RME Audio Fireface 800 User Manual
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RME Audio Fireface 800 User Manual

Firewire 800 / 400 digital i/o system 10 + 16 + 2 channels analog / adat / spdif interface 24 bit / 192 khz digital audio 56 x 28 matrix router midi i/o stand-alone operation midi remote control stand-alone midi controlled operation
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User's Guide
Fireface 800
®
The most powerful FireWire
audio interface ever!
™
TotalMix
24 Bit / 192 kHz
™
™
™
SyncAlign
ZLM
SyncCheck
™
SteadyClock
FireWire 800 / 400 Digital I/O System
10 + 16 + 2 Channels Analog / ADAT / SPDIF Interface
24 Bit / 192 kHz Digital Audio
56 x 28 Matrix Router
MIDI I/O
Stand-Alone Operation
MIDI Remote Control
Stand-Alone MIDI Controlled Operation

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Summary of Contents for RME Audio Fireface 800

  • Page 1 User's Guide Fireface 800 ® The most powerful FireWire audio interface ever! ™ TotalMix 24 Bit / 192 kHz ™ ™ ™ SyncAlign SyncCheck ™ SteadyClock FireWire 800 / 400 Digital I/O System 10 + 16 + 2 Channels Analog / ADAT / SPDIF Interface...

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    Using more than one Fireface........30 DIGICheck Windows ..........31 Hotline – Troubleshooting........32 Installation and Operation - Mac OS X Hardware Installation..........34 Driver and Firmware 18.1 Driver Installation ..........34 18.2 Driver Update ............35 18.3 Firmware Update..........35 User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...
  • Page 3 29.7 Quick Access Panel..........61 29.8 Presets..............61 29.9 Monitor Panel............63 29.10 Preferences............63 29.11 Editing the Names ..........64 29.12 Hotkeys ..............65 29.13 Menu Options............66 29.14 Fader Groups............66 29.15 Level Meter ............67 User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...
  • Page 4 35.5 DS – Double Speed ..........91 35.6 QS – Quad Speed..........91 35.7 AES/EBU – SPDIF ..........92 35.8 Noise Level in DS / QS Mode ......93 35.9 SteadyClock ............93 Diagrams 36.1 Block Diagram Fireface........94 36.2 Connector Pinouts..........95 User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 5: Important Safety Instructions

    When mounting in a rack, leave some space between this device and others for ventilation. Unauthorized servicing/repair voids warranty. Only use accessories specified by the manufacturer. Read the manual completely. It includes all information necessary to use and operate this device. User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...
  • Page 6 User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 7: General

    User's Guide Fireface 800 General User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 8: Introduction

    1. Introduction Thank you for choosing the Fireface 800. This unique audio system is capable of transferring analog and digital audio data directly to a computer from practically any device. The latest Plug and Play technology guarantees a simple installation, even for the inexperienced user. The numerous unique features and well thought-out configuration dialog puts the Fireface 800 at the very top of the range of computer-based audio interfaces.

  • Page 9: First Usage - Quick Start

    See also chapter 11.4/19.3, Clock Modes - Synchronization. The red HOST LED lights up when the Fireface 800 has been switched on, signalling the pres- ence of operating voltage. At the same time it operates as error LED, in case the FireWire con- nection hasn't been initialised yet, or has been interrupted (error, cable not connected etc.).

  • Page 10: Quick Start

    TotalMix reach about –3 dB. The analog line inputs of the Fireface 800 can be used with +4 dBu and -10 dBV signals. The electronic input stage can handle balanced (XLR, TRS jacks) and unbalanced (TS jacks) input signals correctly.

  • Page 11: Warranty

    Audio AG does not accept claims for damages of any kind, especially consequential damage. Liability is limited to the value of the Fireface 800. The general terms of business drawn up by Audio AG apply at all times.
  • Page 12 RME Driver CD, or any commercial exploitation of these media without express written permis- sion from RME Intelligent Audio Solutions is prohibited. RME reserves the right to change specifications at any time without notice. User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...
  • Page 13 For this the device has to be sent free to the door to: IMM Elektronik GmbH Leipziger Straße 32 D-09648 Mittweida Germany Shipments not prepaid will be rejected and returned on the original sender's costs. User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...
  • Page 14 User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 15: Installation And Operation - Windows

    User's Guide Fireface 800 Installation and Operation - Windows User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 16: Hardware Installation

    Insert the RME Driver CD into your CD-ROM drive, and follow further instructions which appear on your computer screen. The driver files are located in the directory \Fireface_FW on the RME Driver CD. Windows now installs the driver of the Fireface 800 and registers it as a new audio device in the system.

  • Page 17: Driver Update

    Control Panel, Software. Click on the entry 'RME Fireface'. 10.4 Firmware Update The Flash Update Tool updates the firmware of the Fireface 800 to the latest version. It requires an already installed driver. Start the program fireface_fut.exe. The Flash Update Tool displays the current revision of the Fireface's firmware, and whether it needs an update or not.

  • Page 18: Configuring The Fireface

    11. Configuring the Fireface 11.1 Settings Dialog - General Configuration of the Fireface 800 is done via its own settings dialog. The panel 'Settings' can be opened: • by clicking on the fire symbol in the Task Bar's system tray The mixer of the Fireface 800 (TotalMix) can be opened: •...
  • Page 19 No Lock), or if there is a valid and synchronous signal (Sync). The second row shows the sam- ple frequency measured by the hardware. In Clock Mode the clock reference is shown (Cur- rent…). See also chapter 35.1. User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 20: Settings Dialog - Pitch

    WDM devices. Changing the sample rate from the Settings dialog solves this problem. As the change within the system requires some time, record/playback should not be started immedi- ately, but not before 5 seconds after a change. User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 21: Settings Dialog - Analog

    Limiter activates a soft-limiter with a threshold of –10 dBFS. Note: The Limiter can only be switched off with input selection Front. Speaker Emulation removes frequency noise and cuts off higher frequencies. User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 22: Clock Modes - Synchronization

    A digital system can only have one master! If the Fireface’s clock mode is set to 'Master', all other devices must be set to ‘Slave’. The Fireface 800 utilizes a very user-friendly, intelligent clock control, called AutoSync. In AutoSync mode, the system constantly scans the digital input for a valid signal. If any valid sig- nal is found, the Fireface switches from the internal quartz (Clock Mode –...

  • Page 23: Limit Bandwidth

    All channels (default) activates all 28 input and output channels. Analog + SPDIF + ADAT1 disables channels 21–28 (ADAT2). Analog + SPDIF activates all 10 analog channels plus SPDIF. Analog 1-8 activates only the first eight analog channels. User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 24: Operation And Usage

    12. Operation and Usage 12.1 Playback The Fireface 800 can play back audio data in supported formats only (sample rate, bit resolu- tion). Otherwise an error message appears (for example at 22 kHz and 8 bit). In the audio application being used, Fireface must be selected as output device. This can often be found in the Options, Preferences or Settings menus under Playback Device, Audio Devices, Audio etc.

  • Page 25: Dvd-Playback (Ac-3/Dts)

    (tab Sounds, scheme 'No audio'). Note 2: The DVD player will be synced backwards from the Fireface. This means when using AutoSync and/or word clock, the playback speed and pitch follows the incoming clock signal. User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 26: Notes On Wdm

    Sample Multiplexing technique. This reduces the number of available ADAT channels from 8 to 4 per ADAT port. Whenever the Fireface changes into Double Speed (88.2/96 kHz) or Quad Speed mode (176.4/192 kHz) all devices no longer available vanish automatically. User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 27: Multi-Client Operation

    Note: Under Vista/7 the analog outputs 1/2 show up as Loudspeaker. 12.5 Multi-client Operation RME audio interfaces support multi-client operation. Several programs can be used at the same time. The formats ASIO and WDM can even be used on the same playback channels simulta- neously.

  • Page 28: Digital Recording

    Taking this into account, RME added two important features to the Fireface 800: a comprehen- sive I/O signal status display showing sample frequency, lock and sync status in the Settings dialog, and status LEDs for each input.

  • Page 29: Operation Under Asio

    Start the ASIO software and select ASIO Fireface as the audio I/O device. The Fireface 800 supports ASIO Direct Monitoring (ADM). The Fireface 800 MIDI I/O can be used with both MME MIDI and DirectMusic MIDI. 13.2 Channel Count under ASIO At a sample rate of 88.2 or 96 kHz, the ADAT optical input and outputs operate in S/MUX mode,...

  • Page 30: Known Problems

    14. Using more than one Fireface 800 The current driver supports up to three Fireface 800. All units have to be in sync, i.e. have to receive valid sync information (either via word clock or by using AutoSync and feeding synchro- nized signals).

  • Page 31: Digicheck Windows

    To install DIGICheck, go to the \DIGICheck directory on the RME Driver CD and run setup.exe. Follow the instructions prompted on the screen. DIGICheck is constantly updated. The latest version is always available on our website www.rme-audio.com, section Downloads / DIGICheck. User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 32: Hotline - Troubleshooting

    • Check that there is a valid signal at the input. If so, the current sample frequency is dis- played in the Settings dialog. • Check whether the Fireface 800 has been selected as recording device in the audio applica- tion.
  • Page 33 User's Guide Fireface 800 Mac OS X – Installation and Operation User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 34: Hardware Installation

    • Connect computer and Fireface using the supplied 6-pin FireWire cable (IEEE1394a). • Power on the notebook, then switch on the Fireface 800. 18. Driver and Firmware 18.1 Driver Installation After the Fireface has been switched on (see 17. Hardware Installation) install the drivers from the RME Driver CD.

  • Page 35: Driver Update

    "chflags nohidden ~/Library/" 18.3 Firmware Update The Flash Update Tool updates the firmware of the Fireface 800 to the latest version. It requires an already installed driver. Start the program Fireface Flash. The Flash Update Tool displays the current revision of the Fireface's firmware, and whether it needs an update or not.

  • Page 36: Configuring The Fireface

    Use the drop down menu Properties select unit configured. On the right of it the current firmware and driver version is shown. User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...
  • Page 37 Input Status indicates whether there is a valid signal (Lock, No Lock) for each input (Word clock, ADAT1, ADAT2, SPDIF), or if there is a valid and synchronous signal (Sync). The Auto- Sync Ref display shows the input and frequency of the current sync source. User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...
  • Page 38 This setting is a mirror of the system’s own control panel to change the sample rate. It has been included for convenience. System Clock Shows the current clock state of the Fireface 800. The unit is either Master (using its own clock) or Slave (AutoSync Ref). Word Clock Out The word clock output signal usually equals the current sample rate.

  • Page 39: Clock Modes - Synchronization

    The Fireface's ADAT optical and SPDIF inputs operate simultaneously. Because there is no input selector however, the Fireface 800 has to be told which of the signals is the sync refer- ence (a digital device can only be clocked from a single source). Via Pref. Sync Ref (preferred synchronization reference) a preferred input can be defined.

  • Page 40: Limit Bandwidth

    All channels (default) activates all 28 input and output channels. Analog + SPDIF + ADAT1 disables channels 21–28 (ADAT2). Analog + SPDIF activates all 10 analog channels plus SPDIF. Analog 1-8 activates only the first eight analog channels. User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 41: Mac Os X Faq

    Result: the desired input signal is now available at input channel 1/2, without further delay/latency. Use Speaker Setup to freely configure the playback to all available channels. Even multichan- nel playback (Surround, DVD Player) can be set up this way. User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 42: Supported Sample Rates

    Fireface ADAT 9 bis 16 20.7 FireWire Compatibility RME's Fireface 800 should be fully compatible to any FireWire port found on Apple Mac com- puters. Problems are known with FireWire controllers from LSI Agere Revision 6. Although we tested compatibility with lots of models, total compatibility can not be guaranteed. In case of trouble please contact RME.

  • Page 43: Using More Than One Fireface

    To install DIGICheck, go to the \DIGICheck directory on the RME Driver CD and run setup.exe. Follow the instructions prompted on the screen. DIGICheck is constantly updated. The latest version is always available on our website www.rme-audio.com, section Downloads / DIGICheck. User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 44: Hotline - Troubleshooting

    • Check that there is a valid signal at the input. If so, the current sample frequency is dis- played in the Settings dialog. • Check whether the Fireface 800 has been selected as recording device in the audio applica- tion.

  • Page 45: Stand-Alone Operation, Connections And Totalmix

    User's Guide Fireface 800 Stand-Alone Operation, Connections and TotalMix User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 46: Stand-Alone Operation

    The perfect headphone monitor mixer! 24.4 Digital Format Converter As TotalMix allows for any routing of the input signals, the Fireface 800 can be used as ADAT to SPDIF converter, ADAT to two ADAT splitter, and SPDIF to ADAT converter.

  • Page 47: Analog Inputs

    25.2 Microphone / Line Front The balanced microphone inputs of the Fireface 800 offer an adjustable gain of 10 to 60 dB. The soft switching, hi-current Phantom power (48 Volt) provides a professional handling of con- densor mics.

  • Page 48: Instrument

    It will simply blow you away. Also well suited for bass guitar. Speaker Emulation The basic idea of the Fireface 800 instrument input is not to alter the sound in a specific way, but to pre-condition the sound so that it gets much easier recorded and processed within the DAW application.

  • Page 49: Analog Outputs

    As with the analog inputs, the analog output levels are defined to maintain a problem-free op- eration with most other devices. The headroom of the Fireface 800 lies between 9 and 15 dB, according to the chosen reference level:...

  • Page 50: Digital Connections

    AES/EBU compatibility. In SPDIF mode, identical signals are available at both the optical and the coaxial output. An obvious use for this would be to connect two devices, i.e. using the Fireface 800 as a splitter (distribution 1 on 2).

  • Page 51: Midi

    AC-3 digital inputs), as these decoders would otherwise not recognize the data as AC-3. 27.3 MIDI Fireface 800 offers one MIDI I/O via two 5-pin DIN jacks. The MIDI ports are added to the sys- tem by the driver. Using MIDI capable software, these ports can be accessed under the name Fireface Midi.

  • Page 52: Word Clock

    The signal at the BNC input can be Single, Double or Quad Speed, the Fireface 800 automatically adapts to it. As soon as a valid signal is detected, the WC LED is lit, and the Settings dialog shows either Lock or Sync (see chapter 35.1).

  • Page 53: Technical Description And Background

    22 MHz from a slow word clock of 44.1 kHz is no problem anymore. Additionally, jitter on the input signal is highly rejected, so that even in real world usage the re-gained clock signal is of highest quality. User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 54: Cables And Termination

    BNC socket (see chapter 28.1). In case the Fireface 800 resides within a chain of devices receiving word clock, plug a T- adapter into its BNC input jack, and the cable supplying the word clock signal to one end of the adapter.

  • Page 55: Totalmix: Routing And Monitoring

    29. TotalMix: Routing and Monitoring 29.1 Overview The Fireface 800 includes a powerful digital real-time mixer, the Fireface mixer, based on RME’s unique, sample-rate independent TotalMix technology. It allows for practically unlimited mixing and routing operations, with all inputs and playback channels simultaneously, to any hardware outputs.
  • Page 56 User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 57: The User Interface

    The visual design of the TotalMix mixer is a result of its capability to route hardware inputs and software playback channels to any hardware output. The Fireface 800 provides 28 input chan- nels, 28 software playback channels, and 28 hardware output channels: 56 channels don't fit on the screen side by side, neither does such an arrangement provide a useful overview.

  • Page 58: Elements Of A Channel

    – except those of playback channel 1/2. This is correct, because as mentioned above the factory preset includes a 1:1 routing. Click on AN 3/4 and the faders above are the only active ones, same for AN5/6 and so on. User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...
  • Page 59 Move the fader close to the 0 position and now press the Shift-key. This activates the fine mode, which stretches the mouse movements by a factor of 8. In this mode, a gain setting accurate to 0.1 dB is no problem at all. User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 60: Submix View

    As soon as one Solo button is pressed, the Solo Master button lights up in the Quick Access area. With this all selected Solos can be switched off and on again. You can comforta- bly set up a solo-group or activate and deactivate several Solos simultaneously. User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 61: Quick Access Panel

    This method offers two major advantages: • Presets modified by the user will not be overwritten when reinstalling or updating the driver • The factory presets remain unchanged, and can be reloaded any time. User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...
  • Page 62 Menu File, Save All Presets as and Open All Presets (file suffix .fpr). After the loading the presets can be activated by the preset buttons. In case the presets have been renamed (see chapter 29.11), these names will be stored and loaded too. User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 63: Monitor Panel

    Dim: Amount of attenuation of the signals routed to the Monitor Main in dB. Main Monitor Dim: Amount of attenuation of the Monitor Main output in dB. Activated by the Dim button in the Monitor panel. User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 64: Editing The Names

    The preset button names are not stored in the preset files, but globally in the registry, so won't change when loading any file or saving any state as preset. But loading a preset bank (see chapter 29.8) the names will be updated. User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 65: Hotkeys

    • Using multiple Firefaces, clicking the button Unit 2 while holding down Ctrl opens a second TotalMix window for the second Fireface 800, instead of replacing the window contents. The faders can also be moved pairwise, corresponding to the stereo-routing settings. This is achieved by pressing the Alt-key and is especially comfortable when setting the SPDIF and Phones output level.

  • Page 66: Menu Options

    - In the menu click on Define – Group X. The level meters below the faders now show GrpX. - Any group can be activated and deactivated in the menu Activate - Any group can be deleted in the menu Delete User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 67: Level Meter

    29.15 Level Meter The Fireface 800 calculates all the display values Peak, Over and RMS in hardware, in order to be capable of using them independent of the software in use, and to significantly reduce the CPU load. Tip: This feature, the Hardware Level Meter, is used by DIGICheck (see chapter 15/22) to display Peak/RMS level meters of all channels, nearly without any CPU load.

  • Page 68: Totalmix: The Matrix

    Note the difference between the left side, representing the inputs and software playback chan- nels, and the upper side, representing the hardware outputs. A gain field marked orange indicates activated mute status. Mute can only be changed in the mixer view. User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 69: Advantages Of The Matrix

    Example: you have lowered the output level of a submix, or just a specific channel, by some dB. The audio signal passed through via ADM will be attenuated by the value set in the third row. User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 70: Selection And Group Based Operation

    The fastest way to delete complex routings: select a channel in the mixer view, click on the menu entry Edit and select Delete. Or simply hit the Del-key. Attention: there is no undo in To- talMix, so be careful with this function! User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 71: Recording A Subgroup (Loopback)

    A software monitor- ing on the subgroup record channels is only allowed as long as the monitoring is routed in both software and TotalMix to a different channel than the active subgroup recording one. User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 72: Using External Effects Devices

    10 is sent by TotalMix to any output, to the Compressor, back from the Compressor to any input. This input is now selected within the record software. User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 73: Ms Processing

    Low Cut, Expander, Compressor or Delay. The most basic application is already available di- rectly in TotalMix: Changing the level of the side channel allows to manipulate the stereo width from mono to stereo up to extended, stepless and in real-time. User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 74: Midi Remote Control

    1 - 8 select Main Monitor F10 - F12 Monitor Phones 1 - 3 *Tested with Behringer BCF2000 Firmware v1.07 in Mackie Control emulation for Steinberg mode and with Mackie Control under Mac OS X. User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 75: Setup

    TotalMix also supports the 9th fader of the Mackie Control. This fader (labelled Master) will con- trol the stereo output faders (lowest row) which are set up as Main Monitor outputs in the Moni- tor panel. Always and only. User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 76: Midi Control

    16 Controller numbers are used: 102 up to 117 (= hex 66 to 75). With these 16 Controllers (= faders) and 4 MIDI channels each per row, up to 64 faders can be controlled per row (as required by the HDSPe MADI). User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 77: Loopback Detection

    MIDI output. As soon as it detects this special note at the input, the MIDI functionality is disabled. After fixing the loopback, check Enable MIDI Control under Options to reactivate the TotalMix MIDI. User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 78: Stand-Alone Midi Control

    32.7 Stand-Alone MIDI Control When not connected to a computer, the Fireface 800 can be controlled directly via MIDI. To unlock the special stand-alone MIDI control mode first activate MIDI control in TotalMix (En- able MIDI control), then transfer this state via Flash current mixer state into the unit. Turning this mode off is done in the same way, but with MIDI control deactivated.
  • Page 79 Input channel 9 MIDI channel 10 Input channel 10 MIDI channel 11 Input channel 11 MIDI channel 12 Input channel 12 MIDI channel 13 Input channel 13 MIDI channel 14 Input channel 14 MIDI channel 15 User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...
  • Page 80 User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 81: Technical Reference

    User's Guide Fireface 800 Technical Reference User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 82: Tech Info

    FireWire 800 Hardware – Compatibility Problems FireWire 800 under Windows XP SP2 Driver updates Fireface 800 – Lists all changes of the driver updates. SteadyClock: RME's new clock technology in theory and operation DIGICheck: Analysis, tests and measurements with RME audio hardware A description of DIGICheck, including technical background information.

  • Page 83: Technical Specifications

    • Maximum input level, Gain 1, -10 dBFS: +10 dBu • Maximum input level, Gain 9, -10 dBFS: -42 dBu • LIM LED: -10 dBFS • SIG LED: -40 dBFS • Mute: > 120 dB User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 84: Midi

    • Effective clock jitter influence on AD and DA conversion: near zero • PLL ensures zero dropout, even at more than 100 ns jitter • Digital Bitclock PLL for trouble-free varispeed ADAT operation • Supported sample rates: 28 kHz up to 200 kHz User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 85: Digital Inputs

    • Level range: 1.0 Vpp – 5.6 Vpp • Lock Range: 27 kHz – 200 kHz • Jitter when synced to input signal: < 1 ns • Jitter suppression: > 30 dB (2.4 kHz) User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 86: Digital Outputs

    • Dimensions without rack ears/handles (WxHxD): 436 x 44 x 235 mm (17.2" x 1.73" x 9.3") • Weight: 3 kg ( 6.6 lbs) • Temperature range: +5° up to +50° Celsius (41° F up to 122°F) • Relative humidity: < 75%, non condensing User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 87: Technical Background

    PLL tracks the receiver's frequency. If an ADAT or SPDIF signal is applied to the Fireface 800, the corresponding input LED starts flashing. The unit indicates LOCK, i. e. a valid input signal (in case the signal is also in sync, the LED is constantly lit, see below).

  • Page 88: Latency And Monitoring

    RME's Zero Latency Monitoring. The term describes the digital path of the audio data from the input of the interface to its output. The digital receiver of the Fireface 800 can't operate un-buffered, and together with TotalMix and the output via the transmitter, it causes a typical delay of 3 samples.

  • Page 89: Firewire Audio

    PCI cards, the FireWire subsystem creates an additional CPU load at lower latencies. One Fireface 800 can achieve a performance similar to a PCI card with an optimal PC. An 'op- timal' PC has an undisturbed PCI bus. Intel's motherboard D875PBZ e.g., has network, PATA and SATA connected directly to the chipset.

  • Page 90: Number Of Channels And Bus Load

    PCI bus - causes drop outs. Transferring these experiences to FireWire and the Fireface 800 means that besides the num- ber of channels the bus load has to be taken into account too. One channel at 96 kHz causes...

  • Page 91: Ds - Double Speed

    There are few devices using this method. The Fireface 800 can not provide ADAT at 192 kHz, because this would equal a channel count of 64 (10+2+2+2 x 4, see chapter 35.4, Number of Channels and Bus load). The Fireface is internally limited to 48 channels.

  • Page 92: Aes/Ebu - Spdif

    The table shows that a Professional-coded signal would lead to malfunctions for copy prohibi- tion and emphasis, if being read as Consumer-coded data. Nowadays many devices with SPDIF input can handle Professional subcode. Devices with AES3 input almost always accept Consumer SPDIF (passive cable adapter necessary). User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 93: Noise Level In Ds / Qs Mode

    SNR, while the human ear will notice absolutely no change in the audible noise floor. 35.9 SteadyClock The SteadyClock technology of the Fireface 800 guarantees an excellent performance in all clock modes. Thanks to a highly efficient jitter suppression, the AD- and DA-conversion always operates on highest sonic level, being completely independent from the quality of the incoming clock signal.

  • Page 94: Diagrams

    36. Diagrams 36.1 Block Diagram Fireface 800 User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

  • Page 95: Connector Pinouts

    TRS plug to TS plugs is required. The pin assignment follows international standards. The left channel is connected to the tip, the right channel to the ring of the TRS jack/plug. User's Guide Fireface 800 © RME...

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