RME Fireface UCX II 40 Channel Advanced USB Audio Interface

The RME Fireface UCX II is a highly integrated pro audio solution in an ultra-compact format. Designed for use in studio and live recording, the UCX II continues RME's tradition of producing powerful and flexible interfaces for the professional audio market, packing the kind of connectivity and features into a half-rack size unit that is often spread over two - or even three - 19 inch panels.

Main Features

• Next-generation update to the RME Fireface UCX
• Full stand-alone operation
• Updated front-panel display and controls
• SteadyClock FS
• Direct USB Recording & Playback (DURec)
• DC-Coupled outputs
• Optional: RME ARC USB (Advanced Remote Control)
• 5 Year Warranty (UK Only)


With up to 20 channels recording and 20 channels playback; RME's stellar SteadyClock FS digital clocking technology; high performance microphone inputs; TotalMix FX mixing and routing software (complete with Parametric EQ and Dynamics processing on every channel, plus Echo and Reverb sends); stand-alone hard disk recording to external USB hard drives or pen drives via 'DURec' (Direct USB Recording); MIDI I/O; a powerful headphone output; and full stand-alone operation, the Fireface UCX II excels with the highest feature to space ratio ever from an RME device.

Developed in time to celebrate the company's 25th anniversary, the RME Fireface UCX II represents the culmination and refinement of 25 years of digital audio innovation.

Celebrating 25 Years of RME
Throughout its 25 year history, RME has been fully committed to a principle of flexibility - the more flexible a product, the more easily it can be adapted to new requirements. For company founder Matthias Carstens, this lies at the heart of RME's success: "The Fireface UCX II makes us proud and enthusiastic as it represents a natural evolution of our product range."

"Boasting up to 20 recording and 20 playback channels, SteadyClock FS, high-performance microphone inputs, built-in parametric EQ, USB direct recording plus full stand-alone functionality, the brand-new Fireface UCX II truly represents the essence of freedom, flexibility, and passion. At present, no existing audio interface offers more connectivity and functionality in a half-rack package."

The Fireface UCX II houses two mic/line preamps in XLR combo configuration on the front panel, along with two digitally controlled line/instrument inputs, followed by a headphone jack, various control buttons, a display, and the main volume knob. At the rear is a set of ten analogue balanced line inputs and outputs, MIDI I/O, ADAT I/O, AES/EBU and SPDIF I/O, USB 2.0 as well as a switchable word clock I/O.

DURec (Direct USB Recording)
The RME Fireface UCX II is the first half-rack interface from RME to feature RME's Direct USB Recording (DURec) functionality. Previously only found on RME's Fireface UFX, UFX II and UFX+, any of the Fireface UCX II's input or output channels can be recorded directly to a USB storage device - in any combination, up to and including all 40 channels simultaneously - via the dedicated USB port found on the back panel of the device.

Powered by the integrated DSP, DURec also enables the Fireface UCX II to be used for standalone recording and playback (i.e. without the need for a computer). Suggested applications include creating instantaneous backups of studio, live and rehearsal recording - acting as a fail-safe against a computer hardware failure - as well as for strand-alone field recording, or for use in virtual soundchecks (using DURec for playback of a previous night's live show recording).

Class Compliant Mode (Plug 'n' Play with an Apple iPad)
The Fireface UCX II also features a Class Compliant / Plug 'n' Play mode, enabling the interface to be used for high-quality, mulit-track recording with an Apple iPad, and providing iPad users with a full set of professional analogue I/O connections.

Additionally, the optional TotalMix FX for iPad app adds full control over the TotalMix hardware mixer, giving users the ability to create, store and load complete mixes directly from the iPad.

DC-Coupled Outputs - CV/Gate Voltage Control
Most audio interfaces are traditionally designed with what is called 'AC-coupled outputs', where capacitors are used to filter out any extreme low frequencies.

Whilst these frequencies are generally considered undesirable for audio - eating into headroom and potentially causing damage to other equipment - one instance where DC-coupling remains desirable is the world of modular synthesizers, where static or slow-moving signals are used for control over various parameters such as pitch note values or LFOs.

All of the Fireface UCX II's line-level outputs are fully DC-coupled, allowing for the sending of control voltages (CV) or Gate information to modular synthesizers (such as the popular Eurorack and Moog/MOTM/Synthesizers.com formats) and other studio hardware.

TotalMix FX & DIGICheck
The Fireface UCX II comes with the TotalMix FX DSP mixer offering comprehensive routing and monitoring options, as well as the DIGICheck Analyzer allowing to measure and analyze the digital data feed in both directions with maximum precision.

RME's DSP-based TotalMix FX mixer allows for fully independent routing and mixing of all 20 input and playback channels to all 20 physical outputs. Independent stereo submixes, plus a comprehensive Control Room section, offer unrivalled monitoring capabilities and unsurpassed routing flexibility.

Every input and output channel comes with a luxury feature set, comparable to that of a full-scale digital console. The effects per channel include 3-band parametric EQ (and adjustable Low Cut), a Dynamics section (Compressor, Expander), MS Processing and phase reversal. The Reverb and Echo effects unit is available for all channels by a stereo send and return bus, all of which is offered even at 192 kHz operation.

Latency-Free Monitoring
The complete effects section not only adds flexibility to the recording chain , but even does away with the need for an external mixer or additional latency-inducing software. Latency-free monitor mixes can be easily created - complete with EQ and Reverb - e.g. for the main studio monitors and the headphone of the vocalist(s) in the recording room.

DIGICheck
RME's DIGICheck Analyzer is a free suite of professional audio analysis tools, providing users with additional measurements digital data feed in both directions with maximum precision.

The set of tools includes comprehensive multi-channel level metering (peak and RMS); a 30-Band spectrum/frequency analyser, plus correlation meter and vectorscope; a loudness metering tool for checking against the IT 1770 / EBU R128 standards commonly found in broadcast; and a Surround Audio Scope for surround sound level metering with extended correlation analysis, ITU weighting and ITU summing.

TotalMix Remote
TotalMix Remote is a network remote control app for all RME audio interfaces and sound cards. Available as a free download via the RME website, TotalMix Remote allows for full control of the hardware mixer and effects section of the Fireface UCX II via a network-connected PC, Mac or Apple iPad, including wirelessly over Wi-Fi!

TotalMix Remote mirrors the current state of the host system on the iPad and Windows/Mac computers - the entire mixing state, the complete routing, all FX settings, up to the level meters, and everything in real-time.

TotalMix Remote supports up to three hosts with multiple interfaces each, allowing Apple's popular iPad and Windows/Mac computers to adjust all the mixer and FX settings from a distance, via Ethernet and Wi-Fi.

SteadyClock FS - FemtoSecond Clocking Technology
The RME Fireface UCX II also features RME's latest digital clocking and jitter rejection technology, 'SteadyClock FS'. Originally developed for RME's award-winning ADI-2 Pro FS range of high-end AD/DA converters, SteadyClock FS reduces the intrinsic jitter (when converting to and from analogue over all digital formats) to a new all-time low.

All clock modes provide excellent performance and astonishingly high-quality analogue conversion, allowing you to hear your mix exactly as it is. What's more, RME's digital format conversion occurs without any loss to the signal, and SteadyClock FS ensures your sonic image will never experience any kind of degradation. This helps to optimize recordings and mixes, ensuring the soundstage is replicated to the fullest depth and clarity.

Connections

• 20 Input / 20 Output channels
• 8 x Analogue I/O
• 2 x Mic/ Line Preamps, digitally controlled
• 2 x Line / Instrument inputs, digitally controlled
• AES/EBU and SPDIF I/O
• ADAT I/O
• Word clock I/O (switchable)
• MIDI I/O
• USB 2.0 (USB 3 compatible)
• DURec / Direct connection for ARC USB