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Can the RME ADI-2 Pro FS be used as a USB audio interface?

Both the Scarlett 2i2 and RME ADI-2 Pro FS are USB audio interfaces. Also don't know why you are writing about the one from RME. There could be another reason, which has not been shared with us.
There is no "secret" reason. I've used the Scarlett for a few years now, and I've found it satisfactory for everything I was doing so far. I recently learned about the RME, and I asked these questions to understand the outer boundary of the performance envelope of the RME. Sometimes, just reading the manual does not let me understand the limits of a new and very versatile piece of gear. Hence these questions. No clear practical application. (BTW, I found a used RME on sale for $1,100, and I've ordered it.)

I have a similar question about the Scarlett 2i2 4gen. (I have either the 2gen or 3gen.) I am seeing a 48V switch on the 2i2 4gen. Does this mean that I can either switch on phantom power for both inputs or neither? Can I feed a mic into one input with 48V phantom power and a line-level into the other? Will a normal line-level output of most appliances work if faced with 48V DC? Can't quite make out.
 
There is no "secret" reason. I've used the Scarlett for a few years now, and I've found it satisfactory for everything I was doing so far. I recently learned about the RME, and I asked these questions to understand the outer boundary of the performance envelope of the RME. Sometimes, just reading the manual does not let me understand the limits of a new and very versatile piece of gear. Hence these questions. No clear practical application. (BTW, I found a used RME on sale for $1,100, and I've ordered it.)

I have a similar question about the Scarlett 2i2 4gen. (I have either the 2gen or 3gen.) I am seeing a 48V switch on the 2i2 4gen. Does this mean that I can either switch on phantom power for both inputs or neither? Can I feed a mic into one input with 48V phantom power and a line-level into the other? Will a normal line-level output of most appliances work if faced with 48V DC? Can't quite make out.

All you have to do is read the manual. 48 V phantom power is turned on and off by the button or in software. You turn on or off both they cannot be done individually. This is on the rear XLR jacks. There is a separate pair of TS or TRS jacks on the front. Those can be line level or instrument inputs depending upon your choice. The front jacks can be set separately. So you could turn phantom power on to the rear jacks and use only one, then have instrument or line selected and use one of the front jacks for the other channel.
 
Just use your Scarlet, send optical to the RME to convert the signal and Bob's your Uncle. That's litterally what people with RME audio interfaces do with the ADI 2 Pro. If you like the sound of your preamp keep it. Preamps all have a special sound signature. If your audio interface has optical input and output, just set clock to the ADI 2 Pro.
 
If you don't want to go the UCX II route:

Find a MacKie 802 VLZ(2/3/4) second hand.
They go for a bargain, most of the time.
Then use a TS jack, half through, in the channel's insert I/O, to bypass the noisy EQ and channel fader (as described in the manual) and connect it to the RME input.
Any model from 802 and up will allow that.
Older VLZ iteration will also work.

View attachment 406868
Wait...are the Onyx preamps cleaner than the Scarlet? I have 402 VLZ 4, had no idea you could bypass the EQ. I'll download the manual to see how!
 
That's where you are definitely mistaken. Just saying.
Eh, I think they do. The noise, distortion and emphasis are different. Some sound the same but some don't. Look at the measurements. Tube preamps are very different. Just saying. FYI low fi music is very in and so is noise and distortion for effects processing.
 
The noise, distortion and emphasis are different. Some sound the same but some don't. Look at the measurements.
You might like this if you have not read:
 
You might like this if you have not read:
Is this about preamps and different mic combinations, and ohm resistance? I've read this a very long time ago but don't recall reading about preamps and mic combinations which includes tube mics, dynamic mics, pre amp modifiers like a cloud lifter.
 
Well, these use the same kind of measurements (or specifications) as written in the link.
Look at Amirs review and Julian Krause, depending on the gain the linearity of the frequency changes even on the line inputs (line/mic combo jacks), but as the Ohm resistance of the microphone may be different from the audio interface can lead to bumping up frequencies by one to two decibels in the midrange. The line/microphone combo jacks have different resistance depending on what is inserted into the input, thus the button for mic, line, phantom power and HI Z for guitars. When using Phantom Power the resistance is switched from a line input signal to a mic Phantom Power resistance input. Most reviews only test the line input in the combo jack. Depending on the microphone you may need more gain and more resistance which could lead to less linearity and where the preamp falls off, which is even seen on the line inputs with a LINE signal, which is the MOST linear. Also mics come in different types, condensor and dynamic, with different resistance and sensitivity depending on the mic etc. I think you're focusing on the line input sections of the combo jacks and ignoring the reality for a phantom power input which uses a different resistance and pathway to the preamp. I would agree generally a good preamp will have good linearity on the line input (musical instrument like synths) but we're talking about Phantom power mics, dynamic mic levels, not to mention 1 mega ohm for guitars. Even with the most linear aspects of an audio interface, the line input, there is a slope in the upper and lower frequencies depending on gain as can be seen in Amirs and Julians reviews on many preamps. Julian's review of the E2x2, he even stated the Ohm resistance was not high enough for him and thus depending on your mic you might see a 2 decibels increase in the mids. I think they may have fixed that though as I saw the resistance was double what Julian stated on Toppings website.
 
Preamps all have a special sound signature.
SOME preamps are build to give a special sound signature- to some extent - when driven hard.
That's done by high saturation, and thus distortion - mainly from a transformer.

There are plenty of transparent designs too, though. Which have my preference.

An interesting one is the Cranborne audio preamp, which offers both: one of the cleanest - distortion and noise-free- preamp... or a heavy analog saturation effect on the toggle of a switch.
Millennia offers something similar in their STT-1 channel.
I have the same, done with digital convolution, from my Focusrite Liquid 4Pre.
 
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SOME preamps are build to give a special sound signature- to some extent - when driven hard.
That's done by high saturation, and thus distortion - mainly from a transformer.

There are plenty of transparent designs too, though. Which have my preference.

An interesting one is the Cranborne audio preamp, which offers both: one of the cleanest - distortion and noise-free- preamp... or a heavy analog saturation effect on the toggle of a switch.
Millennia offers something similar in their STT-1 channel.
I have the same, done with digital convolution, from my Focusrite Liquid 4Pre.
Not all preamps have a sound signature some don't. Shouldn't have put all. Embarrassed I even used the word all.
 
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