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User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME
34.7 Stand-Alone MIDI Control
When not connected to a computer, the Fireface 800 can be controlled directly via MIDI. To
unlock the special stand-alone MIDI control mode first activate MIDI control in TotalMix (En-
able MIDI control), then transfer this state via Flash current mixer state into the unit. Turning this
mode off is done in the same way, but with MIDI control deactivated.
Note
: When not needed the stand-alone MIDI operation should not be active, as the unit will
react on MIDI notes after power-on, and will also send MIDI notes.
Control is performed via both the Mackie Control protocol and some standard MIDI functions
(see below). In stand-alone mode not all functions known from TotalMix are available, because
some of them aren't hardware, but software routines. Functions like Talkback, DIM, Mono, Solo,
relative ganging of the faders, Monitor Main and Monitor Phones are realized by complex soft-
ware code, therefore not available in stand-alone MIDI control operation.
Still many functions, and especially the most important functions to control the Fireface 800, are
implemented in hardware, thus available also in stand-alone mode:
• All faders and pans of the first and third row
• Mute of the input signal per channel
• Ganging via 'Select'
• Choice of the routing destination, i.e. the current submix
• Sending of LED and display data to the MIDI controller
The second row (software playback) is skipped in stand-alone operation.
The Fireface 800 sends display data as brief information, enabling an easy navigation through
lines and rows. Other data like PAN and miscellaneous status LEDs are supported as well.
In stand-alone mode the unit always operates in View Submix mode. Only this way the routing
destination can be changed, and several mixdowns/submixes can be set up quickly and easily.
If the current TotalMix setup is transferred into the Fireface via 'Flash current mixer state', the
currently selected submix output is also pre-configured in the hardware for stand-alone MIDI
remote operation.
Mackie Control Protocol
The stand-alone operation supports the following Mackie Control surface elements*:
*Tested with Behringer BCF2000 Firmware v1.07 in Mackie Control emulation for Steinberg mode.
Element: Meaning in Fireface:
Channel faders 1 – 8 volume
SEL(1-8) + DYNAMICS reset fader to Unity Gain
V-Pots 1 – 8 pan
pressing V-Pot knobs pan = center
CHANNEL LEFT or REWIND move one channel left
CHANNEL RIGHT or FAST FORWARD move one channel right
BANK LEFT or ARROW LEFT move eight channels left
BANK RIGHT or ARROW RIGHT move eight channels right
ARROW UP or Assignable1/PAGE+ move one row up
ARROW DOWN or Assignable2/PAGE- move one row down
EQ Master Mute
MUTE Ch. 1 – 8 Mute
SELECT Ch. 1 – 8 Select
REC Ch. 1 – 8 select output bus (current submix)