1 Topic by fantomaz (edited by fantomaz 2021-04-14 13:07:00)

  • Registered: 2018-08-03
  • Posts: 4

Topic: UFX + real world buffer settings Ableton Mac

Hi guys, I can't seem to find anything about this using the search button.

I am thinking of replacing my 15 years old Fireface 400 by a brand new UFX +

This is for a touring/rehearsal setup in which we use 3 macbook pros running ableton live in sync.

Can any of you give me REAL WORLD minimal stable buffer settings @ 48k for a 2015 2,5 I7 16 gig macbook pro (catalina) running live 11?

We use a few pre recorded things but it is a lot of improvised music so we typically have 3/4 Vtsi playing midi, 8 tracks playing audio, and MORE IMPORTANTLY at least 4 tracks of audio thru SOFTWARE MONITORING in Live and a couple of vsti played live.  This of course is for my setup only.

I know I could use totalmix for pre monitoring, there is no way do sync live properly using pre monitoring in totalmix, we tried, trust me... :-) 

Any real world experience of UFX + on mac with ableton live 10 or 11 would be appreciated!

Thanks in advance,

F.

2 Reply by fantomaz (edited by fantomaz 2021-04-14 20:57:50)

  • Registered: 2018-08-03
  • Posts: 4

Re: UFX + real world buffer settings Ableton Mac

Hi Ramses,

Thank you for taking the time to answer. I am quite familiar with the concepts you developed here, I have been using digital audio interfaces for a long long time, everything you so nicely explained was already pretty clear to me, but thanks for taking the time! :-)

What I am looking for here is people who have had REAL LIFE experiences with the UFX+ using TB2 on a mid 2015 macbook pro using Ableton live with similar sessions BEFORE I spend 2.250 € on a RME UFX+

In my experience, NOTHING beats real life experience.

For example:

There is a full 162 pages thread on gearslutz about RTL of all current interfaces that places the UAD Apollo X8 in a top 20 position alongside the UFX+

I happen to own one of those, and the sad reality is that, as good as their console app is great for near zero latency monitoring with tons of plugins and their plugins are great, their actual AUDIO interface is pretty wonky and unstable at low buffer settings and their driver puts quite a heavy load on the cpu. The REAL LIFE RTL values, with the appropriate settings that make the console app usable and which I am not going to publish here are actually quite a bit worse than my 15 years old fireface 400 :-)

As I am a VERY good thomann customer, I guess I could order an UFX+ and find out by myself if it works for my purposes, but I never liked returning gear, I guess I'm a bit old fashioned that way... :-) And I suppose making educated decisions is what forums are about, right? :-)

So, anyone with a UFX+ and 2015 or more recent macbook pro using Ableton Live 10 or 11?

What is the lowest stable buffer setting @ 48.000hz that you manage on a small session with 4 live audio inputs in software monitoring and a low cpu overhead vsti being played live?

All real life experiences much much appreciated!

Thanks in advance!   

F.

3 Reply by ramses (edited by ramses 2021-04-15 07:27:19)

  • ramses
  • DAW Mastermind
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  • From: UTC+1
  • Registered: 2012-10-14
  • Posts: 12,869

Re: UFX + real world buffer settings Ableton Mac

Sry misunderstanding, I overlooked that you don't have it yet. I deleted my posting above to make some room in the thread.
Thanks for some interesting information about Apollo.

Maybe no one has exactly this combination of hardware and applications. If no one comes forward, I would just try it to get some clarity here. I also don't like to return things, but sometimes there's no other way.

This Macbook Pro also seems to have Thunderbolt, which would fit perfectly here. Under Windows/ASIO, Thunderbolt has a smaller RTL of up to 0.5 ms compared to USB3.

I think there is no better recording interface than the UFX+. It's definitely the best and most flexible interface for you. If something doesn't work the way you want it to, I would also try out other DAWs to get a feel for whether the DAW might be limiting you (if you don't have to rely on Ableton for some reason).

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