60 CHANNELS OF INTERFACING
The RME Fireface UFX gives you the power to have 30 channels of input and 30 channels of output all from the one unit. The front panel hosts four microphone or line inputs on XLR/TRS combination jacks, with an additional eight balanced line level inputs on the rear. Add two ADAT ins and outs on light pipe as well as an AES/EBU in and out on XLR and eight more analogue outputs and you have a serious collection of ports all squeezed into a single rack unit. Furthermore, MIDI in and out, as well as word clock, USB and Firewire connections and the ability to connect an optional remote control, make this a very serious offering from RME.

OPTIONS APLENTY
As well as acting as a top of the line audio interface, the RME Fireface UFX can be used as a standalone unit for a number of applications. With the help of RME’s TotalMix software, the Fireface UFX can be set up to operate as a 12 channel AD/DA converter, a four-channel standalone microphone preamp, a monitor mixer, a digital format converter or as an analogue/digital routing matrix. This is not just a simple audio interface, but a complete studio tool that will redefine the way you look at your signal flow and bring a new level of quality into you digital conversion.

USB RECORDING
The thing that I was really taken aback by with the Fireface UFX is its ability to act as a standalone recorder without the need to interface with a computer. You can record directly to a USB flash drive or external USB hard drive from the USB port on the front of the unit. This new feature allows you to record and playback with the use of all 30 inputs and all 30 outputs without the use of a computer. It’s great news for engineers who need to record on location or in a live situation and don’t want to rely on the stability of a laptop computer letting them down – or worse, and annoying laptop power supply adding noise to the signal path. The Fireface UFX can go into your effects rack and hit the road with you, ready to record anywhere, straight onto that USB stick hanging from your keychain. This is a huge development from RME, and one that is going to redefine location recording and quality all over again.

To say I was excited to get my hands on the RME Fireface UFX is an understatement. This is a serious piece of kit that will take any user to the next level. If you are looking at upgrading your recording setup, whether it is for live or studio use, please, do the smart thing and ask the guys at your local retailer about the Fireface UFX. You are not going to regret it. Welcome to the next level of audio recording, the RME way.

By Rob Gee

Price: Call for pricing
Distributor: Innovative Music
Phone: (03) 9540 0658
Website: www.innovativemusic.com.au

RME’s Babyface is the little USB2-connected brother of the Fireface. Where the Fireface is an imposing rack-mounted unit with all sorts of ins and outs, the Babyface is very minimal. In fact, it doesn’t really look like it does much at all. But looks can be deceiving.

GUESS WHO’S HAVING A BABY

The Babyface’s hardware interface is incredibly simple: two buttons and a jog wheel (which also doubles as a button), plus two LED-driven level displays. On the side you’ll find headphone out and high-impedance guitar input jacks, while a unique custom breakout cable — which looks like an audiophile’s cat o’nine tails — provides another headphone out, left and right XLR line ins, XLR line outs and MIDI in and out 5-pin DIN connectors. It’s a clever little solution to the problem of needing to something get all that audio into that tiny little box, and RME even includes an extension cable in case you need the cords to be a little further away from the unit for whatever reason. The breakout cable links to the Babyface through a 25-pin D-Dub connector. The unit is equipped with the latest 192 kHz AD and DA converters, along with two reference class microphone preamps. It’s USB 2.0, but is also USB 3 compatible, and it is optimised for highest performance under Windows and Mac OS.

The jog wheel allows you to control the gain of both analog inputs simultaneously or separately, as well as the volume of the main line outputs and the headphones output level. You select between these three by using the buttons. The jog wheel itself selects left, right or both analog channels in input mode, or a temporary volume reduction function while in out or phone mode. There’s also a LED to show the sync status of the digital clock, the source of which can be internal or external via ADAT and S/PDIF.

The Babyface is an extremely powerful unit but if you’re after a plug-and-play box — which the Babyface can be — you’re gonna have to work a little bit for it in the early stages. This is definitely one of those ‘read the manual’ units. It took me a good 20 minutes of digging around, searching the manual and trying various things before I figured out how to get a signal into the guitar input (let me save you some time and tell you, you have to open up the Settings dialog for that track and select the Inst. setting beneath the Stereo button). This button seemed just a little too tucked away for such a crucial function, and a lot of other interfaces make this sort of thing a lot easier by not locating it in a sub window. But as I said, although the learning curve can be a bit hairy, this is a very powerful box and once you’ve figured it out once you probably won’t forget it.

HELLO BABY

The included TotalMix software controls 22 channels of audio as well as 3-band EQ, a low-cut filter, reverb and echo, although compared to RME’s Fireface interface you miss out on the dynamic module with compressor/expander and auto level. TotalMix offers temporary mute, solo and fader groups as well as four stored mute, solo and fader groups.

One of my favourite features on the Babyface, being a guitarist, is the high impedance guitar input. Combined with the extremely high sample rate, this prompted an unprecedented level of realism from AmpliTube 3, Guitar Rig 4 and POD Farm 2. I’ve experimented with — and adored — external impedance converters to achieve this, but obviously without the high resolution offered by the Babyface, there’s only so far one can go with this. With the Babyface my amp models responded much more like a real amp than plugging straight into a line-level input, and the sound was so clear and detailed that it was kinda demoralising to go back to my old recording rig.

FACE IT

The Babyface may look simple but it’s very powerful and, once you’ve mastered its intricacies via thorough reading of the manual, it works its magic by getting out of your way and simply allowing you to make music. The built-in effects are a great touch, especially for acoustic instruments, and the high impedance guitar input is a great idea.

Price: RRP $995.00

Distributor: Innovative Music

Phone: (03)9540 0658

Website www.innovativemusic.com.au

By Peter Hodgson

The Babyface is 22-channel High-End USB audio interface with totalMix FX.

Equipped with the latest 192 kHz AD– and DA-converters and two reference 
class microphone preamps the bus-powered Babyface delivers top sound in 
a nicely designed and attractively shaped enclosure. The Babyface uses 
the USB 2.0 high-speed bus and has been uncompromisingly optimized for 
highest performance under Windows and Mac OS.
 
The Babyface combines excellent analog circuit design with AD/DA 
converter chips of the latest generation. On top RME’s famous 
SteadyClock ensures an AD– and DA-conversion of the highest reference

quality. Both digitally controlled preamps provide individually 
switchable 48V phantom power. The extremely low THD+N values let these preamps surpass those of other devices that cost several times the price 
of the Babyface.
 
The RME Babyface will be available June 2010 and the expected retail price in Australia will be $999. 
 
For further information contact Innovativemusic Ph: 03–9540 0658 or  visit
 www.innovativemusic.com.au

The Babyface is 22-channel High-End USB audio interface with totalMix FX.

Equipped with the latest 192 kHz AD– and DA-converters and two reference class microphone preamps the bus-powered Babyface delivers top sound in a nicely designed and attractively shaped enclosure. The Babyface uses the USB 2.0 high-speed bus and has been uncompromisingly optimized for highest performance under Windows and Mac OS.

The Babyface combines excellent analog circuit design with AD/DA converter chips of the latest generation. On top RME’s famous SteadyClock ensures an AD– and DA-conversion of the highest reference quality. Both digitally controlled preamps provide individually switchable 48V phantom power. The extremely low THD+N values let these preamps surpass those of other devices that cost several times the price of the Babyface.

The RME Babyface will be available June 2010 and the expected retail price in Australia will be $999.

For further information contact Innovativemusic Ph: 03–9540 0658 or visit www.innovativemusic.com.au