RME Fireface UFX III USB Audio Interface
- 188 channels over USB 3, with 64-channel MADI
- Four front preamps and 12 analog inputs and outputs
- DURec records up to 80 channels to a USB drive
$3,199.00 USD
RME Fireface UFX III USB Audio Interface
With 12 analog inputs and outputs, two ADAT ports, AES/EBU, and 64 channels of MADI, the RME Fireface UFX III handles 188 channels over USB 3. It also records up to 80 channels straight to a USB drive.
Front and Rear Panels
The front panel holds four XLR/TRS combo inputs for microphones, instruments, and line signals, two headphone jacks that reach +19 dBu, a MIDI I/O, and a USB port for recording. The preamps offer 75 dB of gain, and AutoSet guards the four front inputs against overloads.
The rear carries eight balanced line inputs and eight balanced line outputs, including a stereo monitor pair on XLR that switches up to +24 dBu. Beside them sit a second MIDI I/O, two ADAT optical ports, and AES/EBU and word clock I/O. Multi-Mode turns the two ADAT ports into separate optical SPDIF inputs and outputs when needed. Every line output is DC-coupled, so it can also send control voltages and gate signals to modular synthesizers.
MADI
An optical MADI port carries 64 channels in and out, and the word clock BNC connectors can switch to coaxial MADI. A split mode runs both at once with 32 channels each, and several MADI devices can be connected in series to grow the system.
DURec and Stand-Alone Recording
DURec records any of the 188 input and output channels, up to 80 at a time, to a USB thumb drive or hard drive of up to 2 TB through the front USB port. It plays them back too, with no computer connected. That makes the UFX III a stand-alone field recorder and a multichannel player for virtual sound checks.
Computer Connection and Mixing
The UFX III runs on RME’s USB 3 driver, or in Class Compliant mode with full USB 3.0 support, so all channels work with no driver on Linux, Mac, and iPadOS. An iPad Pro with USB-C handles up to 94 channels. SteadyClock FS keeps clock jitter low.
TotalMix FX builds latency-free monitor mixes for any output, with EQ, dynamics, reverb, and delay, and its Room EQ adds a 9-band parametric EQ and volume calibration. TotalMix Remote controls the mixer from an iPad or another computer over Ethernet or Wi-Fi. An internal 100 to 240 V AC power supply runs the unit.
Features
- 188 channels over USB 3 at up to 192 kHz
- Four XLR/TRS combo inputs with 75 dB of gain and AutoSet
- Eight line inputs and eight line outputs, with XLR monitor outputs
- Two headphone outputs at +19 dBu
- 64-channel MADI on optical and coaxial connections
- Two ADAT ports, switchable to optical SPDIF, plus AES/EBU
- DURec recording of up to 80 channels to USB drives
- DC-coupled line outputs
- Class Compliant mode with the full USB 3 channel count
- Two MIDI I/O plus MIDI over MADI
What's Included
- Fireface UFX III
- USB 3.0 cable, USB-A to USB-B, 1.8 m (6 ft)
- USB 3.0 cable, USB-C to USB-B, 1.8 m (6 ft)
- Optical cable
- 4 × self-adhesive rubber feet
- Power cord
- Manual
Specifications
| Analog Inputs | 4 x XLR/TRS combo mic/instrument/line (9-12, front); 8 × 6.3 mm TRS balanced line (1-8, rear) |
|---|---|
| Mic Preamp Gain | 75 dB range |
| Mic Input EIN | −129.8 dBu A-weighted (60 dB gain, 150 Ohm) |
| Mic Input SNR | 117 dB (AES17), 119.5 dBA at 0 dB gain |
| Maximum Mic Input Level | +18 dBu at 0 dB gain |
| Line Input THD+N | < −110 dB, < 0.00032 % at −1 dBFS |
| Line Outputs | 2 x XLR balanced monitor (1-2), switchable +24 dBu, Hi Gain, +4 dBu, or −10 dBV; 6 × 6.3 mm TRS servo-balanced (3-8), switchable Hi Gain, +4 dBu, or −10 dBV |
| Line Output SNR | 116.5 dB (AES17), 118.5 dBA at Hi Gain |
| Headphone Outputs | 2 × 6.3 mm TRS stereo, unbalanced; +19 dBu maximum; 200 mW per channel at 32 Ohm |
| MADI | Optical (SC duplex) and coaxial (BNC, shared with word clock); 64 channels at 48 kHz, 32 at 96 kHz, 16 at 192 kHz |
| Digital I/O | 2 x ADAT optical in and out (16 channels at 48 kHz, 8 at 96 kHz, 4 at 192 kHz), switchable to optical SPDIF; 1 x AES/EBU (XLR) in and out |
| Word Clock | BNC in and out, switchable 75 Ohm termination |
| MIDI | 2 x MIDI I/O, 5-pin DIN; 2 x MIDI over MADI |
| Clock Sources | Internal, ADAT, AES, SPDIF, word clock; SteadyClock FS |
| Sample Rates | 28 kHz to 200 kHz |
| Computer Connection | USB 3.0 (30 channels in USB 2 mode); Class Compliant mode |
| Direct USB Recording | DURec, up to 80 channels, to USB drives up to 2 TB (front USB port) |
| Power | Internal switching power supply, 100 to 240 V AC, 36 W; 22 to 25 W typical |
| Dimensions | 483 × 44 × 210 mm with rack ears; 440 × 44 × 210 mm (17.3 × 1.73 × 8.3 in) without; total depth 240 mm (9.4 in) |
| Weight | 3 kg (6.6 lb) |
| Operating Temperature | 5 to 50 °C (41 to 122 °F), relative humidity under 75%, non-condensing |
