Alas, Chris, I expect this to wind up in the higher range of prices stated, just on channel count + feature set alone, otherwise they're undercutting their own line with lesser capabilities.
The RME UFX is a totally different animal, too; yeah, it has standalone recording capabilities, but it's not really much of a mixer without a 'puter anymore than any interface that'll pass signal and function as a line mixer sans 'puter is.
I think you're right re: Behringer aiming for a bit more respectability with this one. They seem to be aiming that direction with some stuff as of late; there was some digital board or other people were making a big deal of on Gearslutz recently, a place not known for their B-love (Save for the ADA8000).
Damned if this isn't a fine idea though. I'd much rather have something like this set up for rehearsals than what we have now despite the "better" pedigree of what we run for said purposes now. (Though we'd lose the recall/automation and full dynamics processing on all channels.) This is a really cool idea. It's a proper mixer, and a proper recorder- not something cobbled together to get two tracks, or four, or eight, just- Bam! Spice Weasel! Everything going into the desk goes down to its own track, and you can still use the thing as a proper mixer for the mains/monitors. Tres useful. To get the same capabilities, you need an analog board with direct outs on every channel- or lose the use of your inserts- a pair of inyourfaces and a 'puter that won't yell at you for all the inputs. (And that's not counting the effects for the PA.) Or, a nice digital board with an integrated 16-out inyourface (as the things never seem to have direct outs) and a 'puter,
or one of the handful of analog boards with a 16(+) out inyourface + said 'puter. And I'm betting not a lot of bands are gonna drop the coin for a Mackie Onyx 1604i or an Allen & Heath Zed R16... To say nothing of an A&H GS-R24M or Midas Venice F
