News from Musikmesse 2016

At the start of each year musicians, audiophiles, producers and gear-enthusiasts alike anxiously await the inspiring new announcements and product launches on show at winter NAMM. However, after Easter in Frankfurt the Musikmesse trade show unravels - and in 2016 we have some exciting news out of Germany that pro-audio users will relish.

Firstly, and on the home-front, Germany’s own RME - makers of high-end audio interfaces, and A-D / D-A convertors have finally released an updated version of their hugely successful Fireface UFX interface. The Fireface UFX + is now both USB 3.0 AND Thunderbolt compatible!
The UFX + also ups the overall channel count by 128 in comparison to the original UFX, with the inclusion of MADI. Other key features include an updated analog circuit board, improving slightly on the already impressive technical specifications in areas such as total harmonic distortion, and signal to noise ratio. On a more practical front, the microphone inputs now offer much better dynamic range. Also, there have been improvements made to the DSP & Total Mix FX integration side of the interface due to the increased I/O.
RME have also redesigned the optional ARC remote for the UFX +, which is now a USB device (instead of using MIDI) that can connect directly to the computer, or via the rear of the interface for stand-alone use. Expect the new RME Fireface UFX + to be shipping around July/August 2016.

Also on show at the 2016 Musikmesse from RME is the reference class ADI-2 Pro A-D / D-A convertor with USB and a high-end headphone amp. The ADI-2 Pro features sample rates up to a staggering 768kHz, and 124dBA signal to noise ratio on the analog inputs and 120dBA on the outputs.

RME’s recently released BabyFace Pro, has also received an updated version. The MADIface Pro, as the name suggests, now includes MADI - replacing the ADAT ports on the original Babyface Pro. The other design elements and I/O remain the same as the BabyFace Pro, and like the UFX + expect these to be available July/August 2016.

In other audio interface news form Musikmesse 2016, MOTU have announced Windows drivers for the 1248, 16A, 8M and 112D AVB interfaces. Check out the downloads page on MOTU's website for more info. 

There was also word from Danish speaker manufacturer Dynaudio, who are set to release their new line of studio monitors, the Pro LYD series. The LYD series are a near field two-way design, and will be available in 5, 7 and 8 inch driver models.

Stay tuned to Sounds easy as we will keep you updated on all further developments to come out of Musikmesse 2016.