RME Fireface 400

Below is the Fireface 400's description taken from the RME Fireface 400 product page. 

However, as far as Hauptwerk goes, here's what's important:

• 4 x 1/4" balanced outputs - 4 real, analogue outputs that can go directly to an amplifier or powered speakers
• This is a Firewire product. So make sure you have a Firewire, Firewire 800 or 1394 (a, b or c) port on your computer
• The audio conversion on this unit is very high quality.
• It has a built-in MIDI interface to plug keyboards and pedalboards into
• It has a headphone amp output built in.
• It will run on Mac or PC

RMEs Fireface 800 revolutionized the world of FireWire audio interfaces. Now the revolution continues: The Fireface 400 is not just the little brother of the Fireface 800 - it is a completely newly designed device. It is the only device in its class with active jitter suppression, stand-alone functionality, complete controllability from the front panel, highly flexible I/Os in professional quality, and an unsurpassed 648-Channel matrix router - at sample rates up to 192 kHz.

As usual, RME offer a host of sophisticated features and characteristics with the fastest Firewire technology. These include:

• Two digitally controlled Mic Preamps in high-end quality
• Two balanced universal inputs for line and instrument signals
• SteadyClock for maximum jitter suppression and clock refresh
• Simple stand-alone operation with rotary encoder and front panel display
• 54 Level Meter Peak/RMS, hardware-calculated
• Full mobility by Bus Power support
• DIGICheck, RME's unique meter and analysis tool
• TotalMix: 648-Channel mixer with 42-bit internal resolution

FireWire audio by RME is seen as the reference by both users and editors.

The DSP-based TotalMix mixer allows fully independent routing and mixing of all 18 input and output channels to all 18 physical outputs. Up to 9 totally independent stereo sub-mixes simply mean unrivalled monitoring facilities. Copy/paste of routings, ganging and group-based operation of faders, and the extraordinary Matrix window are just some of the mixer's unique features. The mixer can be completely MIDI controlled, even in stand-alone operation. Furthermore the DSP hardware calculates RMS and Peak levels for all 54 audio channels, without causing any significant CPU load.

A word clock input and output (BNC) plus two MIDI I/Os (breakout cable, 5-pin DIN) complete the analog/digital feature list and turn the Fireface 400 into a complete audio system of the highest quality.

The Fireface 400 excells as portable all-in-one solution when it comes to power supply. The included switching power supply accepts voltages from 100 to 240 V, thus can be operated all over the world. A rear panel switch enables Bus Powered operation, taking the power directly from the FireWire connector. To avoid potential problems, both the unit's internal power supply and the protective circuits at the FireWire port were specially designed and thoroughly tested.