Babyface
mattrixx on Gearslutz.com > Music Computers > the NEW duet2 versus RME Babyrace:
I've just sold a DUET (ver1) and bought the Babyface... OMG! The Babyface is incredible.. My main rig is a FireFace800, but the drivers for the Babyface are much faster in terms of latency. The pres on the BFace sound awesome!!! Read original
microwave on Gearslutz.com >Music Computers > the NEW duet2 versus RME Babyrace:
I too have used RME (FF800) and Apogee (Ensemble) and sound quality wise I have no problems with either. I'm sure the new Duet will be good - but I'll be buying the Babyface, despite the stupid name. ADAT makes it so versatile for such a tiny portable interface. You can do a surround mix with it. You can connect something like an Isa828 and track an ensemble. And RME's drivers are excellent. Read original
MatsH on Gearslutz.com > Music Computers > NEW: RME BabyFace with new Total Mix FX
Initial feelings about my brand new Babyface:
I love the bag. Could care more for the breakout cable but it will
probably last a while at least. For most of my applications, I won't
have to connect it anyway.
Good sound. It reminds me a bit of the Fireface 800 converters but with a
better headphone amp. The headphone output has RME sound, very
detailed, clear and focused. The UFX headphone output in comparison
sounds a bit smoother, but not by much. Mp3 artifacts are quite audible even at 320 kbps, which is a bit annoying at times.
It's stable and doesn't draw a lot of current. I've used it on my early
2010 13" MacBook so far and it doesn't worsen the battery time by that
much. I could get around three hours of battery time with moderate
usage, playing back music and with a pretty bright screen. I've only
tried the mic inputs with two mics so far (voice test with a large
diaphragm mic and acoustic measurement of a room today) and it sounded
pretty good. I have more testing to do later when I get time.
I did have an issue with DPC latency when using it in Boot camped
Windows 7 Ultimate on my MacBook but it usually has DPC issues when I
don't disable bootcamp.exe and some other services.
I've grown accustomed to Totalmix FX and as the UFX and Babyface
share drivers, I can switch soundcards easily. One thing that's a bit
bothersome is that one can't set the output sensitivity of the line
outputs. The UFX lets you choose different levels from -10, +4 or hi
gain.
The scroll wheel doesn't have the scratchy travel reported by some
users. Guess I'm lucky. Though I could use a bit more precision when
setting mic gain and output volume with it. Luckily Totalmix offers that
presision when mousing around.
I'll report more soon.
Mats Helgesson Read original
drumster on Gearslutz.com > Music Computers > NEW: RME BabyFace with new Total Mix FX
I'm currently testing out an RME Babyface
vs. an Apogee Duet as a possible candidate for my portable writing rig.
Needless to say, I've been very impressed. The sound is crisp and
uncoloured and very representative of the source. The Duet, by
comparison, has a coloured sound and seems more forgiving. I also like
the RME Total Mix Software with it's dsp effects; much more flexible
than Maestro in my opinion.
Although I like the sound of both units, the biggest advantage of the Babyface
for me is the fact that it's USB and not Firewire. This eliminates me
having to run my interface off the same port on my MacBook Pro as my
external drives..
Read original
MatsH on Gearslutz.com > Music Computers > NEW: RME BabyFace with new Total Mix FX
Today was concert day, so I recorded my choir with my brand new Babyface.
Here's a piece called "To see a world", by Sven-David Sandström. It was
recorded with a pair of Microtech Gefell 296 omni mics 35 cm apart
(K&M stereo bar) through the Babyface preamps at 192 KHz. I believe the gain was set to 24 dB.
Post processing was made in Sonar 8,5: 5,8 dB gain, Sonitus FX EQ (high
pass filter @ 30 Hz, a high shelf filter @ 1900 Hz, Q 0,3) and very
little reverb with an algorithmic reverb to compensate for the audience
dampening the church slightly.
Resampling and dithering was made in Sound Forge Pro 10 with Izotope algorithms.
Anyways, here's the final file in 16 bit 44 Khz .WAV format (zipped) and MP3 ... Read more ...
gm5k on Gearslutz.com > Music Computers > NEW: RME BabyFace with new Total Mix FX
Babyface just came in. Thoughts...
1. Really impressed with the DA. Think I'll be getting rid of my Lavry Black.
2. Handling sessions with lots of VI's (Nexus, Elektra X, Sylenth, etc)
with ease, no hiccups. Was worried about this since it's USB and I've
always used Firewire.
3. Headphone amp sounds great.
4. The silver version is gorgeous 
5. RME makes funny manuals/instructions.
6. Extremely easy to set up and operate. Very "dummy proof", and trust me I'm a technical moron. I had not one problem.
Getting 32 buffers with Logic and Presonus Studio One. Pro Tools 9 would only go down to 64 
Good thing I'm getting Eleven Rack. Otherwise I'd be dealing with 64
buffers with Eleven inside of Pro Tools, which is a bit high for me with
electric guitar. Read original
Breathless on Gearslutz.com > Music Computers > NEW: RME BabyFace with new Total Mix FX:
Just got my Babyface today as well.
First impression is that it obviously seems to be very well made. Some
people have complained about the jog wheel not being smooth but mine is
smooth as a babyfaces butt. I have never, ever witnessed a USB
connection being this secure. I almost thought I was plugging it in
wrong, even after realizing I had the orientation correct. Nice. No
wiggles allowed. I like the included breakout cable extension cord.
Nice.
I remember someone earlier in this thread complaining about the weight
of the breakout cable. Your kidding me right? Would you rather it weigh
an ounce and be a piece of crap? It is neither too big, nor too heavy.
Actually, I wish the cables were a little thicker, but I'm sure it
probably wouldn't make a difference anyway.
Very easy, easy driver installation. You would think this would be a
given, but if you have ever experienced problems installing Digidesign
drivers before, you will appreciate this... and I am no knucklehead when
it comes to driver installations btw. I am a day in / day out PC
Technician for 15 years. Installation on the babyface
took like 4 seconds total, and then a reboot. Boom, done - the way it
should be. Firmware upgrade, same experience. EASY, and I have had
problems upgrading firmware on Mbox's as well. Just double click the
firmware file, tell it to update, wait a few seconds for it to finish,
click ok, unplug and replug as it tells you... done. No hassle. Avid,
you need to go back to the drawing board.
People have commented on how stable the drivers are.... Now I know why.
Basically, after playing with this for 15 minutes in Pro Tools 9 under
Windows 7, I can safely / confidently / unashamedly say that the Mbox 3
sucks in COMPARISON. Pro Tools was never the problem with the various
errors, hardware buffer overflows, DAE errors, etc. It was all Avids
crappy hardware all along. With the babyface,
when I click on a spot on the top bar in pro tools to play, it plays
instantly, no delay. Before with the Mbox 3, if I clicked on the top bar
(which instantly starts playing wherever you click on it), there would
be a delay before playing.... not too bad, but annoying (regardless of
buffer settings, etc). And if I clicked around too fast on the bar at
the top with my Mbox 3 I would get hardware buffer errors and such, and I
have a GREAT system. I can't make this babyface crash. VERY STABLE.
I then installed it in "Mac". There was one strange thing I noticed after installing the drivers and choosing the babyface
as my sound card. When I played system sounds from the sound menu in
system preferences, there was a crackle on the end of every sound effect
played back. At first I was like "oh no...", however, the strange thing
is that when I opened Pro Tools 9 for the first time, played around,
and quit Pro Tools, all the system sounds were fine again, and the issue
did not reoccur.
Did I mention this thing sounds fantastic? There is a noticeable
difference in listening to my sessions through the headphone out as
compared to my Mbox 3, and I was not expecting there to be one. I am not
one of those people that generally makes a big deal over little, almost
indistinguishable differences. I suppose I could be wrong, but the Mbox
3 just seemed kind of harsh to me.... not like it was peaking, but
almost like it was close to peaking.
Everything sounds GREAT with lots of volume... just very smooth, and
very crispy. I have yet to record anything yet though. When I do, i'll
post back an A/B.
Long story short, if you are waiting on getting this, DON'T. There is no
reason to, as long as stability and quality is your concern, and money
is a little less of a concern. Read more ...
mattrixx on Gearslutz.com > Music Computers > NEW: RME BabyFace with new Total Mix FX
I've just been trying one out with my MacbookPro (2010 model) and I must
say I am impressed. i currently use a FF800 on my main rig and just got
rid of an Apogee DUET, which, whilst it was great, it was inflexible
and had difficulty powering a couple of my mics.
Using a single USB port, the Babyface has
absolutely no issues powering for mentioned mics and runs beautifully
at 32 samples with LogicPro. It is noticeably faster with regard to
latency than the FF800 at the same buffer setting (Firewire using a
large safety buffer I believe) and sounds great.
The breakout comes with an extension and it's not like the crappy moulded thing you get from Apogee.
Like I said, I am both surprised and impressed with it and it has exceeded my expectations.
I have been using RME gear for about 10 years now, starting with the
Multiface PCI and the drivers IMO are the best I've come across.
I think I'll be adopting this lil beauty. Read more ...