• Registered: 2022-09-27
  • Posts: 8

Topic: Mic Pre with UFX+ interface?

Hello, all.  First post here.  I did search and read the manual, but could find a clear-cut answer, so hoping for some help here!  I have an RME UFX+ interface for my small home studio.  I am considering building out a 6 space 500 series rack for some outboard gear and the most likely first purchase (besides the chassis) will be a mic pre.  I wanted to ask if there's an optimal way to patch this into the back of the UFX+.  I was assuming I would use the inputs and the outputs on the back of the UFX+ and pair them with the same inputs and outputs on the back of the unit. I can then add each discrete input/output as I/O in Cubase and "insert" that particular module as an insert or a send just like I would a plugin (I'm doing that with an outboard compressor at the moment, so was just going to mimic that approach x 6). 

I wanted to ask if that's the most sensible approach, and also wanted to ask if plugging my primary vocal mic into the mic pre instead of the input on the UFX+ would "override" the preamp for that channel on the UFX+ in favor of the outboard gear?  The mic pres have a mic input on them, and I'd essentially be putting the mic pre into the signal path before the interface, but just wanted to understand how the UFX+ reacts to that situation when the setup is mic --> mic pre --> UFX+.

I hope that makes sense and would appreciate any help you can provide!

2 Reply by ramses (edited by ramses 2022-09-28 17:23:15)

  • ramses
  • DAW Mastermind
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  • From: UTC+1
  • Registered: 2012-10-14
  • Posts: 13,132

Re: Mic Pre with UFX+ interface?

You can connect 500 lunchboxes with their analog ports to the analog inputs of the UFX+ without any problems.

If you want to keep some analog inputs free for other devices, you could also buy a lunchbox with a digital ADAT interface.
https://www.thomann.de/de/cranborne_audio_500adat.htm
Then the A/D conversion is done directly inside the lunchbox.

You can also connect an additional AD/DA converter via ADAT or MADI to the UFX+ and connect the Lunchbox to the analog ports, which is connected through ADAT / MADI.

These are the possibilities.

Least cost you might have by connecting the lunchbox directly to the analog ports of the UFX+.

> I wanted to ask if that's the most sensible approach, and also wanted to ask if plugging my primary vocal mic
> into the mic pre instead of the input on the UFX+ would "override" the preamp for that channel on the UFX+
> in favor of the outboard gear?

Every I/O port is a port of its own. An audio signal in input X can't override another audio signal on input Y.

BR Ramses - UFX III, 12Mic, XTC, ADI-2 Pro FS R BE, RayDAT, X10SRi-F, E5-1680v4, Win10Pro22H2, Cub14