RME Fireface 400 36-Channel 24 Bit/192 kHz FireWire Audio Interface

Fireface 400 36-Channel 24 Bit/192 kHz FireWire Audio Interface description:

The RME FIREFACE 400 36-Channel 24 Bit/192 kHz FireWire Audio Interface. Highly regarded, stand-alone functionality, complete controllability from the front panel, highly flexible I/Os in professional quality, and an unsurpassed 648-channel matrix router - at sample rates up to 192 kHz for your Mac or Windows computer.

The RME FIREFACE 400 is not just the little brother of the Fireface 800 - it is a completely newly designed device. It is the only device in its class with active jitter suppression, stand-alone functionality, complete controllability from the front panel, highly flexible I/Os in professional quality, and an unsurpassed 648-channel matrix router - at sample rates up to 192 kHz. The RME Fireface 400 excells as a professional portable all-in-one solution. The included switching power supply accepts voltages from 100 to 240 V, thus can be operated all over the world. A rear panel switch enables Bus Powered operation, taking the power directly from the FireWire connector. To avoid potential problems, both the unit's internal power supply and the protective circuits at the FireWire port were specially designed and thoroughly tested. The RME Fireface 400 front panel features 2 balanced microphone inputs with a digitally controlled input stage, individually switchable 48V phantom power, and Neutrik Combo connectors for XLR and TRS 1/4 inch jack. These can also be used as additional line inputs. A pre amplification of up to 65 dB, adjustable in steps of 1 dB over a range of 55 dB, exceptional EIN performance even at low pre-amplification settings, and extremely low THD+N let these preamps surpass those of other devices that cost several times the price of the Fireface 400. All level settings are 100% reproducible and can also be adjusted by software comfortably. Inputs 3 and 4 are extremely flexible balanced universal inputs. Firstly, they operate exactly as inputs 5 to 8 on the rear and can be adjusted to accept standard studio input levels (+4 dBu, LoGain). Furthermore, the input impedance can be switched from Line (10 kOhm) to Instrument (470 kOhm). An additional analog input amplification of up to 18 dB (in steps of 0.5 dB) is also available. In short: There's no signal that these inputs can't deal with perfectly. Inputs 5 to 8 on the rear feature RME's proven level references. -10 dBV, +4 dBu und Lo Gain can be selected in the settings dialog, equivalent to +2 dBV, +13 dBu und +19 dBu for digital full scale. The same applies to the balanced rear analog outputs 1 to 6. The high power phones output offers high volumes even with low-impedance headphones, and represents playback channels 7/8. All outputs can be used for ASIO Direct Monitoring purposes. An ADAT optical I/O allows for a connection and insertion of effects devices, mixing consoles or external converters. Of course, these 8 channels are available simultaneously with the analog channels. Using an additional ADI-8 DS or OctaMic D, you'll get 16 analog inputs and outputs, which remain still 12 at 96 kHz. The coaxial SPDIF I/O , which is fully AES/EBU compatible (as is common for RME), also works up to 192 kHz, which means that at the highest sample rate, 8 analog and two digital inputs and outputs are directly available. SPDIF can also be accessed through the optical I/O, which also works up to 192k - a world exclusive RME feature. A word clock input and output (BNC) plus two MIDI I/Os (breakout cable, 5-pin DIN) complete the analog/digital feature list and turn the RME Fireface 400 into an entire audio system of the highest quality.

The main features of the RME FIREFACE 400 include:

• Highly regarded, stand-alone functionality, complete controllability from the front panel, highly flexible I/Os in professional quality, and an unsurpassed 648-channel matrix router - at sample rates up to 192 kHz for your Mac or Windows computer
• Eight inputs and outputs (balanced, output 7/8 unbalanced) with software controlled switching of the reference levels (-10 dBV, +4 dBu, Lo/HiGain)
• Two digitally controlled Mic Preamps in high-end quality
• Two balanced universal inputs for line and instrument signals
• A word clock input and output (BNC) plus two MIDI I/Os
• SteadyClock for maximum jitter suppression and clock refresh
• Simple stand-alone operation with rotary encoder and front panel display
• 54 Level Meter Peak/RMS, hardware-calculated
• Full mobility by Bus Power support
• DIGICheck, RME's unique meter and analysis tool
• TotalMix: 648-channel mixer with 42-bit internal resolution
• Included software with the RME Fireface 400 are Drivers: Windows 2000/XP (full ASIO multi-client operation of MME, GSIF 2.0 and ASIO 2.0), Mac OS X (Core Audio, Core MIDI)