RME ARC USB

This wired remote has been designed 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 interface in most real world situations.

Overview

This wired remote has been designed 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 interface in most real world situations.

The ARC USB is a USB 1.1 (UAC1) MIDI remote control, natively compatible to Windows and Mac OS X. As soon as it is present in the operating system 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. And because it communicates with TotalMix FX (via USB) it is compatible to all RME audio interfaces that are detected and supported by TotalMix FX. This goes back to RME interfaces released 2001!

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.

With the UFX+ and UFX II the ARC USB can also be connected directly to these devices, currently the only RME interfaces having an internal USB 1.1 host with matching connector. This way of connecting is handy in stand-alone mode, where the ARC USB is also supported by the UFX+ and UFX II.

The ARC USB is bus powered, but draws only little current. Also it uses USB 1.1 as bus standard, which these days is uncritical due to its lower frequency and speed demands. USB 2 cables 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 recommends 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 assigned to, without the need to further switch or select anything in normal operation.

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.

The rotary encoder wheel is used to change various parameters, like gain and volume. It is pro-grammable in TotalMix FX as well.

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

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

Row 1: Setup 1-4
Row 2: Setup 5-6 x x
Row 3: Mono, Volume Phones 1, Volume Phones 2, DIM

Lower keys: DURec: Rec, Play/Pause, Stop

x = no function

The included stickers also offer the stand-alone layout.

In the UFX+ / UFX II display’s menu 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 oper-ated 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 function had not been active this mode is automatically deactivated at the UFX+ / UFX II.