RME Babyface Pro FS Purchase Report

Hello everyone! I'm Kito, a guitar instructor in Nagoya. I may have mentioned it a little in previous articles, but since the beginning of last year I've gradually shifted to DTM, and now I'm as much of a DTM equipment addict as I am a guitar equipment addict.

Equipment is really fun and exciting!

This time, I finally bought a new audio interface for Babyface at the end of December 2022. I've been using it for about three months for various things like composing and recording, and I'd like to talk about my impressions!

1. What is Babyface Pro FS?

Let's get straight to the introductions. Babyface is a fairly well-known name in the DTM world, but there also seems to be another product with a similar name, so I'll start by talking about that.

Actually, there is a version of Babyface that does not have “FS”, and “FS” seems to refer to clock precision, meaning femtosecond (one quadrillionth of a second).

It seems that RME products are famous for their extremely high clock accuracy, and the company's Fireface is mainly used in recording studios for professional use, and the Babyface Pro FS has also become famous for being able to record high-quality audio even when recording on the go.

2. Why I bought the Babyface Pro FS, and the products I was considering

There are many audio interfaces to choose from if you don't have a budget limit. Next, I'll talk about why I chose the Babyface from among so many interfaces, and whether there were any other products I was considering.

To sum up, I think the most straightforward reason for purchasing is “because the sound quality is good and there is no need to switch in the future”.

Also, I felt that, perhaps because I'm a guitarist who is very fickle and keeps changing effect pedals, even if it's a good product, I would start to feel attracted to interfaces in the same price range or slightly higher, and want to switch.

So, I thought that I couldn't spend any more on Babyface, budget-wise... and I thought that I could keep using it for many years, right up to the limit of my budget.

I think that the Apollo Twin is inevitably compared to other products in the same price range. I really struggled with this decision.
I think that one of the appeals of the Apollo is that you can use the various plug-ins and amp simulators from the famous Universal Audio brand without putting a strain on your computer thanks to the internal DSP.

There were a lot of Universal Audio plugins and amplifiers that I wanted to use, but I also wanted to separate the plugin interface and think about it. So, I decided to go with Babyface.

Among the other interfaces I was considering, the Apollo Twin was the most promising, but I also compared and contrasted it with the Discrete 4 Pro Synergy Core from Antelope Audio, the DUET 3 from APOGEE, and the MOTU M4 before making my choice.

3. My impressions of using the TotalMix FX digital mixer

Babyface comes with a software called “TotalMix FX” that you can use to control the unit without having to touch it.

At first glance, it seems complicated. However, as I don't have ADAT or other input/output equipment, the way to use it is simple, just like other interfaces.

• Controlling the level and gain of the guitar/microphone
• Controlling the volume of the speakers and headphones
• Controlling the volume output from the computer

Basically, these are the operations mentioned above.

The thing that made me think “I'm so glad I bought this!” was being able to lower the volume on my computer (DAW). By lowering the volume on the DAW, I can hear my own sound clearly even when monitoring directly, so recording becomes much easier.

I like to record by plugging multi-effectors such as the Eleven Rack into the interface, so I found direct monitoring very easy to use.

4. My impressions after recording with it

I think the fact that the interface I was using before I switched was in the 20,000 yen range had quite an effect on me... but it's really good. It's super clear.

First of all, the sound of the preamp is really good. If you're doing clean sound cutting, you might think “I don't need to use any plug-ins” because the sound quality is just so great.

I know some singers who use Babyface, and when I received a delivery from them before, I also thought that the recording quality was very good.

I think that the sound of the Babyface preamp is good, and that the amp simulator and other plug-ins work well, and that noise is also quite difficult to pick up.

This time, I've written a report on my purchase of the RME Babyface Pro FS! The sound quality is just amazing, and I'm very satisfied with my purchase. There are many factors to consider and many things to choose from when choosing an audio interface, but I hope this report will be of some help.

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