RME Interfaces - Pros / Cons / Advice

[KidForToday]

I'm considering the RME UCX II, RME UFX II, or RME 802 FS interface and I'm looking for pros / cons and advice from users or those in the know that can help me decide which unit is best to connect to the list of gear below. I don't mind spending the higher $ if that offers extra connectivity options for future gear acquisitions. I will be using Ableton Live and the Total Mix Software on a MacBook Pro M2 chip running on OS Sonoma 14.2.1.

Headphones, ADAM 7v Monitors, Roland MC 707, Novation 49 SL MK III, OB-6, JUNO 106, (likely one more synth I don’t have now), 1 bass guitar, 1 guitar. I have a Bored Brain Patchulator Patch Bay to help manage a few effects pedals and move things around. I assume a pre-amp won't be needed?

Thanks for the advice!

[OneWorld]

I'm considering the RME UCX II, RME UFX II, or RME 802 FS interface and I'm looking for pros / cons and advice from users or those in the know that can help me decide which unit is best to connect to the list of gear below. I don't mind spending the higher $ if that offers extra connectivity options for future gear acquisitions. I will be using Ableton Live and the Total Mix Software on a MacBook Pro M2 chip running on OS Sonoma 14.2.1.

Headphones, ADAM 7v Monitors, Roland MC 707, Novation 49 SL MK III, OB-6, JUNO 106, (likely one more synth I don’t have now), 1 bass guitar, 1 guitar. I have a Bored Brain Patchulator Patch Bay to help manage a few effects pedals and move things around. I assume a pre-amp won't be needed?

Thanks for the advice!

I can't think of any cons, their stuff just works and works well. Does a splendid job. Get familiar with TotalMix and youo have a very flexible setup, and no pre-amp is required

[The Elf]

Pros - almost everything... sound quality; reliable drivers; continued support for waaay longer than other brands; low latency; remote control; oodles of options for input configurations; quality hardware; the sublime TotalMix, with its uber-powerful routing and recall facilities.

Cons - price; getting a firm understanding of TotalMix; some interfaces have external PSUs (including my MADIFace XT - grr!); some interfaces (MADIFace XT again) not full 19" rack-width that really should be.

[Aled Hughes]

Pros - almost everything... sound quality; reliable drivers; continued support for waaay longer than other brands; low latency; remote control; oodles of options for input configurations; quality hardware; the sublime TotalMix, with its uber-powerful routing and recall facilities.

Cons - price; getting a firm understanding of TotalMix; some interfaces have external PSUs (including my MADIFace XT - grr!); some interfaces (MADIFace XT again) not full 19" rack-width that really should be.

Pros: All the above. From my experience (MADIFaco Pro, Babyface Pro, 802 and Raydat, plus various standalone converters), they just work.

Cons: TotalMix does a small handful of little quirks that are perhaps a bit surprising for such an otherwise comprehensive tool. Nothing major though.

[Luke W]

Another vote for all of the above pros, I went for RME when I upgraded recently and have no regrets thus far!

The interfaces you've listed are all very capable, but a lot of the choice will come down to how much I/O you need (and are likely to need in the future), and what sort of I/O that is. I wanted mostly line-level connectivity, so I went for one of their digital interfaces and hooked up a Ferrofish unit to give me the connections I wanted. If you're never going to use any mic pres, for example, then a similar approach might be a good call.

[sonics]

Add to the advantages the availability of the ARC USB control unit and network control software. Flippin' wonderful...

[Matt Houghton]

I went down the same road as Luke. RME Madiface USB + Ferrofish A32. I did want mic pres too but already had external ones and a desk available... Had a Fireface 800 for many years before this. It's all great kit.

TotalMix is v good, though if you have an interface like mine that doesn't have the DSP effects on board, it's frustratingly cluttered compared with the older, simpler version!

[KidForToday]

I'm considering the RME UCX II, RME UFX II, or RME 802 FS interface and I'm looking for pros / cons and advice from users or those in the know that can help me decide which unit is best to connect to the list of gear below. I don't mind spending the higher $ if that offers extra connectivity options for future gear acquisitions. I will be using Ableton Live and the Total Mix Software on a MacBook Pro M2 chip running on OS Sonoma 14.2.1.

Headphones, ADAM 7v Monitors, Roland MC 707, Novation 49 SL MK III, OB-6, JUNO 106, (likely one more synth I don’t have now), 1 bass guitar, 1 guitar. I have a Bored Brain Patchulator Patch Bay to help manage a few effects pedals and move things around. I assume a pre-amp won't be needed?

Thanks for the advice!

I can't think of any cons, their stuff just works and works well. Does a splendid job. Get familiar with TotalMix and youo have a very flexible setup, and no pre-amp is required

Thanks for the reply / info!

[KidForToday]

Pros - almost everything... sound quality; reliable drivers; continued support for waaay longer than other brands; low latency; remote control; oodles of options for input configurations; quality hardware; the sublime TotalMix, with its uber-powerful routing and recall facilities.

Cons - price; getting a firm understanding of TotalMix; some interfaces have external PSUs (including my MADIFace XT - grr!); some interfaces (MADIFace XT again) not full 19" rack-width that really should be.

Thanks for the reply / info!

[KidForToday]

Pros - almost everything... sound quality; reliable drivers; continued support for waaay longer than other brands; low latency; remote control; oodles of options for input configurations; quality hardware; the sublime TotalMix, with its uber-powerful routing and recall facilities.

Cons - price; getting a firm understanding of TotalMix; some interfaces have external PSUs (including my MADIFace XT - grr!); some interfaces (MADIFace XT again) not full 19" rack-width that really should be.

Pros: All the above. From my experience (MADIFaco Pro, Babyface Pro, 802 and Raydat, plus various standalone converters), they just work.

Cons: TotalMix does a small handful of little quirks that are perhaps a bit surprising for such an otherwise comprehensive tool. Nothing major though.

Thanks for the reply / info!

[KidForToday]

Another vote for all of the above pros, I went for RME when I upgraded recently and have no regrets thus far!

The interfaces you've listed are all very capable, but a lot of the choice will come down to how much I/O you need (and are likely to need in the future), and what sort of I/O that is. I wanted mostly line-level connectivity, so I went for one of their digital interfaces and hooked up a Ferrofish unit to give me the connections I wanted. If you're never going to use any mic pres, for example, then a similar approach might be a good call.

Thanks for the reply / info!

[KidForToday]

Add to the advantages the availability of the ARC USB control unit and network control software. Flippin' wonderful...

Thanks for the reply / info!

[KidForToday]

I went down the same road as Luke. RME Madiface USB + Ferrofish A32. I did want mic pres too but already had external ones and a desk available... Had a Fireface 800 for many years before this. It's all great kit.

TotalMix is v good, though if you have an interface like mine that doesn't have the DSP effects on board, it's frustratingly cluttered compared with the older, simpler version!

Thanks for the reply / info!

[Arpangel]

As good as RME interfaces are, they do "have a sound" just like any other interface, Focusrite UAD etc. If you like that sound you’re fine, but you do have to bare that in mind.
Some would say it's a very uncoloured transparent sound, it’s probably not as coloured as some others, but even total neutrality is a sound in itself.
I like Focusrite, because of their "nice" sound, a bit like UAD.
I considered an RME interface recently, as I think the sound has improved over the years , but for me personally, Total Mix is too much of a learning curve.

[Kwackman]

All the respected "gurus" (no, not me, not even close!) on this forum who have used RME, highly recommend them for their sound, reliability and long term support etc.

[Arpangel]

All the respected "gurus" (no, not me, not even close!) on this forum who have used RME, highly recommend them for their sound, reliability and long term support etc.

You could say this is like instruments, a friend of mine doesn’t like Stratocaster’s, he’s a Gibson fan, I say to him look at all the famous guitarists that haven used Fender's, it makes no difference, it's just down to his taste.
Audio gear isn’t a given, in my book, it's complex, and down to so many personal preferences.

[Drew Stephenson]

All the respected "gurus" (no, not me, not even close!) on this forum who have used RME, highly recommend them for their sound, reliability and long term support etc.

You could say this is like instruments, a friend of mine doesn’t like Stratocaster’s, he’s a Gibson fan, I say to him look at all the famous guitarists that haven used Fender's, it makes no difference, it's just down to his taste.
Audio gear isn’t a given, in my book, it's complex, and down to so many personal preferences.

I can't entirely agree with that Arpy. An instrument is a sound source, variety, preference, feel, etc are all key properties.
An interface is a connection device. It should take an input in one form and transport it to the output in another with as little corruption as possible. It's basically maths, and maths has a right answer.

[Hugh Robjohns]

An interface is a connection device. It should take an input in one form and transport it to the output in another with as little corruption as possible. It's basically maths, and maths has a right answer.

I completely get that view, and I share it... but there are other schools of thought that I believe are equally valid.

If you think the interface should be transparent and not change the source signal then, logically, you should think the same about the microphone... yet we recently had a long discussion about which microphone best flattered your voice.

Personally, I think converters should be transparent, but an interface includes preamps and many people choose preamps for their sound character — especially if their recording style involves 'pushing' the preamp's headroom (intentionally or unintentionally).

In that context some interfaces are more forgiving and musical than others, and I believe that's what lies behind Tony's reticence towards RME interfaces. They don't generally overload nicely. Focusrite's generally do....

If you track with headroom there's nothing to choose between them, sound-wise. If you don't, there is...

[Drew Stephenson]

I completely get that view, and I share it... but there are other schools of thought that I believe are equally valid.

If you think the interface should be transparent and not change the source signal then, logically, you should think the same about the microphone... yet we recently had a long discussion about which microphone best flattered your voice.

Fair challenge, but I would argue there that if there was a microphone that could achieve the kind of conversion accuracy from mechanical to electrical that we can achieve with electrical analogue to electrical digital then we wouldn't need to worry about what best suited what.

Personally, I think converters should be transparent, but an interface includes preamps and many people choose preamps for their sound character — especially if their recording style involves 'pushing' the preamp's headroom (intentionally or unintentionally).

In that context some interfaces are more forgiving and musical than others, and I believe that's what lies behind Tony's reticence towards RME interfaces. They don't generally overload nicely. Focusrite's generally do...

Fair. I was thinking of the conversion side primarily but yes, that's too narrow an analysis. I stand corrected. Again.

[alexis]

...
Some would say it's a very uncoloured transparent sound, it’s probably not as coloured as some others, but even total neutrality is a sound in itself.
...

I might say total neutrality is a style, but technically I wouldn't say it's a sound.

[Hugh Robjohns]

Fair challenge, but I would argue there that if there was a microphone that could achieve the kind of conversion accuracy from mechanical to electrical that we can achieve with electrical analogue to electrical digital then we wouldn't need to worry about what best suited what.

They do exist... but they are expensive and tend to be 'unflattering' and inherently even more demanding of good room acoustics.

Proper laboratory measurement mics are the obvious example, along with studio mics developed from them — like the DPA 4006 ... and a handful of others.

But most people want flattering mics in most situations — even in classical recording situations — because we're usually trying to make art, not archives.

Fair. I was thinking of the conversion side primarily but yes, that's too narrow an analysis. I stand corrected. Again.

[Matt Houghton]

As good as RME interfaces are, they do "have a sound"

My MADIFace USB certainly doesn't

Must admit, if I wanted a 'sound' I'd be looking at the preamps. And if I were looking for colour from preamps, I'd almost certainly end up choosing outboard ones, rather than those built into any interface.

Total Mix is too much of a learning curve.

I've seen others suggest this, but I genuinely don't get what people find so hard about it... You don't *have* to use any of the DSP effects. And at heart it's just a mixer and routing matrix, with the ability to link/unlink pairs of channels. If you can use any DAW, you can use TotalMix. In fact, if you don't want to, you never really need to touch anything or even open it after installation — with default settings it can just sit as an invisible link between your DAW and the physical I/O.

[Arpangel]

like the DPA 4006 ... and a handful of others.

Beautiful mic, one of my favourites, lovely sound, the bass is wonderful, sometimes a bit too much.
Wish I had a pair of those.

[The Elf]

I think the sound has improved over the years

In what way?

[sonics]

You could say this is like instruments, a friend of mine doesn’t like Stratocaster’s, he’s a Gibson fan, I say to him look at all the famous guitarists that haven used Fender's, it makes no difference, it's just down to his taste.

But there is science (engineering) behind that, too! The Fender will feel very different due to the longer scale, the shape of the neck, the radius of the fretboard and the ergonomic differences. (Presuming we're comparing a typical Strat to a LP.)