That cable comes with the Babyface. If you need more - easy to find everywhere, for example:

http://www.amazon.com/Cables-Go-28108-Y … B0013LSFJI

You know what would make this even more perfect than perfection itself?

controlling the mixer and pre amps with midi or OSC while in cc mode with the IPAD.

I know that midi and OSC control are TotalMix features, which doesn't work in cc mode, but, you know, this cc mode workaround really shows how RME can come up with amazing and unpredictable solutions, so I can dream, yep?

Thanks and Merry Christmas!

Did my first recording today with the ipad and babyface. The fact that the ipad is a fanless computer is the biggest win here. You can have it on the same room as the mic without adding noise to the signal.

Also, I turned on the phantom power with the babyface on bus power (ipad's power adapter, as on the picture I posted earlier in this thread) and it did not dropped the connection. Good.

This has been answered elsewhere in this forum... Not possible, sorry.

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Not seen much mention of android.... But found a nice simple app for recording stereo from the babyface into my nexus 7...
https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta … ecorderpro

There is a multi track version coming soon

https://archiv.rme-audio.de/download/cc … face_e.pdf

Page 7: Switch Output Routing / Monitoring

Skype routing: Not at this time, sorry.

Help!  I just updated the firmware to 203 with current driver.  I was curious about CC and standalone.  I have got the unit into CC mode, and cannot get back to normal operation.  Am I missing something?  I have read the documentation.  I just cannot get it back.
Thanks!
-Eric

I got a 6-12V, 1A power supply from RadioShack and am using an Apple CCK into the latest iPad with lightning connector.  I'm following the proper order and I"m sure the BF is in CC mode but I still get the "this device draws too much power" message.  There's no sign of life from the BF as far as lights. 

Any ideas? When I run power into the second branch of the RME-provided USB cable, it seems to work but that would require a VERY close by power supply or ANOTHER cord (an extension) so I thought I'd just check.

Any ideas? Is the RadioShack supply just crap? Where does one order a US-ready power supply as recommended by RME?

I'm excited to give it a try!

I would like to share some of my experience with the RME Babyface as a portable recording device.
I use it with an ipad mini and an external battery with 10.000 mAh and it took me a while to figure out what causes the problems that I experienced.

CLASS COMPLIANT MODE:
Running the Babyface in CC Mode works as long as there is enough power for it and sometimes it's not obvious that there's not enough power for it. The Babyface might seem totally normal, and the LEDs are working as they should but if there are some problems regarding power (power peaks) - the program you work with on the ipad will start to act weird.
I work with Auria as my main DAW on the ipad and insufficient power can result in wrong timecode, slow recording, crackles, blackouts during recording and the ipad might unmount the Babyface from time to time.

As every setup is different I can only speak for my 10.000 mAh battery pack that i had bought on amazon (easyacc -27€) but it might also happen with other battery packs. This one has two USB connections - one labeled with 1A and one with 2A.

First of all, I can use the Babyface in CC mode with microphones that don't need 48 Volt Phantom Power (dynamics + ribbons) running from the 1A USB output of the battery. This works flawlessly!

Phantom Power nevertheless caused problems and even using the 2A USB output did not help. Auria was unstable and in the end unusable - sometimes it worked for minutes but everything acted weird and I had lots of problems. It might seem that the problem is Auria or the ipad but that's not the case - the problem are power peaks.

So I bought a USB Y-Power adapter cable (see picture) to connect the two usb ports of the battery (2A and 1A) at the same time. I connected his Y-Cable to the Y- Cable that RME provides to power the Babyface. Now 48 Volt mode on two channels is possible without problems!

STAND ALONE MODE

Stand alone mode is an amazing feature. With an external recorder (like a Zoom H1, H2 or others) you can record two microphones (using the RME preamps!) and record the signal via the line-in of the recorder. This is the smallest setup I ever had to record audio in good quality. It doesn't need as much power as CC Mode but you can also run into problems when using Phantom Power in stand alone mode:

1A battery output connected to Babyface:

With 48 Volt engaged I experienced high pitched noises that are connected to the flashing LEDs of the Babyface. Every time there is some signal
that makes the LEDs light up there is a high pitched noise that is added to the signal. You have to listen carefully as it's only added if there is some sound and you might not hear it when there is silence. You can help yourself by selecting "OUT" on the Babyface and reduce the level to the minimum so the LEDs won't flash at all or you change the power connection to the 2A USB plug of the battery. I recorded the line signal from the phones output to feed my external recorder, so i didn't need the "OUT" to have any level at all.

2A battery output to Babyface:

No problems with 48 Volt Power. Enjoy!

In general: Once you set the levels for the input source at the Babyface - switch to display the output that you don't need (phones or out) and reduce the level to a minimum to have no flashing LEDs. This should prevent noises even if the power drops.

I hope I could help some of you. I'm absolutely amazed by the new possibilities of the Babyface and I can't wait for the Totalmix FX APP!

Best,

Raphael

PS: RME - if you still need some beta testers for the Total Mix App you are highly welcome !

Not yet - I'm sick at the moment but will do some recording sessions next week and keep you posted.
(During my tests I powered the Babyface for a few hours and the battery still appears to be full...)

Hello,

and thanks for the detailed review. I would like to point out some things that might help to get your setup working better. The most important information is that the CCK is powered from the iPad, not from the other side (...battery). The effects that you experienced therefore are - most probably - caused by the voltage drop between battery and Babyface. You used an extension chord and the original Y cable, which takes the battery at the far other end, away from the Babyface. The ideal solution would be to insert the power from the battery via a B to B plug directly at the Babyface. See the photo in post 28 on page 1 of this thread. But please don't ask where to buy such a B to B plug for connection with a battery...

That said it might work better already by simply using a different USB cable. The one provided with the Babyface is good, but can detoriate over time. I had several dying slowly, mostly caused by internal breaking due to continous use and replugging.

Finally you are right by questioning the battery. I have several ones, and they all behave differently. They react differently on switching on phantom power, for example. The biggest one I have makes the BF go into flashing sqeek mode, until I switch it into charging mode (actually without being charged) - which is complely wrong according to the manual...but then it works. Chinese crap (sorry China).

Do you think that the Babyface could be powered with 6 AA batteries each providing 1.2 Volts? With something like this:
http://www.ebay.de/itm/Batteriehalter-6 … 43ba32bb55

@Roughgear
I have been wondering about the aqvox linear transformer (post 28)...or something equivallent. But as MC said, I would certainly try a much, much shorter lead on your setup before looking at another lipo battery.
I have been looking at the anker 20000 mha and the 3amp 10000 mha. I would be looking at a cable lenght of about 8-10 cm max..... like the output cable length of the aqvox.
I must say, I have been amazed in the past with how much voltage drop can occur in 1 meter of cable, and that was at 12 volts. No phantom power. And not audio related...but....

Here is where I think I am going: An aqvox linear transformer type thing, with a modded usb b cable (swappable to an anker or to the aqvox. But it would have to be a bloody good bit of soldering and a good connector!

It would be very interesting to see the current draw from your setup, but yes, you need bridge the conection from batery to bbfce, taking into consideration the test probe.
Have you tried just 1 mic?
regardless,  It must be very close to the max draw of your easyacc. That coupled with noise x long cable would be enough i guess (and it is a guess - i am no electrician) to drop out the bbfce.

Your posts have been very considered and are very helpfull. I am keen to know your progress. I am happy that  i stayed with the bbfce. I'll let you know how I go.
Tog.

Hello again,

I did some further test and I found a solution that works very well for me.

The weak point for field recordings is the buspower via USB when running the Babyface in CC mode connected to the ipad.
As stated above it works with an external akku pack if you are not using phantom power - but it can be very unreliable / unuseable if you need 48 Volt on both mic inputs.

MC from RME posted that the Babyface needs at least 5,7 Volts to work properly via the DC power jack in the back.
@ togril - the link above is the right direction, but you need more power.

I bought a battery holder for 6 AA batteries and put an DC Adaptor to it. For my test I used 6 Eneloop rechargeable batteries with 1900 mAh and 1,2 Volts. So I ended up with 6 x 1,2 = 7,2 Volts.
With this setup I could use the Babyface with two condensers and 48 Volts enabled for 260 Minutes! Over 4 hours of recording time.
If that's not enough for you, you can also get a 8 AA battery holder (8 x 1,2 = 9,6 Volts) or use non rechargeable batteries that are more powerful at 1,5 Volts. (6 x 1,5 is 9 V). Running it from a 9 Volt block battery is not possible by the way. (less than 5 minutes before switching off...)

For me this is the ideal solution, as these batteries are easily accessible and the battery holder and clip cost 3 euros all together.
And most important: no problems at all...

@ RME - If you would offer me a RME made battery holder of good quality (light metal case instead of cheap chinese plastic) for 6 or 8 AA
batteries to power the Babyface, the Quad mic, etc... I WOULD BUY IT.

Cheers,

R.

PS: Be aware to save your Auria Projects regularly. If the power drops and the babyface switches off then Auria switches to internal mic (track one) and stops recording the second track. The wav of the second track will later be empty!

Hi there all and thanks for all the info so far.
Wanting to add my experiences to the thread  both to get some help, and hopefully help others.

My Situation:
I'm going to a remote location in the amazon to do some field recordings.
I wanted the highest quality portable solution I could get.
I picked up a Babyface, new iPad(4/lightning), auria, and some easy acc 12000 mAh batteries.
Haven't received the batteries yet, so trying the setup out via the 2.4A wall charger for the iPad, through the RME Y-cable into the Babyface USB port.
I have the latest iOS (6.1.3) and firmware (204). I'm using the apple CCK.

Progress and Problems:
Connected everything as instructed in this post / PDF
iPad was constantly crashing, playback stopping, etc.
Turned off phantom power - all good! Recording and playback go for minutes without any crashes! Looked like it'd go longer but it's just testing phase right?
Because I'm using condensers that need the phantom I can't comment on whether I'm getting the digital distortion others have described - I'm just doing dry runs.

Decisions/The Future:
1) anyone else been able to get phantom power to work on iPad 4 / Babyface / cc mode VIA BUS POWER? I won't have the luxury of using AC mains where I'm going.
2) anyone else tried roughgear's solution? Any elegant / reliable or prefab'd products that do what he's described (>5.7 V of DC output, not requiring AC power and enough capacity / mAh to run for 4 hrs plus). It'd be a real plus if this dream unit was itself rechargeable so I wouldn't have to lug around a AA charger or heaps of non- rechargeable AA's.

Awesome work roughgear...lets take it to the next level!
Otherwise I'll have to get the best large diaphragm dynamics I can find, settle for something like the rode M3's, or go big and throw down on some Telefunken ela m 260's with the LiPo field recording setup (spine chill...)

I leave next week so any advice/experience greatly appreciated!
Ps my backup is the rode iXY into my iPhone - nice little package...

Yes, an external phantom power supply would also solve these issues. The firmware can not solve those problems. Lipos are nice and cheap, but limited to +5V (higher voltages are avalable, but quite expensive). It would be possible to use two of them in serial to get 10V, then go into the power supply socket of the BF. But that requires a self-made USB to USB to power connector cable...

Thinking more and more that the portable phantom supply is going to be the best workaround. Anyone had any success with this so far?

my mobile setup
Motorola Xoom tablet
Audio Evolution pro
RME Babyface
generic 5000mah USB battery
RME Babyface
Rode NT4

I also add on a focusrite octopre via ADAT to give me 10 channels recording if required. (but need mains for that)
On full charge I usually get around 4 and a half hours until the USB battery dies, and so far not had a single issue (i could use a 9v battery inside the NT4 but i find it seems a bit noisier that way)

I just ordered a lipo pack with amazing 14.400 mAh capacity and quite low price (below 50 Euros) from Amazon. The special thing about it is that it not only provides USB output (5V) but also +9V and +12 V output (I either missed this one before or it is a newer product). I expect this one to fully solve all the above problems. Will report on Tuesday.

Hi MC,

it's a new product and I was about to order it when i realized that the babyface works best with an external power supply. THen I realized, that for my work I'll be more flexible with an external battery holder.

I have some new test results for you:

The Babyface powered by 8 Eneloop rechargeable 1.2 Volt AA batteries will work for aprox. 420 min. (422 min. for me to be precise) which means 7 hours(!) with two phantom powered condenser mics.
http://www.conrad.de/ce/de/product/6156 … 29-x-59-mm

(As posted, it worked for 260 min. with 6 x AA batteries and phantom power for me) So - no need to buy an external phantom power supply which means extra cables and so on...

I also bought a new akku pack with a smaller form factor (and less power) than the one I had used before.
It's an Anker with 5600 mAh and I was able to record with the Babyface and two dynamic mics for 420 minutes.
http://de.ianker.com/anker-astro-extern … 3V1-B8P56A

All I  would really need now is Totalmix FX for iOS Hurry - Summer is almost gone...

Best,

Roughgear

Yes, all my attempts to get an anker astro pro device (like this or the pro2) have been thwarted due to location. (Australia).

Hi all, can't seem to get babyface to work in CC mode with ipad.  Usually I can find solutions on line but have not found anyone experiencing the same problem - so here it is:

Using an ipad 4 (lightening connector) with iOS 6.1.3.  RME Babyface snow edition with firmware 204.  Apple camera connection kit (lightening to USB).

I can put the babyface into class compliant mode, and also connect to external power supply.  When I connect to the ipad, the signal disappears from the headphone out and the speakers, but does not pass through to the babyface.  Also when I push play in iTunes, the program just hangs without playing and a few seconds later resets to stop.  I understand that the ipad volume should not function when the babyface is connected, but I can still move the volume slider in iTunes.  Also the hard volume buttons on the side of the ipad will move the volume slider up and down (though there is no audible effect since the actual signal is not showing up anywhere).

I know that the babyface is in class compliant mode because when I switch it out of CC mode, the ipad shows the 'I don't recognize this device' window.  I also know that the external power (from wall plug - not battery pack) is sufficient because when I pull the power the ipad tells me there isn't enough power to run the device. 

I tried reinstalling the firmware and also setting the clock to internal 44.1 using fire face USB settings on my Mac.  No change in behaviour.  I've followed the cable hook up instructions as outlined in the RME PDF instructions and gotten the same result.

With everything connected, I have checked the ipad general settings to confirm that the camera connection kit is being recognized and it is.

Just for the record - the babyface works perfectly with my Mac...

So I'm kind of stuck!  If anyone has any ideas or suggestions I'd love to hear from you!  Thanks in advance,
John

Hi Max,  Thanks for the quick response!
Yes, I did try that order, and just to be sure I tried it again right now.  Same problem, but I did notice that when I plugged the CCK to the ipad, the right input channel on the babyface lit up to the peak LED then sat idle.  I wonder if the ipad needs a hard reset or something of that nature?

Thanks again!
John

Hi John,

are you connecting the external power supply with the usb cable? I had the same problem with my ipad4...
Powering the Babyface directly did the job!

Gavin