Yeah, I'm sure BLA mods are great, but before any of that it would be wise to buy newer technology product if possible.
There is no sense in buying UCX, which is almost 5 years old just to find out company has plans to release new, upgraded product for about same money.

For example, UCX does not have DSP compressor for tracking vocals. Maybe next version will have that with other onboard improvements. It's top hardware but 2012 was long time ago in technology business and maybe it's and end to a product cycle.
I don't really know and wil be glad to found out

I use standalone preamp for recording so RME is my option for cleaner AD conversion, detailed monitoring and better mixing.
As I use lots of VST plugins/instrument with recorder audio, I opt to benefit from steady, fast RME drivers.

Hi Rolik,
I see your line of thought
Perhaps you could look at what was improved with the UFX to see what may be added to a new UCX.

I thought DSP comp was already in the current UCX?

I also use a separate Preamp which is hooked up via a rear insert with -10db. Improved clocking and ad/da conversion would be desirable

Good luck

Rodney

Of course it has.

Hi, I am also interested in an answer to @Prolik's original question.

What is the product roadmap for the UCX series of products? It is a 5 year old design and it would be nice to know when the next model is due to be released. Can RME respond as there are many of us who appreciate the information?

Thanks MC for the heads up.  Not sure what and how long "forseeable future" means in your parlance... but time will surely tell.

Incorrect.  Many companies publish and make known their product roadmap.  They may keep the details of the functions and capabilities secret, however the timeframe is made available; think Apple, IBM, Canon, Nikon, VW, etc, etc,

Oh really! But you said, "Same as with every other company."

Did you actually mean, same as every other company... that is: pro audio, German based that make some products in China but hides that fact, and was founded by you?!

You are funny :-)

Leaking upcoming products (or even products just in development) is a Death knell for the current/existing product line it would look to replace, and is generally considered bad business practice unless you want a bunch of new-old stock sitting on the shelves to write-off as a loss...

Not to mention customers chomping at the bit and getting angry if projected release dates are missed, and you give your competitors THAT MUCH MORE TIME to chew on and counter your "not yet released" product (triple-whammy for the company).

If the "New" product is a new category or different tier and does not compete with existing product lines, then it might be a little bit different (but not much)..

Wrong.

I'm frequently talking to major vendors in the IT networking industry about their product roadmaps for the upcoming years, in quite details at least for the next 6-12 months as the final product specs become fixed due to manufacturing pipeline. I'm getting quarterly updates on these roadmaps. Nothing significant there comes as a surprise. This is required for proper lifecycle management, as an end customer and as consultant knowing what is upcoming and fits a customer's requirement, given 3-12 month sales cycles for a deal. Then again, we're talking equipment in the 5-7 figure range - per device, not 3-4. And vendors know that not talking about upcoming products means losing to the competition. When I was on the customer side of the fence, I talked to those vendors about what we'll buy in two years time and the requirements we have. If they'd only talk about what they had at this time, they'd be out the door as they wouldn't have something competetive to offer for the requirements and projected purchase time. And rest assured, that's a highly competive market, even if there only a handful of significant vendors in that space (and only around four really major ones).

So, your statement ain't correct in this generalization. Yes, many markets are "secretive", but by far not all, even "highly competitive" ones aren't.

The difference is probably how strategic purchases are, Means, how long your today's investment has an influence on what happens in the years coming regarding upgrades, interop with other equipment, additional investments etc.

But RME choses not to announce upcoming products significantly ahead of release, and I don't doubt that it's in their best interest, given the market they operate in, and the kind of devices which can quite easily swapped out overnight with something else. You don't do that with your core routers in a world wide deployed backbone network that easily. :-)

@Dabbler is correct and reflects my experience too and why I put my comment in the first place.  I should point out that it is not just for industries in the IT field or for only very expensive products (5-7 figures), there are many companies that sell consumer products (much cheaper that RME products) and their product roadmap is widely known by the end customers.  As I said, the customers may not know all the specific details of the next release (or in some cases, none of the expected details - think Apple iPhones, etc), but they still know roughly when the next release will be available and for many companies can provide wish-lists and suggestions for improvements, if they know the roadmap.  This is not a bad thing for a company to do either as there are many benefits; one being, not to piss off loyal customers who buy a 5 year old products for a couple of thousand dollars, only to find out that a new release was coming out a couple of months later.  This destroys customer loyalty and relationships as it is seen as being secretive to your customers, not against competitors as is the original intention.  A naïve corporate view today is that having and/or revealing a product roadmap will certainly damage its revenue stream as customers will just wait until the next version of the product and not buy now.  A very 1980's way of thinking, and no longer current.  Customers today a savvy enough to know that they can wait indefinitely and there will always be something better.  The early adopters never wait :-)

Note that this was first raised in regards to the original poster's query around the 5 year old design of the UCX and whether something new was planned or imminent. Which lead to an arrogant view by a few saying that "no company" does this sort of thing.  Time to wake up gentlemen, and I mean that in the nicest possible way to help you. :-)

No, not so.  Some of their products are made in Asia.

For instance, the Babyface Pro and the ARC remote are Chinese made... although it doesn't say it anywhere on the actual product.  However there is very fine print (point 5 font I think) on the bottom of the packaging where it says it is made in China. 

In all honesty, RME are a little bit secretive about the origin of manufacture of their products - do a search on the posts here and you will see MC being evasive when asked - and it is a surprise to most customers considering that the cost of the products are still at a premium price point when compared to other Chinese made audio products.  I guess it helps with RME's bottom line. 

This is no accident on RME's part, and it comes across as a premeditated and deceiving action that they have consciously omited a "Made in China" label on these products, yet always have a "Made in Germany" label on their other products.

Now now MC, calm down and don't be so agressive towards me. Read my words carefully, and play the ball NOT the man.

Well I didn't know that?
Anyway, it's not like the 'bad old days' in China anymore.. There are some top quality electronics factories there these days I.E. Foxconn etc.. I also have a couple of pro drones built by DJI, quality is exellent, same as my Babyface Pro..

Yes, I agree.  No-one said that Chinese made products are poor quality, nor did anyone say that the Babyface Pro is substandard because it is made in China.  In the past Japanese and indeed German made products were considered as cheap and poor quality... now they are considered top quality and brand names in their own right.

Who rattled your cage? Nearly as pointless as your comment!

MC you can keep waiting...

Maybe you can explain when RME will begin labeling all their products with their origin or manufacture.  Well?! Goodbye, enough of your personal attacks.  I am over it.