I can only suggest that you do yourself a favor to become friend with TM FX and routing.
I wrote a little primer about 1st setup and routing. Sorry, I can not type everything again and again, therefore this primer.
But also the RME handbook contains this information, simply in a different way.
https://www.tonstudio-forum.de/blog/ind … rnal-equi/
Also very nice the very quick and to the point RME video tutorials:
https://www.tonstudio-forum.de/blog/ind … al-Videos/
This is really a must.
I do not have time now to look into detail at it. But I have a certain feeling that you want to connect more devices via analog than then BBF Pro has Analog IN and OUT ports.
A drum computer might MIDI, thats ok you have it. But it needs alone 2 analog inputs because a drum machine has stereo outputs.
If you want to use an external compressor (which is not a must as you can get good compressors as VST),
then you need additional two analog IN and OUT.
Via ADAT (8 channel @44.1/48 kHz) you could connect an external AD/DA converter with 8 analog IN/OUT to get more analog in and out. But this has an additional price tag.
For this purpose it would have been cheaper to get an UC or UCX which offers directly 8 analog IN and OUT "out of the box" and then you only have one very compact device.
If your BBF Pro is new and you can give it back, then I would propose to get your real demand for i/o ports quick so that you are still be able to upgrade to either UC, better the UCX (as it has full FX chip, autoset, newer converters).
Or get directly the UFX II if you have the budget and if this would make sense for you, but I assume if you started with BBF Pro this would exceed your budget. UC and UCX make definitively sense so that you have more analog I/O in the box not to need to get an ADDA converter on top.
You seem to need the following analog I/O ports:
- 2 analog outputs for monitors
- 2 analog outputs for phones
- 2 analog outputs for external compressor
->>>> 6 analog outputs
- 2 analog inputs for drum computer
- 2 analog inputs for external compressor
->>>> 4 analog inputs
And MIDI for drum computer
BBF Pro has only
4 x Analog Input (Mic, Line, Instrument)
-> if you need to connect 1-2 Mics then you have only 2-3 thats too few
4 x Analog Output (2 x XLR, 2 x Phones)
-> you need 6
Alternatively ... connect a Behringer AD/DA converter via ADAT, which is very cheap:
https://www.thomann.de/de/behringer_ada … ragain.htm €159
BBFP €689 + €159 = €848
For nearly the same price you could get an UC, then I would suggest you get an UC instead:
https://www.thomann.de/de/rme_fireface_uc.htm € 874
UCX would have a few advantages:
https://www.thomann.de/de/rme_fireface_ucx.htm
Interface Comparison, see my blog:
https://www.tonstudio-forum.de/index.ph … 8-08-xlsx/
https://www.tonstudio-forum.de/blog/ind … B-MADIfac/
BR Ramses - UFX III, 12Mic, XTC, ADI-2 Pro FS R BE, RayDAT, X10SRi-F, E5-1680v4, Win10Pro22H2, Cub13