RME Babyface Pro 24-channel USB Audio Interface Reviews

I've been running this in my pro VO studio for several weeks now and I'm super impressed. This is now replacing the UA Apollo Twin Solo I used for the last 6 years.

I loved the UA in many ways but I ended up never using the UAD plugins for my work. It also suffered from fairly frequent connectivity issues that required restarts upon waking the computer from sleep at least every day or two. It also runs hot and would heat up my little booth. Over the last four years, the UA increasingly produced an audible click from its processors that ruined takes since it lived in the VO booth with me. Lastly, the UA's somewhat bulky size and the need for an external power supply meant that it wasn't ideal to use when I'm on the road. I was anticipating that the Thunderbolt connectivity would start to be a bit of a hassle if I upgraded to a USB-C laptop (don't love dongles).

Enough about the UA, though, NONE of those are issues with the Babyface Pro! The sound is pristine, clear and tone is almost identical to the UA preamps (but for some reason with less gain value needed to power my 416 and achieve the same output volume).

I have had ZERO issues with connectivity. I leave my computer idle for hours or put it to sleep and the RME is ready to rock instantly upon waking.

The Babyface Pro is warmish to the touch but never gets hot, even though it's been on constantly for weeks now.

It's going to be amazing for recording on the road. It's bus-powered, so I would only need a power supply if I want to use it with an iPad. Slim and svelte, it will easily fit safely into my laptop bag with the 416, whereas the UA always ended up in my luggage.

Even when I upgrade to a USB-C MacBook Pro, all I'll need is the USB-b to C cable and I'm good to go.

Highly recommended!

I'll keep this short and sweet, sort of like the unit itself. "Transparent" is the first term that comes to mind. Utterly transparent. Combined with the ease of use and flexible I/O makes this a real winner. My only question after using it for a little while was: "Should I have bought one of 'Babyface's' big brothers?!" For now, it is serving me well and since these appear to hold their value well I would highly recommend for anyone thinking of upgrading from a lower-cost AD/DAs. -R

A couple years back we expanded our services and soon realized we needed to add one perfect essential element, a powerful Windows-based desktop interface. We needed an industry standard, professional grade USB recording interface, specifically was looking for one with a Big Knob-type control center. Our amazing Sweetwater Guru Bob M suggested the Babyface Pro and we must admit it has been perfect for us. TotalMix routing/mixing software is studio grade perfection, keeping it simple and effective to mix your flow.
We pair a BabyFace Pro and a 2 space 19" rack loaded with a Focusrite OctoPre 8 ch Preamp/Furman Power Conditioner set-up to record live, studio, remote,etc. SO many features, excellent conversion! It has been a stellar investment,really enjoy using this gear.

Love the sound quality of this little beefy interface. very balanced sound. I mainly use it for getting sound out of the Mac Will be play with the ADAT features in the future as well.

This is my third piece of RME gear, and I love it! The Babyface Pro is rock solid physically and electronically. I have it installed in my studio, but I can easily throw it in a bag to use on location as a professional mic pre and computer interface. One of the best features of RME interfaces is TotalMix FX, which controls every aspect of this full featured device.

It has more uses than you might think, besides being an outstanding extremely low latency audio interface. I came across a youtube video showing how to use the included TotalMix Fx software that comes with it to record audio from any media source such as youtube, using Loopback, to send the audio to your DAW for recording. Other software may be able to do this, but this is the only way I've seen it done.

Sure there are other ways to do record youtube audio, but this way you create an audio track in your DAW, and from there it can be manipulated, like grabbing sound bites, changing the speed/pitch, add other sounds to mix it down with, or whatever may be of interest to you.

Although I'm mainly a PC guy, I'm learning how to use it with my ipad pro. There's a TotalMix Fx app to go with for a few dollars. It works with Garage Band, plays your itunes music through whatever speakers/headphones you connect to the Babyface pro, etc. With a DAW app, you can set up a mini-recording studio on the ipad. (You will need a power supply when using with the ipad, and a USB C to USB adapter (Apple Camera kit, or similar).

While it's tough to find fault with this, I did come across one problem using the smaller of the two headphone jacks. It's pretty close to the first Instrument jack, and if your guitar plug is very thick (like Neutriks), you can't use both jacks at the same time. You'll have to choose one or the other, unless your guitar plug is slim.

I really love RME. Most stable drivers on Windows. Some of the best sounding converters I've ever heard. And I'm a gear hound (always buying and selling stuff) so I've tried many different interfaces, from the Quantum to the UA stuff.

What I love about RME and this Babyface Pro

1. RME converters - sounds amazing, crystal clear, pristine

2. RME drivers on Windows. Perfect. Stable. And can get very low latencies.

3. TotalMix DSP hardware latency is under 1ms rountrip. Yes you can monitor your vocals and not have any weird comb filtering effects like you would with other interfaces. No need for an external hardware mixer.

4. Pre-amps - crystal clear, transparent, absolutely love how they sound

5. Hi-z inputs on 1 Mohm. Perfect for guitars/basses with passive pickups

Highly recommend this interface. Can't say it enough.

Super solid construction, pristine sound, rock-solid drivers, what"s not to love about this little gem? There is one caveat though, if you"re the owner of a 2018 or newer MacBook Pro with the T2 chip. Along with many other USB 2 interfaces, the Babyface Pro is likely to have occasional dropouts and glitches when connected directly to your Mac"s USB-C/Thunderbolt port. This is a widely reported issue which is covered in detail on the RME support forum. The simple solution is to connect to your Mac using a Thunderbolt 3 hub as recommended by RME. If you"re on Windows or a pre-2018 Mac this is a non-issue. If you have a newer Mac it"s easily resolved but requires the extra purchase as described above.

Got this to replace a Focusrite Scarlett which was constantly crashing my computer and killing all creativity. Im a windows 8 user and the drivers are rock solid. The optical ins and outs mean i can still use my scarlett to expand its lack of ins and outs which is my only real complaint about the babyface.
The preamps are pretty transparent and have plenty of gain, but I primarily am recording guitar and bass, synthesizers, and drum machines. While subtle, I do think the 1/4 inch inputs on the babyface give better results with more clarity than the focusrite after doing some side by side comparisons.

The EQ and effects on the unit are usable, although my understanding is theyre more for monitoring than recording with. Still, being able to monitor with some reverb is very handy. I also appreciate the loopback feature which makes sampling various sources from the computer a breeze and is a great timesaver and personal workflow enhancement.

Theres also something to be said about its portabilty. It can be usb bus powered and would be the perfect match for a singer/songwriter with a laptop setup

Its expensive compared to other interfaces with similar i/o but worth it if its in your budget. If i was just starting out id still recommend something like the 2i4o scarlett to get my feet wet. For more experienced hobbyists, its well worth upgrading

Set up was quick and easy in my DAW's, the included TotalMix FX matrix/mixer compliments the process very well. As has been noted in the RME forum and elsewhere,the signals going in and out are HOT. Be prepared to turn your active monitors way down from usual settings,also any input signals;the complete signal chain will have to be adjusted compared to your previous setup. Plugged in my Roland A-49 keyboard controller to the Babyface, instant set-up, but even that signal was hotter than with old interface. I A/B'd the new DAW templates with older ones from old interface, most definite difference. Nice to know I have endless headroom no matter what signal. For mixing, I use JBL 5" monitors as my main pair, have been using an inexpensive set of the Behringer USB 5" monitors as secondary reference, along with Avantone Pro headphones (nice!).The el cheapo Behringers had a harsh upper midrange playing through my old interface, but after switching to the RME Babyface Pro there is a profound difference in their performance and they sound WAY better. I was planning to replace them ASAP but now I can put that purchase off until later.The difference in sound/conversion blew me away, as it was so obvious to me and my bandmates. Who would have thought the RME can make bargain priced gear sound great?!

The RME Babyface Pro stands apart from every other interface I have used at this pricepoint; the quality is beyond compare. First thing is that it is physically robust, it has some weight to it. No plastic or shortcuts here. Superior specs throughout the signal chain, so trust all the reviews...you WILL hear the difference. Preamps have a ton of headroom, really clean and quiet, but not bland. Nor colored, more like smooth and defined. Excellent stand-alone functions, plus if you use a power supply it shines as a stand-alone outboard preamp. The routing matrix and mixer software takes some time to wrap your noggin' around but it adds a ton of options that's required for producing professional results. The way RME uses the word "Cue" inside TotalMix threw me for a whirl, also a couple other options unique to RME's way of doing things took some adjusting to. But once you get the flow down, it's a breeze. I cussed it at first, pretty sure everyone does, but now I flat out love it. Perfect for live use,too. The hardshell case fits inside the biggest side pocket of my Dell 64-bit laptop bag, allowing me to carry the whole sha-bang easily. Beside the fact that it provides studio grade conversion, 2 preamps, two line-in's that also function as instrument in's, MIDI I/O, plus 8-channel ADAT in (or out!), the unit just looks cool as heck. No extra desk clutter, it's perfect sized for my set-up. The included USB cable fits better than any other USB interface I have used--that thing ain't going nowhere by surprise. Nice touch! I tried to find a complaint, something to criticize, but couldn't. Best interface for the money, period. RME does it right, and I know where to go when I need an upgrade...straight to RME and my Sweetwater tech. Yeehaw!

100% total satisfaction with the RME Babyface Pro and Sweetwater's stellar service. I have an iD14 USB interface but wanted to upgrade to a 4 input model. I ordered an iD44 (an amazing unit) but had driver issues via my Windows OS. I had to send it back,I was sad! Our totally excellent sales tech, Bob Mondok, suggested the RME Babyface Pro instead. What a great solution, it surpassed our expectations and more. The RME drivers are the cat's meow, add in the "built like a tank" construction, plus MIDI i/o, and it's exactly what we needed. Worth every penny and then some. Like everyone else, its taken a bit of homework to get the full d-lo on the TotalMix FX software, but now that we understand what up, all is bliss.That be some serious Big Dawg style mixer/matrix kit! The fact that the Babyface Pro ships with a REAL manual is a solid plus, but the RME forum community moderators plus youtube videos provide excellent info on any questions you may need answered. The included preamps offer studio grade/console performance; the sonic clarity coming out of our monitors (and headphones) flat out blows away ALL other desk top interfaces in this price range. Inputs 3/4 allow us to use outboard preamps, or plug in our guitars, even use the L/R out from our mixer, all through the DAC conversion. If you are reading these reviews, just buy one and be done with it.The hype is real, RME's reputation is well deserved and we will NEVER go back to kinda shoulda woulda ever again. BTW, for those Guitar God fans who care about these things, we noticed Michael Schenker's sound man using a Babyface Pro at the San Antonio gig this past spring--he said it was essential,that it had toured the world with them and performed with zero problems. Yep, what he said! Thanks,Bob M--you and Sweetwater did us a solid when you recommended RME.

I been a Fireface UFX owner for a while now. I am so impressed with the stability of RMEs drivers, and the powerful routing flexibility of TotalMix FX! Now, I have all that same stability, functionality, and sound quality in a small portable package that doesn"t even require a power supply because it"s buss powered! This little unit gives me the freedom to edit and mix on the go while leaving the rack mount gear in the studio where it belongs .... and it sounds amazing!

After having a number of issues on Windows 7/64 with various mid priced interfaces, (some highly praised from across the pond BTW), I began reading more and more glowing reviews about this revised Babyface Pro, as well as of course RME in general.

I bought it and can tell you unequivocally, I won't look back!

It plays wonderfully with Windows!
It's extremely well built in the perfectionist tradition of so many German engineers.
It has extremely low latency.
The included Total Mix software is a little tricky but not too much so but best to learn via the
MIXER view and not the MATRIX view, at least for we less informed sorts.

In addition,
I do voice work amongst other custom audio things, and have been able to cut more that a few, super clean tracks, direct-in using a Sennheiser 416. (Someone say German engineering?) Anyway, the pres don't exude any "color" but there IS a a sound. A clarity of sorts that sounds simply real, authentic, or perhaps best put, BOLD.

In other words, it doesn't sound cheap! It sounds exactly like my voice. Period.
Did I mention low noise? Look at the specs. '-)

If you're on the fence and maybe even trying to save a few sheckels, I would strongly recommend pushing your budget to get this and I would highly recommend asking for IAN ANGLE. He's a stand up guy who knows his gear and will indeed work with you anyway possible. (For that matter, all the lads and ladies at Sweetwater rock) IAN, has just proved to me, time and again, what customer service is all about.

YOU MIGHT find this or other gear for a little less elsewhere but believe me, the service I've received from Sweetwater has been incomparable and I've been buying gear for 35 years! Only one other vendor with whom I did biz way back in the early 80's could compare.

Buy this. You'll like it. Buy it from Sweetwater and you'll never look back. '-)

I'm really loving the RME Babyface Pro! I started with the original which is still a great piece but this New Version has such an audio difference, width & dynamics and extreme low THD noise floor. Very nice Preamps really natural sounding and the Headphone output clarity is wonderful! Once you hear the difference through some great speakers, you'll see why RME is a class above. If you go to their site you can find all the specifications, but searching the various forums you can also read the customer response. The RME Babyface works great for my home studio but also on the road, awesome device.

Shout out to Mark M. as a great product specialist & customer care.

Having used many DACs as studio monitoring front ends/volume controllers, this is the best so far. Sounds better than the ApolloTwin DUO or the Apogee Duet. To be clear, better means more width and depth to the soundstage, a complete lack of sibilance, a delicacy to the high frequency and ambience cues, as well as a fantastic noise floor. The new standard at this price point or anywhere near it. I use it for forensic audio analysis and enhancement and for that, it's been truly outstanding. My monitors are BlueSky Sat6D's and they are really done justice by the BFP.

The Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) DAC chip is usually only found in true high-end units (costing many thousands of dollars). It's a step above the std design MutliBit or Delta-Sigma DAC chips found in other units anywhere near this price range. The result is a liquid, smooth, almost analog/vinyl sound quality that is alarmingly free of listener fatigue after long editing sessions (this, obviously, also depends on one's monitor setup). However, every single delicate detail is preserved, with no smearing. The soundstage and imaging (height, width, depth and accuracy of sound source placement within the stereo speaker array) is simply peerless at this price bracket.

The TotalMix FX software is great even running in Win10-64. Driver issues are nonexistent. When I jump into my editor, even if I've forgotten to close Tidal in the background, it still ALWAYS ends up at the right sample rate in the RME's brain for my project. I upgraded to a Schitt Pyst USB cable for a little extra length.

For critical (forensic) listening and analysis, I'm confident that a better option doesn't exist at this price point or anywhere near it.

As a note of reference, the Gen2 Scarlett doesn't belong in the same room and the gen2 Clarett is handily outclassed as well, though by a smaller margin.

I have had this interface for over 2 years now and it just works! It is my main interface in my studio and i take it with me to do any recording at mobile locations. There was no need to buy a another interface for mobile use due to its reliability and solid construction. Its a keeper.

I bought this for use with an iPad Pro to play the synth apps in the iPad, and to also record my hardware synths. It sounds excellent, was a no brainer to setup in class compliant mode, and it has midi in/out DIN plugs which was essential for my older midi gear that doesn't have USB midi. I also have an Apogee Duet II which also sounds excellent, but it only has USB midi .. so this fit the bill for my needs perfectly. This thing is built like a tank, and also looks great. I've been playing, performing, and recording keys for 40 years .. the combination of this interface and a 2017 10.5" iPad Pro running through my Hafler Pro 2400 power amp into Tannoy speakers and subs is giving me the best sound I've ever had in my personal studios. Highly recommend.

Have always been a fan of RME gear and this is my 3rd interface and couldnt be happier. Owning the UFX for over 2 years now I was needing something with a smaller footprint for when I travel and for being creative when having down time. I researched the available options, yes the Babyface Pro was a bit more $$$ then the competitors but as the sane goes "you get what you pay for" and its worth every penny! Clean and clear preamps, industry standard converters and no headaches when installing drivers! Plus rhis unit is built like a TANK!! The totalmix software takes a bit to wrap your head around but being an RME user I was no stranger to this...I was a little dissapointed in the minima Totalmix version compared to the UFX but considering I dont use the compressor often enough to justify docking a star for this. This unit is solid and the sound quality is superb. If your looking at the BFP, look no further..youve found what your looking for and wont be left regretting the purchase. The folks at Sweetwater are helpful and knowledgeable and would give them 5 stars as well, I vote with my dollar and will be using the fine folks at Sweetwater for my future purchases as I have always had postive interactions and they have always given top tier service from big ticket items down to the small consumable merchandise! Keep up the good work!

I got this about a year ago. I am extremely happy with it. The longer I have it, the better I like it. It does everything it is supposed to do, and does it well. The only issue, was that when I first got it, I had to spend a little time learning the TotalMix software. However, once I learned it, I was pleasantly surprised. I found that it had more capability than I thought (monitor control/switching, talk back, etc.). Eventually, I am going to get an eight channel preamp so I can take it to 12 channels. Very Happy!

I love the sound. It's a bit confusing at first, and it's disconcerting not having more visual confirmation of what your settings are. But when you get used to it, it's simple.
Babyface has way more headroom than my old Focusrite 10/10, though I like the Focusrite stuff too. The sound is a definite step up in quality and clarity.

The only thing I miss is using my faders on my console on the way in. But there's no point in compromising the integrity of the audio on the way in, so it's workable. .

I've owned 2 1st gen Babyfaces, a UC and a UFX. The Babyface Pro is the best parts of all those crammed into a sleek little chassis. If you need a portable interface that will never let you down and give you professional recordings, this is it. It's nothing fancy, but RME Totalmix is a very powerful tool once you get the hang of it.. The onboard DSP FX aren't mix worthy, but they're good enough for tracking and some lower key live performances (solo acoustic guitarist/singer).

Got tired if random clicks and pops when I would lower the latency of my old interface. Decided to pony up the money and I'm glad I did. It just work s all the time. I've gotten more recording done in the last month because it works Everytime I use it. No more disconnects. No more reboots. The preamps are really good also. Just buy it.

Upgraded to the Babyface Pro after my 4 year old original Babyface died on me in the middle of a mobile recording project. It turns out the problem with the original unit was simply a breakout cable and was easily fixed, however I'm very happy with the upgrade! Metering is improved with simultaneous input and output meters, 2 extra 1/4" input channels, an extra 1/8" headphone out (which can run simultaneously with the 1/4" phones out), headphone output seems higher, and as a bonus all of these connections are mounted directly on the unit rather than via clunky breakout cable. The one exception to this is the MIDI in/out which connects via separate breakout, however all of my MIDI runs via USB nowadays anyway.

I am able to run two phantom powered condenser mics via USB power alone. The old babyface sometimes had problems when running only on USB power, for instance sample rates over 44kHz wouldn't work. No issues with that on the new unit so far. Sound quality is still excellent and the build quality feels better than the previous version. The main rotary encoder is smooth and solid and the whole thing has enough weight to not slip around on the desk.

One feature I would have loved to see is separate RCA S/PDIF ins rather than combining it with the ADAT optical. Overall an incredibly well-designed and road-worthy unit for small gigs!

I just received the Babyface Pro and I immediately plugged it in so I could compare it to my Fireface UFX.... I could not tell the difference in sound quality. I bought this interface to be mobile and I couldn't be happier with the result.

This thing is built like a tank and it sounds just like its bigger brother (Fireface UFX)... Nothing comes close in my opinion at this price range.

I'm not a pro, I'm an audiophile and amateur recording engineer who appreciates good quality. This is my first RME product. It won't be my last (I have already purchased the HDSPe AES card based on my experience with this USB product).

I wasn't sure what to expect with this product. Drivers are awesome, this product has not given me one crash with constant use. TotalMix is a nice piece of kit whether you need it as a standalone monitoring solution on a laptop or part of a complex DAW setup.

The sound coming out of this interface is very high quality, its the equal of a couple thousand bucks worth of hifi gear I had sitting on the rack next to my computer. The build quality is off the charts good.

If I had one complaint, and this is really nit picking here, but I use a Heil PR40 for late night recording and since I have small children I often talk fairly quietly. The preamp gain does need to be set rather high for this, but that's the nature of the mic I'm using and the environmental constraints. RME can't defy physics.

Insanely low latency, solid drivers (its RME..), sounds great, couldn't ask for more. The perfect interface for live performance!

Sweetwater might wish to check their facts. The unit actually comes with a breakout cable. Odd that they mention several times that NO breakout cable is needed..? All of the i/o are NOT accessible without the breakout cable..

I’m hearing things in existing mixes and even music playback of major label tunes that were not audible on my Presonus 16.4.2. Best of all the BFP works… it actually works! I’ve not had one item that when I did what made sense didn’t work first time through. So far it's user friendly and logical to work with. I need to read up on the Total mix for the monitoring but my guess is it will work great using the Total Mix software.

This pretty much tells me when I upgrade my studio I’ll be taking a real good look at the RME units especially when I consider the bigger units have the full version of Total mix with the dynamics included. Funny, so far it sounds so good I’m not feeling the need to use the EQ in TotalMix.

I bought the BFP to do remote recording on my Ipad and I’m already talking to clients about coming in to record in my studio and I fully intend to use the BFP with my Mac and my Audient ASP880 and ART DMPA to get a full 12 Inputs. The 16.4.2 has been moved to the rehearsal space for good.

Had good experience ordering from Sweetwater and the Babyface RME pro is excellent. It blows away my cheaper Focusrite audio interface and blazing fast near zero latency with DAW like Ableton. I like the options for software and hardware mixing features even though they are basic.

I recently upgraded from the Scarlett 2i2. The Babyface Pro does sound better, but not for the extra money that it costs. The totalmix fx program needed to run this is very confusing, but once you get used to it; it is a very powerful program. The zero latency monitoring is great, and you can actually get the volume you need while monitoring yourself, unlike cheaper interfaces.

I wanted to upgrade from my Fosusrite 2i2 to a "professional grade" interface. I really don't hear any real differences between the units when it plug straight into them. The mixer software is more of a pain than it needs to be. I'm even considering returning it. I'll have to compare the units recording a miked guitar to see if it really is any better. Otherwise ho hum...