The Babyface is smooth on the outside for looks and feel, but has the balls inside: latest 192 kHz AD- and DA-converters, two reference class microphone preamps, SteadyClock - analog circuit design, features and function are truly RME.
That includes the TotalMix FX, a TotalMix on steroids, with tons of new features, improvements and 3-band parametric EQs, plus added echo and reverb: anything you need right out of the box and with near zero latency!
The Babyface uses RME's Hammerfall USB audio core from the Fireface UC - another milestone in low latency audio interfaces, and will give you outstanding performance and top sound in an ultra-portable, nicely designed and attractively shaped enclosure.
Connectivity
- 10 Input / 12 Output channels
- 2 x Analog Input
- 4 x Analog Output
- 1 x ADAT I/O or 1 x SPDIF I/O optical
- 1 x MIDI I/O
- 1 x USB 2.0
- 2 x Mic Preamp with digitally controlled gain
- 1 x Hi-Z instrument input
- TotalMix FX (with EQ, Reverb, Echo)
Features
Analog I/Os
The balanced XLR I/Os and the TRS phones outputs use RME's analog circuit design, therefore guarantee outstanding noise and distortion values. The latest generation AD/DA converters provide sample rates up to 192 kHz with an SNR of up to 115 dBA. Due to its efficient jitter reduction, SteadyClock(TM) guarantees prestine sound quality, even when clocking to an external digital source.
High-End Mic Preamps
Both digitally controlled preamps provide individually switchable 48V phantom power. A gain of up to 65 dB, adjustable in steps of 3 dB over a range of 56 dB, exceptional EIN performance even at low amplification settings, and extremely low THD+N values let these preamps surpass those of other devices that cost several times the price of the Babyface. All level settings are 100% recallable by the setup software and can be comfortably adjusted directly at the unit.
Digital I/Os
The incredible feature set includes an optical TOSLINK I/O, usable as ADAT port with SMUX support or SPDIF optical at up to 192 kHz. In combination with an ADAT converter, like RME ADI-8 QS or OctaMic II, the Babyface provides 10 analog inputs and 12 output channels.
Phones Output
The additional headphone output, driven from a separate and dedicated DA converter, delivers the full sonic experience of up to 192 kHz and is available not only directly at the unit but also at the breakout cable. Perfect for two separate headphones or additional monitors. The phones level is easy to adjust and control with a simple click of the select button and the main volume knob.
Instrument Input
Directly plug in your guitar or other instruments by switching one input to Hi-Z input mode. Recording any instrument becomes a breeze and does not require any other hardware.
MIDI I/O
The integrated MIDI I/O completes the list of features and turns the Babyface into a creative audio system of universal usability. Do what you want - wherever you want!
Perfect Control
With one main control knob and two single buttons the elegant Babyface acts as a perfectly designed direct desktop control for all typical studio tasks: volume control, reference volume store and recall, volume dim, input selection/switching, input gain control - quick and easy access to all functions has been a major point during design and development. The LED bars serve as both level and gain meters, visually supporting the precise control of all inputs, outputs and headphone levels directly at the interface.
USB Made by RME
The Babyface provides RME's unmatched USB pro audio technology for revolutionary ultra-low latencies on Mac and PC. Under both operating systems the available latencies are simply sensational and provide an exceptional performance.*
* Minimal latencies are not guaranteed as they depend on the specific computer and application.
Full mobility
The ultra-portable Babyface has been designed for bus-powered operation (some systems might require a special two USB connector cable - included). This turns the Babyface into the perfect partner for mobile recording of live performances, composing sessions in a park or coffee shop, or just wherever you go. Even if you just see it as a good looking HIFI music player or home studio companion - it will work perfectly on every desktop and laptop computer.
Rear Connectors
The Babyface provides two optical I/Os and a 15-pin D-sub connector. Both TOSLINK connectors for ADAT or SPDIF optical are on the back of the Babyface. The breakout cable - connected directly or via a special extension cable - offers the following connections:
- 4 x XLR balanced (Analog I/O)
- 1 x 1/4" TRS for Phones (= Analog Out 3+4)
- 2 x DIN (MIDI I/O)
The breakout cable is identical to the balanced analog cable of the HDSPe AIO card (BO9632XLRMKH). A breakout cable with unbalanced outputs is available as option (BO9632CMKH).
More features
- Sample rates up to 192 kHz on all I/Os (including two ADAT channels via SMUX4)
- Two digitally controlled microphone preamps in high-end quality
- Two balanced universal inputs for line and instrument signals
- SteadyClock for maximum jitter suppression and clock refresh
- Direct operation with rotary encoder and keys
- TotalMix FX: Newly developed internal DSP high-end mixer
- Full mobility by bus powered operation
- DIGICheck, RME's unique meter and analysis tool included
- Peak and RMS are hardware-calculated for all channels
TotalMix FX
The next generation of TotalMix delivers hardware mixing/routing with lots of new features and a highly improved usability. For a seamless integration of the new features TotalMix has been rewritten from the ground up. The DSP mixer now not only matches features of high-end digital consoles but even adds effects like a 3-band parametric EQ plus Low Cut on all input and output channels. The Babyface also provides a separate FX send bus for all inputs and software playback channels, feeding two effect engines: Reverb and Echo. Every output channel includes a FX return control for the FX output signal.
Features/Differences to classic TotalMix:
- Fresh design and improved usability
- Control Room Section: Dedicated section for the main output (e. g. studio monitors) and other monitoring outputs (e. g. phones). All existing stereo output channels can be freely assigned as source for the control room section channels.
- Four definable groups for Solo, Mute and Faders
- Switchable Mono and Stereo channel view
- Channel Options: Stereo Width, MS Processing, Phase L/R
- Trim mode: Adjusts the volume for all routed signals of a channel. This option allows to modify the volume of all sends of a channel simultaneously, equaling a hardware's trim functionality.
- Unlimited Undo and Redo
- FX Sends and Returns: One send bus for every input/playback channel with Reverb/Echo
- Expandable channel view for channel settings and EQ setup
- Slim channel mode for selected or all channels, to save space or give a meter bridge view
- 2-Row Mode: reduces the height of the mixer to two rows for smaller displays
The DSP-based hardware calculates RMS and Peak levels for all channels without causing any CPU load.
Technical Specifications
Input AD: 2 x XLR (2 x Mic/Line), servo-balanced.
Output DA (Main, 2 Channels): 2 x XLR, servo-balanced
Output DA (Phones, 2 Channels): 2 x 1/4" TRS (Stereo), unbalanced (on breakout cable and interface)
Input Digital: 1 x ADAT optical or SPDIF optical
Output Digital: 1 x ADAT optical or SPDIF optical
MIDI: 1 x MIDI I/O via breakout cable (2 x 5-pin DIN jacks), for 16 channels low jitter hi-speed MIDI
Dynamic range AD: 108 dB RMS unweighted, 111 dBA
THD AD: < -100 dB (< 0.001 %)
THD+N AD: < -98 dB (< 0.0012 %)
Crosstalk AD: > 110 dB
Dynamic range DA: 112 dB RMS unweighted, 115 dBA
THD DA: < -104 dB (< 0.00063%)
THD+N DA: < -100 dB (< 0.001%)
Crosstalk DA: > 110 dB
Maximum Input Level for 0 dBFS: +12 dBu
Maximum Output Level @ 0 dBFS Line: +15 dBu
Maximum Output Level @ 0 dBFS Phones: +8 dBu
Sample rate internally: 32, 44.1, 48, 64, 88.2 kHz, 96 kHz, 176.4, 192 kHz
Sample rate externally: 28 kHz - 200 kHz
Frequency response AD/DA, -0.5 dB: 5 Hz - 22 kHz (sf 44.1 kHz)
Frequency response AD/DA, -0.5 dB: 5 Hz - 34 kHz (sf 96 kHz)
Frequency response AD/DA, -1 dB: 5 Hz - 50 kHz (sf 192 kHz)
Jitter: Typical < 1 ns for internal, ADAT in
Jitter suppression: >30 dB (2.4 kHz)
Jitter sensitivity: PLL operates error-free even at 100 ns
SteadyClock: RME's latest Clock technology - Theory and Operation
Theory
Usually a clock section consists of an analog PLL for external synchronization and several quartz oscillators for internal synchronization. SteadyClock requires only one quartz, using a frequency not equaling digital audio, therefore effectively avoiding disturbances. Latest circuit designs like hi-speed digital synthesizer operating at unsurpassed 200 MHz, a fully digital PLL design, and efficient analog filtering allow RME to realize a completely newly developed clock technology, right within the FPGA, at lowest costs. The clock's performance exceeds even professional expectations. Despite its remarkable features, SteadyClock reacts quite fast compared to other techniques. It locks in fractions of a second to the input signal, follows even extreme varipitch changes with phase accuracy, and locks directly within a range of 28 kHz up to 200 kHz.
Compared to other technologies, one of SteadyClock's main advantages is its single stage design. Usually the PLL consists of a first stage reacting as broad clock locking circuit, then a second stage acts as narrow locking circuit. Only the narrow circuit provides jitter suppression, so that locking takes some time, and in varipitch applications, where the second stage does not get active at all, nearly no jitter suppression is provided. SteadyClock locks directly and provides high jitter suppression throughout!
Measurements
SteadyClock has originally been developed to gain a stable and clean clock from the heavily jittery MADI data signal. The embedded MADI clock suffers from about 80 ns jitter, caused by the time resolution of 125 MHz within the format. Common jitter values for other devices are 5 ns, while a very good clock will have less than 2 ns.
Thanks to SteadyClock the MADI input signal with 80 ns of jitter turns into a clock with less than 2 ns jitter.
Using other input sources like AES, SPDIF, word clock or ADAT, one most probably never experiences such high jitter values. But SteadyClock is not only ready for them, it would handle them just on the fly.
Even with an extremely jittery word clock signal of about 50 ns jitter, SteadyClock provides an extreme clean-up. The filtered clock shows less than 2 ns jitter.
Real-world Operation
The ADAT input of the HDSP 9632 uses an advanced Bitclock PLL. But this PLL does not provide any jitter suppression within the audio range. Therefore the quality of the clock extracted from the ADAT signal depends on the specific ADAT source.
But on the HDSP 9632 (also ADI-648 and HDSP MADI), SteadyClock will process the ADAT clock signal after its extraction.
In an example, if the card is set to AutoSync, and receives an ADAT signal with very low jitter (below 1 ns). The remaining jitter behind BitClock PLL and SteadyClock is hard to detect at all, with a value of around 700 ps (0.7 ns).
The same situation can occur with an ADAT signal of about 40 ns of jitter. The input jitter is nearly completely removed, the output of the HDSP 9632 again shows around 700 ps (0.7 ns).
The signal processed by SteadyClock is used internally to clock on-board AD- and DA-converters, and to clock the digital outputs. Additionally it is available directly at the word clock outputs.
Measurement using Audio Precision System Two
SteadyClock was tested using an Audio Precision System Two audio test system. The AP was connected to an ADI-4 DD, as the AP can measure jitter only on AES inputs and outputs. SteadyClock is used in the ADI-648, ADI2, HDSP MADI, HDSP 9632 and Fireface 800. The measurement results are valid for all the mentioned units as well.
The AP generated an AES signal which had been modulated with 10 ns, 20 ns, 50 ns and 100 ns jitter. The jitter frequency was not fixed, but changed in 401 steps between 20 Hz and 100 kHz. This way, a diagram was generated which shows the remaining jitter related to the jitter frequency, or in other words the amount of jitter reduction relative to the jitter frequency.
Doing a loopback selftest, it was found that the AP only measures exactly within the range 50 Hz to 50 kHz, so test results were limited to this range.
Even outside the expected filter range, SteadyClock heavily reduces jitter. An input jitter of 100 ns modulated by 50 Hz is brought down to 14 ns, at 100 Hz it is only 7.5 ns. Already at 500 Hz the remaining jitter is always below 2 ns, and looking at more real-world values like a 10 ns input jitter, the output jitter stays below 1 ns nearly all the time! Also the advertised value of 30 dB reduction at 2.4 kHz turns out to be an even better 'more than 40 dB'!
This measurement shows that SteadyClock can not only compete with other known jitter reduction techniques, but in fact is able to outperform them easily in several regards, like efficiency, speed, ease of use and costs.
Conclusion
The SteadyClock technology of RME's latest products guarantees an excellent performance in all clock modes. Its highly efficient jitter suppression enables ADI-648, HDSP 9632, HDSP MADI, ADI-2, ADI-4 DD and Fireface 800 to refresh and clean up any clock signal, and to provide the clock signal as reference clock at the word clock output. At the same time, analog conversion is performed on a guarateed level of highest quality, completely independent from the kind and quality of the used reference clock. The cleaned and jitter-freed clock signal can be used as reference clock in any application. And the quality of the external (input) clock doesn't matter anymore.
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PC
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Mac
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Driver Support
Windows 7 / Vista / XP SP2 (32 & 64 bit)
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Driver Support
Apple Mac OS X 10.5 or up (Core Audio)
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Sound Cards
