User`s guide

6
Windows Driver 4.x © RME
1. Overview
The unified Windows driver of the RME HDSP and HDSPe series audio interfaces supports
many different units, from the very first PCI-based Digiface up to the PCIe-based HDSPe AES.
That makes it possible to use any combination of them (excluding the RPM) as one ASIO
device.
The Digiface started back in 2001 as the world’s first professional portable multitrack interface,
and the first Hammerfall DSP (HDSP) interface ever. The HDSP series driver supports all
interfaces released since then:
¾ Digiface, Multiface and RPM via CardBus, ExpressCard, PCI or PCIe card
¾ Direct PCI interfaces HDSP 9632, HDSP 9652, HDSP AES-32, HDSP MADI
¾ Direct PCI Express interfaces HDSPe AIO, HDSPe AES, HDSPe RayDAT, HDSPe MADI
¾ External PCI Express Interface HDSPe MADIface
The DSP in HDSP refers to the introduction of TotalMix, a practically unlimited mixing/routing
engine with full ASIO Direct Monitoring support, with the DSP cost-efficiently realized within the
interface’s main chip, an FPGA.
The HDSP series drivers have seen all Windows generations from 98 up to Windows 8.1. Over
a period of more than 13 years, the basic driver design had to be changed several times, at one
point even the firmware of the interfaces, to gain best performance out of the ever changing
hardware and operating systems.
The new driver generation 4.x has several interesting aspects. For example, it brings back the
old ‘Interleaved‘ option for WDM operation in an easier to understand and more flexible way. It
also no longer waits for Microsoft to come up with a working sample rate control for professional
multichannel audio interfaces, instead it implements complete unload/reload of WDM devices
for full control under Windows 7 and 8. But even if only ASIO is used, the driver 4.x has
something unique to offer: TotalMix FX. Yes, we ported the latest TotalMix FX back to all
devices released since 2001! Of course there is no EQ, no Echo, no Reverb, no Dynamics, as
the hardware can not render these. Still there are many advantages of TotalMix FX in
comparison to the previous TotalMix:
• choice of mono and stereo channels
• improved graphics including zoom states
• OSC remote control
• separate control room section, Cue, flexible talkback for all outputs, 4 Mute and Solo
groups, Recall, External Input, local and global TrimGains/Post support with exclusion,
Layout Presets to hide channels or MIDI remote functionality, 2 Row mode, multiple remote
support, assignable F-key commands, Windows/Mac compatible mixer files, Matrix with
Mono/Stereo mode, PFL mode, and and and…
The list is long - and getting longer as TM FX is still being worked on. We can only encourage
you to read the chapters describing TotalMix FX in detail.
2. System Requirements
• Driver 4.x runs under Windows XP or higher, 32 and 64 bit systems