Update on video. I have since bought an M1 Pro MacBook Pro and it works perfectly on this and the issues I was having with dropouts on Bias FX2 have totally gone. Not only that but I can now record with a buffer if just 30 samples so the latency is effectively nil. Still living this unit!
Hi, had you thought about buying a thunderbolt 3 audio interface for getting better round trip latency when playing guitar VSTs instead of a USB2 interface? I love RME but i am really afraid of ending up with a bad latency! I am also a guitar player and RTL is reallu important to me. I have a macbook pro 2020 (intel) with Thunderbolt3 ports. Thanks!
@@seek4truth hi sorry only just spotted your question. I use both PC and have got a new M1 Pro MacBook. I wanted cross platform functionality. I am not an expert on latency but I did read up on it at length before I bought this and RME says that the advantage of Thunderbolt in is bandwidth (no. of simultaneous channels, not latency). In their implementation they claim they can get ridiculously low latency. All I can tell you from is that this has been my experience. I ran my M1 Mac with a buffer size of 30 samples and was getting 2ms latency in this interface. I had one or two issues with this (the computer not the interface as I was running plugins which are not M1 compatible- which in my experience is usually the issue) so I have throttled it back to 125 samples and I’m still getting almost no latency so I think RME are right. I also did buy a TB3 interface before and the control software fell over all the time whereas as I say in the review the RME does not. Hope that helps.
i don't understand why one would have krk rockit 5 whatever generation and still use such an expensive audiointerface.. it simply does not make any sense.. 08:16 for rest thank you
@@hallojullie7834 you make a good point. This is part of a general studio upgrade which I am doing over time as I can afford it and as the needs demand. As I said I was having problems with several interfaces of lower budget and frustrated that they wouldn’t work so I decided to future proof this with one that consistently works . I was also having problems with my PC so have had to tackle that next. I’m not having any problems with my speakers. In fact I know them and my room really well and have mixed a bunch of stuff satisfactorily over many years on them but I am aware if their limitations do plan to change them when budget allows. At the end of the day gear is less important than the person using it.
I can't remember when was the last time I've seen such a well presented, informative audio product review. Honestly, RME should hire you. In fact, any major player in the audio tech industry should be happy having someone like you on board. Fantastic work, thanks a lot for your effort.
I'd agree, apart from the "I don't know what the DC coupled bit means" as it's very easily searchable. For anyone else reading who doesn't know, the DC outputs control not just old modular synths but new modular synths too, and semi modular synths too. There are even voltage controlled guitar pedals you could control with it. But this isn't only common to RME many audio interfaces offer this and have done for decades. It's a great review though.
Welcome to the family. I've been using RME since the Multiface on PCI (now using UFXII, UFX and Babyface). Their software and driver support are unprecedented in this space. Solid and reliable. As you're already discovering. Totalmix is the icing on the cake. Absolutely brilliant.
Excellent point regarding driver support from RME. They are second to none. I have the fireface 400 which would have to be at least 15 years old. I bought a new Apple M1 silicon powered laptop, and within a couple of months, RME had updated the driver and my FireWire interface where is back up and running. Perfect.
Thanks for this , wanted an RME Pcie about 15 years ago , couldn't afford one , began making music again after 8 years , rebuilding a DAW & realise the Pcie isn't relevant anymore but RME definitely is! Fireface UCX II , UFX III (too expensive & overkill for me) , ADi-2 Pro Black SE (love the idea of it but a DAC isn't needed yet) , Digiface AES (still dont get that) , MADiFX seems very useful (but twice the price of the UCXII) . . . SO FireFace UCX II it is
This is probably one of the best reviews of this product. My Focusrite Clarett died, so I’m looking for something that’s reasonable future proofed with excellent build quality. Thanks for sharing. 👍
Great review - I used to own the first UCX and it was just unbelievably reliable and the sonic quality left my Apogee interface in the dust. I sold it to afford a trip overseas and have missed it since. Now that they’ve upgraded it with the FS clock I hope the time comes soon where I can afford to bring it back into the fold.
Thank you for this honest review. I have been using my RME FF800 for well over 13 years. As you stated. It just works. Never let me down on even the biggest sessions and I'm considering adding their reference grade ADI converter to my rig. Mission critical work such as live radio I have no problem recommending it. Thank you. The DuRec facility seems very interesting too especially for live sessions.
Nicely done, so much useful information for new customers why RME interfaces are worth the money, it's not only the number of channels, it's the overall feature set which is unbeaten in the market together with driver performance and very long lasting driver support, excellent documentation with detailed technical information.
Excellent review, which puts RME marketing department to shame! I am undecided between this and Presonus 2626. The presonus is less than half the price yet has tb3. I like the half rack size of this one. I can't understand why there are no manufactures who can't produce a "double decker" half rack, with four mic pres in the front and both USB and tb3. Most home studio users don't need the other fancy connectivity either. Standalone with screen for Fx would be great too!
I upgraded my UCX to the UCX II after four years, and I can say that the new model is significantly more bass, I do not understand how good it is yet. There is one deterioration: midi inputs / outputs are now not 2 but 1
I’d be interested in how you find it compared to the old one when you have had a proper chance to compare it. I don’t miss the midi ins/outs in my use case as my midi gear is mostly usb and I have other midi interfaces. Does the UCX have the DSP FX?
Good move. No colour mean you can add what ever colour you wish with plugins. I've had the Fireface UCX since 2013. There is no looking back. If I had to replace it, I'll be going back to RME.
Hi at the time I looked at the ID44 which was a lot cheaper and also the UA Apollo and both were great in many ways (in fact better in some ways than the RME) but I was looking for more of a rack mount rather than a desktop form factor, as I had limited desktop space in my old studio (none spare in fact) Also I had had such a bad time with drivers with 2 different manufacturers that I decided to go straight to the brand I knew had the top reputation for driver support. (This is not to say that Audient and UA don’t offer good support too, it’s just this is a well publicised USP of RME).
@@MarlonKingShow that’s true. Haven’t regretted my decision though. It has worked flawlessly ever since and once I got my head round it, Total Mix has been fantastic because of its routing possibilities. Obviously less overall channels than the ID44 but for my use case I haven’t missed the extra ADAT or the extra headphone out (I just use a headphone amp for when I’m working with others).
I'm about halfway through, but thank you for the excellent review. I had to stop when I saw you playing guitar because your PRS is very similar to my dad's (same control layout, pretty much the same finish, etc.) and I haven't seen another quite like it. A Custom 24 from the early to mid-2000s? I play a bit of guitar too, but more of a bass and keyboards guy in general. Looking to upgrade from my Scarlet 4i4 and this is the favourite for me right now. I was looking at the Universal Audio interfaces, but they seem a bit rich for my blood given the number of inputs you get and the lack of MIDI is an issue for me. The other option that I'm considering is the new Avid MBox Studio. A year later are you still very pleased with your UCX II?
Sorry missed your message. I am still very happy with it. I am eventually got an M1 Mac and use it with Logic and Cubase and it continues to work flawlessly!
I am looking at the M1 Pro at the moment and wondering about this too. Few considerations for me, such as: - cost- the UCX ii wasn’t cheap and the new MacBook M1 Pro with 32Gb ram 1TB HD Apple Care etc is eye-wateringly expensive - plugins - will the M1 eventually be compatible with my plugins (it isn’t now) - DAW should I bundle Logic as well as Cubase, which I have used forever again to ensure maximum compatibility on day one.
Great review! I have a small home studio, i was wondering if i take this interface, do i need to get another converter (apogee etc...)? i believe the Rme converters of the interdace are already really good right?
Hi yes this offers amongst the highest quality AD DA conversion of 20 channels input and output so you would not need separate converters provided this is enough channels for you.
Great Review! Will their be any future tutorials regarding real life scenarios on using the unit & software when recording vocals, line instruments or working with external preamps for recording drums?
Thanks Mark, I am not sure, maybe. I do have an external preamp but I’m not really recording drums at the moment. I am working with the other stuff though. That being said I am thinking about these kind of scenarios in my own recordings at the moment so I may do some more content when I have had a chance to experiment.
I’m not familiar with the Motu so wouldn’t wish to try to convince you this is a better choice. I would encourage you to go for the feature set that works for your use case. The UCX I is pretty good but it’s not the right choice for everyone.
hello I have a rmx ucx2 on windows 11 I have a problem if I try to vary the buffer size the sound in my daw studio one 5 deteriorates if I try to fiddle with the windows audio settings it is resolved but if I turn off the pc and turn it back on the problem returns .. .. can you help me thanks.
This is an issue I had when using various interfaces on a windows machine. I assume you are having to lower the sample rate and increase the buffer size? If so, then this will work but it won’t give you the low latency the unit is capable of. You can improve this by removing anti virus software and other background software but it irks me that this is necessary. Ultimately I moved to an M1 Mac, which was expensive but it allows me to get my buffer size to the lowest when tracking and no deterioration in quality.
5:04 Pure curiosity, was Antelope? I wanted to buy Antelope but I've read of many users having problems with the interface and then with the support team.
Hi, yes it was the Discrete5. It’s a great interface when it works but I couldn’t get the control software to work on my PC. I believe it works fine on Macs but I had to reinstall it every time so switched it on.
I'm considering the Fireface UCX II. Frankly it's the cheapest (still expensive) all in one rackable (optional) interface from RME. It kinda bugs me that I would have to dedicate 2 outputs for speaker use. Other cheaper (1/2 price) interfaces tend to have the same or more IO plus dedicated monitor outputs but of course they're not RME. Though limited out of the box in terms of IO, it really has a lot of features that are very appealing, plus RME's reputation for quality and support, which by all accounts I've read is delivered, is a major plus. BTW, how do you power the UCX II on/off? It's not immediately obvious in the manual, or I over looked it several times. I'm looking at the Presonus Quantum 2626. Currently less than half the price, nice IO/expansion set, fantastic latency/RTL, but no direct monitoring, no standalone, have to use with DAW, power switch in the back, no visual feedback from the unit itself other than the power light, Universal Control is not impressive, just meh. I don't actually need 8 mic pres, I only need one good one honestly. It's a very plain unit over all and who knows how long it will be supported? Not me. Also, it was $550.00 a few months back and now it's $699.00. Inflation I suppose. Ouch. I'm sure it's not alone. I'm also looking at the Antelope Audio Discrete 8 Synergy Core (another expensive unit) but reading the forums it seems a hit or miss. Praise about how good it sounds, IO and speed but complaints about support and I think online access is required to use the software? That's absurd imo. I have to look more into it. Choices.🙃
Hi I get that in some ways the RME looks limited but you can easily and cheaply expand it using ADAT. I previously had the Presonus 1818VSl which was the unit they stopped supporting direct monitoring on but I could’ve bought 3 of them for the price if the RME so as always it’s a trade off. I also owned an Antelope Discrete 4 for about a month and when it worked it was very good with its onboard DSP but in my experience it was more ‘miss’ than ‘hit’ ( I had a PC at the time and I couldn’t get the control software to start consistently. - I believe in a Mac it is better). The key point I make in the review about the RME is it just always works and the Total Mix is a game changing matrix mixer which I would be reluctant to do without now
Get review. Still Liking it? I ordered one today. Wanted the UFC but could not justify the cost at the moment. Looking forward to mixing/remixing some music. Cheers.
Sorry not looked at this for a while. Thanks for your comment and question. Yes still loving it. It is expensive but there’s lots to love about it. Just been using the loop back feature to create reference tracks for the album I’m mixing. Works great!
Sorry just catching up with replies. I agree, it’s been a game changer for me. Gives total flexibility for monitoring and recording sounds off the computer etc. as I said to another comment I’ve just been using loopback to create reference tracks for mixing. Very straightforward
hello I have a RME ucx2 I wanted to ask you I usually turn it on and then turn it off before turning off the computer, right? or do I directly remove the general power supply without turning off the card by holding down the key? I know maybe it's a stupid question but that power button scares me a bit I would have preferred something more analog.
Hi, sorry just found your message. As you will see from another of my videos I use a power conditioner for my studio these days so I tend to just turn off the main power supply into which the UCXII is plugged in. However, sometimes I just want to keep other devices on and turn off the UCXII eg when I’m charging my computer and I don’t want to leave the UCXII on as it runs so hot, so then I use the power button on the unit itself. I’ve never had any problems when leaving it like that but I don’t tend to leave it like that for days at a time just maybe a few hours.
thanks a lot for your outstanding video. Ive bought the "Ucx 2" two weeks ago for the same reasons you mentioned. Once I forgot about the price of this unit, im really satisfied. Im using it together with the RME ARC USB ands thats really a blast. My UCX is getting really hot have you experienced that? thanks again.
This has already been discussed in the forum regarding ADI-2 Pro. It is important that heat is dissipated to the outside. That's why I always leave some space above and below the devices in the rack. It's important that the heat can still be dissipated from the top and bottom of the case by a slight draft of air, and that it doesn't build up. You can also try to stick some felt under the rubber feet of the UCX II, so that it stands e.g. half a centimeter higher or stick other / higher rubber feet underneath. A little more airflow on the bottom of the device will certainly also bring a little something, just as with the ADI-2 Pro. BTW .. we are easily fooled about heat on devices because our hands and fingertips are very sensitive. When I wash my hands e.g. at 45°C, it's almost unpleasant. Nowadays, CPUs and GPUs reach operating temperatures up to or even slightly over 90°C in electronic components.
It seems that Babyface Pro FS is better conversion wise than UCX ii.... 2 addditional mic preamps instead of those midi in/out would make this unit way more attraktive to me! And why no AVB? And why power supply awaliable only for stand alone mode?
Sorry for some reason I missed your comment when you sent it. I am interested in why you think the conversion isn’t as good is it the chipset you are referring to? From what I’ve read it’s every bit as good on this machine and jitter is still being measure in fs? In any case I suppose it all comes down to how reliable the conversion is and how good sounding which is to do with the whole package. Several months in and this unit has never let me down so far and has allowed me to do some meaty projects when expanded using an ADAT mic pre. Talking of which I take your point about the additional mic pre’s but I guess when purchasing an interface it always comes down to the trade off between features,cost and what you need for your own use case. It seems to me that interfaces are a bit like cars these days. There are very few ‘bad’ cars these days. There are great interfaces being releases all the time so I’m sure there will be one that has the package of stuff you are looking for. Btw I don’t understand your comment about the power supply?
I have on my main PC a RME ADI-2 DAC which is amazing. My question is what is the best RME device for me to attach to my XLR microphone which I use to stream. I have seen the babyface and I have seen this. The microphone I am using is the Shure Sm7B and it seems cheaper interfaces seem to struggle with it (hence the look at RME again). Should I spend almost 3 times as much as normal USB interfaces and go for something like this ? Or just spend twice as much and go for the RME Babyface ? Does one have better mic preamps over the other ?
Hi I can’t speak with authority about the Babyface or the Babyface pro, nor do I have an Sm7b to try on the Fireface but on paper the Sm7b requires 60db of input gain and the Fireface has 75db, whereas the Babyface has 60db and the Babyface Pro 65db I believe. So in principle all should work. You probably know that you can get a Cloudlifter preamp for the SM7b to boost gain if necessary and even with that plus the Babyface you’d still be cheaper than the Fireface UCXII right now but hopefully you wouldn’t need to.
Im not sure if the circuitry bypasses the mic pre’s exactly (if that’s what you mean) but the two inputs with mic pre’s can be made to be line or instrument level in Total Mix and 48v phantom power can be switched off, plus as I say in the review they are pretty well transparent with no tonal colouration which all means you can plug a source into them using 1/4 inch jacks or XLRs and convert to digital practically perfectly. Also all the other Jack inputs can be line level inputs and used in the same way. Not sure if that answers your question?
My main old interface was an 8 year old 1818vsl. It has served me well but it’s showing it’s age and the virtual studio live software no longer works. It was a big jump price wise for me to the RME and as I said I’d tried another very good interface (the Antelope Duscrete4) but it didn’t work in my computer. What I didn’t say is that I also looked very closely at the Focusrite Clarett 8, the Audient ID44, the Arturia studio the new Presonus and Motu interfaces as well as UAD Apollo but in the end it was the reliability and balance of features of the RME that won in my considerations. The UCX ii was the most expensive of those I’d considered but in the end I figured that if I have it for another 8 years like my last one the cost over time will be negligible.
@@thefunkfactory wow that is very interesting because that is the same interface that I have. Exactly the software no longer works and my 2nd headphone jack that I barely used has given up the ghost. I was strongly considering the antelope even the Orion series but I heard multiple people talk about the driver and software issues especially for pc users. I had thought about that focusrite too but felt it would not be much of an upgrade from the presonus if any. The style of music I want to create is a rock jazz fusion ie Simon Phillips, Pat Metheny Group and the likes. I would love to go with UAD the Apollo rack series but being on pc makes it untenable. It seems like all of the manufacturers except rme have gone full bore Mac and nothing else although pc is over 75 percent of the market. Rme is expensive but as I have learned with gear is that you typically get what you pay for however that price tag does indeed make a man wince a bit. I will be running outboard gear to my interface so I need plenty of IOs and it appears that rme would be be the perfect marriage. Thank you for your insight and I have hit that subscription button.
Totally great Explanation!!.. beleive me .. the TotalMix is now lot clearer to me.. since I've got a PCIe RayDat Card few weeks ago, I am really happy, and yes.. expensive totally!..but also totally happy with the stability and no clicks nor pops SINCE day 1 ... NOW.. my Q here.. is did you find out if your laptop was causing the pops or clicks? .. thanks for this video !!
Thanks Roberto, I’m pretty sure it is the laptop. I have downloaded and run Latency Monitor and it is showing problems even with no interface connected. It is a Lenovo Thinkpad laptop with a separate graphics card and the problems seem to be related to that. seemed to start after a Windows update and latency monitor seems to suggest it’s the graphics card. I have the latest drivers installed but haven’t got to the bottom of it yet. It’s very frustrating. Btw it’s more of a digitisation of the guitar sound than pops or clicks. When I turn off Bias FX I get almost zero latency monitoring via the Daw and nice clean recording of dry guitar signal. Have you had similar issues?
@@thefunkfactory Hello Murray , well I used to have similar problems , and yes it was part the video card ( which btw is an nvidia ), It improved a lot when I went to the card settings and put it on performance ( faster mode ) rather than quality, so that reduced the problem a lot, BUT.. to be fair, my mobo and set up was aging , so I decided to get a brand new mother board and with that comes new cpu memory ..etc etc.. even the case had to change BUT...thats when RayDat comes into play, I had 36 ( yes 36 ) DSP processors , togheter they have 32 i/o adat channels , so I decided to reburbish my old computer to just keep those DSP and conned vida lightpipe (adat) to my new computer.. and boy the RME drivers really deliver., the clock is just perfect!!, so it is like having the dsp into my new computer no latency and the routing I was used to have . But I'm still learning TM . Very happy so far.
Thanks for the video! Excuse my ignorance, im kind of new at this, i wanted to know if, is it possible to conect extra preamps on the trs from the back ?
Hi yes you can use the TRS connectors for individual preamps or get a preamp with ADAT optical connection for up to 8 additional pre’s (which is what I do).
Hi sorry just found your email. I believe that the 1818VSl can’t be used as an ADAT expander but I may be wrong. If you use a Mac though I believe it might be possible to run both interfaces in parallel. Again it’s not something I have tried myself
Hi, sorry I’m not sure in what sense you mean quality might be lost? You can connect different sets of monitors to the different pairs of stereo outs and switch between them using Total Mix. The quality should be exactly the same between the outputs.
@@thefunkfactory I have an Audient Nero monitor controller that I run my monitors through. I’ve figured it out since asking this question. It should be fine.
Thanks for your question. Forgive me saying this but assuming your question is a serious one rather than a humorous jibe (one never knows!) and you are asking in what ways it makes life easier without the need of a high level of knowledge, I’d have to say that because of the sophistication and potential complexity of Total Mix this is probably not a device that you can take out the box, plug in and get the best out of straight away (even though it will work without any issues immediately). Total mix does take a bit of learning conceptually to optimise the unit’s potential. However once you have nailed a basic understanding, it will pay you back in ease of use afterwards. It does have a few features that make life easier (like auto gain on the inputs) but if anyone is looking for an experience like for example the new Audient EVO interface, this won’t offer such simple operation.
Can you tell me is there quality / latency / in - out ..... differences between UCX ii and UCX? I found UCX in very good condition for 900$ While UCX II costs 1500$ New i also found used UFX 1200$ I'm not interested in getting too many analog in-out ports
Sorry don’t know enough about the UCX to answer this. But what I would say is that the jitter is lower on the UCXii as it has what RME calls FS clocking. This being said there’s only good reviews of the UCX so if you can get that at a good price you probably won’t be disappointed (don’t think there’s FX in the UCX though). I’m getting 2ms latency when on my M1 Mac which is ridiculously low but that asks quite a lot of the computer
I had dropout issues on an interface that turned out to be a bad xlr cable... You couldn't hear it was bad, like crackling, or anything like that... but, changing the cable stopped the dropouts...
How are you liking the interface one month on? I'm considering this as a major step up from my motu m4, and what I'm looking for is a small form factor "forever interface" that will just work, and work well, with Windows. The UCX ii is very tempting for a variety of applications in my work, but it's overkill in some regards, and I'm not sure I will ever end up needing all the features it offers. That said, the build quality, pre-amps, and driver support are what tempt me the most. Think it's a good fit, or should I consider something else for the money? Also considering the Apogee Symphony desktop - but I'm not a huge fan of the touch based UI and there's something about RME's scientific approach that I dig. Do you know if the Arc remote works with the UCX ii? Seems like the only place I would plug in would be the Drec USB slot?
Hi, I’m not familiar with your Motu but your considerations are similar to mine. I continue to be happy with my UCX ii although I’ve been away on annual holiday for a week since I did the review so I have not used it as much as I would have liked. It depends a lot on your own usage as to whether or not it’s a good fit but the build quality, stability and the fact it works well with Windows make it a strong contender for a lot of situations so if the I/O works and it fits your budget I can recommend it. The ARC remote can be plugged into the device via the Durec input if you are using it without a computer or plugged into the computer itself. See page 10 of the manual (you can download the PDF from the RME website to see other features).
@@thefunkfactory Thanks for the response! I work mainly on smaller film scores with a mix of real and VST instruments, Nuendo is my DAW of choice and in my larger projects (600+ tracks) the Motu has been one of my bottle necks. That said the MOTU M4 is a $250 interface that can be awesome, but it's drivers, windows support, it's internal DSP chip, etc... All have their limitations. The UCX ii is definitly on the upper end of what I'm looking for, but honestly, when I'm deep in a project with looming deadlines and having driver issues, the money doesn't matter as much. As an investment that will last me the next 5-6 years, I"m thinking it's worth it, but I have no RME experience to start with, only the word of youtubers and message boards :)
@@MrMoviePhoneEx Hi Bryan. I totally get you. I’m not a pro musician any more so I have to fit my projects around the rest of my life. I was using a $500 Presonus interface before and it did all I needed it to do and I certainly wasn’t in the market for spending a whole lot more as it’s hard to justify the expense but given that I tend to have limited time to do a lot of music I need it to work every time and as I’ve experimented with other interfaces I have lost so much time with them. In these days where time tends to be the most expensive commodity I have rationalised the purchase of the UCX ii as being a time saver because it works reliably. It sounds better I think but does it sound like 3 x the quality of the Presonus? Probably not. My new problem is with my PC which is falling over when recording. It’s this time and frustration factor that is making me think seriously about switching to an M1 Mac (again not something I would ideally like to be spending my money on at this point but my pc can’t seem to cope with the plugins I’m using!).
they are all transparent to human ears anyway, including most if not all pro audio converter from the last 15 years. still to this day, no scientific test that prove other wise. my recommendation is to focus on something that really makes a difference like acoustics, measurement mic (about 50$ and can makes wonders) and if you love audio hardware maybe big studio monitors, sub woofers... but maybe now they will get better results on the "so wrong diffmaker loopback test" at gearspace :)
Dear RME Support Team, I hope this message finds you well. I would like to request the drivers for my RME UCX device. I have been having difficulty finding the most recent version on your website, as it is not loading on any device. I would greatly appreciate it if you could provide me with the necessary files, as your website is not functioning. Thank you in advance for your assistance, and I look forward to your response. Best regards,
Jeez... nearly 8 mins into the audio and it keeps sounding like a marketing video for RME! We get all that from the RME website mate. Was expecting more a real world "user review", sadly lacking imho.
RME stuff is so expensive for what they are offering. There are better interface offerings from other Manufacturers that offer better conversion and features.
better converter specification maybe, like 118/120db instead of 116 :) some brands focus their adverting about the biggest numbers to make it sold to whoever buy into this. rme converter are transparent, some think they don't and still "believe" there are differences between pro audio converter sounds, but they will fail on a blind a/b test. features? no no, unless you means dsp (that is no more than unbreakable key of plugins) rme is the most full featured audio devices. best latency, best options for routing, best support for many years and you will always get the same specs, no matter what you connected, what clock you slave to it... about the price, they are the cheapest audio interface you can get if you divide the price in the years of use. many (included me) used it for 20 years now with new drivers that never stopped to updated till this day and this 20 years old devices are still on a par with everything new. if you are a pro you usually know rme are the only ones you can really trust.
Please find me a unit in this price range with driver support that lasts 20+ years, rock-solid performance, clear sound, a matrix mixer like TotalMix, the most professional support imaginable, etc. You can't. RME are the best option for anyone who cares about longevity and reliability. The converters sound as good as Prism.
JJDPRO: you miss one point. RME interfaces are worth a lot on the second hand market because of the long lasting build quality and driver support. Count that into the price!
Update on video. I have since bought an M1 Pro MacBook Pro and it works perfectly on this and the issues I was having with dropouts on Bias FX2 have totally gone. Not only that but I can now record with a buffer if just 30 samples so the latency is effectively nil. Still living this unit!
Hi, had you thought about buying a thunderbolt 3 audio interface for getting better round trip latency when playing guitar VSTs instead of a USB2 interface? I love RME but i am really afraid of ending up with a bad latency! I am also a guitar player and RTL is reallu important to me. I have a macbook pro 2020 (intel) with Thunderbolt3 ports. Thanks!
@@seek4truth hi sorry only just spotted your question. I use both PC and have got a new M1 Pro MacBook. I wanted cross platform functionality. I am not an expert on latency but I did read up on it at length before I bought this and RME says that the advantage of Thunderbolt in is bandwidth (no. of simultaneous channels, not latency). In their implementation they claim they can get ridiculously low latency. All I can tell you from is that this has been my experience. I ran my M1 Mac with a buffer size of 30 samples and was getting 2ms latency in this interface. I had one or two issues with this (the computer not the interface as I was running plugins which are not M1 compatible- which in my experience is usually the issue) so I have throttled it back to 125 samples and I’m still getting almost no latency so I think RME are right. I also did buy a TB3 interface before and the control software fell over all the time whereas as I say in the review the RME does not. Hope that helps.
i don't understand why one would have krk rockit 5 whatever generation and still use such an expensive audiointerface.. it simply does not make any sense.. 08:16 for rest thank you
@@hallojullie7834 you make a good point. This is part of a general studio upgrade which I am doing over time as I can afford it and as the needs demand. As I said I was having problems with several interfaces of lower budget and frustrated that they wouldn’t work so I decided to future proof this with one that consistently works . I was also having problems with my PC so have had to tackle that next. I’m not having any problems with my speakers. In fact I know them and my room really well and have mixed a bunch of stuff satisfactorily over many years on them but I am aware if their limitations do plan to change them when budget allows. At the end of the day gear is less important than the person using it.
@@hallojullie7834 FYI I have now finished my studio upgrade and having finally managed to test them I have purchased Adam A5x monitors.
I can't remember when was the last time I've seen such a well presented, informative audio product review. Honestly, RME should hire you. In fact, any major player in the audio tech industry should be happy having someone like you on board. Fantastic work, thanks a lot for your effort.
Thanks so much Jekey you are too kind!
I agree Jekey. Excellent presentation and cadence in the review.
I'd agree, apart from the "I don't know what the DC coupled bit means" as it's very easily searchable. For anyone else reading who doesn't know, the DC outputs control not just old modular synths but new modular synths too, and semi modular synths too. There are even voltage controlled guitar pedals you could control with it. But this isn't only common to RME many audio interfaces offer this and have done for decades.
It's a great review though.
I am still using the UCX bought 11 years ago. Works perfectly fine till date.
Welcome to the family. I've been using RME since the Multiface on PCI (now using UFXII, UFX and Babyface). Their software and driver support are unprecedented in this space. Solid and reliable. As you're already discovering. Totalmix is the icing on the cake. Absolutely brilliant.
Cheers Matt!
Excellent point regarding driver support from RME. They are second to none. I have the fireface 400 which would have to be at least 15 years old. I bought a new Apple M1 silicon powered laptop, and within a couple of months, RME had updated the driver and my FireWire interface where is back up and running. Perfect.
Had my UCX II for a week upgraded from a Steinberg UR44….. all I can say is Wow!!! Loving it certainly a step up for me and are very happy with it.
Thanks for this , wanted an RME Pcie about 15 years ago , couldn't afford one , began making music again after 8 years , rebuilding a DAW & realise the Pcie isn't relevant anymore but RME definitely is!
Fireface UCX II , UFX III (too expensive & overkill for me) , ADi-2 Pro Black SE (love the idea of it but a DAC isn't needed yet) , Digiface AES (still dont get that) , MADiFX seems very useful (but twice the price of the UCXII) . . . SO FireFace UCX II it is
Great video. This interface, in the words of the younger generation, is fire.
Was already convinced to go RME, this video convinced me again. Thanks for the review!
This is probably one of the best reviews of this product. My Focusrite Clarett died, so I’m looking for something that’s reasonable future proofed with excellent build quality. Thanks for sharing. 👍
Thanks!
Great review - I used to own the first UCX and it was just unbelievably reliable and the sonic quality left my Apogee interface in the dust. I sold it to afford a trip overseas and have missed it since. Now that they’ve upgraded it with the FS clock I hope the time comes soon where I can afford to bring it back into the fold.
Looking forward to more in-depth honest/no biased reviews like this!! You won me over as a new subscriber 🙌🏾
Thanks Chadd
This was a truly excellent review and very helpful - thank you!
Thanks for posting. Based on the reviews I've seen online and then watching this video you sold it to me! Just purchased one!
You won’t be disappointed Danny
Thank you for this honest review. I have been using my RME FF800 for well over 13 years. As you stated. It just works. Never let me down on even the biggest sessions and I'm considering adding their reference grade ADI converter to my rig. Mission critical work such as live radio I have no problem recommending it. Thank you. The DuRec facility seems very interesting too especially for live sessions.
Nicely done, so much useful information for new customers why RME interfaces are worth the money, it's not only the number of channels, it's the overall feature set which is unbeaten in the market together with driver performance and very long lasting driver support, excellent documentation with detailed technical information.
Thanks!
Excellent review, which puts RME marketing department to shame! I am undecided between this and Presonus 2626. The presonus is less than half the price yet has tb3. I like the half rack size of this one. I can't understand why there are no manufactures who can't produce a "double decker" half rack, with four mic pres in the front and both USB and tb3. Most home studio users don't need the other fancy connectivity either. Standalone with screen for Fx would be great too!
I just ordered one but it’s on back order. Nice review, thanks for the details
Thanks. I had to wait for mine too. Hope you like it when you get it.
Thank you very much for this informative and helpful review! Wish you all the best!
Thanks, glad you found it helpful!
What a fantastic and complete review. Cheers for putting this together and sharing.
Glad you like. Thanks
I bought one and love it
Exceptionally well presented video.
Excellent video, thank you
be nice to be able to get one now
I upgraded my UCX to the UCX II after four years, and I can say that the new model is significantly more bass, I do not understand how good it is yet. There is one deterioration: midi inputs / outputs are now not 2 but 1
I’d be interested in how you find it compared to the old one when you have had a proper chance to compare it. I don’t miss the midi ins/outs in my use case as my midi gear is mostly usb and I have other midi interfaces. Does the UCX have the DSP FX?
Good move. No colour mean you can add what ever colour you wish with plugins. I've had the Fireface UCX since 2013. There is no looking back. If I had to replace it, I'll be going back to RME.
Thanks for the review, really helpful, any reason you went for this rather than audient id44?
Hi at the time I looked at the ID44 which was a lot cheaper and also the UA Apollo and both were great in many ways (in fact better in some ways than the RME) but I was looking for more of a rack mount rather than a desktop form factor, as I had limited desktop space in my old studio (none spare in fact) Also I had had such a bad time with drivers with 2 different manufacturers that I decided to go straight to the brand I knew had the top reputation for driver support. (This is not to say that Audient and UA don’t offer good support too, it’s just this is a well publicised USP of RME).
@MCM Music UK thank you for your response, good to know. Guess once you been hit by something, you focus more on that to resolved at the highest.
@@MarlonKingShow that’s true. Haven’t regretted my decision though. It has worked flawlessly ever since and once I got my head round it, Total Mix has been fantastic because of its routing possibilities. Obviously less overall channels than the ID44 but for my use case I haven’t missed the extra ADAT or the extra headphone out (I just use a headphone amp for when I’m working with others).
I'm about halfway through, but thank you for the excellent review. I had to stop when I saw you playing guitar because your PRS is very similar to my dad's (same control layout, pretty much the same finish, etc.) and I haven't seen another quite like it. A Custom 24 from the early to mid-2000s? I play a bit of guitar too, but more of a bass and keyboards guy in general.
Looking to upgrade from my Scarlet 4i4 and this is the favourite for me right now. I was looking at the Universal Audio interfaces, but they seem a bit rich for my blood given the number of inputs you get and the lack of MIDI is an issue for me. The other option that I'm considering is the new Avid MBox Studio. A year later are you still very pleased with your UCX II?
Sorry missed your message. I am still very happy with it. I am eventually got an M1 Mac and use it with Logic and Cubase and it continues to work flawlessly!
"Connectivity" is a big one.
Wondering if I should buy this first. And a m1 mac next year.
I am looking at the M1 Pro at the moment and wondering about this too. Few considerations for me, such as:
- cost- the UCX ii wasn’t cheap and the new MacBook M1 Pro with 32Gb ram 1TB HD Apple Care etc is eye-wateringly expensive
- plugins - will the M1 eventually be compatible with my plugins (it isn’t now) - DAW should I bundle Logic as well as Cubase, which I have used forever again to ensure maximum compatibility on day one.
Great review! I have a small home studio, i was wondering if i take this interface, do i need to get another converter (apogee etc...)? i believe the Rme converters of the interdace are already really good right?
Hi yes this offers amongst the highest quality AD DA conversion of 20 channels input and output so you would not need separate converters provided this is enough channels for you.
Great Review! Will their be any future tutorials regarding real life scenarios on using the unit & software when recording vocals, line instruments or working with external preamps for recording drums?
Thanks Mark, I am not sure, maybe. I do have an external preamp but I’m not really recording drums at the moment. I am working with the other stuff though. That being said I am thinking about these kind of scenarios in my own recordings at the moment so I may do some more content when I have had a chance to experiment.
I’ve had an interface and a mixer had support dropped by the company that made them.
RME for me, I need the long term support
👍👍🏻👍🏼👍🏽👍🏾👍🏿
I am thinking about buying the Motu Ultra Lite Mk5. Why do you think i should buy the this RME instead? If so.
I’m not familiar with the Motu so wouldn’t wish to try to convince you this is a better choice. I would encourage you to go for the feature set that works for your use case. The UCX I is pretty good but it’s not the right choice for everyone.
@@thefunkfactory i whant to record only synths
hello I have a rmx ucx2 on windows 11 I have a problem if I try to vary the buffer size the sound in my daw studio one 5 deteriorates if I try to fiddle with the windows audio settings it is resolved but if I turn off the pc and turn it back on the problem returns .. .. can you help me thanks.
This is an issue I had when using various interfaces on a windows machine. I assume you are having to lower the sample rate and increase the buffer size? If so, then this will work but it won’t give you the low latency the unit is capable of. You can improve this by removing anti virus software and other background software but it irks me that this is necessary. Ultimately I moved to an M1 Mac, which was expensive but it allows me to get my buffer size to the lowest when tracking and no deterioration in quality.
Great review. Thanks 😊
Cheers erand
5:04 Pure curiosity, was Antelope? I wanted to buy Antelope but I've read of many users having problems with the interface and then with the support team.
Hi, yes it was the Discrete5. It’s a great interface when it works but I couldn’t get the control software to work on my PC. I believe it works fine on Macs but I had to reinstall it every time so switched it on.
I'm considering the Fireface UCX II. Frankly it's the cheapest (still expensive) all in one rackable (optional) interface from RME. It kinda bugs me that I would have to dedicate 2 outputs for speaker use. Other cheaper (1/2 price) interfaces tend to have the same or more IO plus dedicated monitor outputs but of course they're not RME. Though limited out of the box in terms of IO, it really has a lot of features that are very appealing, plus RME's reputation for quality and support, which by all accounts I've read is delivered, is a major plus.
BTW, how do you power the UCX II on/off? It's not immediately obvious in the manual, or I over looked it several times.
I'm looking at the Presonus Quantum 2626. Currently less than half the price, nice IO/expansion set, fantastic latency/RTL, but no direct monitoring, no standalone, have to use with DAW, power switch in the back, no visual feedback from the unit itself other than the power light, Universal Control is not impressive, just meh. I don't actually need 8 mic pres, I only need one good one honestly. It's a very plain unit over all and who knows how long it will be supported? Not me. Also, it was $550.00 a few months back and now it's $699.00. Inflation I suppose. Ouch. I'm sure it's not alone.
I'm also looking at the Antelope Audio Discrete 8 Synergy Core (another expensive unit) but reading the forums it seems a hit or miss. Praise about how good it sounds, IO and speed but complaints about support and I think online access is required to use the software? That's absurd imo. I have to look more into it.
Choices.🙃
Hi I get that in some ways the RME looks limited but you can easily and cheaply expand it using ADAT.
I previously had the Presonus 1818VSl which was the unit they stopped supporting direct monitoring on but I could’ve bought 3 of them for the price if the RME so as always it’s a trade off.
I also owned an Antelope Discrete 4 for about a month and when it worked it was very good with its onboard DSP but in my experience it was more ‘miss’ than ‘hit’ ( I had a PC at the time and I couldn’t get the control software to start consistently. - I believe in a Mac it is better).
The key point I make in the review about the RME is it just always works and the Total Mix is a game changing matrix mixer which I would be reluctant to do without now
How to power it on and off you would need to hold the encoder knob for couple seconds in order to turn it on or off confusing but its pretty cool.
@@thefunkfactory So I ended up getting this unit after all. Thanks for the review. It really helped me decide. It just works, and it sounds fantastic.
It's this or the MOTU Ultralight to replace my 15 year old RME Fireface (that still works perfectly).
Get review. Still Liking it? I ordered one today. Wanted the UFC but could not justify the cost at the moment. Looking forward to mixing/remixing some music. Cheers.
Sorry not looked at this for a while. Thanks for your comment and question. Yes still loving it. It is expensive but there’s lots to love about it. Just been using the loop back feature to create reference tracks for the album I’m mixing. Works great!
Hi was just wondering how this device compares - in terms of audio quality - to the RME Babyface Pro. Thanks for the video.
Hi I’m not qualified to say as I haven’t tried the BF Pro. However they do compare well on jitter etc.
@@thefunkfactory Got it, thanks for the reply.
Thanks mate
I love RME hardware AND software. Can't understand why there manufactures haven't copied the routing setup.
Sorry just catching up with replies. I agree, it’s been a game changer for me. Gives total flexibility for monitoring and recording sounds off the computer etc. as I said to another comment I’ve just been using loopback to create reference tracks for mixing. Very straightforward
hello I have a RME ucx2 I wanted to ask you I usually turn it on and then turn it off before turning off the computer, right? or do I directly remove the general power supply without turning off the card by holding down the key? I know maybe it's a stupid question but that power button scares me a bit I would have preferred something more analog.
Hi, sorry just found your message. As you will see from another of my videos I use a power conditioner for my studio these days so I tend to just turn off the main power supply into which the UCXII is plugged in. However, sometimes I just want to keep other devices on and turn off the UCXII eg when I’m charging my computer and I don’t want to leave the UCXII on as it runs so hot, so then I use the power button on the unit itself. I’ve never had any problems when leaving it like that but I don’t tend to leave it like that for days at a time just maybe a few hours.
thanks a lot for your outstanding video. Ive bought the "Ucx 2" two weeks ago for the same reasons you mentioned. Once I forgot about the price of this unit, im really satisfied. Im using it together with the RME ARC USB ands thats really a blast. My UCX is getting really hot have you experienced that? thanks again.
Hi thanks, yes mine gets hot too. This is something I’ve heard about other RME units but it doesn’t seem to affect performance from what I can tell.
This has already been discussed in the forum regarding ADI-2 Pro. It is important that heat is dissipated to the outside. That's why I always leave some space above and below the devices in the rack. It's important that the heat can still be dissipated from the top and bottom of the case by a slight draft of air, and that it doesn't build up.
You can also try to stick some felt under the rubber feet of the UCX II, so that it stands e.g. half a centimeter higher or stick other / higher rubber feet underneath. A little more airflow on the bottom of the device will certainly also bring a little something, just as with the ADI-2 Pro.
BTW .. we are easily fooled about heat on devices because our hands and fingertips are very sensitive. When I wash my hands e.g. at 45°C, it's almost unpleasant. Nowadays, CPUs and GPUs reach operating temperatures up to or even slightly over 90°C in electronic components.
@@thefunkfactory Thank you very much for your answer
@@bits-bytes Thank you for your answer i will follow your advice
What is the dynamic range of the mic inputs??? Can not find it in the manual.
I believe that the mic preamps (up to +75dB of gain)
115 dBA AD/DA dynamic range
@@thefunkfactory 👍👍🏻👍🏼👍🏽👍🏾👍🏿
It seems that Babyface Pro FS is better conversion wise than UCX ii....
2 addditional mic preamps instead of those midi in/out would make this unit way more attraktive to me!
And why no AVB?
And why power supply awaliable only for stand alone mode?
Sorry for some reason I missed your comment when you sent it. I am interested in why you think the conversion isn’t as good is it the chipset you are referring to? From what I’ve read it’s every bit as good on this machine and jitter is still being measure in fs? In any case I suppose it all comes down to how reliable the conversion is and how good sounding which is to do with the whole package. Several months in and this unit has never let me down so far and has allowed me to do some meaty projects when expanded using an ADAT mic pre. Talking of which I take your point about the additional mic pre’s but I guess when purchasing an interface it always comes down to the trade off between features,cost and what you need for your own use case. It seems to me that interfaces are a bit like cars these days. There are very few ‘bad’ cars these days. There are great interfaces being releases all the time so I’m sure there will be one that has the package of stuff you are looking for. Btw I don’t understand your comment about the power supply?
I have on my main PC a RME ADI-2 DAC which is amazing. My question is what is the best RME device for me to attach to my XLR microphone which I use to stream. I have seen the babyface and I have seen this. The microphone I am using is the Shure Sm7B and it seems cheaper interfaces seem to struggle with it (hence the look at RME again). Should I spend almost 3 times as much as normal USB interfaces and go for something like this ? Or just spend twice as much and go for the RME Babyface ? Does one have better mic preamps over the other ?
Hi I can’t speak with authority about the Babyface or the Babyface pro, nor do I have an Sm7b to try on the Fireface but on paper the Sm7b requires 60db of input gain and the Fireface has 75db, whereas the Babyface has 60db and the Babyface Pro 65db I believe. So in principle all should work. You probably know that you can get a Cloudlifter preamp for the SM7b to boost gain if necessary and even with that plus the Babyface you’d still be cheaper than the Fireface UCXII right now but hopefully you wouldn’t need to.
Can you bypass the pre amps? Just use the line in to converters only ?
Im not sure if the circuitry bypasses the mic pre’s exactly (if that’s what you mean) but the two inputs with mic pre’s can be made to be line or instrument level in Total Mix and 48v phantom power can be switched off, plus as I say in the review they are pretty well transparent with no tonal colouration which all means you can plug a source into them using 1/4 inch jacks or XLRs and convert to digital practically perfectly. Also all the other Jack inputs can be line level inputs and used in the same way. Not sure if that answers your question?
I have been eying this and now I want it more. I'm so ready to trash my garbage presonus.
My main old interface was an 8 year old 1818vsl. It has served me well but it’s showing it’s age and the virtual studio live software no longer works. It was a big jump price wise for me to the RME and as I said I’d tried another very good interface (the Antelope Duscrete4) but it didn’t work in my computer. What I didn’t say is that I also looked very closely at the Focusrite Clarett 8, the Audient ID44, the Arturia studio the new Presonus and Motu interfaces as well as UAD Apollo but in the end it was the reliability and balance of features of the RME that won in my considerations. The UCX ii was the most expensive of those I’d considered but in the end I figured that if I have it for another 8 years like my last one the cost over time will be negligible.
@@thefunkfactory wow that is very interesting because that is the same interface that I have. Exactly the software no longer works and my 2nd headphone jack that I barely used has given up the ghost. I was strongly considering the antelope even the Orion series but I heard multiple people talk about the driver and software issues especially for pc users. I had thought about that focusrite too but felt it would not be much of an upgrade from the presonus if any. The style of music I want to create is a rock jazz fusion ie Simon Phillips, Pat Metheny Group and the likes.
I would love to go with UAD the Apollo rack series but being on pc makes it untenable. It seems like all of the manufacturers except rme have gone full bore Mac and nothing else although pc is over 75 percent of the market. Rme is expensive but as I have learned with gear is that you typically get what you pay for however that price tag does indeed make a man wince a bit. I will be running outboard gear to my interface so I need plenty of IOs and it appears that rme would be be the perfect marriage. Thank you for your insight and I have hit that subscription button.
Totally great Explanation!!.. beleive me .. the TotalMix is now lot clearer to me.. since I've got a PCIe RayDat Card few weeks ago, I am really happy, and yes.. expensive totally!..but also totally happy with the stability and no clicks nor pops SINCE day 1 ... NOW.. my Q here.. is did you find out if your laptop was causing the pops or clicks? .. thanks for this video !!
Thanks Roberto, I’m pretty sure it is the laptop. I have downloaded and run Latency Monitor and it is showing problems even with no interface connected. It is a Lenovo Thinkpad laptop with a separate graphics card and the problems seem to be related to that. seemed to start after a Windows update and latency monitor seems to suggest it’s the graphics card. I have the latest drivers installed but haven’t got to the bottom of it yet. It’s very frustrating. Btw it’s more of a digitisation of the guitar sound than pops or clicks. When I turn off Bias FX I get almost zero latency monitoring via the Daw and nice clean recording of dry guitar signal. Have you had similar issues?
@@thefunkfactory Hello Murray , well I used to have similar problems , and yes it was part the video card ( which btw is an nvidia ), It improved a lot when I went to the card settings and put it on performance ( faster mode ) rather than quality, so that reduced the problem a lot, BUT.. to be fair, my mobo and set up was aging , so I decided to get a brand new mother board and with that comes new cpu memory ..etc etc.. even the case had to change BUT...thats when RayDat comes into play, I had 36 ( yes 36 ) DSP processors , togheter they have 32 i/o adat channels , so I decided to reburbish my old computer to just keep those DSP and conned vida lightpipe (adat) to my new computer.. and boy the RME drivers really deliver., the clock is just perfect!!, so it is like having the dsp into my new computer no latency and the routing I was used to have . But I'm still learning TM . Very happy so far.
Sounds great Roberto. That’s some setup! I will check out the graphics card on mine. It’s Nvidia too. Thanks!
@@thefunkfactory Let me know if that helps pls ... :)
Will do, thanks again
Thanks for the video! Excuse my ignorance, im kind of new at this, i wanted to know if, is it possible to conect extra preamps on the trs from the back ?
Hi yes you can use the TRS connectors for individual preamps or get a preamp with ADAT optical connection for up to 8 additional pre’s (which is what I do).
@@thefunkfactory thanks!!
Hi, I got a question, do I need Arc USB if I buy UCX II? I want to control main output volume & headphone volume separately, does UCX II can do it?
Sorry just found your message. I don’t have one. If you press the main button it switches from main volume and headphone volume
I also have an 1818VSL. Are you able to use it as an ADAT expander... or is the VSL now useless for you too?
Hi sorry just found your email. I believe that the 1818VSl can’t be used as an ADAT expander but I may be wrong. If you use a Mac though I believe it might be possible to run both interfaces in parallel. Again it’s not something I have tried myself
Where do plug in my speakers?
Hi I use outputs 1 and 2 which by default is what they are assigned to in Total Mix but if you want you can change this to outputs 3 and 4 or 5 and 6
Hi, does it work well with windows software or is apple best ?
Hi initially I had a Windows laptop but last year I moved to Mac. It works perfectly well with both.
Can these be used with a monitor controller without losing quality?
Hi, sorry I’m not sure in what sense you mean quality might be lost? You can connect different sets of monitors to the different pairs of stereo outs and switch between them using Total Mix. The quality should be exactly the same between the outputs.
@@thefunkfactory I have an Audient Nero monitor controller that I run my monitors through. I’ve figured it out since asking this question. It should be fine.
@@cbrooks0905 sorry I realise now what you mean. That should be fine as you say
What area does this device de-Skill?
Thanks for your question. Forgive me saying this but assuming your question is a serious one rather than a humorous jibe (one never knows!) and you are asking in what ways it makes life easier without the need of a high level of knowledge, I’d have to say that because of the sophistication and potential complexity of Total Mix this is probably not a device that you can take out the box, plug in and get the best out of straight away (even though it will work without any issues immediately). Total mix does take a bit of learning conceptually to optimise the unit’s potential. However once you have nailed a basic understanding, it will pay you back in ease of use afterwards. It does have a few features that make life easier (like auto gain on the inputs) but if anyone is looking for an experience like for example the new Audient EVO interface, this won’t offer such simple operation.
Can you tell me is there quality / latency / in - out ..... differences between UCX ii and UCX?
I found UCX in very good condition for 900$
While UCX II costs 1500$ New
i also found used UFX 1200$
I'm not interested in getting too many analog in-out ports
Sorry don’t know enough about the UCX to answer this. But what I would say is that the jitter is lower on the UCXii as it has what RME calls FS clocking. This being said there’s only good reviews of the UCX so if you can get that at a good price you probably won’t be disappointed (don’t think there’s FX in the UCX though). I’m getting 2ms latency when on my M1 Mac which is ridiculously low but that asks quite a lot of the computer
@@thefunkfactory Thank you so much MCM ❤🙏
I had dropout issues on an interface that turned out to be a bad xlr cable... You couldn't hear it was bad, like crackling, or anything like that... but, changing the cable stopped the dropouts...
How are you liking the interface one month on? I'm considering this as a major step up from my motu m4, and what I'm looking for is a small form factor "forever interface" that will just work, and work well, with Windows. The UCX ii is very tempting for a variety of applications in my work, but it's overkill in some regards, and I'm not sure I will ever end up needing all the features it offers. That said, the build quality, pre-amps, and driver support are what tempt me the most. Think it's a good fit, or should I consider something else for the money? Also considering the Apogee Symphony desktop - but I'm not a huge fan of the touch based UI and there's something about RME's scientific approach that I dig. Do you know if the Arc remote works with the UCX ii? Seems like the only place I would plug in would be the Drec USB slot?
Hi, I’m not familiar with your Motu but your considerations are similar to mine. I continue to be happy with my UCX ii although I’ve been away on annual holiday for a week since I did the review so I have not used it as much as I would have liked. It depends a lot on your own usage as to whether or not it’s a good fit but the build quality, stability and the fact it works well with Windows make it a strong contender for a lot of situations so if the I/O works and it fits your budget I can recommend it. The ARC remote can be plugged into the device via the Durec input if you are using it without a computer or plugged into the computer itself. See page 10 of the manual (you can download the PDF from the RME website to see other features).
@@thefunkfactory Thanks for the response! I work mainly on smaller film scores with a mix of real and VST instruments, Nuendo is my DAW of choice and in my larger projects (600+ tracks) the Motu has been one of my bottle necks. That said the MOTU M4 is a $250 interface that can be awesome, but it's drivers, windows support, it's internal DSP chip, etc... All have their limitations. The UCX ii is definitly on the upper end of what I'm looking for, but honestly, when I'm deep in a project with looming deadlines and having driver issues, the money doesn't matter as much. As an investment that will last me the next 5-6 years, I"m thinking it's worth it, but I have no RME experience to start with, only the word of youtubers and message boards :)
@@MrMoviePhoneEx Hi Bryan. I totally get you. I’m not a pro musician any more so I have to fit my projects around the rest of my life. I was using a $500 Presonus interface before and it did all I needed it to do and I certainly wasn’t in the market for spending a whole lot more as it’s hard to justify the expense but given that I tend to have limited time to do a lot of music I need it to work every time and as I’ve experimented with other interfaces I have lost so much time with them. In these days where time tends to be the most expensive commodity I have rationalised the purchase of the UCX ii as being a time saver because it works reliably. It sounds better I think but does it sound like 3 x the quality of the Presonus? Probably not. My new problem is with my PC which is falling over when recording.
It’s this time and frustration factor that is making me think seriously about switching to an M1 Mac (again not something I would ideally like to be spending my money on at this point but my pc can’t seem to cope with the plugins I’m using!).
they used cheap 8 channel DAC/ADC combo chip this time, I wonder how much is it worse than UFX II or UFX+?
they are all transparent to human ears anyway, including most if not all pro audio converter from the last 15 years. still to this day, no scientific test that prove other wise.
my recommendation is to focus on something that really makes a difference like acoustics, measurement mic (about 50$ and can makes wonders) and if you love audio hardware maybe big studio monitors, sub woofers...
but maybe now they will get better results on the "so wrong diffmaker loopback test" at gearspace :)
Does it use usb or usb 2.0 or 3.0
Usb 2.0
Dear RME Support Team,
I hope this message finds you well. I would like to request the drivers for my RME UCX device. I have been having difficulty finding the most recent version on your website, as it is not loading on any device.
I would greatly appreciate it if you could provide me with the necessary files, as your website is not functioning.
Thank you in advance for your assistance, and I look forward to your response.
Best regards,
RME do not fuck around!
Jeez... nearly 8 mins into the audio and it keeps sounding like a marketing video for RME! We get all that from the RME website mate. Was expecting more a real world "user review", sadly lacking imho.
RME stuff is so expensive for what they are offering. There are better interface offerings from other Manufacturers that offer better conversion and features.
Please list, I'm in the market & would appreciate it.
better converter specification maybe, like 118/120db instead of 116 :)
some brands focus their adverting about the biggest numbers to make it sold to whoever buy into this. rme converter are transparent, some think they don't and still "believe" there are differences between pro audio converter sounds, but they will fail on a blind a/b test.
features? no no, unless you means dsp (that is no more than unbreakable key of plugins) rme is the most full featured audio devices.
best latency, best options for routing, best support for many years and you will always get the same specs, no matter what you connected, what clock you slave to it...
about the price, they are the cheapest audio interface you can get if you divide the price in the years of use. many (included me) used it for 20 years now with new drivers that never stopped to updated till this day and this 20 years old devices are still on a par with everything new. if you are a pro you usually know rme are the only ones you can really trust.
Please find me a unit in this price range with driver support that lasts 20+ years, rock-solid performance, clear sound, a matrix mixer like TotalMix, the most professional support imaginable, etc. You can't. RME are the best option for anyone who cares about longevity and reliability. The converters sound as good as Prism.
JJDPRO: you miss one point. RME interfaces are worth a lot on the second hand market because of the long lasting build quality and driver support. Count that into the price!
lets talk about prism sound then at price of UFX II they offer two in and out lol