RME has announced the inclusion of new Room EQ DSP with all current Fireface interface models, including the UFX III, UFX II, UCX II, and 802 FS as well as the UFX III’s predecessor, the UFX+, in order to foster immersive audio platforms that include Dolby Atmos.
Room EQ consists of nine bands of fully parametric EQ, individual output delay, and volume calibration. Users can assign up to 20 Room EQs at once to any output(s) they wish, including stereo, headphone, and digital outputs. Settings can be input manually or imported using tools like Sonarworks or Room EQ Wizard
In addition, the functionality can be used in mono, stereo, or multi-channel configurations, depending on how users want to calibrate their system. For traditional stereo applications or immersive multi-channel setups, users can apply measurements from software tools like SonarWorks Sound ID Reference or REW.
As of the time of this release, RME and SonarWorks have been in cooperation to make an easy import/export procedure for customers wishing to measure and calibrate their systems. From these software tools they will be able to export the measurements and import their calibration settings into their RME interface. A similar cooperation is planned for REW (Room EQ Wizard).
“It is our goal to make the process of room calibration as simple as possible for RME customers wishing to calibrate their home studios using the new built-in Room EQ from RME ” says Derek Badala, director of sales – The Americas. “This functionality is not only for Dolby Atmos/immersive applications, but its also for everyday audio interface users who can now measure and calibrate their home studios for stereo as well.
“A built-in hardware solution reduces latency and CPU usage along with the overall convenience of not having to run separate software or plug-ins in the background or in your DAW,” Badala continues. “In addition to convenience, customers no longer have to worry about accidentally printing the EQ settings on their mix files, and there are no driver/software bugs to contend with. It’s easy to access right in TotalMix on your outputs.”
RME also added a feature called Binaural Crossed to the Fireface Series. This functionality provides speaker emulation in headphones to support mixing stereo or Atmos in headphones. The crossfeed function emulates speaker behavior in terms of channel separation so the extreme wide ambience experienced in headphones can be set in five stages.
These new features are now available for new and existing customers free of charge. Existing RME customers who have already purchased a Fireface UFX III, UFX+, UFX II, 802 FS, or UCX II can visit the RME-USA website and download the latest firmware to add Room EQ and Crossfeed functionality to their systems.
