Games Composer and Sound Designer Peter Connelly recently upgraded his studio with an RME Fireface UFX audio interface. He spoke to us about the improvements he's noticed to both audio quality and his workflow since making the switch.
Peter Connelly is a seasoned composer and sound designer who's known primarily for his work in the gaming industry. With a list of high-profile credits to his name, he's provided music and sound effects for a variety of well known games over a career spanning 21 years. During this time, he's performed audio duties on such iconic titles as the Tomb Raider series, Assassins Creed, Watch_Dogs and The Crew, working with companies such as Core Design/Eidos and Ubisoft. His most recent completed project was Champions of Anteria, and he’s now working on several new projects including one from Sega.
When choosing his new interface, one of the biggest factors for Peter was reliability. As an audio professional, both his livelihood and reputation are on the line, so he needed a device which would perform flawlessly day in, day out. With this in mind, Peter decided to upgrade his studio with the RME Fireface UFX.
Speaking about his decision, Peter told us “I was looking for an interface which is rock solid, reliable, and has outstanding sound quality. Another important factor was I wanted something that was going to stand the test of time. The RME certainly covers all of these points. I mean, if a company still produces drivers for products which are no longer in production (e.g. the Fireface 800), then that to me speaks volumes!”
“If a company still produces drivers for products which are
no longer in production, then that to me speaks volumes!”
In the studio – RME Fireface UFX, Cubase & analogue synths
When composing for a project, Peter makes use of a variety of real-world recordings and synthesised sounds. His studio setup combines both hardware and software, and includes an enviable collection of synths!
“The Fireface UFX is the heart of my setup and interfaces directly with my DAW (Cubase 8.5). All of my external hardware is plugged directly into it. I also use a MIDI in as my main input source from my Roland A-90 Controller.
A lot of my sound sources are now in the box, but I do have hardware synths going into the RME via TRS, such as a Roland Integra 7, an MKS-80 Super Jupiter, an MKS-30 and a Juno 106. I also have a Lexicon PCM 91 connected via AES and, of course, I am also utilizing the Mic inputs on the front of the UFX, which I use primarily for foley and vocal work.
When I expand on external hardware (I do like my analogue synths), I have an RME ADI-8 DS MK III in my sights. Previously, when I had a Sony DMX-R100 Digital Mixer, this was connected to my DAW via an RME HDSPe AIO (installed in my main PC) and an RME HDSP 9632 (installed in my Ubisoft PC). Both of these were rock solid and reliable. They never let me down, so it made pure sense to continue with RME when I rejigged my studio."
Mixing, routing and applying effects with TotalMix FX
When asked if he's been making use of TotalMix FX, RME's comprehensive routing and mixing software, Peter said;
"I did set out to use to use the UFX primarily as a basic in/out interface, but I’m finding myself delving deeper into TotalMix FX the more I use it. I’ve found it very easy and intuitive to use. As soon as I had the UFX out of its packaging and plumbed into my system, I was instantly rolling… no steep learning curve required.
I didn’t think I would be using TotalMix so much so soon, but I’ve been using the dynamics section to keep my external synths input under control. I can see myself relying more and more on TotalMix over time – it has a lot of amazing features which are crying out to be used. The auto level feature is an absolute God send.”
"I can see myself relying more and more on TotalMix over time, it has a lot of amazing features…
…the auto level feature is an absolute God send!”
The Fireface UFX includes a feature called 'Autoset', which allows for automatic gain reduction to be applied to the UFX's preamps. This helps to prevent against unwanted overloads and distortion, automatically reducing the preamp's input gain if the signal gets too hot.
Why choose RME?
Finally, Peter gave us a quick summary of why he chose the RME Fireface UFX as the new centre-piece of his studio.
“I know RME are renowned for their reliability and having rock-solid drivers, and this is certainly true of the UFX. I’ve never heard a bad word said against RME and their products. Many composer friends of mine also swear by the quality, reliability and support. And, it just sounds so good! The clarity is superb and the bottom end is damn tight, exactly what I need.”
Our thanks to Peter Connelly. To find out more about his work, check out his homepage. You can also hear examples of his work on his Soundcloud.
RME recently announced they're offering a 20% discount (while stocks last) when UK customers trade in their old audio interface. If you'd like to upgrade your studio to the RME Fireface UFX, follow the link below to find out more about this fantastic offer.
