Thoughts on RME products?

[Floppystrings]

I have been checking out different RME products lately.

Like the MADIface XT:

RME: MADIface XT

I know I would have to get expansions to record drums.

Those that use, or have used RME stuff, what do you think? Are the drivers bulletproof? Everything stable without issues?

Are there any other super high end digital interface solutions I should also be checking out?

 

[atoragon]

I have worked with a studio that had the fireface. It's the best interface i've ever worked with, great preamps and stability.

 

[Floppystrings]

That is the stuff I want to hear.

I am looking for something bulletproof when it comes to function. No buggy drivers, no silly issues.

 

[jsaudio]

My rme fireface 400 rules it just is a workhorse man. Actually might be looking to sell it and get the FF800

 

[Experimorph]

RME stuff is widely regarded as some of the most pristine sounding and bulletproof equipment around. My personal experience with the Fireface UFX would also back that up. You can definitely see it in the price as well, but should you have the spare you can simply not go wrong with RME.

 

[7stg]

There is this web archive capture of the an informative thread that has vanished.

The Ultimate Converter DA/AD Loopback Shootout Thread! - Gearslutz.com

RME is known for good drivers. LYNX Aurora scores highly and has full thunderbolt available for very low latency.

 

[tedtan]

RME's claim to fame is the rock solid stability of their drivers. Because of this, RME products make great interfaces.

Their pre's and converters are pretty good, too, for an interface, but they can be improved on in the pro audio world with stand alone components (converters: Burl Mothership, Prism Orpheus, IZ Radar, Lynx Hi-Lo, et. al., preamps: Neve, API, Great River, Chandler, Daking, John Hardy, et. al.), but that gets really expensive really quickly - expect to pay $1,000+ per channel of preamp or conversion with those companies.


EDIT: I should add that the MADIface is a great way to go because the MADI protocol is so robust that you'll probably never outgrow it. You can keep the MADIface as your interface even if you decide to expand your input/output count with external pre's and converters at some point down the line.

 

[Praeco]

Hey man,

I'm using an RME Hammerfall madi card in the studio, and most of my co-workers use RME firefaces. They are all supersolid, and I agree with what everyone's been saying in this thread. Superrobus, even when used in superhuge sessions with +1000 tracks and 60+ GB RAM loaded.

The only point of feedback I would have is to make sure you really need the madi card. Unless you need a very, very high amount of channels and you are willing to buy additional, very expensive gear to be flexible in usage, a fireface might be a better choice.

Other than that, I'd say, go with RME. Amazing quality.

 

[Given To Fly]

I have been checking out different RME products lately.

Like the MADIface XT:

RME: MADIface XT

I know I would have to get expansions to record drums.

Those that use, or have used RME stuff, what do you think? Are the drivers bulletproof? Everything stable without issues?

Are there any other super high end digital interface solutions I should also be checking out?

I have no problems with RME but the MADIface XT is rather unique in its features. Do you need to manage 196 inputs and 198 outputs of digital I/O? If so, then you are on the right track. But at $2700, I would recommend looking at the Universal Audio Apollo and Apogee Symphony in addition to the RME interfaces.

 

[Floppystrings]

I looked at Apogee stuff as well, but I am not totally sure I will be using a Mac as my main setup or not.

I have no idea how many I/O's I will need to manage, but a I will be having a full band setup, with drums, and I want multiple channels for pretty much everything (for different settings, presets etc), so it could easily be upwards of 40.

New computer will have 32GB of RAM either way (Mac or PC) and extra strong processor.

 

[morethan6]

Dude you literally cannot go wrong with high-end RME. It is amazing, and the Total Mix software is some of the best out there too.

 

[7stg]

I have no idea how many I/O's I will need to manage, but a I will be having a full band setup, with drums, and I want multiple channels for pretty much everything (for different settings, presets etc), so it could easily be upwards of 40

Lynx Aurora 16TB and Antelope Audio Orion 32 are worth a look, high quality and high channel count.

Drums do take more channels, but guitar and bass recording both the DI and mic'ed cab is only 2+ channels each depending on how many mics on each cab, but typically the dry guitar sound straight out of the guitar into a DI box is captured and a split signal is sent to amp for live monitoring. Once your happy with the playing, reamp the DI copy as many times as needed tweaking settings till your happy with the tone. 1 input for voice.

Vintageking sales most brands AD/DA Converters Audio Interfaces

The MOTU 828x apparently also has thunderbolt and USB3 but its very new so not much info is out there. Should be interesting to see what comes out at NAMM in January and AES in March.

 

[Given To Fly]

I looked at Apogee stuff as well, but I am not totally sure I will be using a Mac as my main setup or not.

I have no idea how many I/O's I will need to manage, but a I will be having a full band setup, with drums, and I want multiple channels for pretty much everything (for different settings, presets etc), so it could easily be upwards of 40.

New computer will have 32GB of RAM either way (Mac or PC) and extra strong processor.

32GB of RAM will be nice!

Are you thinking 40 tracks or 40 channels? 40 tracks can be recorded in your DAW using the audio from a single microphone; this is common. 40 channels implies 40 microphones simultaneously recording audio to a minimum of 40 tracks; this is not common. The interfaces that have been mentioned are all top tier interfaces but they are heavily geared towards recording digital audio which for our purposes is not a band; its more for sound design, special FX, etc.

If you are sure you want 40 channels, ignore the following...

...you probably want an interface with 4-8 analog inputs with the ability to expand use analog line inputs AND digital I/O such as SPDIF and ADAT. The RME UFX would do this as would something like the UA Apollo Duo/Quad/16 interfaces. If you were using a Mac with 32GB's of RAM and a UA Apollo Quad for example, I'm pretty sure you would have enough channels to record an entire band simultaneously and have virtually no latency...and we would all be jealous of your setup.

 

[tedtan]

I looked at Apogee stuff as well, but I am not totally sure I will be using a Mac as my main setup or not.

I have no idea how many I/O's I will need to manage, but a I will be having a full band setup, with drums, and I want multiple channels for pretty much everything (for different settings, presets etc), so it could easily be upwards of 40.

New computer will have 32GB of RAM either way (Mac or PC) and extra strong processor.

If you need 40 inputs simultaneously (e.g., recording a live band with 40 mics), you'll need more than the MADIface XT - it only provides 2 mic pres, so you'll need another 38 mic pres with analog-to-digital conversion that can run into the MADIface through MADI protocol. If you will be overdubbing (recording one instrument at a time like most modern recordings are done), you can get by with a lot less. In fact, most pro studios only have 16 inputs (or 24 in the case of many larger studios).

What do you plan on recording and how do you plan to record it? Once we know this we can provide advice more specific to your needs.

 

[Winspear]

RME is absolutely top notch. And yes the post above is good. Looking at I/O numbers is important to understand how the connections work and what the product is actually offering.

I myself use a Multiface II. PCIe is absolutely awesome and it's a fantastic interface. It has line ins and digital ins only so I am running external preamps in (via analogue to take advantage of it's great conversion). I could run 8 analogue pres in and then an 8pre digital interface like the Octopre by Focusrite for example.

 

[Floppystrings]

If you need 40 inputs simultaneously (e.g., recording a live band with 40 mics), you'll need more than the MADIface XT - it only provides 2 mic pres, so you'll need another 38 mic pres with analog-to-digital conversion that can run into the MADIface through MADI protocol. If you will be overdubbing (recording one instrument at a time like most modern recordings are done), you can get by with a lot less. In fact, most pro studios only have 16 inputs (or 24 in the case of many larger studios).

What do you plan on recording and how do you plan to record it? Once we know this we can provide advice more specific to your needs.

I will be using a a couple mics for vocals, acoustic guitar, 8 string, passive humbuckers, single coils, active humbuckers, a bass, sitar and drums. This is just for myself.

I use plug-ins mainly for my amps, so re-amping won't be a problem, at least with me.

The idea of so many I/Os is pretty nice, once everything is setup I won't have to worry about anything and just record when I feel like it. That is the idea of my setup anyway, being a solo artist that does all the instruments I need to be ready when I am inspired.

As a Producer I might be recording in some really unusual locations too, so I have to have everything ready not just for myself but other artists too. Maybe even live recordings with no overdubs at all. I have some pretty outlandish, challenging ideas as a producer.

 

[enghell]

I had a studio several years ago where we used an older version of RME Hammerfall 9652 (not RME AD/DA converters though) and that card was rock solid (while running 24channels in and out, and never a hick-up) and today I'm using an RME Babyface in my home studio, which is enough for me since I don't record more than 2 channels at once, and that one is also rock solid. RME's drivers are excellent and so are the pre-amps and the rest.

In my opinion, you can't go wrong with RME.

 

[Winspear]

I will be using a a couple mics for vocals, acoustic guitar, 8 string, passive humbuckers, single coils, active humbuckers, a bass, sitar and drums. This is just for myself.

I use plug-ins mainly for my amps, so re-amping won't be a problem, at least with me.

The idea of so many I/Os is pretty nice, once everything is setup I won't have to worry about anything and just record when I feel like it. That is the idea of my setup anyway, being a solo artist that does all the instruments I need to be ready when I am inspired.

As a Producer I might be recording in some really unusual locations too, so I have to have everything ready not just for myself but other artists too. Maybe even live recordings with no overdubs at all. I have some pretty outlandish, challenging ideas as a producer.

Cool. The two mic preamps on this are good for you then - but you'll be needing a DI box for your guitar I recommend an active DI by Radial.

 

[tedtan]

I will be using a a couple mics for vocals, acoustic guitar, 8 string, passive humbuckers, single coils, active humbuckers, a bass, sitar and drums. This is just for myself.

I use plug-ins mainly for my amps, so re-amping won't be a problem, at least with me.

The idea of so many I/Os is pretty nice, once everything is setup I won't have to worry about anything and just record when I feel like it. That is the idea of my setup anyway, being a solo artist that does all the instruments I need to be ready when I am inspired.

As a Producer I might be recording in some really unusual locations too, so I have to have everything ready not just for myself but other artists too. Maybe even live recordings with no overdubs at all. I have some pretty outlandish, challenging ideas as a producer.

Hmmm...

It sounds like you will be overdubbing for the most part, so the two mic pres should be fine. You'll just have to plug/unplug the mic cables as necessary.

But if you meant that you want to keep everything set up and ready to go (e.g., mic'ed up and plugged in, just hit record and you're off) then you will need more inputs. These can be external units that will connect to the MADIface or through MADI* or through an interface with more inputs. The key thing is to determine how many physical inputs you need at any one time and make sure you have at least that many.


* MADI is a communication protocol kind of like USB or Ethernet - it allows multiple units to connect together. But all those inputs and outputs listed as MADI ins/outs are digital only. They still require a physical mic preamp and an analog to digital converter capable of transmitting over MADI in order to use them in actual recording situations. I other words, they just allow you to use one device as your main interface while still connecting other devices to it to expand your in/out count. The same holds true for AES/EBU, ADAT and S/PDIF inputs and outputs - they just let you transfer the digital audio from one unit to another. So they key thing is to determine how many mics and line ins you'll need at any one point and make sure you get enough to cover that. It's probably a good idea to allow for expansion down the line, too, and this is where those digital in/outs come in handy.

 

[Floppystrings]

Hmmm...

It sounds like you will be overdubbing for the most part, so the two mic pres should be fine. You'll just have to plug/unplug the mic cables as necessary.

Yeah, I am planning on getting the MADI add-ons needed so I can have the drums setup at all times.

The idea of just two I/O's is out, a bass, active guitar, and passive guitar are going to have different mic-pre settings typically too.

I don't really want to be plugging and unplugging all of the time. I am a bit worried I would wear out the inputs that way, and like I said, I want a setup that is ready for all instruments.

Thanks for the help everyone, this is really calming my nerves. I knew RME had a good reputation, but it's hard to see the price and know for sure they make solid units.