• Registered: 2021-10-03
  • Posts: 2

Topic: Fireface 800 on win 10 PC?

Hi all,

I wonder if anyone can give me a definitive answer on whether a FF800 could be made to work with a Windows 10 laptop with thunderbolt 3 / usb-C ?

I've heard of people using adapters to achieve this with seemingly more success on Mac than on PC.

Really hoping there might be a reliable (preferably supported) way of doing this on windows 10.

Cheers smile

2 Reply by waedi (edited by waedi 2021-10-03 21:48:01)

  • waedi
  • DAW Mastermind
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  • From: Swiss Zürich
  • Registered: 2020-12-08
  • Posts: 3,388

Re: Fireface 800 on win 10 PC?

You ask for too much. A definitive and supported answer for a firewire interface if it will work on a computer without firewire port.
I would buy the apple adapters from a onlineshop where you can send it back if it don't work.
for example from here :
https://www.digitec.ch/de/s1/product/ap … er-5984812

M1-Sonoma, Madiface Pro, Digiface USB, Babyface silver and blue
  • Registered: 2021-10-03
  • Posts: 2

Re: Fireface 800 on win 10 PC?

As I suspected... running FW on Windows is just too much of a gamble.

Fireface 802 looks like the right thing for me... interestingly the Steinberg AX4U also looks like almost exactly the same interface.

  • waedi
  • DAW Mastermind
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  • From: Swiss Zürich
  • Registered: 2020-12-08
  • Posts: 3,388

Re: Fireface 800 on win 10 PC?

The main part of an interface is the driver software.
The look of the box don't tell it.
As you are looking at the 802, may have a closer look at the UFX+, expandability is better there.
Coming from FF800 to 802 the way is clear, there will some improvement come ahead one time for sure.

M1-Sonoma, Madiface Pro, Digiface USB, Babyface silver and blue

5 Reply by ramses (edited by ramses 2021-10-05 15:37:31)

  • ramses
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  • From: UTC+1
  • Registered: 2012-10-14
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Re: Fireface 800 on win 10 PC?

waedi wrote:

The main part of an interface is the driver software.

Sorry, but then you didn't understand the whole design.
It's not only about  stable and lag free drivers and software, with RME you get more..

You also need to add hardware and RME specific features like e.g. Steadyclock, Steadyclock FS, RME specific MADI extensions (MIDI over MADI, Delay Compensation), Auxdevice Support for XTC (and hopefully soon 12Mic) and features like Autoset, DURec, ...

And regarding hardware, the whole hardware design:
- FPGA based design, where nearly everything can be fixed later by firmware upgrade, this makes a huge difference and is one of the cornerstones of being able to support the products for such a long time with driver/sw updates up to 20+y for some devices already.
- communication to PC is being performed through FPGA, not 3rd party communication chips, where nothing could be changed and not a single bug could be fixed
- experience to use the chips in the best possible way, example: see the new ADI-2 DAC where the new DAC chip itself has no invernal over protection, this was solved by RME firmware, etc
- proper circuit designs

BR Ramses - UFX III, 12Mic, XTC, ADI-2 Pro FS R BE, RayDAT, X10SRi-F, E5-1680v4, Win10Pro22H2, Cub13