ADA Depot - A Forum To Support Users of ADA Amplification Gear
Miscellaneous => Recording - Studio Talk => Topic started by: Zilthy on January 01, 2021, 05:28:45 PM
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I knew I would be looking for a new interface sometime, my old faithful is at the end of life chain with no further OSX (or Windows Support). A couple of things happened and I found myself in a situation where I could get a new decked out Mac Mini M1 for my iMac so I pulled the trigger and found myself looking for a new interface. There are some partially supported options for Big Sur and Apple silicon chips (mainly USB class compliant interfaces - but their mixing software is behind), but RME, not surprisingly was the first one to immediately support the new version.
I did look and get a used previous version (Babyface Pro instead of Babyface Pro FS). RME is not cheap by any means. :/
After playing with it for a bit today, my first impressions are:
This thing makes me feel old. So many routing and other options for such a simple looking interface. Driver installation was a breeze and so was updating firmware, and getting to a basic point of recording and playback was easy, but that's just scratching the surface of what this thing can do. It should definitely fulfill any need I have for the next decade or so of recording.
It sounds great, but realistically, most modern interfaces do. The latency is impressive, < 3 ms roundtrip at 48khz 24 bit. < 1.5 ms direct monitoring. Not a huge deal given I don't need/use monitoring the way I have my setup arranged, but nice to have that option. It definitely seems cleaner than my other interfaces (Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 and MOTU Audio Express) but those were already what I wouldn't scoff at for sound or performance either.
Hopefully I will get a chance to do a little more recording and work on finishing something this weekend, but if not, I will have next weekend with the new DAW machine also.
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Congrats on the new toy!
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Great little toy.
I've been using RME (Fireface UCX & ADI-2) for years now, rock solid and clean as a whistle.
8) 8)
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I've been using RME for a number of years and they're rock solid, never had a crash. Of course there are glitches from time to time, but the PC is running itself low on memory to cause it. 48k and lighting fast. Congrats on RME.
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I just finished my first project and tracking with it, and I love it There is a definite clarity that I was missing before.
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There is a definite clarity that I was missing before.
:thumb-up: :thumb-up: :thumb-up:
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First project complete using the new Mac mini M1 and RME Babyface. I am really happy with that setup. Zero fan noise and rock solid both for the tracking/mixing/mastering and the video work, fast renders, and low latency. I kept the buffer at 32 samples the whole way through and never had a single glitch. Normally I have to bump them up a bit.
I used Logic Pro in native ARM mode (not Rosetta 2 Intel compatible) which did mean I had to limit myself to plugins that come with Logic. Fortunately, it pretty much has everything I need so I did not feel a lack. I do hope some of my sample libraries go native sooner rather than later though, but, I don't really think I need them. Which means, I've probably spent a lot on plugins over the years that I didn't really need to spend.
Anyway, I think this might have also been one of the best mixes I've ever done, I don't know how much of that is to a change of workflow or the RME interface (It really does seem clearer than my old Focusrite, especially in the imaging end of things)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXDtVpo_UT0
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That mix is indeed sounding nice and clear.
And so does the playing 8) 8) 8)
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Peter, your good advice from 12 years ago DID take a while to implement, but I still credit your good advice to any who would ask how and why I record. Nice to see you're still doing it even now. Heartwarming.
Zilthy you have a new subscriber! :whoohoo!:
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Peter, your good advice from 12 years ago DID take a while to implement, but I still credit your good advice to any who would ask how and why I record. Nice to see you're still doing it even now. Heartwarming.
^-^ ^-^
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Zilthy that was really good, nice playing and the mix was on point. Nice guitar sound too, what plugin did you use?
You now have 2 new subscribers! ;D
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Thank you everyone!
@MarshallJMP The guitar was not a plugin, that was my amp. I just meant only using plugins that came with logic like EQ, compressors, etc and no 3rd party plugins.
Signal Chain: Les Paul Traditional Pro V -> MXR GT-OD (clean boost) -> MXR Smart Gate -> Synergy SYN-30 [Soldano SLO module] -> Boss WAZA Tube Amp Expander [ Custom IR blend ]. There were just a couple bars with a MXR Micro Flanger on after the solo.
Very little processing on the guitar sounds, only a high and low pass filter with the channel EQ and a stereo delay plugin on a bus for the lead guitar.
It took me long enough to finally learn to fix it when tracking, and not try and fix it in the mix. :D
Another change I made this time was I defined the stages a bit more too. So, I didn't start mixing (other than the most basic setting of levels while tracking) until I was done tracking and producing, which lead to a couple of things I might not have normally done and gave the outro a bit more flavor. Once I had that I committed to it, and then just did the mixing. As mentioned before, I didn't do a whole lot, just a little eq and some compression on the bass and some drums, a splash of reverb on a couple of busses. Then I committed to that and finally did the master as it's own separate process.
I found it really helpful approaching it that way. Before I would often go back and forth and be doing it all at once. For me I ended up with something much stronger this time, and the mixing and mastering were the 'icing' rather than the cake.
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Agreed :thumb-up:
Clean mix indeed! Nice playing too (as usual), lots of pinch harmonics ;)
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Damn, I thought you found a really good sounding plugin ;D
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Make that 3 new subscribers :thumb-up:
Good sounding recording!
Harley 8)