I Really Wanted To Like Apollo… But Nevermind...

[@BennJordan]

I'm 9 years deep with a Fireface 802 and it runs so smoothly that I have no reason to not expect another 9 years. It's safe to say that RME makes good audio interfaces. 😅

[@andrwwaugh]

And they support them for so long! It’s truly impressive

[@Rhythmattica]

Having worked in the industry , for many a decade, commission systems from Post production, Pro studios and some higher end home ones, It is without doubt, RME , besides the quality of interfaces, They code the best drivers in the Business... Not only the best, but also the longest supported.. When my ORIG 2 x Apogee FW ensembles have no where else to go, due to OS Support ( Yes Im still using them from the day of realise) , Il be going RME. That way, With the ensembles will be setup as 16 channel AD/DA's. Simply, Its not only RME's support of old interfaces, It is how good their drivers are... No One Comes Close on any platform..... IMO.

[@ejmikk]

Same here, almost 10 years with an og RME Babyface, still gets updates and works perfectly!

[@carstenaltena]

@@ejmikk Same here! Blue RME Babyface "classic"... just amazing that it still works perfectly.

[@aleksandrmaksimovic9458]

Same here! It is so solid, that i believe it would work even after a tank driven over it.

[@GongMaster]

My RME Fireface 800 is now 13 years old. It survived 8 years in the tropical jungle, outdoor live shows, and it still works and sounds perfectly.

[@siguiendolahuellamx5724]

The rme ucx2 it's a lot better than ff800.

[@CarpPine]

I’ve been making music with a second hand RME Fireface 802 for five years. Literally zero issues so far, the sound is excellent and the routing is as flexible as you’ll ever need. 💎

[@truecuckoo]

RME has better raw audio quality in my opinion. Apollo has amazing real-time plugins though.

[@truecuckoo]

And the Apollo X4 has 4 preamps ;-)

[@cadetesespaciales]

With UA it's all about workflow. If you find you use their real time emulations a lot - then there's no contest. Now, on the other hand, if that's NOT a requirement, then I don't know. Particularly for bedroom warriors, say you want to record some quick guitars through a "fender amp" without bothering the neighbors...UA's amp emulations really do the trick!

[@truecuckoo]

@@cadetesespaciales yeah it’s great quality. And if you care to learn LUNA, it’s actually VERY good.

[@cadetesespaciales]

@@truecuckoo I've been using bitwig for the last year - I was a hardcore Ableton live user since like...version 4, but I grew tired of its dreadful UI, frequent random crashes, and the UI becoming unresponsive on basic operations. Both programs definitely share some conceptual DNA so the transition was kind of easy. Having said that, I'm not that invested in Bitwig, and am also looking into LUNA and Logic Pro as possible platforms once I finish the current album I'm working on. I'm particularly excited about Logic Pro and the iPad - thinking that could be the way forward, so I can have an extremely portable rig to come up with ideas using an iPad and OP-1f, but then having the ability to seamlessly transition into the desktop. What are your thoughts on LUNA vs Logic?

[@seanp2k617]

yea the one thing the RME can’t do as well as the Apollo would be auto tuning live vocals, which to be fair requires a plugin that itself is the price of a Tascam TA-1VP (hardware Antares unit with a channel strip) and still requires a laptop connected via thunderbolt with something to set key changes like some additional midi controller and setup.

[@phelper4554]

If you ever owned a RME you will never go back to anything else

[@peezyy3]

Agreed!

[@EVILJAMARR]

I went for UAD at first, but have been thinking about going for RME now that I need an interface upgrade.

[@billB101]

I'm still on my original Babyface with an M2 Macbook, love that interface. My next upgrade will probably be a Babyface pro.

[@TheWeazel01]

True that.

[@electricwhiterabbit]

For sure. I still use to this day the original Multiface and it is the most rock solid interface ever. Had it since 2004. It is like 20 years old and the drivers are still updated and will work from XP to Win11. Crazy awesome support!! The latency is really low.

[@decapmusic]

All good points - my experience also. Totalmix FX is now my virtual patchbay and a total necessity in my workflow.

[@YungstarProd]

DeCAP! What's good family?

[@Etienne.6329]

Same… half of my rme is basically the most advanced FX loop system on the market. I don’t know of any other device that allows you to send anything to anywhere with unlimited parallel signals and independent levels.

[@RickyTinez]

Man... watched your video on your setup with the RME interface (kzbin.info/www/bejne/l56moXptmLZ5pqcsi=OuOoHc435TX5whD_ ) and how you created the "record" channel really opened up my eyes! Thanks for that

[@William_Earl]

Despite RME looking dated af, and the prices being steep, I’ve never read one bad or mixed review about them. It’s always 5 stars. They apparently have the best drivers and very clean signals.

[@YungstarProd]

They write their own drivers and code in-house-hence the super smoothness.

[@Strafuzz]

I love the way they look 😂

[@junjiito7100]

I think they look great haha

[@StereoAnthony]

They are essentially known for their transparent mic pres and a/d/d/a conversion. If you had a studio full of outboard gear, RME is choice A/D convertor.

[@Reggi_Sample]

@@StereoAnthonyfor MID tier. It’s not a Lavry or Prism

[@soundchaser_org]

Here's some more reasons I like the RME UCX II that you might not have considered: It comes with rackears so it can be racked, it can be run standalone without a computer, the DuRec feature allows you to directly multi-track record all 40 channels to a USB drive (makes for a great dawless/live recording setup when it's runs standalone) and last but certainty not the least is the most powerful thing about RME products: TotalMix FX

[@RickyTinez]

The DuRec! I didn't mention it since I didn't use it yet, but it looks so badass!

[@LYFoulidis]

And it’s class-compliant, you can just plug it into your phone and multitrack some stuff to it - or route your AUv3 instruments through a bunch of outboard!

[@_EightySix]

Does it come with the rack ears? Because I was minutes away from ordering them seperately as I wait for my UCX2 in the mail. I don't believe they are included with the purchase.

[@HanHuman]

Got a UFX II with the remote a few weeks ago and this is the smoothest, most accurate, stable and flexible experience I could have dreamed of. And it will probably last decades. Absolutely worth it. BayFace Pro is also perfect for smaller budget.

[@PeterJaquesMusic]

I’m thinking about grabbing the remote, do you think it’s worth it? Does it allow you to be more immediately “hands on,” rather than having to dive into the software mixer?

[@HanHuman]

​@@PeterJaquesMusic Yes it's exactly what it does, you can set up 8 different mix presets (with the crazy routing capabilities of total mix FX) and switch between them at the tip of your hand. + the ability to mono, switch to other speakers, DIM etc. To me it is one of, if not the best feature of the RME interfaces.

[@TheHeadbite]

I got RME UCX II finally a month ago (they were hard to get due to shortage of parts) and I freakin' love this thing. For me huge advantages to name 3: 1) RME were DURec to USB/SSD = It can record a session (from modular for instance) without a computer. 2) Interface has DC coupled IO's so it can send control voltages to Eurorack. 3) New version of their Analyser software (DigiCheck NG) is a killer app. EDIT: Oh Yeah - runner up - Akai Force seems to be running pretty good on RME and it sounds WAY better.

[@rupertrooksby]

Consider grabbing the ARC remote for your RME. You'll get the big knob, lots of monitor control options, but the quick switching of snapshots without going into Totalmix adds a nice amount of flexibility and ease of use.

[@MrMoviePhoneEx]

I have the arc just for the ease of use in my setup, the big knob just makes things feel nicer and it's an easier reach if you've not just using the total mix interface.

[@luiand2323]

I have Logitech g13 for shortcut for every software i use from 3D to music of course all adobe stuff ,, and I’m doing arc remote thing before then arrived arc remote from since I had rme duet to fireface to ufc 1 ,,,, thanks to shortcut buttons are there from ages and uad still need implement the only things I I’m using thumbs joystick for volume up down off or switch for every volume if window or any daw, I switch shuffle between the module of bitiwig like ableton With same 😮thumbs joystick of possibility are endless of course dinamic of round pot is not similar but it’s ok for me

[@MidnightUnity]

"All the craziness in the studio" my god, your studio is so well organized, it even hurts how clean it is! Great video, really insightful!

[@ericpersson8753]

You bring-up valid points of comparison between these two options. And based on your discussion, it seems the RME is a better choice for you. The primary reason for going to the Apollo (and the reason it is more expensive) is that it has multiple built-in, very fast, powerful DSP cores which are intended to run UAD plug-ins in real-time, in hardware, with very low latency - all without loading your host computer. You can even load the interface with your configuration and all kinds of plug-ins, and run it standalone with the host computer disconnected (as long as power remains connected). I’m not aware of any other interface that can do that - and it is how I configure and use my Apollo interfaces. Thanks for taking the time to make this video.

[@rishabhbose29]

Babyface Pro FS user here. Love the RME sound. The only thing tempting about UA was their plugs but then now they have the Spark which enable to run their plugs natively.

[@Spoiledstoic]

So does that mean you'd be able to run UA plugins using an RME interface? Also if you don't mind answering what 'natively' means in reference to the plugins. Much thanks!

[@dnalord77]

Got my Babyface Pro in 2015. Never had an issue, drivers are solid and latency is a non issue (although I wish the TotalMix software would be slightly more intuitive). Yet it is still going strong. If it ever needs to be replaced, it will be a Babyface Pro FS.

[@BirdYoumans]

I have two RME Digiface units that must be 15-20 or so years old. I use them with a Yamaha DM2000 board that I bought when they first came out so however long ago that is, is how long I've had the RME's. I love them!! Never a moments trouble ever with them or the Yamaha. They sound stunning together and latency is no issue whatsoever. Why do I still have them with all the modern stuff we have? I don't need interfaces with ipads etc so if it ain't broke, don't fix it not to mention I had a special computer built at that time around an i7 chip that was bleeding edge especially for recording and I upgraded to windows 10 and put an SSD drive in it when they came out, so it is still a smoking computer even now. I would challenge most anyone to hear the difference in an AB blind test with todays stuff. We reached a point of diminishing returns after the turn of the millennium, And I'm not sure the "improvements" are "hearable" in the first place and if they are, the minute they turn your song into an mp3, well you get the picture. But all that to say that the RME's in my book have no equal. At least not one that us mortal music practitioners' can afford lol! Even so they are a bit pricey now but If you can afford one, don't even think about it. Just get it.

[@davidholloway3011]

13 years into my Fireface 800 and still going strong. love RME

[@jbaylies]

my ff800's analog inputs have started bleeding into eachother but other than that it works fine...

[@fabioharmanus]

Don’t compare your AD converter with the new ones 2024. Just try new converters and you understand what I say

[@siguiendolahuellamx5724]

Yes you're right, The ucx2 it's alot better than ff800, in AD conversion, so the New interfaces they must be incredible!!.

[@meticmusic]

great comp - agree w all your points and also the fact that RME has some of the lowest roundtrip latency in the game convinced me to returned my apollo twin for an RME Babyface Bro 3 years ago - never looked back since

[@BojanBojovic]

Is it USB or TB?

[@anderscarlsson3387]

15 years into RME. Never had a problem with it. It always works and sounds great. Toatally professional. No hype, no bling bling.

[@damienlewis7882]

RME makes a great product no doubt about it. There are a few pros to the x4 worth pointing out. 1. Two headphone outputs. 2. Built in talkback 3. 4 xlr/combi inputs. 4. Dedicated buttons for mute, mono, dim, alt speakers. They are both great and certainly have their pros and cons.

[@LaidbackSounds]

You didnt mention anything about the sound...

[@BojanBojovic]

The sound? Both linear from 10hz to 80khz, as any other interface out there, there is no "sound".

[@dylanjastle]

All modern interfaces have transparent preamps. Some have a lower noise floor and better dynamic range. That is it. You are paying for build quality, latency, and features with higher end USB interfaces.

[@jas_bataille]

RME makes the best converters in the world, on par with Metric Halo, Apogee, Motu... there are actually flat flat.

[@jonmakesbeats]

I’ve got a RayDAT from RME I’ve had for 8 years and honestly still the greatest pure audio interface I’ve ever owned. Great vid.

[@ewwitsantonio]

I have an RME Fireface 800. I use it with an Apple M1 Max machine. Works great. I will use this for as many years as I can. I just needed several adapters to get the 800 firewire cable plugged in, and RME did a great job providing some support to make sure Fireface 800 users could still use the product. Amazing company and I will certainly buy from RME again when the day comes to add to my setup.

[@Etienne.6329]

RME is pinnacle no-nonsense straight-to-the-point highend design. As many stated : totalmix is insanely powerful and so bloody intuitive. I had an Apollo for a while, the routing matrix was hell

[@jahwaynecrossable]

I’ve been on RME since 2018 and I’ve never look back. The darn thing just works and sounds incredible.

[@KeenanCrow]

Have had my UCX II for about a year now. My first RME product. Never going back. Total Mix is awesome. Driver support is unbelievable.

[@GRABEK_MUSIC]

I recently made the transition from Clarett 8PreX to RME Babyface Pro FS and I honestly cannot see myself ever going back to anything else. the DriverKit driver (correct me if I'm wrong but RME is the only developer at the moment that has managed to come up with drivers that do not require you to mess with the security settings on your Mac) , the stability and the overall sound and build quality are insane. not to mention the TotalMix FX! pure, albeit quite expensive, awesomeness :)

[@annekedebruyn7797]

UAD (and Antelope for that matter) are only worth it if you want that DAW-like DSP plugin experience. If you don't care for that, RME (or similar brands) are the way to go. RME is also VERY big on repairs. You can pretty much send your interface (or other device) for a service even if it has been discontinued for years.

[@J0hnSell]

I been an apollo guy for 10 years now and i TOTALLY understand your decision. Features aside RME just makes a damn good converter. Clean, crisp, quality.

[@echodub81]

I bought 3 RME‘s around 12yrs ago, never had one second downtime, never had any troubles. Best money i spent in the studio. Yes, they have their price, but it really paid out over time.

[@secretfamilyrecipe]

Great comparison! I love my Apollo, tho the "no cables included" & no MIDI In were definitely head scratchers... Enjoyed learning about the RME and its capabilities, plus that lil screen looks amazing!

[@markaprill6501]

Have not been doing music for a couple of years…your channel popped up on my viewing list after checking out some new synths.. Nice to see you have blown up. When I used to watch your reviews you had like 10k.

[@kevinlong4657]

The Apollo ecosystem is a love/hate relationship. If you give into it, it's pretty amazing. But it costs a pretty penny. It's all about the DSP workflow, and their daw LUNA has really taken it to the next level where you track with DSP and it switches to native processing when the track is not armed. Yes, the drivers and install is a pain but it's solid as long as you are on mac. I work at Microsoft and use windows every day but not for my UAD system, I have a mac for that. I'll try an RME one day. Also interested in the Presonus Quantum series for going 100% native for tracking since it has the lowest latency of any interface.

[@MyBichSustained]

The Apollo is about the plugins, for heavy use of plugins so it don't eat your computer up and it is glorious. I got the Apollo 8 and for the cost it is a outstanding deal when you add the plugins at a fraction of the hardware that is being offered.

[@MsInstrumentalBeatz]

Congrats to you!! In 2019 I wanted a new interface but I didn’t know which one to buy. My boyfriend (now husband) purchased the RME Babyface Pro as a birthday gift. It was the best interface that I had used. Later on, I got a bunch of synths & a preamp & bought a mixer to support the channels. I noticed a quality drop but didn’t think much of it. I then had to switch back to just the Babyface Pro for a session and was floored by the conversion I was sacrificing by using the mixer for extra inputs. The mixer was muddying up the sound, especially what was coming out the monitors/outputs. After that, I didn’t even want to use ADAT (via a 8Ch external non RME preamp) for the extra ins & outs so I ended up getting the UFX II 😂! I’m grateful that I was introduced to RME. The converters are top notch & make a difference. And customer service is superb!! Enjoy 😊 (Edit 12/23 - I’m using ADAT w/ Focusrite Pres, which was a gift, going into the RME & it sounds great).

[@wackerburg]

I feel you! I bought a Mehringer 8 channel ADDA in order to expand my Babyface. Sent it back right after the first test, it sounded sooo bad when compared to the RME unit.

[@alfieholloway]

I’ve got a Behringer ADAT to expand my set up to allow me to route my audio to outboard gear and so far, I’ve not noticed the lack of quality, but maybe I need to do some more stringent tests

[@MsInstrumentalBeatz]

@@alfieholloway ​ Ironically, I've used various Behringer mixers in live settings and they sounded good/clean in those settings. The 16-Ch mixer that I had was from PreSonus and wasn't inexpensive, but admittedly was in their budget-friendly range. It was more of a live mixer so I don't think they put good converters in it. The extra input channels and external fader control is what appealed to me mostly for routing my synths & keyboards. I'm sure the ADAT solutions on the RME interfaces are great. In my PreSonus mixer scenario I was using the Ins AND Outs which sounded muddy in comparison. I was just so impressed with RME when I switched back, that I went full throttle for the UFX II lol. In your scenario, it sounds like you're using clean external inputs/preamps via ADAT, but using the RME (TotalMix) for routing and conversion. So the final sound is coming through the RME interface (converters), which would still sound great. Happy Recording🙂 👍

[@alfieholloway]

that's really good of you to clarify this. I was thinking along those lines. thanks a lot!!! @@MsInstrumentalBeatz

[@dk6343]

When using adat through the rne, you could have set the rme as master to benefit from the rme conversion a to d and d to a conversion

[@emmomartins5383]

I bought my first Fireface back in 2008. Still working flawlessly today, Never had ANY issue. Just bought the UCXII and the dsp comp, gate, delay, reverb are just a gift from heaven. I also use it as a mixing desk for rehearsals, the routing is astonishing and as I always said, there is just no comparison to anything Apollo apart branding. I'm not even mentioning converters, how it handles jittering or how you can record 16 channels at once on anything usb pluged directly to its usb 2 conector on the back, all stand alone, no lap top or anything. Besides, the 1496 UA plugin really sucks.

[@nantschev]

Same here first RME Foreface in 400, never had problems, always rock solid

[@digitalmarketinghumans]

I have both, RME Babyface pro FS and UAD Twin X..and I will say..the Apollo Twin X is PERFECT for my Mac while my RME is good and suited for both but I Love Them Both! The quality between the two in everything that I do is minor, RME is slightly better but ultimately, I love the integration of the Apollo on the Mac and how intuitive and 'smart' it is when using it with a DAW like Logic.

[@OmarDiazpianista]

I have a RME UFX since 2010 and everything works! I still get new updates and running cubase 12 pro just fine. Excellent product and great customer service! Invest wisely!

[@mastaboog749]

Im on an M Audio interface that they stopped supporting 11 years ago, i have to use edited Windows 8 firmware to even get it to work. That RME is perfect and similar to how my M Audio is set up. I've been wanting to upgrade for a while but with the price of stuff I want to make sure it would last a long time!

[@soundseven2514]

RME. Best in class drivers, stability and product life support. It was good to hear your thoughts on the comparisons Ricky.

[@georgebarry8640]

I was at my wits end trying to record with my DAW and get stability and audio clarity. I asked in a forum (Reaper) and I heard nothing but good reviews. I dont have alot of money (I am a professional muician) but I bit the bullet and bought the RME BabyFace Pro . Game changer. So many issues solved. RME did the hard work, with drivers,cables etc. I payed for that and in the end I have been able to solve numerous problems. Is it perfect? No. Is there a curve? Yes. But are the rewards worth it? I say YES, emphatically.

[@najati]

RME for life.

[@MarkusCologne]

Very good review, thanks, Ricky! When the display on my 12 year old RME Fireface UFX failed, I bought an Arturia Audiofuse Studio to replace it. After intensive testing I sent it back. The driver was not as solid as on the RME and the sound quality was good but not excellent as on the UFX. So I decided to have the Fireface repaired (for less than 300 Euros incl. full inspection). The RME support and update policy are excellent!

[@theocorfiatis8456]

Have used RME interfaces since 2005 and they are the best in literally every respect, from quality to stability, latency and connectivity. UAD make really good stuff too, with the added bonus of killer plugins, but RME for me is just more versatile and records very clean audio, maybe too clean for some, but for electronic music it's definitely the best. If you want a digital tape recorder to record acoustic instruments and you want audio with "character or colour", then UAD is fantastic because you can colour your sound with plugins. It depends on what your needs are. In 1997 I changed from multitrack tape to digital recording and back then the computer interfaces were rubbish compared to a good analogue tape setup. Nowadays that's not the case. RME, UAD, LYNX, PRISM, Apogee, Avid, Crane Song, Burl, DAD etc ........ and there are many more ....... are all amazing and if you have money to burn, well worth getting. My main setup for many years was an RME AES I/O card, interfaced with some high end AD/DA converters. This setup had practically no latency and was amazingly stable and gave me pristine sound quality. This gave me excellent flexibility and connectivity, where I could add more channels for my studio as I needed them. These days most of the companies which used to make AD/DA converters have gone into the 'HiFi' business, selling $50,000 stereo gear to rich old guys, as it seems to be more profitable than selling to a bunch of dirt poor musicians. So getting a high quality self contained interface like RME or UAD seems the way most project studios are headed, including my current setup, where I use an RME Babyface pro FS. It does everything I need, since I no longer need tons of channels to record live bands, and for plugins I added UAD 2 satellites, which gives me the best of both worlds 😁 Yes I love both and they play very nicely together, so you really don't need to choose. The UAD 2 DSP plugins have very low latency on my Mac and so does the RME. Everything is stable, and I run both Logic and Pro Tools and both work very well in this setup, as well as in Reaper, which I use occasionally. I find that 3rd party native plugins tend to give me the most grief, with some companies making consistently bad ones, which I know to avoid, and other companies make wonderful plugins which never crash. Again, you need to try stuff to find which works best for you.

[@draztiqmeshaz6226]

I've been recommending these to everyone who seems to have earned one. Your attention to audio quality and explorations in routing (plus undoubtedly suffering busted-ass motu's and scarletts over the years) are what have qualified you. I can't recommend them to beginners, because I don't think that beginners can really appreciate them.

[@AJ_Reynolds]

I’ve been using the original UCX for the last 10 years and have no reason to change. It’s rock solid and sounds great. I find the 4 inputs on the front quite useful as 2 of them have the pre amps for when I record hand percussion and the instrument inputs for my bass rig. All my synths and drums machines share the 4 inputs on the back like you are doing.

[@tavaroevanis8744]

The original UCX is a solid device. The stability and sound quality are incredible.

[@eyesintheskies]

RME are popular for rock, but they also stick by their interfaces and don’t drop a new one ever other week. Rock solid

[@MarkVO]

I recently upgraded to a Neumann MT48 from an Apollo Solo. What a difference. I record voice over, not music and the €500 or so I sunk into different channel strips and plugins were just not getting used. CVOX and the Neve DFC Channel strips are exceptional plugins, but not really worth the cost of having to deal with Apollo interfaces. I also found the interface to be unreliable, falling asleep on me a number of times and requiring me to restart my system, interrupting a session. UA Console also switches off randomly at times and I've often started recording to find it not even on. The UA sound and the hardware emulators are fine for a bit of fun, but I'm personally of the belief that, after listening to a ton of hardware/software comparisons, plugins are still not as good as the hardware and I think it's a disservice to claim so. It's better than nothing, and the saturation can be nice, but the loss of clarity and detail is not suitable for modern voice overs that need to be clear. Maybe for audiobooks and audioguides? Not sure.

[@MatthiasKnorrMusic]

Just got the new UFXIII for my Studio, connected it to the MacStudio M2 Max and so far - everything works great. The only issue I had was connecting an additional Focusrite Clarett+ OctoPre to it via ADAT at first. I had problems with syncing the two Interfaces (flashing green ADAT light). The Cable that was included with the RME UFXIII seems to be quite cheap so I switched to a more expensive one and now it's all good. I hope it will work for at least 15 years from now on before I ever have to think about replacing it.

[@p.m-audio]

me too, i bought the UFX 3, and this thing is a Tank i hope also for the next 10 years .....;)

[@bolttracks]

RME truly are the GOAT when it comes to proven reliability and just amazing conversion without claiming to achieve impossible feats of dynamic range. An added bonus for sound designers like myself is that their ultrasonic response (above 20 kHZ) is impeccable, making them amazing for working with mics like the CO-100k to record stuff at 192 kHZ intended for being pitch shifted down by 2+ octaves (think monster vocals etc.).

[@p__meyer]

Nice video. I ditched a big Apollo 8 for a MOTU Ultralite Mk5 and it's been way better. DC coupled outputs! On the point about the Apollo needing a dedicated port: with a Thunderbolt dock like the Caldigit TS4 or TS3+, you can use a single cable, because they use Thunderbolt rather than USB and have Thunderbolt ports on them. They also have USB ports for connecting other stuff: displays, hard drives, MIDI controllers. In this scenario you'd only need to use a separate port on your Mac if you max out the bandwidth of the first Thunderbolt port. They can also charge the computer. They're a bit expensive, but it's pretty nice to be able to just put your laptop on the desk and plug in a single cable that does everything.

[@Tarnith]

Still going strong on my used Babyface, although it's starting to show it's age. RME is so stable with drivers and problem free I can't see myself going to something else anytime soon.

[@ftlaud911]

Love RME. Drivers are class compliant, rock solid, and supported for years/decades. Have had an ADI-2 Pro BE for years with 0 issues left on 24/7. Just upgraded my interface to a UFX+. TotalMix takes time to learn, but it is amazing. Allows virtual routing to anywhere and can even split signals. If money is tight the Motu MK5 is same size as UCX II and a great choice. Less routing options, but mine was rock solid with 8 in/10 out in small footprint. Great choice on the UCX II.

[@touchthatdial]

RME is great. But I think Ricky has misunderstood why people buy UAD and what they use it for. UAD is all about tracking acoustic instruments and guitars/basses. The UAD DSP-hosted plugins are dope, super low latency and phenomenally close to using actual hardware amps and channel strips. If you record a lot of vocals, guitars, drums etc UAD is a solid choice. If you’re mostly using synths/drum machines/samplers etc (either plugins or hardware or both) and rarely track vocals or instruments, UAD would be overkill and RME is a great choice. The other advantage of UAD is you get Luna with it which IMO is becoming a great alternative to ProTools.

[@zerberk]

Luna is fucking buggy a f, unusable for me.

[@Feerlyss]

6 years with my UCX Mk1 and it's actually been ON the entire time except for when the power goes out, or the couple times i moved. Never given me an issue one. I love Total FX. I'm runningit on USB2, but yet i can still run this thing at 64 samples with no hiccups. massive sessions. The best drivers in all the audio interface world. I was gonna buy the Mk2 but, hell, why would I? It works perfectly.

[@JemenJ]

I've owned three RME product over two decades, Fireface 800, Fireface 802 and Babyface Pro FS. Still using 802 and Babyface. RME interfaces are ROCK SOLID!

[@famosguider205]

I’m still using my RME UCX. It always works. It’s a clean sound. A blank canvas to create.

[@samplereplays]

I've just purchased a Fireface UCX II and love it. It's more solid and enables me to run Logic Pro without Rosetta. I still rely on UAD plugins so I'll be selling my Apollo x6 and replacing it with a Satellite accelerator, which at least has a smaller footprint and can be tucked away.

[@dannyprecysroadtoforever5234]

I went with the RME UFX III and it ended up being the best investment I have ever made in my studio. The new converters are amazing sounding and Total Mix gives me the benefits of a full-blown recording console for monitoring and tracking without the added cost and space. If I had known that it was as good as it is I would have never considered the other 2 interfaces that were on my list. Working in tandem with the ARC remote it's an interface I could see myself being very happy with for years to come.

[@daaaMook]

Same! Just so happy with my UFX III.

[@spiderfingers2005]

RME is generally good. I still have my Babyface Pro.. it's great!!

[@Its_Just_Max_]

I've got a big boy Apollo and I love it. The direct no latency monitoring is great for things I record in my home, but the absolutely killer feature for me is the DSP. I'd say that if you have no plans on using that DSP with UAD plugins, then there are plenty of interfaces out in the world that will work just as well. If and when I ever build out a new system with different converters I'll have to get a few UAD Satellites to keep my plugins. Though with the addition of many plugins into the UADx lineup that run natively that might change, but for now many of them are just too valuable to me.

[@eento06]

Best sound for the money for sure! The virtual mixer from RME allows for really good routing likewise the Apollo but cheaper and more focus to what matters ;)

[@kunee51]

RME's not only one of the best manufacturer in audio recording stuff, great in quality but also provides incredible after sales support. My old HDSP 9632 card still support by latest OS, they never fail to provide firmware and driver updates. Highest respect for RME for their services and efforts to assure prolonging the usage of their products. HDSP 9632 was released in early 2000s and still work perfectly, compare to one popular brand that release one of their audio interface model in 2019 and stop provide update for driver in 2021 despite many complaints regarding their worst driver.

[@earlsfield]

I have RME converters for the last 20 years. Yes, I tried various others, but nothing beats immediacy of RME. No bs, no plugins, it just works. Especially if you are having multiple hardware units, adat, their "locks" are made of virtual steel and everything works as a charm. And it always came with the cables. And it is a staple of serious conversion for a long time. I guess you guys in States weren't as exposed to it as we were in the UK/Europe. I know quite a few studio owners who will straight away choose RME over UA.

[@justjoeblow420]

For me RME has one gigantic advantage over an Apollo and that is the class compliance which is super important to have as I'm a weirdo who likes using Linux so having class compliant support is a huge boon even with out official support for the OS from the company. It's the same reason why when I got back into music I went right for a Focusrite, with how Linux runs it's audio stack once tweaked a little the latency is pretty damn low even in class compliant modes on most interfaces.

[@TuzXMr]

Been enjoying the UCX II for about a year and a half now. Its flexibility is pretty unmatched, especially for the form factor.

[@nodz007]

that's one safe area you live in Ricky :)

[@claytondouglasmusic]

I really like the way you explain things and share your decision making processes. So applicable to REAL LIFE, as opposed to other reviewers who tend to read off endless specs then run a half-assed demo. I truly feel like I learned a lot from this video, and I've been a pro for about a decade at this point. Many thanks, and you just earned a new subscriber!

[@AdrianBond]

Had an RME Fireface UFX for a while, but sounded pretty sterile to me. Sold it and ran happily back to Apogee.

[@velanche]

Just purchased a UCX II today. One of my DJs recommended it, and TBH I have watched this video and a few others since earlier this year to consider it. My studio desk also has MIDI gear, and I also have a turntable and CD player routing audio to my UAD Apollo Twin X, which is lacking in inputs and MIDI support. And hey, maybe that internal recorder can come in handy. Can't wait to get it, but looking at my brand new Digikakt 2 that's still boxed up and feeling lonely. Thanks again, man!

[@LaminarSound]

Plenty of people use and love Apollo so I wont hate on it, but after 6 years on gen 1 UFX, I went to an Apollo and kept it less than a year before I sold it. I was the same as you, I just couldnt vibe with it. It sounded good and I really do love UAD plugins. But they are by no means crucial to my workflow or mixes. I missed RME from day 1. Im not almost 2 years on my UCX II and boy oh boy I just love it. I will say this, the moment I ran audio through the UCX II I IMMEDIATELY noticed a significant improvement in clarity and depth in the music. Im talking music I know well. Apollo sounded good. UCX II sounds incredible.

[@sanysany81]

Can you give me the address where I can pick up the box?

[@JNCGaming]

😂😂😂😂

[@SunnyBeeRandomTuber]

Thanks for somebody putting RME in the mainstream spotlight......the reliability on them is top notch....have a babyface pro FS and because it's so damn good, some days I fear should I buy a B audio interface and use that to avoid messing the RME

[@ДжонСнежный]

RME is in the mainstream, they make great and popular product

[@vexpired7559]

Thank you for this honest video, I truly wish I'd seen this last year. [Sadly it wasn't up then] I bought an Apollo X4 and I've got to say it isn't at all user friendly and a nightmare to read through reams of pages that aren't relevant to what you want an answer too. Plus loads of video tutorials that assume you ought to know everything about U/A layout and routing. Forget about getting help on the phone and actually speak to a human being who could talk you through any problem. I have heard similar complaints from other users of their products !

[@nachodiaz4837]

I don't use to agree so much on your takes on hardware gear, but this video I think it's super concise and dispells away some of the hype surroinding the apollo

[@smpiggystudio]

After I bought RME UFX+, I keep running it for almost 2 years and never power off it(only for couple of time it needs to updated), and it still works rock solid.

[@dodgingrain3695]

UA interfaces don't make sense if the plugins are not being used, but sounds like there is some flutter echo in your room that needs to be addressed based on the dialog recording.

[@NGC0Music]

Have you felt any difference in audio quality when switching between these 2?

[@PhillTHEMusic84]

Good choice! I own Fireface UCX 2 about a year. Rock solid drivers, Totalmix features...you will be very pleased.

[@palenkesoultribe]

We've been using RME since 2010 on tour! these machines are indestructible and amazing sounding.

[@lundsweden]

Haha, I'm still rocking a Behringer UMC1820 after 5 years, still working well, sounds good to me too. And ya, they're still updating their drivers too.

[@compucorder64]

Good video. On a tangent, I upgraded my Adam nearfields to APS Klasik 2020 and super happy with the improvement. These monitors from Poland are really special, crazy good for the price of 1k a pair; much deeper tighter, bass, beautiful vocal midrange and tactile soundstage is big improvment over Adam. The treble is easier to work with over long periods, and not so annoyingly directional fussy sweetspot. Though I will concede AMTs have some advantages in specialised use cases if tweaking reverb or programming hit hats or very fine upper treble detail. Think you made the right call returning the Apollo. RME's Babyface UFX is great for people that need maximum portability, and not quite so much i/o or on a tighter budget. Came to a similar conclusion with the Apollo. It's at the point where native is so good and CPUs so powerful, and latency so low I don't see much need for the native DSP. I chose the MOTU Ultralite mk.V. Budget wouldn't stretch to the RME UCX and needed more I/O. It's small, sturdy, sounds amazing, clean, super high gain preamps are great for dynamic mics. 10 outputs that are DC-coupled for using with Silent Way for lots of eurorack sequencing outputs. Drivers are solid for me on Windows.

[@spiralswithinspirals]

The Apollo sound is probably great! But the UCX II is everything I need. RME supports things so well, I'll pay a little more for the longevity.

[@blackmateriaofficial2383]

Love RME, good choice. rock-solid, great quality. Works as class compliant and even standalone! And excellent customer service: I once broke a pin on my babyface pro midi breakout cable. Contacted my local distributor to ask where i could buy a replacement. They just sent me one, free of charge or even shipping.

[@brianlespoir6287]

I still use my 12 year old Fireface UC for the inputs, next to my UFX II. In all those years I didn't even have one problem.

[@GrantEllman]

great vid! one other plus of RME is the latency and stability is actually lower over USB 2 than apollo over thunderbolt. I can get a 4MS round trip latency at a 64 buffer monitoring through my daw with all the plugins i'd ever want and then I don't have to set up a separate mix in "console" software to get low latency. With the apollo youre looking at a 10-12ms round trip latency monitoring through the daw which is almost 3x as much.

[@andrwwaugh]

Yeah I love my ucx2! Regretted selling my ucx1 back in the day Only gripe, do find the channel input and output numbering gets a little annoying Like.. If there’s a synth or fx unit, that can take a stereo feed, it’d be more logical for me to have similar numbers on my interface Eg. Out 3,4 run to it and in 3,4 run from it This gets a little annoying with inputs 1,2,3,4 on the front, along with headphone output 7,8 on the front And ins 5,6,7,8 + the outs 3,4,5,6 on the back I find headphones being 7,8 is just a bit awkward… maybe if it was 3,4 I could mental block things together in groups of 4 or something? Basically only unit on the back with a sensible numbering would be using the 5 and 6, anything else requires leads from the front or some confusing arrangement… But like There’s ways to name inputs and outputs in total mix, in your daw etc I have an adat expansion The fact you can route anything to anything with sub mixes galore Low latency In the scheme of things, it’s really nothing I also love the Arc remote (Wish you could run the remote and usb recording simultaneously, but that isn’t a deal breaker, that’s just choosing which dessert to have after an amazing meal)

[@ebenchristensen]

great, and timely, information for me. I'm a dinosaur with my thunderbolt clarett 4pre (live) and 8xpre (studio), and the 4pre is basically dead with my travel setup. I was planning on dropping into the UAD world (though I have the old stand alone accelerator) with the thought of $5k up front the only hesitation. The form factors alone irritate me, and your gripe about the patching is the only drawback that I see for easily rerouting things when I want to work through my two set ups. I only upgrade when I need to, mostly to ride out the "new new" gear that seems to come every year, but this video has helped me make up my heads or tails on this needlessly irritating necessity.

[@ivan.bofinger]

RME just works, and it sounds amazing. Worth every penny

[@bassguitar2709]

RME is worth the money! Excellent Sound! upgraded from a couple MOTU Ultralite mk1 and mk3

[@narrenmagie]

Hey man, thanks for sharing. Don't own any of these interfaces. Just reasoning if I should go for a focusrite 18i8 Gen3 or fulfill my dream of owning an RME and probably never having to buy another interface in my life (for occasional use). Anyway, I very much appreciate the experiences you're sharing here and I can totally relate to what you said. Very valuable content, thanks again!

[@eyesintheskies]

I first heard of RME years ago from guitarists raving about how great they were. Love the fact this one has direct to usb recording and how compatible it is with the iPad. My only wish is they still put gain trim knobs for the main inputs. 8 outs would’ve been nice but guess the headphone jack could be used as a work around.

[@misterringer]

I pretty much had the exact same experience. Apollo is good but RME is just on their own planet when it comes to driver stability. When their USB outperforms most competitor's TB solutions in latency and stability, that really says something. I actually run my apollo solo into my UCX II and use it like a channel strip. Works great!

[@yahboytroy_300]

How do you do this!! Please teach me!! I have a solo also, but I ordered a ucxii today.

[@misterringer]

@@yahboytroy_300 Just run the TRS (monitor) outs directly into the TRS inputs of the RME. You keep both devices hooked up to the computer. Use the RME as your interface in the DAW and control the Apollo with the UA software the same way you always would. The only downside to this approach is you can't use the UAD effects in monitor mode. Since you're capturing the analog out, the effects will be there. But that's no different than if you were using a hardware effects chain :)

[@LipazMusic]

Actually I had an Apollo X6 and an RME Digiface USB with 5 Behringer ADA 8200. Best of all worlds. Clean sound always. I used to use RME Fireface 400 for a decade before I switched to UAD. I still think I could be super happy with an RME UFX+ and two Ferrofish A16, but that would be much more expensive aaaand… honestly, not a bit step upword in terms of perceived converted sound if you are using dusty analog synths like I do. And even in that case I’d keep the Apollo just for the sake of good UAD plugins and Unison. Or even could be happy with the X6, if I was buying two X16… with this greedy step of UAD that is out of question. They could still sell the bare core version, but instead they only offer you the Heritage version with plugins you may already own. Very greedy and shady marketing. At the end of the day, I’m happy with my setup of the German engineered background with the fancy US foreground. Especially that Mac is able to create one aggregate soundcard and make it seamless. Just enjoy what you have and what you need. 🎉

[@GregoryKane11]

I made the best recordings I’ve ever done with a RME FF800 … I worked with Linn Records a while back recording varied classical ensembles and their engineers all used RME stuff. That’s why I bought Ff800. I’m UAD Apollo now, but I’m glad RME is still getting the love … I might take a look at RME again.

[@Tommyalpaca]

Nice! I’ve been thinking about switching to the rme from Apollo. For my home rig.

[@TazzSmk]

fun fact - if you want more "hands on" control and use RME's ARC USB dedicated controller directly with UCX II (in standalone and class compliant operation), you actually can, via UCX II's "DuRec" port in the back

[@6ixth9ense75]

Again a overlooked feature that arc remote is serious piece of gear! That alone murders the competition in usability.

[@MikeMatzke]

Cool vid! Its time for me to upgrade. I feel like the Lyra 2 might be 'better' than the RME. Feelings?

[@Reggi_Sample]

Ofc

[@hithere4289]

i wish i had a lyra

[@saardean4481]

i am 100% with you on the channel count. While I saw a video of the amazing Jacob Collier where he is scrolling through 300+ channels for his "Wellll" song I realized that for my musical experiments I have concluded that I make the most interesting things for my taste when I manage to say what I want to say in 8-14 tracks. As soon as I have to scroll the monitor right and left its too much for me.

[@bardicdad]

Rocking old school PCI RME card here, and it's still cooking. RME is good with support, so I will be sticking with them when I update to MADI or UFX Fireface.

[@geetarkev14]

The Apollo works just as well through a quality thunderbolt hub. Confirmed by UA on their official forums.

[@OG_Gamers_Live]

And Sweetwater includes the proper thunderbolt cable

[@StereoAnthony]

I can also confirm this. I have an X4 and an 8 daisy chained and running through a thunderbolt hub. Never had a problem.

[@conrow1157]

Same