RME's Fireface UFX is more then just an interface it is a standalone recorder (up to 60 channels)!

RME: Fireface UFX



Here you can hear the UFX performing:

http://soundcloud.com/acoustic-music...-duo-christina

Mine is on the way. Wonder how stable is the standalone mode? Gaston did you setup a backup unit just in case?

I also ordered an Octamic, planning to run the main mics through Octamic and ADAT output to UFX. And record analog outputs to a Tascam DR680 as backup.

I have not used mine yet on standalone mode however might do this this Saturday as I will be recording Guitar and Flute.

P.S.: I use the UFX preamps for my main microphones, those pre-amps are excellent.

Use my Nagra VI as back up

Wow, that's luxury!
I'll use the 4 mic pre for sure. Just add another 8 with Octamic. Since Octamic D/II is a pure mic pre/converter, I guess it will never crash. Seems more reasonable to backup the main mic with the Octamic. UFX and Octamic can fit in a 2U rack bag, so they'll stay together.

the other day i recorded 4 channels in stand alone mode, with a western digital hard disc. I just hit record, and forgot the ufx and enjoyed the concert...then, came back, and there where 0 errors in the recording process...just wonderful.

With a laptop and DigiCheck it's also a backup recorder with no audio device drivers in the signal path! (meaning it works reliably on about any computer)

With a laptop and TotalMix it's also a live mixer!

I added a DAV 8 for a total of 12 mic preamps. Adding a Lynx Aurora 8 or 16 connected via ADAT (or something like it) it'll record 20 or 28 channels in all.

The UFX is an ideal tool for portable recordists.

The UFX is an ideal tool for portable recordists.[/QUOTE]

As long as you have power (250Volts), still dig my Nagra VI ;-)

No Audio software to record? Only Laptop + DigiCheck? How?

UFX reports keep coming in with excellent recommendations.

I never recorded before on a laptop and I am getting my feet wet with a RME Babyface, TotalMix, focusrite Octopre II dynamic and SADiE V.6 native on my laptop.

RME converters sound great and conversion is very good as well.

Only difference to the above is that the laptop is the back-up to my Nagra VI, not the other way around!heh

Good point. I should have said location music recordists, as being truly portable is quite another thing.

My setup is very similar, UFX, davBG2, and focusrite oktopre mkii dynamic via ADAT. still 4 analogs free!, and another adat plus the AES!.
I would like to get this in the future:
Rupert Neve Designs – Portico 5024 – Quad Mic Amp

The UFX is simply amazing, for me, specially due to the USB recording feature. I just like a lot the fact of trusting the stability while enjoying the concerts or concentrating in the musical production/scores only when in recording session....not the computer stuff....

here a picture of the setup I am so happy with... ;-)

Well, technically DigiCheck acts as an ASIO host, but it has direct access to the UFX digital stream allowing it to perform many other functions efficiently, such as these (from the manual):

• Level Meter. High precision 24-bit resolution, 2/10/28 channels. Application examples: Peak level measurement, RMS level measurement, over-detection, phase correlation measurement, dynamic range and signal-to-noise ratios, RMS to peak difference (loudness), long term peak measurement, input check. Oversampling mode for levels higher than 0 dBFS. Supports visualization according to the K-System.
• Hardware Level Meter for Input, Playback and Output. Reference Level Meter freely configurable, causing near zero CPU load, because calculated from the Fireface hardware.
• Vector Audio Scope. World wide unique Goniometer showing the typical afterglow of a oscilloscope-tube. Includes Correlation meter and level meter.
• Surround Audio Scope. Professional Surround Level Meter with extended correlation analysis, ITU weighting and ITU summing meter.
• Spectral Analyser. World wide unique 10-, 20- or 30-band display in analog bandpass-filter technology. 192 kHz-capable!
• Bit Statistics & Noise. Shows the true resolution of audio signals as well as errors and DC offset. Includes Signal to Noise measurement in dB and dBA, plus DC measurement.
• Totalyser. Spectral Analyser, Level Meter and Vector Audio Scope in a single window.
• Channel Status Display. Detailed analysis and display of SPDIF and AES/EBU Channel Status data.
• Global Record. Long-term recording of all channels at lowest system load.
• Completely multi-client. Open as many measurement windows as you like, on any channels and inputs or outputs!

What's nice is you don't need any DAW software to record all channels on the PC disk at the same time you're recording to USB memory plugged into the front panel. I don't know how they do it, but they do have a premier reputation for flawless PC integration and drivers.

@Michael - Thanks for sharing this information. I had no idea Digicheck could be used to record! Do I understand you correctly that you regularly use Digicheck to record to your laptop instead of standard DAW software? How long have you been doing this? I'd like to hear more about your experience. I would love a simple, reliable recorder to use instead of Sonar for tracking live concerts.

By the way, I have used the USB recording option my last two concerts. Only 8 tracks at 24/44.1, but I recorded directly to a Mushkin flash drive with no errors for two hour concerts. I previously did dozens of test runs of > 1 hour, 10 tracks at 24/44.1 with no errors. Very nice!

Yes, I use DigiCheck to record and the channel level meters. It as been working flawlessly. NO DAW software required. The only trick is to learn the interface to save the files promptly after each capture and avoid accidentally abandoning or overwriting them. The learning curve is small but, obviously, very important.

That's great. I will check it out. Thanks.

Recent experience using a Micstacy via ADAT (44K1) to the FF400 and normal laptop/REAPER. Took the auxiliary ADAT out to the BabyFace and into HP Mini netbook and DigiCheck Global Record. Disc load less than 5%. Perfectly reliable recording. The poly .wav opens in Sound Forge 10 for checking, but really needs a BWF File Manger to split the file (or for WaveLab to step up to the mark and open poly .wav files directly into the Montage). RME appears to have indicated that it is looking at releasing its own poly .wav file management tool

Provided you are in Windows, you can also simulataneously run TotalMix and send a backup mix out the SPDIF on the BabyFace. It used to be that meters would not read correctly if DigiCheck and TotalMix were active simultaneously, but now as long as you select the DigiCheck metering input setup from ASIO rather than hardware, it is fine. (And you can have multiple instances of DigiCheck, with one doing Global Record, another the Vectorscope or the multichannel level meter, etc.)

So provided the UFX Direct to USB overcomes the last lingering issues of reliable recording to both USB drives and USB memory sticks, the little netbook is sufficient for control and monitoring and backup, and the USB Direct Recording is the principal output. Elegant and flexible (and of course RME quality ... )

It would be nice to have a convenient/elegant solution for mains independence for the UFX and we can enjoy battery-backed reliability - the FF400 and a QuadMic currently gives me this up to 6 mic channels.

Thanks Michael. Will try it when I receive my UFX. Wondering if I can use light weight notebook or even Ipad for this?

A lightweight notebook should be fine as long as the disk IO and processor are decent. Intel's Celeron and AMD's Sempron processors, for example, might be a problem. But if you have a Pentium, Turion or faster CPU I'd try it before buying a new computer. You might be surprised how efficient RME's DigiCheck and Totalmix are.

iPads only take class-compliant audio devices so the UFX isn't going to work there. If the UFX was class compliant it would suffer all the limitations of Windows, and while the Mac's CoreAudio drivers are better they are simply not as efficient as RME's own drivers which support more efficient data transfers from the device and don't burden the PC as much.

The most annoying problems with "little netbooks" is that the software dialog boxes do not all fit on the small screens, and generally are not moveable. The Orpheus control panel has this stupid big header at the top of the form, so that the OK/Save/Go buttons are off the bottom of the screen and not reachable.

Good point. Screen size matters when you're running meters or a whole mixer. But for basic DigiCheck recording a smaller screen can work but you need to manage it.

I knew it!! Several months and 2,064 posts later and finally a spelling error

Intriguing topic. Just to ask if interrupting the power corrupts the entire BWF or whatever has been previously recorded can still be recovered. Many thanks.

I hope I never need to know the answer to that one!

Not certain but I'd bet RME's online "community" forum has some posts about it.

Can the USB Device recording be set up via computer and then operated without a computer?

Thanks

Larry

ufx can be set via computer fw/usb or in stand alone. so, you don't need a computer to set it up.

30 channels:

4 mic pres
8 line level inputs
16 ADAT channels (@ 44.1kHz
2 AES/EBU Digital Inputs

Same deal with the outputs which can also be recorded. So technically a 30 input recorder but it can also do up to 16 stereo or 30 mono mixes which can also be recorded.

As long as you plug it into a storage device, right?

User manual, page 9, 48-49:
http://www.rme-audio.de/download/fface_ufx_e.pdf

Anyone dare to unplug the power while the unit is recording so we can find out if the wav file is recoverable? heh

That's what I do most of the times, I set up everything in the computer...then I take only the UFX. But in case you need, it can be modified also without the computer...just with the front knobs.

I had power outage last week when I was testing continous front USB recording, and the wav files were comepletely intact. It was just 2 channel recording, so it doesn't give you gurantee (nor RME will), but something you wanted to know.

The write process is buffered, appending write, so it should be all right, although power surge may corrupt file allocation table, and in such a case, file won't be readable.