FireStudio Project seems to always be Direct Monitoring

[BIF]

Hello!

I replaced an M-Audio Delta 1010 LT (PCI) interface with an FSP. So far, I love it, and I think the FSP has better sound.

But there's a question that I can't get the answer to. The manual is not clear, and my searches on this forum have not turned up any similar questions.

And here it is. My FSP always seems to be in some sort of "direct monitoring" mode, or maybe by default it echos everything found on one of the hardware inputs directly to the main outputs.

For example, I can play my keyboards connected to front panel 3/4 and 5/6, and the sound just goes straight through to my speakers (assuming that Windows is up), even when no host DAW is running.

It feels odd to me because with the old Delta, I actually would have had to fire up Cubase or Ableton Live to be able to get the inputs routed to the outputs feeding my speakers, or else I would have to reset the mixer-patches so that the routings went directly from the inputs to the outputs.

So is this normal behavior?

If so, then how can I be assured that I am actually hearing the processed sound (with any effects I might be applying within the DAW software), and not just a dry "direct routing" of my input signal?

Here are my settings in the FireStudio control panel:

Advanced Tab:
Sample Rate Lock Mode is "unlocked"
Enable WDM Audio is "checked"
Operation Mode is "normal"

Output Select:
1/2 is "mixer"
3/4, 5/6, 7/8, AND S/pdif are normally in "playback", but have been tested in "mixer" setting, with no observable difference (in other words, inputs arriving at front panel 3/4 or 5/6 are played on the speakers even though no apparent routing is in place to allow this).
Sample Rate is "44.1kHz"
Buffer Size is "256 Samples"
Clock Source is "Internal"

In Windows "Sounds and Audio Devices", playback and recording are set to the FireStudio.

At this point, Cubase is not up, so my settings in Cubase are not relevant to this question.

So, any ideas?

[vcovco]

Hi Bif,

In the firecontrol panel, you can either mute or just turn down the channels you don't want to hear via direct monitoring. I recommend just soloing the 'daw' channel which will allow you to hear just your DAW outputs....

[BIF]

Hi, "V"!

Yup, that did it.

I suppose direct monitoring is "on" by default. A different way of thinking, I suppose.

Thanks for the help!

[Juice]

Hi, "V"!

Yup, that did it.

I suppose direct monitoring is "on" by default. A different way of thinking, I suppose.

Thanks for the help!

there is true zero latency with direct monitoring

[BIF]

Yes, of course that's true, Juice.

However, reasonable latency does not bother me. On the contrary, it is sometimes a necessary inconvenience. Take for example, if you are using a delay or a reverb.

For teeny tiny bits of delay or reverb that you might add later in the production process, it's not that big of a deal. You're just adding some room or some ambience.

But on the other hand, if I'm pushing an effect to the forefront as part of a particular "sound" or the song's "hook" or whatever, then I think that my performance will "fit" better into the song if I hear the wet signal during my recording session.

That's because my ear (and just about everybody else's, too) will begin to anticipate the effect of an effect (how's that for a tongue twister?) and will tell me how to make that effect fit into the song in the best way possible.