I have a Clarett 8pre that works great, but I’m looking for more inputs. I currently use a ART optopre8 connected via ADAT for the additional channels, but don’t love that setup. The RME Fireface 802 has 12 inputs which would be perfect, but it’s quite an investment for what may be just a tiny upgrade. I don’t care about the preamps, as I have good external pres I use.

Any thoughts on the RME in comparison?

As someone who returned the Clarett for a 802 I can say it’s a big difference. But the difference is in the drivers and how they work. I also really like TotalMix FX. There’s nothing that can’t be done there. (But sometimes it can be hard to figure out how).

I don’t think you’ll notice revolutionary difference in audio quality but the 802 sound good and clean.

Since I got into 500 series I have really enjoyed all the extra inputs.

What is that you don’t love about the current setup? Maybe you just need a better ADAT expander? (I assume you’re mostly using line level sources.

Thanks for the feedback. I’m looking to change because I don’t like the quality of the ADAT preamps I’m using and I have plenty of good external preamps I’d prefer to use instead. I’d also like to simplify my setup instead of having to constantly change around preamp routing through my patch bay. 12 direct inputs would give me quality preamps set up in every channel without having to re-route. I’m also looking at the Motu 16A, but have heard great things about the RME interfaces.

I upgraded from Focusrite Scarlett Gen1 to UFX2 a few months ago and I'm very happy. However, I have heard rumors that there will be a ufx 3 release soon. So if you can wait, you might have an advantage...

You can’t bypass the pres on a clarette. Not the right ADC if you want the sound of your pres. ….. not that it can’t sound good. You can avoid a variable gain stage using line level but 1: I don’t think that’s for all 8 lines and 2: it’s still a gain stage.

Yeah, you can’t bypass the preamps on the Clarett, but at lowest level they don’t add any color or other noticeable negative effect when using external preamps. That said, it’s another reason why I’m looking to switch. There are very few options for interfaces <$2500 that have 8+ line ins without preamps. And the few out there are tough to get (the Motu 16A is back ordered until May 2024 at this time and non-existent on the used market).

Besides conversion quality - which is great - RME to me means peace of mind: reliable, stable drivers, super low latency. Long support periods. 20+ years in some cases.

Totalmix is pretty good once you get the hang of it (very annoying at first really). You can setup macros (scenes) for any routing you desire in Totalmix which is helpful. Digicheck is nice to have.

The pre's on the RME interfaces are very decent btw. Clean, tons of headroom, I use them quite often on my Babyface even though I got a few outboard options.

UFX3 is just out but $$$.

RME all day.

Been using RME 802 + ARC since 2016 - very happy. Zero issues, sounds great, lots of analog and digital I/O (I use AES to connect my monitors) , TotalMixFX with ARC is the best thing. The ARC is so useful, can't imagine working without it.

I owned a couple of RME PCIe audio interface systems in the past. For example, I had a "RayDat" card that provides 32 line level ins and outs on 4 sets of ADAT connectors. The RayDat is actually still being made and costs $999. (But you'll need to budget extra for A/D connectors.)

This was a long time ago. So maybe things have improved since then. But I was never able to come close to using buffer sizes of 64 or 32 samples. I was on a Windows 7 PC at the time so I'm sure that had a lot to do with it. But I was never able to set my buffer size lower than 256 samples and usually had to set it to 512 samples. And I was using a PCIe card and not some shitty USB interface!

So don't be fooled by the hype surrounding RME interfaces, especially the USB 2.0 models. Multi-channel audio over USB 2.0 is a shit show in my experience. Good luck setting your audio buffer lower than 512 samples.

I currently have a MOTU 16A which is great (although I'm not too keen on the web browser-based mixer and configuration tool). I too have much higher quality mic pres than those offered in any audio interface that I know of. So the fact that the 16A has no mic pres but instead includes 16 balanced audio ins and outs on the back and another 16 ins and outs available via ADAT connectors is perfect for me. (I have a lot of hardware synths so I use all 32 inputs.)

My only concern with the 16A is that it's Thunderbolt 2 (which I am currently using with a Thunderbolt 2 Intel MacBook Pro). MOTU have had years and years to release Thunderbolt 3/4 versions of its audio interfaces but they are still selling the same stale Thunderbolt 2 interfaces.

I did read that the 16A still works on M1/M2 Macs via Apple's standard Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter. But as far as I know, the 16A won't work on any new PC with Thunderbolt 4 ports unless you configure some crazy Thunderbolt 3 hub.

I never had any issues tracking 10 analog in + a couple adat channels with my USB 2.0 Fireface 800 with low buffer settings. USB 2.0 isn't slower (or maybe negligible so) than USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt, the difference is bandwith. But USB 2.0 is still more than enough for what most of us need (up to 70 channels for RME).

That's pure nonsense, you can easily track multichannel recordings with RME interfaces @64 samples of latency.

I'm just reporting my experiences with two different RME PCIe audio interfaces on two different PCs. The latency was borderline unusable on both computers. To the OP, make of that what you will.

Anyway, I finally bought a 27" i7 iMac and a MOTU Firewire interface and it was smooth sailing from that point on. I now have a MOTU 16A Thunderbolt interface and it's superior to any of the current RME audio interfaces in literally every way for about half the price. Oh, and RME's TotalMix is total shit. The UI is so bad and confusing that it's torture to use.

Incorrect info about the Clarett - at least some models and some inputs. For example, I’m pretty sure that input 1 and 2 bypass the pre amp but not 3 and 4 on my 4pre.

The drivers are quite good now. Still not as low latency as RME, but they’ve been incredibly solid for at least two years.

Their website confirms what I said:
“Do the line inputs on my interface bypass the Mic Preamps?
4 months ago Updated
Applies to: All Products

When connecting to the combo XLR/jack inputs using a 1/4 inch jack cable on a Focusrite interface the signal cannot 'bypass the mic preamp'. The signal goes through the variable gain section of the preamp circuit, allowing you to set the input level of line-level audio sources. Due to the transparent nature of our preamps, however, this does not colour the signal.”
https://support.focusrite.com/hc/en-...e-Mic-Preamps-

That said, I agree with their assertion that at lowest level the preamps don’t color the input and can be successfully used with external preamps. I’ve been doing that for years with good results. I really like the Clarett a ton and wouldn’t consider switching other than the lack of inputs (other than via ADAT).

Ah right it's the jacks in the back that don't go through (according to Focusrite - unless the support person was wrong). Guess I was operating under old information.

Given that I know very little about this and perhaps I misunderstood what you wrote, but how are you using the Fireface 800 on USB 2.0? Aren't FireWire and USB ports operating on different protocols?

I'm asking because I just bought a Fireface 800 and was planning to use it as a pre via adat and keep using my Clarett 2pre usb as the interface

The Clarett 4-pre has inputs in the back labelled "line" that are not combo line/mic. It is the only one of the Clarett line that has them. This may be part of the confusion.

I’m sorry, that’s my bad. The FF800 is firewire only. I mixed it up with a UCX I had for a while.