RME Fireface 800

RME Goes 24-Bit/192kHz FireWire!

RME presents the Fireface 800, a 56-channel, 24-bit / 192kHz, high-end, high-performance, and high-speed FireWire audio interface. The Fireface 800 combines the latest proven technologies of previous RME products with the fastest FireWire technology. The Fireface 800 offers some of the best instrument input implementation to be found anywhere in an audio interface, plus a high-power headphone output and signal-to-noise ratios of 119 dBA - typical RME!

• Balanced I/O at 192kHz and 119dBA dynamic range
• Direct ASIO headphone monitoring
• 4 phantom powered mic pres
• Built-in "tube sound" limiter for guitar and bass
• ADAT I/O
• Simultaneous TRS and XLR I/O
• TotalMix DSP
• SteadyClock sync
• Optional LTC and VITC sync
• Latest multi-port FireWire technology

RME's highly successful Multiface was the basis for the development of the Fireface 800. The Fireface 800 features eight balanced line I/Os with software-controlled reference level switching (-10dBV, +4dBu, HiGain), to guarantee highest dynamic range and fidelity. Apart from the levels of the Fireface 800's microphone preamps and the headphone outputs, all device settings are software-controlled. The RME Fireface 800 is equipped with the latest A/D and D/A converter chips, and all I/Os operate up to 192kHz with a dynamic range of 119dBA on playback.

The Fireface 800's headphone output delivers high volume with low-impedance headphones and mirrors playback channels 9/10. In contrast to the Multiface, the Fireface 800's headphone output is capable of direct ASIO monitoring.

The RME Fireface 800 has 4 discrete balanced microphone inputs with Class A stage, 48V phantom power, and separate TRS and XLR inputs, which can also be used as additional line inputs. Two of the Fireface 800's four mic inputs are permanently available as channels 9 and 10, while the other two can be used with inputs 7/8 on the back panel.

For guitar and bass, the FireFace 800's hi-Z instrument input offers unprecedented fidelity and flexibility. A soft limiter, specifically designed for instruments, provides overload protection for the A/D converter and deliberately creates harmonic distortion to emulate tube sound. Due to a soft transition and creation of harmonics, the Fireface 800's limiter can emulate tube saturation. A 'fuzz' circuit, which can be additionaly activated, delivers guitar distortion. A multi-stage filter can remove low- and high-frequency disturbances and guarantees an optimal sound, even when recording directly into the computer or when monitoring through a mixing console. Signals from guitar or bass can be recorded clean, for optimal plug-in processing in your DAW.

The RME Fireface 800 has two ADAT I/Os and one S/PDIF I/O. When combined with two additional ADI-8 DS', you can have 26 analog inputs and outputs at 48kHz or 18 at 96kHz. The SPDIF-I/O works up to 192kHz, allowing 10 analog inputs and outputs at the highest sample rate, plus two digital ones.

All inputs and outputs can be used at the same time. That means the instrument input can either be used instead of the line input on the back, or it can be used along with it. Even the jack and the XLR sockets of the microphone inputs can be used simultaneously. In this way, up to 35 signal sources can be connected to the Fireface 800 and recorded onto 28 separate tracks!

Thanks to the DSP-based TotalMix mixer from the Hammerfall DSP series, all of the Fireface 800 inputs and outputs can be freely mixed, distributed, and routed. With the Fireface 800, up to 14 completely independent stereo submixes are possible. Thanks to an internal flash memory, all of the Fireface 800's settings including TotalMix are recalled during boot. After making all desired settings, the Fireface 800 works in standalone (without computer) as a submixer, A/D and D/A converter, headphone mixer, format converter, instrument or microphone pre-amplifier, monitoring mixer, and much more.

The Fireface 800 is equipped with SteadyClock, RME's latest sync and clock technology. With SteadyClock, the Fireface 800 becomes a sync reference for the whole studio. The Fireface 800's SteadyClock refreshes clock signals, removes jitter, and takes permanent care of optimal conversion quality, thus guaranteeing a sensational sound quality.

Via an insert slot on the back of the Fireface 800, a time code option (TCO) for synchronizing to LTC, video, and VITC can be added. Thanks to SteadyClock, the Fireface 800 does not only extract absolute positions, but also a very clean, low-jitter word clock.

RME offers the latest technology, giving the Fireface 800 unprecedented power to provide FireWire 800 ports, SteadyClock, ADAT and SPDIF digital PLL, TotalMix, and standalone mode. Using an integrated 32-bit RISC processor, the Fireface 800 is flexible, reconfigurable, and one the first Giga-FW interfaces available that's optimized for audio, with latencies down to 48 samples. The Fireface 800 has a second port for hub functionality, bilingual mode for full FireWire 400 compatibility, and an additional FW 400 port. Thanks to the multi-ports, several Fireface 800s can be used in parallel and at the same time on one FireWire port, without any problem.
The RME Fireface 800 - Audiophile quality in a FireWire interface!