RME has recently announced the launch of the Fireface UCX II, the successor to the iconic Fireface UCX audio interface, in celebration of its 25th Anniversary.

Featuring 40 channels of I/O and full stand-alone operation and recording ­as well as RME’s SteadyClock FS digital clocking, the Fireface UCX II has been designed to mark a new standard in their field of professional half-rack audio interfaces.

The Fireface UCX II is a flexible interface designed for high-precision studio and live recording and represents 25 years of RME’s digital audio innovations.

25 Years Of RME Audio

Throughout its 25 year history, RME has been fully committed to a principle of flexibility. For company founder Matthias Carstens, this lies at the heart of RME's success. The Fireface UCX II boasting up to 20 recording and 20 playback channels, SteadyClock FS, high-performance microphone inputs, built-in parametric EQ, direct recording to USB memory sticks and external hard drives (DURec), 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.

RME Fireface UCX II Features And I/O

The Fireface UCX II’s front panel houses 2 x mic/line combo XLR preamps, 2 x digitally controlled line/instrument inputs and a headphone output (which can also double up as an unbalanced stereo output).

As well as the newly updated display, a large main volume encoder and set of buttons enable full control over the device, as well as level metering for all incoming and outgoing audio signals. The UCX II offers full stand-alone operation, with all functions controllable directly from the front of the unit - including EQ and Dynamics - as well as control over device states (clocking and sample rates) and DURec.

The rear panel features 10 analogue balanced line inputs and outputs, MIDI I/O, ADAT I/O, AES/EBU and SPDIF I/O (via the included breakout cable), switchable word clock I/O on BNC, a mains power connection, plus a USB port for interfacing with a Mac, PC or Apple iPad.

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.

RME Fireface UCX II DURec (Direct USB Recording)

A secondary USB connection allows for the connection of USB memory sticks and external hard drives, and can alternatively be used for direct connection of RME’s optional ARC USB remote control.

Thanks to the Direct USB Recording functionality (aka DURec), any input or output of the Fireface UCX II can be recorded directly to a USB storage device via the integrated DSP, allowing for full stand-alone recording and playback without the need to connect to a computer.

Individual tracks can be named in advance via RME’s TotalMix FX software mixer, with potential applications for DURec including the creation of simultaneous backup recordings in the studio; the recording of live performances and rehearsals; multi-track field recording; or the performing of virtual sound-checks at a live music venue (e.g. via playback of a previous night¹s show).

SteadyClock FS ­ FemtoSecond Clocking Technology

The Fireface UCX II also features RME’s latest jitter rejection technology SteadyClock FS, which uses the same digital clock technology found on RME¹s award-winning ADI-2 Series.

SteadyClock FS allows for astonishingly high-quality AD and DA conversion, optimising both recording and playback quality, and replicating the soundstage to the fullest depth and clarity.

Included Software: TotalMix FX, TotalMix Remote & DIGICheck

The Fireface UCX II comes with the TotalMix FX DSP mixer, a free companion app - TotalMix Remote and RME’s DIGICheck Analyzer, a free suite of audio analysis tools that provides Windows and Mac users with professional measurement and analysis of all digital data feeds in both directions, and with maximum precision.

How To Use RME TotalMix FX - A Beginners Guide To Digital Real-time Mixing

Pricing and Availability

The RME Fireface UCX II is expected to begin shipping in July 2021, with an RRP of £1149.00. For more information on the RME Fireface UCX II, visit the Synthax Audio UK website.