DMXDesktop

Yamaha DM3: audio into DMXDesktop

The DM3 gives the computer 18 channels in and 18 out over USB TO HOST, and unlike the TF it has a proper output patch, so you can decide what goes on each USB channel.

This article is part of Connecting a Sound Mixer to DMXDesktop, which covers the shared rules and the problems common to every console.

Models covered

  • DM3
  • DM3 Standard

What you need

  • A USB Type-B cable to the rear USB TO HOST port.
  • The Yamaha Steinberg USB Driver, on both Windows and macOS. Yamaha's manual says the DM3 needs it to communicate with a computer.

Connect the console

Windows

  1. Install the Yamaha Steinberg USB Driver.
  2. Connect the cable and power the DM3 on.
  3. Pick the Yamaha Steinberg ASIO device in Settings → Audio.

Without ASIO, open SETUP → PREFERENCES and, in the USB section, set Driver Mode to Mode1. Mode1 gives Windows an ordinary stereo device carrying USB 1 and 2, alongside the full ASIO device. Changing the mode needs a restart.

macOS

  1. Install the Yamaha Steinberg USB Driver.
  2. Connect and power on the DM3.
  3. Confirm it appears in Audio MIDI Setup.
  4. Select the DM3 in Settings → Audio.

Fastest setup: the stereo bus

By default the DM3 already sends STEREO L and STEREO R to USB 17 and 18, and inputs 1 to 16 to USB 1 to 16.

macOS, or Windows with ASIO

  1. Leave the patch as it is.
  2. In DMXDesktop, select channels 17 and 18.

Windows without ASIO

  1. Open SETUP → PATCH → OUTPUT.
  2. Assign STEREO L to USB 1 and STEREO R to USB 2.
  3. In DMXDesktop, select channels 1 and 2.

Recommended setup: a music-only bus

  1. In BUS SETUP, set a pair of Mix buses to stereo, or pair them with Pan Link, and name the pair DMXDesktop.
  2. Turn the bus master on and set it to 0 dB.
  3. Send each music channel to it at 0 dB, and choose pre-fader or post-fader sends. No speech microphones, no talkback.
  4. In SETUP → PATCH → OUTPUT, assign that Mix pair's left and right to a USB output pair. USB 1 and 2 work on Windows without ASIO. Any free pair works on macOS or with ASIO.
  5. In DMXDesktop, select the same two channel numbers.
Music channels
players, DJ, live band
Speech mics and talkback
not sent to DMXDesktop
Mix bus pair
music channels only
USB out 1 / 2
DM3 output patch
DMXDesktop
channels 1 and 2

A note on Dante

A Dante-equipped DM3 can carry this audio over the network instead, but that needs Dante Controller and normally Dante Virtual Soundcard on the DMXDesktop machine. If the computer is anywhere near the console, USB is simpler and there is nothing to license.

Troubleshooting

Silence on the patched channels

Confirm the Mix bus is actually receiving signal at the console before blaming the patch.

Windows offers no channel choice

You are not on the Yamaha Steinberg ASIO driver. The Windows-without-ASIO setup above uses USB 1 and 2, so it still works, but the default USB 17 and 18 do not.

Still not working

Work through the shared checks in Connecting a Sound Mixer to DMXDesktop, which covers the faults that are not specific to one console. If you need to contact support, have these five things ready, because they resolve most cases immediately:

  1. The exact mixer model.
  2. Your Windows or macOS version.
  3. How the mixer is connected, and which USB port you used.
  4. Which device you picked in Settings → Audio.
  5. Which left and right channel numbers you selected.

For a console with a multichannel USB interface, a screenshot of the mixer's USB output patch is worth more than any log file.