RME Audio Fireface UFX+ User Manual Download Page 1

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User's Guide

Fireface UFX+

The most powerful Thunderbolt

and USB audio interface ever!

USB 3.0 / Thunderbolt

Digital I/O System

12 + 16 + 2 Channels Analog / ADAT / AES Interface

64 Channels MADI Interface

24 Bit / 192 kHz Digital Audio

188 x 94 Matrix Router

2 x MIDI I/O

Full Stand-Alone Operation

Class Compliant Operation

MIDI Remote Control

TotalMix FX

™

24 Bit / 192 kHz

SyncAlign

™

ZLM

™

SyncCheck

™

SteadyClock

™

Summary of Contents for Fireface UFX+

Page 1: ...rbolt TM Digital I O System 12 16 2 Channels Analog ADAT AES Interface 64 Channels MADI Interface 24 Bit 192 kHz Digital Audio 188 x 94 Matrix Router 2 x MIDI I O Full Stand Alone Operation Class Comp...

Page 2: ...ing the Drivers 14 6 3 Firmware Update 14 7 Configuring the Fireface 7 1 Settings Dialog Main Tab 15 7 2 Option WDM Devices 18 7 3 Tab Global Thunderbolt only 20 7 4 Pitch Thunderbolt only 21 8 Operat...

Page 3: ...Inputs and Outputs 19 Analog Inputs 19 1 Line Rear 42 19 2 Microphone Line Inst Front 42 20 Analog Outputs 20 1 Line 43 20 2 Headphones Line Out 43 21 Digital Connections 21 1 ADAT 44 21 2 AES 44 21 3...

Page 4: ...8 1 Mixer Page 74 25 8 2 MIDI Page 75 25 8 3 OSC Page 76 25 8 4 Aux Devices 77 25 9 Hotkeys and Usage 78 25 10 Menu Options 79 25 11 Menu Window 80 26 The Matrix 26 1 Overview 80 26 2 Elements of the...

Page 5: ...e Batch Processor 102 37 5 Technical Background 103 Technical Reference 38 Technical Specifications 38 1 Analog 106 38 2 MIDI 107 38 3 Digital 107 38 4 Digital Inputs 108 38 5 Digital Outputs 109 38 6...

Page 6: ...sture and water from entering the device Never leave a pot with liquid on top of the device Do not use this product near water i e swimming pool bathtub or wet basement Danger of condensation inside d...

Page 7: ...User s Guide Fireface UFX RME 7 User s Guide Fireface UFX General...

Page 8: ...x USB 2 0 port reduced number of audio channels no MADI record playback For USB Computer with at least Intel Core i3 CPU 4 Brief Description and Characteristics All settings can be changed in real ti...

Page 9: ...tely for each digital input Additionally RME s exclusive SyncCheck indicates if one of these inputs is locked but not synchronous to the others in which case the LED will flash See also chapter 8 7 14...

Page 10: ...ADAT optical port 8 channels Can also be used as optical SPDIF input and output if set up accordingly in the Settings dialog Remote Connector for the optional Advanced Remote Control USB ARC USB when...

Page 11: ...nt of the analog output level at the rear jacks is again available in TotalMix Output Channel Settings Level or the Channel Settings directly at the device The big Volume encoder controls the Main Out...

Page 12: ...12 User s Guide Fireface UFX RME...

Page 13: ...User s Guide Fireface UFX RME 13 User s Guide Fireface UFX Installation and Operation Windows...

Page 14: ...files will not be loaded after the hardware has been removed If desired these files can then be deleted manually Unfortunately Windows Plug Play methods do not cover the additional autorun entries of...

Page 15: ...anged during playback or record if it can be avoided as this can cause unwanted noises Also please note that even in Stop mode several programs keep the recording and playback devices open which means...

Page 16: ...nal is found Split uses both inputs with 32 channels each TMS activates the transmission of Channel Status data and Track Marker information on AES SPDIF and MADI inputs In case these information are...

Page 17: ...llowed to set the sample rate However an ASIO program can still set the sample rate by itself During record playback the selection is greyed out so no change is possible Clock Source The unit can be c...

Page 18: ...he Windows Sound control panel The checkbox All to the right allows for a quick check uncheck of all devices Activating all 47 stereo devices at once may cause temporary freezing or not responding eff...

Page 19: ...e as Speaker usually makes no sense and the speakers also don t get numbered or renamed in Windows so it is impossible to find out which one is which After leaving the dialog with OK the WDM devices a...

Page 20: ...ver Note At this time activating this option seems to be useful only with the latest Cubase Nuendo at higher load With other software this option can decrease performance The change becomes active aft...

Page 21: ...essages of the audio software Therefore the desired sample rate should be set at least coarsely before starting the software Coarse Coarse modification in steps of 50 Hz is done by clicking with the m...

Page 22: ...ng it to be the Default De vice for playback could cause problems when working with ASIO The screenshot shows a typical configuration dialog of a stereo wave editor Audio data is sent to an analog or...

Page 23: ...his to work select the WDM play back device Loudspeaker of the Fireface in Control Panel Sound Playback as Default Additionally the loudspeaker setup found under Configuration has to be changed from S...

Page 24: ...8 Fireface ADAT 1 7 8 Fireface ADAT 1 7 8 Fireface ADAT 2 1 2 Fireface ADAT 2 1 2 Fireface ADAT 2 1 2 Fireface ADAT 2 3 4 Fireface ADAT 2 3 4 Fireface ADAT 2 3 4 Fireface ADAT 2 5 6 Fireface ADAT 2 5...

Page 25: ...automated control of real time monitoring can be achieved by Steinberg s ASIO protocol with RME s ASIO drivers and all ASIO 2 0 compatible programs When ASIO Direct Monitoring has been switched on th...

Page 26: ...status SyncCheck indicates whether there is a valid signal Lock No Lock for each input Word Clock ADAT AES MADI or if there is a valid and synchronous signal Sync See chapter 39 1 Via Clock Source a...

Page 27: ...e of 176 4 and 192 kHz the ADAT optical input and output operates in S MUX4 mode so the number of available channels is limited to 2 The same is true for MADI the number of channels is reduced to 32 D...

Page 28: ...uts third row to mono mode This will most likely break ADM compatibility In case of a drift between audio and MIDI or in case of a fixed deviation MIDI notes placed close before or behind the correct...

Page 29: ...ted 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 Spectral Analyser World w...

Page 30: ...selected as recording device in the audio appli cation Check whether the sample frequency set in the audio application Recording properties or similar matches the input signal Check that cables devic...

Page 31: ...User s Guide Fireface UFX RME 31 User s Guide Fireface UFX Installation and Operation Mac OS X...

Page 32: ...pplications folder They will automatically start into the dock if a Fireface UFX is connected A reboot of the computer is not required Driver Updates do not require to remove the existing drivers Simp...

Page 33: ...ferent computer 14 Configuring the Fireface 14 1 Settings Dialog Configuring the Fireface is done via its own settings dialog Start the program Fireface USB Settings or RME Thunderbolt Settings The mi...

Page 34: ...lt Mirror the BNC word clock output can be used as coaxial MADI output carrying the same signal as the optical output Split uses both outputs with 32 channels each MADI Format Defines the format of th...

Page 35: ...ck source is displayed below MADI Input Status Indicates for each input MADI input whether there is a valid signal Lock No Lock or if there is a valid and synchronous signal Sync The third column show...

Page 36: ...ogy enables an easy to use check and display of the cur rent clock status SyncCheck indicates whether there is a valid signal Lock No Lock for each input Word Clock ADAT AES MADI or if there is a vali...

Page 37: ...But not any software will support all the hardware s sample rates The hardware s capabilities can easily be verified in the Audio MIDI Setup Select Audio devices under Properties of and choose the Fir...

Page 38: ...one Fireface OS X supports the usage of more than one audio device within an audio software This is done via the Core Audio function Aggregate Devices which allows to combine several devices into one...

Page 39: ...ausing near zero CPU load because calculated from the Fireface hardware Spectral Analyser World wide unique 10 20 or 30 band display in analog bandpass filter technology 192 kHz capable Vector Audio S...

Page 40: ...e Settings dialog Check whether the Fireface UFX has been selected as recording device in the audio appli cation Check whether the sample frequency set in the audio application Recording properties or...

Page 41: ...User s Guide Fireface UFX RME 41 User s Guide Fireface UFX Inputs and Outputs...

Page 42: ...ep The soft switching hi current Phantom power 48 Volt switchable per channel provides a professional handling of condensor mics Up to a level of 18 dBu the front XLR input can also be used as Line in...

Page 43: ...an output level of 24 dBu mak ing these outputs compatible to SMPTE 24 dBu 0 dBFS 4 dBu with 20 dB headroom Reference 0 dBFS Headroom 24 dBu 24 dBu 20 dB The electronic driver circuit of the XLR outp...

Page 44: ...rries the channels 9 to 16 When receiving a Double Speed signal this input carries the channels 5 to 8 at Quad Speed the channels 3 and 4 Can also be used as SPDIF optical input ADAT1 Out Interface fo...

Page 45: ...ted Format Professional or Consumer Category General Generation not indicated 2 Channel No Emphasis Aux Bits Audio use 24 Bit Origin RME 21 3 MADI I O The BNC input is shared with the Word Clock input...

Page 46: ...tings dialog has been switched to Word and a valid word clock signal is present The signal at the BNC input can be Single Double or Quad Speed the Fireface UFX automatically adapts to it As soon as a...

Page 47: ...ices limited to playback for example CD players as these have no SPDIF input thus can t use the self clocking technique as clock reference In a digital studio synchronisation is maintained by connecti...

Page 48: ...al on the chain But there are also negative examples when the 75 Ohms are built into the device and cannot be switched off In this case the network load is often 2 x 75 Ohms and the user is forced to...

Page 49: ...User s Guide Fireface UFX RME 49 User s Guide Fireface UFX Stand Alone Operation...

Page 50: ...ured These are Settings Low Cut Pa rametric EQ Compressor Expander and Auto Level The Mix to menu gives access to the whole submix functionality Encoder 1 selects the mix destination encoder 2 the sou...

Page 51: ...on by about 3 3 centimeter 1 3 inches 24 3 188 Channel Monitor Mixer TotalMix allows ANY configuration of all I Os of the Fireface For example set up the device as monitor mixer for 12 analog signals...

Page 52: ...52 User s Guide Fireface UFX RME...

Page 53: ...User s Guide Fireface UFX RME 53 User s Guide Fireface UFX TotalMix FX...

Page 54: ...is not only the pioneer of ADM but also offers the most complete implementation of the ADM functions Integration of external devices Use TotalMix to insert external effects devices be it in the playb...

Page 55: ...User s Guide Fireface UFX RME 55...

Page 56: ...ependent Via fader and routing menu any input channel can be routed and mixed to any hardware output bottom row Middle row Playback channels playback tracks of the audio software Via fader and routing...

Page 57: ...tection and the RMS reference can be set Fader Determines the gain level of the signal routed to the current routing destination lower label Please note that this fader is not the fader of the channel...

Page 58: ...cases it is necessary to synchronize the gain changes of these routings An example is the Post fader function where a change of the singer s volume shall be performed identical to the volume change of...

Page 59: ...ble settings are 4 dBu and LoGain AutoSet Activates an automatic gain reduction preventing overloads caused by too high gain settings See chapter 19 2 for details Width Defines the stereo width 1 00 e...

Page 60: ...no longer to the recording software Another difference to the input and playback channels is the Cue button instead of Solo A click on Cue sends the respective Hardware Output s audio to the Main Out...

Page 61: ...med The changes will be shown in both lists Recall and Save to Notes on the EQ Presets Copy between channels The EQ Preset menu of all channels is identical If an EQ setup is stored via Save to on one...

Page 62: ...r the control voltage of Compressor and Expander Adjustable from 100 ms to 999 ms The amplitude graphics give a precise overview of the level changes caused by the current settings of Compressor and E...

Page 63: ...call Sets the gain value defined in the Settings dialog Speaker B Switches playback from Main Out to Main Out B The faders of the channels Main and Speaker B can be ganged via Link Mono Mixes left and...

Page 64: ...f an EQ Preset can not be made undone Undo Redo also operates across Workspaces Therefore a completely differently set up mixer view can be loaded via Workspace and with a single click on Undo the pre...

Page 65: ...estinations Level Meters Post FX Switches all level meters before pre or after post the effects Level changes by these can be easily checked using this feature Additionally the input signal can be che...

Page 66: ...this they are also lost when loading a new workspace in case they have not been saved before in a different Workspace Note The Undo function will help in case of an accidental overwrite or deletion o...

Page 67: ...this is an easy way to remove it from the mixer completely A more complex setup would be to only show all channels of the drum section the horn section or the violins After finishing those settings t...

Page 68: ...se click on 1 A dialog comes up with precise information Once stored a left mouse click will scroll the channels to the stored position 2 Marker number 2 See 1 for details Arrow to the right A left mo...

Page 69: ...d School and Echoistic Grand Wide stands for a wide and open room and space Thicker can be used as short reverb to enrich the original signal Space has the most sizzle and longest reverb time Envelope...

Page 70: ...Settings for Room Types Room Scale Determines the size of the room thus changing density and length of the reverb effect Adjustable from 0 5 up to 3 0 Special Settings for Envelope and Gated Attack Le...

Page 71: ...ats Per Minute Feedback Feedback to produce further echoes Width Adjusts the stereo width of the echo signal from 100 stereo to 0 mono Volume Adjusts the level of the echo effects signal sent to the F...

Page 72: ...he Main Out When adjusting other submixes the FX send will not follow the fader movement Center Balance Pan when changing Mono Stereo When switching a stereo channel into two mono channels the pan pot...

Page 73: ...hics Store Setting for Windows only All Users Restart required See next chapter Special Options Lock User Interface Default off Can be activated to freeze the current mix state Faders buttons and knob...

Page 74: ...the Listenback signal microphone in recording room Default None Dim Amount of attenuation of the signals routed to the Main Out in dB Main Out Recall User defined listening volume activated by the Rec...

Page 75: ...s will be shown as one block and navigate simultaneously Map Stereo to 2 Mono Channels One fader controls one mono channel Should be disabled when stereo channels are used Submix Selection in Input Pl...

Page 76: ...name Port incoming Must match the remote entry Port outgoing Typical values are 7001 or 8000 Port outgoing Must match the remote entry Port incoming Typical values are 9001 or 9000 Remote Control IP...

Page 77: ...ection to the OctaMic XTC MIDI Out Set the currently used MIDI connection to the OctaMic XTC Device ID Default 0 This setting relates to the current choice in Digital Channels When using more than one...

Page 78: ...Ctrl key lets all channels to the right change their state For example all panels can be opened closed simultaneously A double click of the mouse on a knob or its numerical field opens the according I...

Page 79: ...8 Channel Layout Hide channels visually and from remote See chapter 25 5 3 ARC Key Commands Opens a window to configure the programmable buttons of the Stan dard Advanced and Advanced Remote USB and o...

Page 80: ...different method of assigning and routing channels based on a single channel or monaural design The matrix view of the Fire face UFX has the look and works like a conventional patchbay adding function...

Page 81: ...gains 27 Tips and Tricks 27 1 ASIO Direct Monitoring Windows Programs that support ADM ASIO Direct Monitoring Samplitude Sequoia Cubase Nuendo etc send control commands to TotalMix This is directly s...

Page 82: ...started 27 6 Recording a Submix Loopback TotalMix includes an internal loopback function from the Hardware Outputs to the recording software Instead of the signal at the hardware input the signal at...

Page 83: ...used by the record software This problem can easily be solved First make sure that all rules for proper multi client operation are met not using the same record playback channels in both programs Then...

Page 84: ...in the Settings panel of the Hard ware Input and Software Playback channels via the MS Proc button The M S Processing automatically operates as M S encoder or decoder depending on the source signal fo...

Page 85: ...otalMix supports the following Mackie Control surface elements Element Meaning in TotalMix Channel faders 1 8 volume Master fader Main Out channel fader SEL 1 8 DYNAMICS Activate Trim mode V Pots 1 8...

Page 86: ...easily changed via MIDI Full LC Display Support This option in Preferences F3 activates complete Mackie Control LCD support with eight channel names and eight volume pan values When Full LC Display Su...

Page 87: ...94 A 6 Recall 5F 95 H 6 Speaker B 32 50 D3 Cue Main Out 3E 62 D 4 Cue Phones 1 3F 63 D 4 Cue Phones 2 40 64 E 4 Cue Phones 3 41 65 F 4 Cue Phones 4 42 66 F 4 Snapshot 1 36 54 F 3 Snapshot 2 37 55 G 3...

Page 88: ...is activated in the unit s menu Options HW Op tions Diagnosis Standalone MIDI Note When not needed the stand alone MIDI operation should not be active as the unit will react on MIDI notes after power...

Page 89: ...e V Pots 1 8 pan pressing V Pot knobs pan center CHANNEL LEFT or REWIND move one channel left CHANNEL RIGHT or FAST FORWARD move one channel right BANK LEFT or ARROW LEFT move eight channels left BANK...

Page 90: ...lots of useful user feedback 29 DAW Mode Users that work exclusively with their DAW software and don t want to use TotalMix FX for additional routing tasks need a way to be sure that TotalMix FX curre...

Page 91: ...User s Guide Fireface UFX RME 91 User s Guide Fireface UFX Class Compliant Mode...

Page 92: ...n necting the UFX to an Apple iPad The UFX provides the iPad with the professional analog I O connections it lacks Superb mi crophone preamps with EQ dynamics even with the AutoSet feature in addition...

Page 93: ...UFX MIDI inputs and outputs 32 1 Useful hints If the unit is not in CC mode the iPhone iPad will detect an incompatible USB device and display a message saying Cannot Use Device The connected USB devi...

Page 94: ...k depending on the choice in the Audio MIDI Setup In both cases the playback signal of channels 1 2 can be copied to other outputs When connected to an iPad the analog mic line input 1 works with mono...

Page 95: ...ia the Setups as they only influence the playback routing The current routing can easily be checked and verified with the level meter display The input effects EQ Dyn will always be active in the reco...

Page 96: ...2 with EQ factory preset Modern Bass Treble outputs 9 10 with EQ factory preset Cheap Phones Compensation faders for 1 2 at 0 dB 9 10 at 20dB clock mode AutoSync saved in Setup 2 Via the menu SETUP RE...

Page 97: ...User s Guide Fireface UFX RME 97 User s Guide Fireface UFX DURec Direct USB Recording...

Page 98: ...ror no FAT32 No Files no audio files found In case the media contains audio material files can be selected from the file dialog box after a click on the arrow to the right Clicking on the red button w...

Page 99: ...f the currently selected file Status This line changes its content depending on the current operation information on the selected file the ongoing or just completed recording xx channels selected numb...

Page 100: ...all existing files consecutively in a loop After the last file playback starts again with the first file During playback it is possible to pre select the next to be played file by navigating to the N...

Page 101: ...ilename is UFX01_00 wav After reaching the 2 GB limit a new file is automatically written with an incremental file number UFX01_01 wav The UFX will write up to 100 files consecutively UFX_01_99 wav Af...

Page 102: ...ng highest streaming performance with any media Most digital audio workstations can import such multi channel wave files directly into their pro jects Also there already exist some free tools to split...

Page 103: ...ible only a display of 0 is acceptable On the page USB Media Record Max R W Time Read Write Time This constantly updated value is the quickest way to identify slow media that suffer from interruptions...

Page 104: ...104 User s Guide Fireface UFX RME...

Page 105: ...User s Guide Fireface UFX RME 105 User s Guide Fireface UFX Technical Reference...

Page 106: ...ed Input sensitivity switchable to Lo Gain 4 dBu Input level for 0 dBFS Lo Gain 19 dBu Input level for 0 dBFS 4 dBu 13 dBu Variable gain 0 to 12 dB Minimum level for 0 dBFS 1 dBu 1 2 dBV Microphone In...

Page 107: ...dBV 2 dBV DA Stereo Monitor Output Phones 9 12 As DA but Output 2 x 6 3 mm TRS stereo jack unbalanced Maximum output level at 0 dBFS High 19 dBu Maximum output level at 0 dBFS Low 2 dBV Output impedan...

Page 108: ...tandard 2 x 8 channels 24 bit up to 48 kHz Double Speed S MUX 2 x 4 channels 24 bit 96 kHz Quad Speed S MUX4 2 x 2 channels 24 bit 192 kHz Bitclock PLL ensures perfect synchronisation even in varispee...

Page 109: ...re mode sample rate 28 kHz up to 200 kHz ADAT 2 x TOSLINK Standard 2 x 8 channels 24 bit up to 48 kHz Double Speed S MUX 2 x 4 channels 24 bit 96 kHz Quad Speed S MUX4 2 x 2 channels 24 bit 192 kHz SP...

Page 110: ...thus slightly higher or lower than the Fireface s internal sample rate Result When reading out the data there will frequently be read errors that cause clicks and drop outs Also when using multiple in...

Page 111: ...can be disregarded altogether the analog inputs and out puts do cause a significant delay Modern converter chips operate with 64 or 128 times over sampling plus digital filtering in order to move the...

Page 112: ...ed Safety Offset on record and playback otherwise Core Audio won t operate click free The Fireface uses a Safety Offset of 16 samples with USB and 32 samples with FireWire This offset is signalled to...

Page 113: ...e to clicks and drop outs To make the standard mode available as reference the Settings dialog includes an option to activate Isochronous Streaming The Fireface UFX also supports USB 2 where MADI reco...

Page 114: ...y and easier availability of cables The UFX offers one Thunderbolt port being fully compatible to Thunderbolt 2 The latest computers incorporate a Thunderbolt 3 interface via USB C con nectors For the...

Page 115: ...f double rate signals is done at standard sample rate Single Speed the ADAT outputs still deliver a 44 1 kHz or 48 kHz carrier 39 6 QS Quad Speed Due to the small number of available devices that use...

Page 116: ...the dou bled quadrupled bandwidth and a wideband measurement will show a significant drop in SNR while the human ear will notice absolutely no change in the audible noise floor 39 8 SteadyClock The St...

Page 117: ...al cables with 75 Ohms BNC plugs they are not expensive and easy to get The optical interface is much more interesting due to its complete galvanic separation but for many users it is a mystery becaus...

Page 118: ...118 User s Guide Fireface UFX RME 40 Diagrams 40 1 Block Diagram Fireface UFX...

Page 119: ...g a TRS jack with ring connected to ground XLR jacks of analog inputs The XLR jacks are wired according to international standards 1 GND shield 2 hot 3 cold TRS Phones jack The analog monitor outputs...

Page 120: ...120 User s Guide Fireface UFX RME...

Page 121: ...User s Guide Fireface UFX RME 121 User s Guide Fireface UFX Miscellaneous...

Page 122: ...quality control and a complete test at IMM before shipping The usage of high grade components should guarantee a long and trou ble free operation of the unit If you suspect that your product is fault...

Page 123: ...trade marks of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH ASIO is a trademark of Steinberg Media Tech nologies GmbH Apple iPhone iPad iOS and Mac OS are registered trademarks of Apple Inc Thunderbolt and the T...

Page 124: ...ate radio frequency energy and if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions may cause harmful interference to radio communications However there is no guar antee that interference wil...

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