Topic: michaelvarecka: Looking for a solution, MADI or AVB based
Questions and Answers regarding your posting
https://forum.rme-audio.de/viewtopic.ph … 12#p205812
Is there a difference between the AD on the UFX3 and the m1610 pro?
You could try to answer this yourself by comparing the technical data of the AD/DA section of both devices. I can only tell that the UFX III got the proven converters that we know from the ADI-2 Pro FS (DA:AK4490, for AD I don't know exactly).
I wouldn't worry too much about the exact types of converters. RME converters deliver transparent high-quality conversion.
You can be sure that they will be of high quality to reach the measured values according to the manual.
You can also read the very positive reviews about these products (M-1610 Pro, M-32 Pro, ...). Just assume that RME builds very good quality here. As far as I remember, it was always said that the M-1610 has the proven technology of the M-32 Pro series built.
If I were to go with the m1610 pro and a MADIface USB, what sort of latency would I be getting with an M1 Macbook Pro MAX?
I do not know the MADIface USB from own use, but usually, you can expect the "same" (comparable) low RTL (round trip latency) from all RME products, no matter whether PCIe/TB/USB/FW based.
See here a comparison of RTL of different solutions at single speed (44.1 kHz) at different ASIO buffer sizes. Mac should deliver comparable values (there is an additional safety buffer for Mac, see manual). I extracted this information now from another blog article about the UFX+ because it's a topic of its own and asked rather frequently.
https://www.tonstudio-forum.de/blog/ent … cts-en-de/
I believe there is an option to connect directly via AVB (ethernet?) but it might not be as stable. Would this be comparable to the UFX3 via USB3?
I am not an expert in AVB, but I read here and there quite a bit about it.
macOS seems to have a rudimentary AVB support, but the operation is cumbersome, I read in this forum.
It sounded to my ears as if this is not the way to go, and you would lose TotalMix FX capabilities.
The 2nd thing which people do not seem to like about AVB is, that a change of clock rate (which can happen regularly in project or mastering studios) seems to need reconfiguration work on each of the AVB devices.
Maybe you need to set up even the streams newly, not 100% sure, it sounded to be more work compared to a MADI-based setups.
Then you require an AVB capable switch if you have more than one device, which adds to the cost.
With another LAN-based technology (DANTE) the complexity lies in the configuration of QoS.
What I want to say … a MADI-based solution, which is proven for decades over dedicated fibre connections, is IMHO still a solution which gives you many benefits. Cost wise and from an operational perspective.
Do I need the MADIface in order to access TotalMix or would this also work over AVB direct to the Macbook?
TotalMix FX requires the driver to access something like an RME "recording interface". TotalMix does not communicate with converters or preamps.
Similarly, could you go Digiface AVB USB instead of MADIface?
Yes, then you have an AVB based solution, see comments above.
One thing to consider, MADIface USB and Digiface AVB are "plain to the point".
No other type of I/O that could be helpful like with the UFX III (Mic, Inst ports, MIDI, ADAT, …)
Other alternatives beyond RME would be the Apollo X16 or Lynx Aurora N, but I like the reliability of RME.
I see it the same way: RME offers the best quality, features at a justified and still affordable price.
If you have the budget, I would go for an UFX III-based solution.
You can get an overview about the devices new features from this blog article, that I wrote last recently:
https://www.tonstudio-forum.de/blog/ent … iii-en-de/
It sounded as if you would have nothing against it, to get some high-quality preamps along with it.
You also get DURec for backup recordings and many other features.
Fully stand-alone operateable by the display.
Everything in one rack unit, a strong base for a setup with a high sustainability of purchase.
As a converter, I would recommend the M-1610 Pro connected via MADI (optical, use e.g. OM4 multimode cables) or the new M-32 Pro II AD and DA (maybe too expensive).
Or use the analogue I/O of the UFX III and wait a little, whether a 16 port version comes out, if there are so many requests for it.
Don't forget to add an ARC USB, you can connect it either directly to the UFX III or to the computer.
An option is to connect an ADI-2 Pro FS R BE at any time to enhance the monitoring section with the unique features of the device. You have e.g. the possibility to proof / ensure lossless audio end-to-end by using the bit test and many other useful features. It also gives you a sample rate converter (SRC) in case if you need it when connecting devices with a fix sample rate which is not the sample rate which you use in your DAW project.
More information here:
https://www.tonstudio-forum.de/blog/Ent … ses-EN-DE/
How to integrate the ADI-2 Pro FS into a setup, in this blog:
https://www.tonstudio-forum.de/blog/Ent … our-Setup/
If you want to compare different RME recording interfaces, see my Excel:
https://forum.rme-audio.de/viewtopic.php?id=35156