UltraLite MK3 switching between stand alone and comp mode?

[bgerkes]

Hi,

I just can not get my head around this:
when I use the MK3 in standalone mode I have a simple mix bus setup and things are working fine.
However, when I connect the MK3 to a computer (usb in my case) and start for instance Ableton Live, where I have set preferences for using the MK3 in it I hear double audio: the direct audio going through its internal mix bus, *and* the audio going through the computer and back (with a little latency). I would expect that the MK3 automatically "disconnects" the internal mix bus template when connected to a computer and have it's audio only routed through the computer DAW with the preferences set in it.

What am I missing??

Friendly regards, Boele

[4stripes]

CueMix always stays the same no matter how its connected. This is pretty easy to demonstrate, as that's how it is.

[bgerkes]

So what I try to achieve is not possible? With a simple setup like mine it is not too much work to deselect the audio out in CueMix, but with a more complex setup (using more or all busses) that would mean a lot of manual work each time you would switch between stand alone and computer connection. That doesn't make sense to me... Why can't the computer override the QueMix settings?

[4stripes]

It sounds like you might be monitoring your recording inputs through your DAW and also through CueMix at the same time. That's not a good workflow for recording, as you hear latency. Use one or the other. This is not really a MOTU problem but a signal flow / workflow issue that you should be able to resolve by setting it up differently.

CueMix is a monitor mixer that sits between the interface and the DAW. It will do whatever you want it to do (be 'invisible' or not), but like any other mixer it does not do this automatically--you have to tell it what to do by designing your inputs, buses, and outputs the way you want them.

If you can draw your total signal flow I may be able to help you further.

[bgerkes]

Thanks for the reply and the offer: I would very much like that. Can I send you a picture or excel doc to show it? The routings are not that complicated. Thanks in advance!

It's just for my little home studio. My MIDI interface ("mixer" so to speak), for instance, is perfectly capable of doing or/or unlike the MOTU, or so it seems.

Anyway, good news, thanks!

Boele

[4stripes]

I looked at the screenshot you sent. You are double busing, which is why you hear latency. Double busing does not work in the digital realm unless the hardware/software supports delay compensation or your path lengths are the same. This is one very good reason why analog mixing is preferable to some people.

You can fix this by eliminating either bus that is doubled:

In Ableton, turn off input monitor, or in CueMix, mute bus 1. If you want zero latency, listen to the CueMix bus 1 and not Ableton's output. Read chapter 10 of the MOTU manual for other options and details.