RME Audio Fireface UFX User Manual download pdf

resolution November/December 2010

REVIEW

he DAW world shifts on its axis once again.

All of a sudden native is cool. After years of

skirmishing between hardware and native

even players like Avid are now agreed; native

works and it’s getting better all the time. So, if you are

no longer tied into buying expensive DSP and interfaces

from a DAW vendor, what

else should you be looking

at? For a start, it’s worth

saying that interfaces and

DSP that use a PCI or PCIe

card are more effective than

anything based on FireWire

or USB. However, for sheer

convenience and, of course,

for laptops, FireWire or USB

are the answer.

RME has long been a

force to be reckoned with

where PCI, FireWire and USB interfaces are concerned.

The timing of the release of its latest, all singing, all

dancing interface, the UFX, seems almost prescient.

Housed in a 1U box and ﬁnished in the RME

house colours of blue and silver the UK£1699 (+ VAT)

Fireface UFX is deceptively powerful for its size. The

headlines are impressive, 60 channels of audio and

a 90 channel mixer with 42-bit internal resolution.

There are practical constraints on these numbers if you

want to use the HD sampling rates (up to 192kHz),

but the UFX is even more than this. It boasts a

comprehensive and ﬂexible routing matrix and mixer,

a monitor controller, high quality clock source, very

serious digitally controlled analogue preamps and

some intriguing potentialities for the future.

On the front panel the left hand side is dominated

by four XLR/jack combo sockets for Mic/Instrument

analogue inputs 9-12, analogue outputs 9 – 12 are two

stereo headphone jacks with abundant output level,

two DINs do MIDI 2 In and Out, and there is a USB

A socket labelled Memory. A quick perusal of the user

manual reveals that, although this socket is not yet

active, a future ﬁrmware update will enable recording to

a memory stick or hard drive with the potential to record

every signal passing through the unit. The excellent

Digicheck suite of utilities already has a Global Record

function so this shouldn’t be too much of a stretch. It

could be used as a backup location recorder and would

make perfect sense.

Every input and output has gain options switchable

individually from the front panel or via TotalMix:

-10dBV, +4dBu, HiGain (equals +2dBV, +13dBu and

+19dBu for 0dBfs). The balanced XLR outputs go up

to +24 dBu. The other half of the panel begins with a

block of State LEDs for WC source, MIDI Rx and Tx

and USB and FireWire active. A large Volume knob,

which is also a push switch, sits next to four function

selector buttons to the left of the very high resolution

colour screen. On its right, two further rotary encoders/

switches work with the

display to change settings

and levels without recourse

to a computer.

The display is superb

but titchy. This is of

no consequence when

displaying numbers and

single parameter graphics

but, when showing 60 audio

meters, it’s for the young

with 20/20 vision. Around

the back ¼-inch balanced

jacks access analogue inputs 1-8 and outputs 3-8.

Analogue outputs 1&2 are XLR and intended primarily

for monitoring use. AES-EBU I-Os are XLR and the

UFX will also accept SPDIF signals here. Four Toslink

optical sockets provide 16 channels of ADAT format

I-O while the second pair can also be used for optical

SPDIF. Word clock I-O is BNC and there is a 75Ohm

termination switch and indicator LED on the input. A

mini DIN is for the optional monitor remote, USB and

FireWire sockets connect to a host computer, with USB

taking precedence if both are connected, and two DINs

are for MIDI 1 In and Out.

RME has an optional remote control, the ADI-8 QS,

with a Volume knob that doubles as a dim toggle when

pressed and a couple of buttons for setting and recalling

calibrated level.

With Apple apparently going cold on FireWire and

many PCs not so equipped as standard, the dual,

either or, FireWire/USB2 interfaces are very welcome.

Of course, it will also work with USB3 and FireWire

800. RME have eschewed a conventional off-the-shelf

chipset for USB/FireWire. Instead it’s developed its own

solution using FPGAs. This technology enables simple

ﬁrmware updates, if required, and is behind RME’s

justiﬁable (in my experience) claim to have the most

compatible USB and FireWire interfaces available for

real-time audio.

I really like the Quickstart Guide, silk screened onto

the top of the unit along with the block diagram, ‘Just

ﬁre it up!’ Well, you can do that, but collaboration with

a PC or Mac needs a simple driver installation. TotalMix

FX, the digital mixer and signal router application, is

far more intuitive than previous versions. Powered by

a couple of DSP chips it offers a comprehensive routing

matrix and a full mixer with integrated 3-band EQ

and high-pass ﬁlter, dynamics and reverb/echo effects.

Mixer outputs can be rerouted back to DAW inputs

for recording. Mackie Control Protocol is supported for

hardware control of the mixer. The EQ is very good, as

are the dynamics, and the effects are no slouch. The

control room section even includes a talkback button.

Although the mixer is resolutely stereo it is possible

to use the Volume encoder to control a surround mix

output by creating a 6-channel fader group that includes

Outputs 1&2.

Six complete conﬁgurations can be stored in on-board

memory locations and recalled, even when the unit is

used standalone. This opens up possibilities of using

the UFX to replace a variety of hardware boxes, for

example; a 12-channel A-D/D-A convertor, a monitor

mixer, analogue/digital routing matrix, 4-channel mic

preamp or digital format convertor.

The mic pres punch well above their weight and

the UFX uses Cirrus Logic A-D convertors and a digital

ﬁlter with latency of just 12 samples in SD. Each mic/

instrument channel uses two convertors to improve

signal to noise and conversion accuracy.

Like other RME products the UFX is characterised

by excellent engineering, accuracy and neutrality, all

cardinal virtues. It might just be the only extra box

many people will need for a DAW rig. It has a multitude

of applications in other roles as a standalone and in

conjunction with other kit. n

Contact

RME, GERMANY:

Website: www.rme-audio.de

PROS

Studio in a 1U box; quiet and neutral;

easy to grasp.

Four mic pres may be insufﬁcient for

some; display is small.

Equipped with 192kHz A-D and D-A

convertors and two reference class

microphone preamps the RME Babyface

is bus-powered via USB 2.0.

It employs RME’s SteadyClock and

the digitally controlled preamps have

individually switchable 48V phantom

power. The feature set includes optical I-O,

usable as ADAT port with SMUX support

or SPDIF for sessions at up to 192kHz. In

combination with an ADAT convertor, like

the RME ADI-8 DS/QS or OctaMic II, the

Babyface provides 10 analogue input and

12 output channels. A headphone output

is available directly on the unit and also on

the breakout cable.

With one main control knob and two

single buttons it provides direct control

of volume, reference volume store and

recall, volume dim, input selection/

switching, and input gain control. The

next generation of TotalMix delivers

hardware mixing/routing and adds

3-band parametric EQ, reverb and echo.

CONS

EXTRAS

RME Fireface UFX

While DAWs may be becoming more introverted with their attitudes towards their

processing requirements, you still have to get the stuff in and out. ROB JAMES evaluates a

box that integrates but also stands alone.

RME Fireface UFX 1

Summary of Contents

Page 1 - RME Fireface UFX

20resolution November/December 2010REVIEWThe DAW world shifts on its axis once again. All of a sudden native is cool. After years of skirmishing bet

RME Audio Fireface UFX User Manual

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