RME BFPro - install problems

So I took delivery of a brand new Babyface Pro this morning... and so far I've achieved next to nothing.  Before I wrap it up and send it back as heap of (expensive) junk I'm hoping someone here may be able to help.  I did manage to get my current SPS-25 working so might have to go back to that after all.
 
PC specs are in my signature, and in addition I downloaded the latest drivers from the RME site (oh, and I'm now W10).
 
Installed drivers - went ok
Rebooted pc - no probs
Plugged in BFP - LEDs lit up fine, in PC Mode.
 
Headphone Outs worked great, nothing from Outputs 3/4 until I changed the settings in the Windows volume pane. iTunes/Spotify output to it fine.
 
BUT...
There is supposed to be the USB driver and the TotalMix software installed and available in the notification section (the bit on the bottom right by the clock).  It isn't there, there's no application anywhere I can find.
 
I wouldn't care yet, except that SPLAT won't even see the unit under ASIO.  It will see it under WME but won't allow me to select it. I suspect (hope) that the ASIO settings will be in the missing software.  Tried full uninstall, re-install (even with drivers from CD). Firmware is up to date.  And finally I tied installing on a W8 pc - same problem.
 
Has anyone got this unit working?  Do you see the two apps in the notification bar, and can you get it running under ASIO within Sonar?
 

I've a UFX not a BF, but I've never found a problem installing the drivers etc. or getting it to work. Lots of people do get BFs working so it's not a problem with the design of the unit.

Totalmix is part of the device firmware, the computer side of it is basically just the interface to a digital mixer, and it won't load unless the interface is connected correctly. Nor will the driver settings application. If you're getting audio out of it then it seems at least the "ordinary" Windows driver side is working correctly. That Sonar doesn't see it as an ASIO interface is strange. The problem might be that Windows is hanging on to it for some reason and not releasing it so Sonar can get exclusive access. Windows sound/mixer settings should have no effect on Sonar, especially in ASIO mode but strange things sometimes happen.

Check the Windows start screen and menus, you might find the relevant application short-cuts are there but never made it to the notification area in the taskbar.

I don't know if there's a USB/firewire LED on the BF to indicate it's connected correctly, but if there is does it light up?

You might try RME's forum and their usually very good technical support.

My UFX works fine on a USB3 socket using the latest driver and firmware. I think it did under the original software it came with, but I can't be sure. Might be worth trying a USB3 socket again after firmware/driver update.

RME have a high reputation for rock-solid hardware, drivers, engineering quality and support, in my experience so far it's a well deserved one. Totalmix though is a bit of a beast at first, the most useful thing initially might be to go into the Totalmix preferences and tell it not to show any inputs/outputs you don't need to use. That cuts down the information overload in the Totalmix window quite a bit

I have two USB three ports my UCX doesn't work on. It is very confusing, I'll grant. It works on some USB 3 and two ports, but there are 2 USB 3 ports on my pc that it doesn't work with.

Btw, find the TotalMix total reset. That was really useful to me. I'm guessing it may be too you too as you learn your way around.

Wood67

gswitz
I have two USB three ports my UCX doesn't work on. 

Interesting.  All seems to be working fine now I have it away from the USB 3 ports.
 
@kitekrazy1 - I've always used the same soundcard for Sonar work as well as regular Windows sounds (including any games stuff).  I'm not especially knowledgeable on the various protocols being used but it's using ASIO in Sonar, but maybe something else for the rest.

 Use onboard for Windows sound. I learned that a long time ago. ASIO will not allow you to work it this way.

Just a thought, but not all PC USB2 or 3 sockets actually put out the USB specification volts and amps.

Some laptops and motherboards now claim to have e.g. "4 USB sockets including one charging socket". That "charging socket" is the one that'll be putting out the spec. volts and current, the others, who knows?

It's like the televisions being sold as "HD ready". Which actually means they aren't 1900x1080 HD at all, but usually somethingx720. Same kind of thing as the hard-drive marketing speak that claims a Gigabyte is 1000 Megabytes when it's really 1024.

so, is the rme bfp not a heaping expensive mass of garbage now?
 

Todd Page
Daniel - I was persuing this thread and I'm curious if you could comment a bit more on the idea of using the windows audio hardware (in my case, integrated sound on my ASUS mobo) alonside the babyface Pro. I read about this being the recommended method in the BFPro user manual but they don't dive into it much. If I'm understanding you, I'm to route audio from the sound card to the BFPro in TotalMix - does that mean I don't have to run any cabling to anything else (eg, it's all in the software) then? 

The usual way to use an external interface in conjunction with built in sound is to use the interface ASIO drivers for the DAW software and tell Windows to route all other sound to the built-in audio. The idea is that if Windows wants to make a noise it won't grab the recording interface and possibly disrupt the DAW by e.g. changing the sample rate and it not getting reset correctly when the DAW software uses the ASIO driver. This, I think, is what the RME manual is getting at.

An alternative view is to route everything to the external interface. Which is my personal preference on a non-laptop. I never have the Windows system sounds switched on anyway, and run Sonar with thereferences set to share the interface with other applications. Never had a problem in many years.

Totalmix only sees the inputs, outputs and internal routing of the RME interface (unless you have an ADAT or SPFIF unit digitally hooked up to it, in which case it can mix them in) If you insist on using the built-in sound for some purpose you can connect it's output to a pair of the RME line inputs and then route that to your monitors, but you can't use both in the DAW at the same time using ASIO drivers. You also lose a pair of interface inputs. So rather than do that you would be better disabling the internal sound in control panel/device manager or BIOS and just using the RME to handle all audio.

An exception might be if you have a need to ensure that no audio other than that coming from the DAW reached the monitors, which might be the case in a professional studio. Or might not.

Todd Page
say what?!

Wood67
So I took delivery of a brand new Babyface Pro this morning... and so far I've achieved next to nothing.  Before I wrap it up and send it back as heap of (expensive) junk ..........

batesbrew - you'll be very happy I'm sure - mine installed without a hiccup, and my system doesn't seem to mind at all if I unplug the USB cable from it at all, it just starts right up again. My prior firewire interface was much more finicky. I also am using it over a USB3 hub. Their documentation says to try not to use it on a hub, and ultimately I'm going to dig in and see if I can identify which USB headers on my PC are isolated and the best bus-powered and everything, but I thought I'd just try it that way and it seems to be just fine, at least for me. Worked equally well in USB2 or USB3 port.