assigned to the 15 keys. The behav-iour of each individual button can be changed between push, toggle, enable and disable, depending on the base function.

Current list of available functions:

No Function
Toggle Totalmix Windows
Global Mute
Global Solo
Mute Group 1 to 4
Solo Group 1 to 4
Fader Group 1 to 4
Link Main AB
Speaker B Select
DIM (Main Out)
Recall Volume (Main Out)
Mute (Main Out)
Mute FX (Main Out)
Mono (Main Out)
Talkback
External Input
Reverb
Echo
Cue Phones 1 to 4
Snapshot 1 to 8
Layout Preset 1 to 6
Phantom x
Instrument x
Volume Main
Volume Phones 1 to 4
Mic Gain 1, Mic Gain 2, Mic Gain 1+2
Inst. Gain 3, Inst. Gain 4, Inst. Gain 3+4
Mic/Inst. Gain 9, Mic/Inst. Gain 10, Mic/Inst. Gain 9+10 Mic/Inst. Gain 11, Mic/Inst. Gain 12, Mic/Inst. Gain 11+12

Some commands are not available at certain interfaces, or slightly changed due to different functionality. Fireface UFX, UFX+ and UFX II have additional commands for DURec: Re-cord/Play Stop, Record Start, Play Start/Pause, Play – Next File, Play – Previous File.

Several functions can be activated at the same time. Example: Button 1 is set to Cue Phones 1. That means the phones submix is heard via the Main output (the studio monitors). To be able to also change the volume of the phones submix itself, set button 2 to Volume Phones 1. Acti-vating both will allow you to listen to the phones submix via the main output, and also to change its volume (the fader in the third row) by turning the encoder knob.
A standard footswitch (with switch, sustain pedals with pot are not supported) can be con-nected to the 1/4″ TS jack on the right side. In Key Commands Settings the same options are available for the footswitch as for the 15 keys. Both momentary switches (normally open and closed) as well as stationary switches can be used. For the latter simply select Push instead of the default Toggle from the dropdown menu beside the switch function setting.

8. ARC USB and UFX+ / UFX II in Stand-Alone Mode

In stand-alone mode of Fireface UFX+ and UFX II a fixed set of functions is activated on the keys:

Row 1: Setup 1-4
Row 2: Setup 5-6, Play – Next File, Play – Previous File
Row 3: Mono, Volume Phones 1, Volume Phones 2, DIM

The three lower keys control DURec: Record Start, Play Start/Pause, Record/Play Stop.

• DURec with TotalMix FX 1.43 and matching firmware update of UFX + / UFX II.

Note: To stop a recording the DIM/Stop button has to be pushed two times (safety feature).

The included stickers also offer the stand-alone layout.

In the display’s menu of these devices the way of operating the ARC USB can be configured for stand-alone mode. Those options are found under SETUP/REV, Options, Hardware/Diagnosis:

Standalone ARC Volume

Deactivates all keys. Only the encoder wheel works, with a fixed assignment to Main Volume.
This option is also a safety function in case the ARC USB is connected to the UFX+ / UFX II, but operated online (with computer). When the system goes offline (computer removed, sleep state…) the functions on the keys change, because online mode changed to stand-alone mode. Operating the keys then could activate unintended functionality or changes.

Standalone ARC 1 s op

Each key has to be pressed for one second to activate the programmed functionality. This safety function prevents unintentional changes. It can be stored within the Setups, activating this mode automatically when such a Setup is loaded. When loading a Setup where this func-tion had not been active this mode is automatically deactivated at the UFX+ / UFX II.

Standalone ARC normal

Normal operation of the ARC USB.

Specifications

• Solid metal case in a user-friendly desktop design
• Non-critical USB 1.1 connection allows to use long cables
• Full control over many TotalMix functions, like Volume, DIM, Speaker B etc.
• Special functionality for stand-alone mode operation of UFX+ and UFX II

Product Usage Instructions

1. Introduction

Thank you for choosing the Advanced Remote Control USB. This  wired remote provides direct access to the most frequently used actions and commands of TotalMix FX, enhancing studio workflow and usability of RME audio interfaces.

2. Package Contents

The package includes:

• Advanced Remote Control USB
• USB cable (1.8 m / 6 ft)
• Stickers to change the key labels

3. Supported Audio Interfaces

The ARC USB is compatible with all RME audio interfaces detected and supported by TotalMix FX, including:

• Multiface, Multiface II, Digiface, RPM

• HDSP Series (PCI): 9652, 9632, AES-32, MADI, MADIface

• HDSPe Series (PCI Express): RayDAT, MADI, MADI FX

• Fireface Series (USB 2, USB 3, FireWire): 400, 800, 802, UC, UCX, UFX, UFX II, UFX+

• Digiface USB, Babyface, Babyface Pro, MADIface Pro, MADIface USB

FAQ

Q: Can the ARC USB control multiple interfaces simultaneously?

A: Yes, the ARC USB can control several interfaces simultaneously by assigning functions specific to each interface in TotalMix FX.

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