RME Babyface Pro FS 24-Channel USB-B Audio/MIDI Interface with Songwriting Kit

Get your voice on the track with this Songwriting Kit from Fotohaus Klinger that bundles a RME Babyface Pro FS USB-B Audio Interface with a large-diaphragm condenser microphone, a tripod mic stand with fixed boom, a pair of studio monitoring headphones, an XLR mic cable, and a pop filter for absorbing plosives like p's and t's.

The RME Babyface Pro FS 24-Channel 192 kHz USB 2.0 Bus-Powered AudioInterfaceis designed for a wide variety of studio and live recording applications. Users of the original Babyface Pro will recognize the look of this portable interface, with its dedicated XLR sockets and parallel phone jacks (1/4", 3.5mm, and TRS connections).

Familiar users will be delighted at the new improvements offered in the Babyface Pro FS. RME has implemented a +19/+4 dBu switch on the bottom to reduce the output level, allowing you to optimize the signal-to-noise ratio of the preamps on a case by case basis. The clocking, already high-quality, has been improved to provide ultralow jitter and jitter immunity. The 3.5mm headphone output power has risen from 70 to 90mW, and both headphone outputs sport improved THD up to 10 dB. Latency now has a typical delay of 5 samples AD and 7 samples DA, one-fifth of previous generations. These are just some of the improvements.

The interface ships with the company's TotalMix FX, a software mixer available for Windows, Mac OS X, and iOS. When using the device with an iPad, an external power adapter must be used, as the iPad alone is unable to power the interface. The mixer software allows you to use the interface in a wide variety of situations, from the simple mixing of signals to more complicated routing configurations.

The unit's FPGA-based DSP mixer adds a flexible 3-band parametric equalizer on all inputs and outputs. Delay and reverb are also on hand. Achieving sample rates and resolutions of up to 192 kHz / 24-bit, the interface offers a professional recording solution in a compact form factor.

The C-80 from Sony is a condenser microphone designed to deliver professional-quality vocal recordings with a powerful and rich midrange along with a hint of added presence to cut through the mix. The mic’s dual-capsule design helps to reduce proximity effect and provide a consistent-sounding response, even if the vocalist moves slightly closer or further away from the mic during a take.

Great care has been taken to ensure that the mic provides sonic character and little else. The two-part metallic construction is based on the highly regarded C-800G and C-100 models and prevents acoustic vibrations, helping to keep inherent noise and unwanted sonic artifacts out of your recordings.

The large-diaphragm condenser element yields a true frequency response of 20 Hz to 20 kHz, with a dynamic range of more than 125.5 dB. The C-80 plays quite nicely, even with loud singers, as the capsule offers a -10 dB pad and can handle SPLs up to 138 dB. A high-pass filter is also on board to help reduce low-end rumbles and other unwanted low-end frequencies, while a suspension shockmount is included to isolate the mic from vibrations and handling noise. A carrying case is also supplied for storage and transport.