I was in the market for an new interface earlier this year, but the RME Babyface Pro was one that I immediately crossed off my list without investigating it properly. I was put off by the lack of physical controls.

the entire top surface of the thing is a stand alone control.
 
if i were you,
i'd revisit it 

Kev999
I was in the market for an new interface earlier this year, but the RME Babyface Pro was one that I immediately crossed off my list without investigating it properly. I was put off by the lack of physical controls.

The spartan top is a bit misleading.
All the things you'd quickly want to adjust are there (including the alpha dial for volume adjustments/etc).
Other settings are easy to adjust via TotalMix.
 
FWIW, Other than volume, I never touch the front of my Fireface UFX.
All other settings are quicker/easier to adjust via TotalMix.
 

Jim Roseberry
 
FWIW, Other than volume, I never touch the front of my Fireface UFX.
All other settings are quicker/easier to adjust via TotalMix.
 

Curious Jim, Do you use the USB to interface your DAW or ADAT, firewire?
Thanks 

timidi
 
Curious Jim, Do you use the USB to interface your DAW or ADAT, firewire?
Thanks 

 
I use USB-2 to connect the Fireface UFX.
It performs extremely well.
Most of the time, it's set at a 48-sample ASIO buffer size (unless I'm mixing a more dense project).

Thanks. Good to know. 

Like Jim the only controls I touch on my UFX are master volume and on/off. And I use totalmix to adjust the master volume probably more often than I use the knob. The only control RME interfaces really need is the on/off switch, everything else is easily - and better - controlled in the software whether the platform is MacOS, Windows or iOS.

I'm running my UFX into USB3 or a firewire/Thunderbolt adaptor on Mac, and before my PC decided to go poorly used it with USB2 and 3 on the PC. All work equally well. I've never used firewire on a PC, it's always struck me as too much hard work to get it right and something of a gamble with firewiree chipsets on top of that so can't comment about Windows/firewire.

Jim Roseberry

Kev999
I was in the market for an new interface earlier this year, but the RME Babyface Pro was one that I immediately crossed off my list without investigating it properly. I was put off by the lack of physical controls.

...All the things you'd quickly want to adjust are there (including the alpha dial for volume adjustments/etc).
Other settings are easy to adjust via TotalMix...

 
I'm guessing that:

1. Very little of the basic functionality of the unit is controllable without launching the software first.
2. The big rotary control has several different functions depending on context.

If so then it's definitely not for me.

Kev999

Jim Roseberry

Kev999
I was in the market for an new interface earlier this year, but the RME Babyface Pro was one that I immediately crossed off my list without investigating it properly. I was put off by the lack of physical controls.

...All the things you'd quickly want to adjust are there (including the alpha dial for volume adjustments/etc).
Other settings are easy to adjust via TotalMix...

 
I'm guessing that:

1. Very little of the basic functionality of the unit is controllable without launching the software first.
2. The big rotary control has several different functions depending on context.

If so then it's definitely not for me.

no, that'd be an incomplete assumption.
 
why not just go directly to the RME site and look at the product data.
 
you are missing............... a lot.

For what it's worth my Sweetwater salesman wanted me to buy that one. It's a little pricey for my needs (plus I don't need the preamp I have a focusrite ISA one)and I want up with an Audient but others have said those RM3 drivers are top-of-the-line.

WSS