[Moving to a more relevant thread for you to peruse]
Unless the RME has a phono stage, you’ll need a separate phono preamp to go between the Pendant and turntable (higher tier tables will likely not have a built in phono stage).
I was in a recent similar position and considered VPI, MoFi, Rega, Pro-ject, Music Hall, Technics, Clear Audio, EAT. @pennstac introduced me to Vinyl Nirvana and I’m waiting on a vintage Thorens TM-160 (belt driven, suspended chassis, fully manual).
Besides the table and phono preamp, there’s also the cartridge selection.
These channels have been informative:
Good luck!