Thunderbolt 3 w/ USB-C is outdated? Then I assume you would agree with me that Firewire and TB1, and TB2 (currently being sold by RME is WAY< WAY more outdated. However I found this: Thunderbolt 3 is capable of transmitting at a rate of 40 Gbps, which is a lot quicker than USB 3.1's rate of 10 Gbps or USB 3.0's limit of 5 Gbps. It's also double the bandwidth of Thunderbolt 2 (20 Gbps). https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/thunderbolt-3-guide

If TB3/USB-C is outdated, what connection protocol is available in Mac's that are currently available? USB4? Okay, I'll take USB 4 interface.

4in/12 out, 6in/16 out 24-32 channels. I don't need, nor do I want to pay for features/connectors I won't use like,word clock, S/PDIF, AES, etc. Not everyone has a giant studio filled with legacy gear. The vast majority of users are home recording enthusiasts who want quality pre's, AD/DA conversion, and rock solid drivers.

Yes, I DEFINATELY want TotalMix FX. I LOVE the concept.

The ability to record a guitar dry/DI and later send that recording out of a 1/4in high impedance out, which can then be connected to pedal fx and amp, then recorded with a mic or through a load box/DI like my Two-Notes Captor X.

Which costs $2800. That's why I said earlier, RME needs a product to bridge the gap between the Babyface - $949 - and the UFX+. The product that sits there now is the UC and UCX which are 10 years old with outdated Firewire and USB 2.

RME needs an updated interface in the $1500 range as a UA Apollo Twin X alternative. My suggestion is either an updated UCX or a cut down UFX+ The gap between Babyface and UFX+ is far too great.

That's not necessary. The product that is obviously missing in RME's catalog is a bridge product between Babyface and UFX+. The gap between the two is $1811 dollars.

UFX+($2800) - (minus) Babyface($949) = $1811

RME needs a product that falls between the two and is up to date with connectivity, DSP, and UFX+ style features. This lack of product is keeping me from being part of the RME family!

Tell me, which RME interface is a UA Apollo Twin X Quad Core ($1399 US) alternative???

I don't work for RME and have no idea what they are planning but would not be surprised if they update the UCX at some point with most of what you are looking for. I have UCX and ADI2 PRO FS which I both acquired only fairly recently (both new), and even though I knew UCX is older design I decided to go for it anyway and have absolutely no regrets - both are amazing devices and the sound quality I have been enjoying after investing in RME is out of this world!  By the way, I decided to get UCX over babyface because I don't particularly like the babyface form factor (although if I was not always using the device at my desk it would perhaps be more attractive than UCX - but the UCX has the same physical format as my ADI2 and that was on of the selling points - they are neatly stacked on top of each other on my desk and that setup is simply perfect for me).

I understand. I am not using firewire with my UCX - I'm on Windows 10 going back a few years now (after being a passionate OSX user for many years I switched few years ago because I became very frustrated with Apple for not refreshing the computers I was interested in for way too long - I was primarily interested in Mac Pro and Mac mini on the deskop and they were completely neglected). Anyhow, I am finding RME with usb2 is working perfectly fine and is very stable with UCX on Windows 10 machine (RME drivers and Totalmix are the true selling points of RME as far as I'm concerned).

As long as there are usb ports that can give usb2 compatibility, the ucx or any usb2 rme device is a perfect solution.
There is no gain in sending 16 audio tracks over usb3 vs usb2 Only when the (almost) full bandwidth is not enough you will need usb3 (like the UFX+).
There might be a small advantage to TB over usb. But again the implementation needs to be faultless then.
In fact there are more chances of a good working usb2 chip. Of course apple is crazy (or genius) with its approach to backward compatibility. Anything apple can be obsolete in the next year(s) by design.
Cheers!

That's where I'm at. I'm watching Reverb for a deal on a UCX.maybe. idk. B-stock or factory repack.

The UFX II is a beautiful machine. As a home recording enthusiast, I only need half of a UFX II, which leads me to the UC. Believe me, I've been trying to talk myself into it, but when I go to read the reviews of the UC or UCX, they're all 10 years old.

That's very old hardware. That's a lifetime in technology. RME has addressed the Babyface with a major overhaul update, the UC/UCX has to be in line for a makeover as well.

Just curious, are your devices usb-c ? Do you need it for tracking extra channels that bandwidth provide? Why do you need the latest ad/da enhancements, have you done comparison testing? I'm on an original ADI-2 and am baffled at the fidelity, (but don't have any experience owning higher end gear than that, only lesser quality - MOTU, M-Audio, Focusrite etc.). I'm not looking to upgrade to the ADI-2 Pro because of it's ad/da enhancements, unless I become sponsored or make a hit song or something Anyway, just wanted to point out for a device like the UCX, you don't need better than USB 2.0, given the channel count, so it's currently cross compatible with almost all devices acrost many generations, which I applaud, and assume (think I read) that is why RME chose that plug, also it's usually tougher than the small USB-C plug - basically long story short, they thought this suggestion through already.

(EDIT: Though I'm sure they'll probably review such a thought, as soon as there's a real need for it)

And may I add, many of you probably remember the old mini firewire that was on some PC laptops - such a pain with those mini, micro etc. plugs that could fall out easily, get bent etc..Luckily it looks like you can get strong USB-C plugs and cables, but I don't know how industry standard it is yet in the Pro circuits.. someone higher up may chime in on this