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RME User Forum → FireWire & USB series → upgrade UFX - UCX II.
I have two RME units, an old UC that I sometimes use when I am not at home and a UFX that I use only for recording an acoustic instrument at a professional level.
I am considering changing the UFX for the UCX II as I mostly use only 2 microphones. Could someone tell me if there would be any noticeable improvement in terms of preamps and converters in this upgrade? The only thing I use from the unit is the recording, no midi, no effects...
Thank you for the insight.
Both are very good units.
You find the technical data in the technical section of the manuals.
You can also use my Excel file to compare the features, from this blog: https://www.tonstudio-forum.de/blog/Ent … B-MADIfac/
Direct link to Excel file: https://www.tonstudio-forum.de/attachme … 4-08-xlsx/
Also a PDF available there.
Thank you for the answer. The sheet is very impressive, but still doesn't answer what I'd like to know. Excuse me if my lack of knowledge is making me miss something.
The preamps of the UFX are the same as from the Micstasy, this is what it says, and the UCX II says Redesigned. So, if you would compare both units which ones perform better?
RME preamps are known to be transparent and of high quality .. there is no vodooo, no mojo/custom/house sound, simply excellent A/D, D/A conversion.
There are no "night / day" differences that are easily recognizeable and you can't deduce it from pure technical data as many technical details are on such a high level, that it's perhaps measurable, but not audible.
You would need to make a blind test on your own in your environment to be able to find a valid answer and it's much likely that in a blind test you won't find any difference.
So you should more concentrate on the features, you need to look whether there is something from which you think that you will urgently need it. The UFX was already a flagship interface, so it has no major deficites.
You can also read this article https://www.tonstudio-forum.de/blog/Entry/68-RME-UFX/ where the new UFX+ (and UFXII) are being compared with the older UFX. As the UCX II got some features from the UFX II/+ you get a few points highlighted before you dive into the technical details of differences from manual or my Excel. It's perhaps a good intro to you...
The preamps of the UFX are the same as from the Micstasy, this is what it says, and the UCX II says Redesigned. So, if you would compare both units which ones perform better?
A table like this needs simplifications. The 'preamps' are (obviously) not the same. The Micstasy has around 3 x more components per channel in the preamp section. What the table means is that they use the same mic preamp chip for the core amplification. There are still differences between Micstasy and UFX, which become obvious when comparing the tech specs of the preamp section. There is no 'sound' difference, though. Same for the UCX II, they just work (transparently) and do their job (low noise amplification).
Thank you for the replies. It is clear now.
I can have the UCX 2, is it better than the babyface pro fs? it's 1300€ vs 700€.
Is the latency lower?
I massively use VST, then mic recording.
Finally I bought the UCII. It is a fantastic unit, as expected from RME, and I sold my old UC.
Now I own a great UFX, that I love, and the UCII. So... may I ask what unit would you choose to record when you just need 2 mic inputs at home, and you have both units? I dont hear the difference between them, to be honest.
Finally I bought the UCII. It is a fantastic unit, as expected from RME, and I sold my old UC.
Now I own a great UFX, that I love, and the UCII. So... may I ask what unit would you choose to record when you just need 2 mic inputs at home, and you have both units? I dont hear the difference between them, to be honest.
It has often been pointed out in the forum that RME devices do not have their own sound, but a "transparent" sound (in the sense of "not own sound"). This means high quality AD and DA conversion, with as little sound distortion as possible.
In the course of time the AD- and DA-converters available on the market become faster and the values for SNR and distortion improve. But usually this is not audible, only measureble as those values are already quite high.
Older devices usually support a gain factor of up to 60/65 dB for microphone inputs. The newer units support up to 75 dB.
The UCX II is based on the microphone inputs of the UFX II, which are very similar to the inputs of the UFX+/12Mic in terms of technical data and are probably very similar.
However, higher gain values are usually only needed in very specific / special recording situations, when you have a combination of a quiet signal source and a dynamic mic. Usually you can work well with 60 or 65 dB gain. You only should avoid to raise the mic gain up too high, as this can introduce noise.
High SNR values are basically good, but it doesn't improve the sound. SNR is nowadays very high (higher than human ears could recognize), esp on line input/output channels. So it's much likely that a difference could be measured. As you say yourself you hear no difference...
So it's more likely that the connected devices are kind of a limitation here in terms of noise, having lesser SNR values compared to the analog port of the RME preamp.
I'd say, if you don't hear anything yourself, it doesn't matter what you use. The conected device will much likely be the limiting factor here in terms of noise.
If you just want to "feel better" yourself or to have the impresion "to be on the safer side", then just use the microphone input of the latest device, the UCX II. But I see no real necessity for that. Open up your mind, it all sound great, you can use what you want.
RME User Forum → FireWire & USB series → upgrade UFX - UCX II.
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