Mafro in his studio with the RME Fireface 802
Producer and songwriter Matt Phelan, aka Mafro, was kind enough to speak to us about why he chose the RME Fireface 802 for his studio. A session musician with bags of experience, Mafro has worked with a range of talented artists including Alexandra Burke, Leona Lewis and The Saturdays.
Most recently he’s been working and performing alongside singer Ella Eyre. Along with featuring in the UK top 20 chart several times with her solo music, Ella is also known for working with artists such as Rudimental, Sigma, DJ Fresh and Tinie Tempah, as well as picking up the Best Female award at the MOBOs in 2015.
We started off by asking Maffro to tell us a bit about himself…
Mafro: I’m a session guitarist and Musical Director. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with Ella Eyre for the last 2.5 years which has brought me all over Europe and America. Before this I’d worked with a lot of the X-Factor artists, the most well known being Alexandra Burke.
Synthax: Could you tell us a bit about what your needs were in an audio interface?
Mafro: My primary concern was stability at low latency and solid drivers. During rehearsals I’ll usually be editing full song projects right up until the last day so the interface needs to keep up.
I use the 802 primarily in a production environment. This can be anything from programming arrangements for Ella’s live show to creating full tracks for other artists. It’s really important that I can run at a nice low buffer without worrying about under-runs. RME USB drivers really come into their own when using heavy CPU plug-ins like U-he’s Diva, which would need a way higher buffer on lesser interfaces.
The great thing about having so many inputs on the 802 is I can leave 3 guitars, 1 mic, 3 synths (old Rolands are my favourite) and a drum machine hooked up at all times ready to go. Nothing kills the vibe more than having to hook things up every time you have an idea.
“RME USB drivers really come into their own when using heavy CPU plug-ins, which would need a way higher buffer on lesser interfaces.”
Synthax: Had you previously used any other RME gear?
Mafro: In the past I’ve used the Fireface UFX. That’s actually what turned me onto the 802.
Synthax: How have you found the Fireface 802 in terms of reliability?
Mafro: Since I’ve had the 802 I’ve had no problems. As mentioned earlier the drivers are rock solid.
Synthax: Are you using TotalMix FX?
Mafro: I’m looking forward to digging into TotalMix a bit more. Currently I’m just using it to control a couple of monitor mixes and my (Lexicon) PCM81 reverb channel. I’ve got a few vocals projects coming up so I’ll be trying out the built in FX then.
Synthax: And finally, what made you decide to go with RME?
Mafro: At its price point it’s the best value interface out there that still gives room to grow. I’ll be adding more instruments to my home studio so having that flexibility is perfect.
Glad you’re enjoying your Fireface 802 Mafro!
Keep up to date with Matt via his website.
Ella Eyre’s debut album ‘Feline’ is available now. Visit her website for more information.
Click here for more information on the RME Fireface 802.