User reviews: M-Audio Fast Track Pro

10/06/11

yoTrakkz's review "ok for a beginner "

The M Audio Fast Track Pro was perfect for my home set up because it has audio and midi. The latency on it is pretty low if your computer can handle running low latency with asio drivers. It comes with Ableton Live Lite 4, but I never really use that anymore.

Utilization

This thing is extremely easy to set up. Just follow the directions, and you'll have NO problem. Other than that, I was recording in Sonar 5.2 Producer within minutes. I didn't give this 10's across the board because it could have more features, but it's still pretty loaded. It feels pretty solid and it's not a bad price (bought mine for $200). If you want ease of use for programs like Sonar, or you want to get you feet wet with the almighty PRO TOOLS (m-powered); go ahead and buy this thing. I wanted to get into Pro Tools and I always like having extra recording equipment around.

Getting Started

Getting started couldn’t be any easier, it was basically plug and play. My software recognized it right off the bat and was synced in and ready to go.

Overall Opinion

Overall, The build quality is okay and the thing is extremely easy to setup. However, my biggest gripe with it is that it doesn't go loud enough. You have to turn the mix and the gain knobs all the way up to get any decent sound out of the headphones. I usually mix at medium levels and crank it up later after I'm done to make sure the mix is right. This thing is too low, imo. Another thing is that the drivers haven't been updated on the mac for quite some time. But since using this I have upgraded to a firewire audio control for lower latency and better quality. But just for starting out this is a good start for the beginners. Check it out.

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08/21/11

James...'s review "Ultimate portability"

Characteristics

M-audio is one of my favorite companies and they really pack a lot of stuff into this box. 2 Mic inputs. Pro tools compatible. Monitoring support. Tons of TRS outputs and digital outs. It's even got midi if you want. I had one of the regular fast tracks before I got this one and it's amazing how much more they have packed into virtually the same sized box.

I don't use pro tools very often, although it's nice that this is PT compatible. I basically use this as a mobile interface with my laptop. It fits very easily into a laptop bag or backpack or whatever I'm hauling.

Utilization

Drivers are stable like almost all the m-audio stuff. Latency is good. But the fact is you will only get as much performance as your cpu hardware will allow. Don't blame the device for your bad latency. Cubase generally has good support for maudio products and this one is no exception. I have used a few of their interfaces and all of them have more or less worked great. This interface has two inputs and I haven't had any trouble with mixing them properly. Drivers are especially smooth with the pro for some reason. That's a welcome feature I suppose.

Getting Started

I don't even know if there is a manual because I never read it. Everything is laid out for you and even a beginner can probably figure it out on his own. Sometimes when a unit has this many features packed in, things can get confusing but the pro is laid out pretty clearly. Functions are all easy to access and the best part is there are a lot of functions. To be honest I don't use the midi and I rarely use all the outputs so I can't attest to how it handles a high traffic audio situation.

Overall Opinion

I like the fact that it packs everything I need into a tiny box I can carry on the go. I do a weekly podcast at a friend's house, and the best thing about this is I can stick it in a laptop bag and take two mics with me for the whole show. Easy and done. I looked at the other models and this was the smallest interface that had all these features. The only competition is some of the Motu stuff but I believe they are slightly larger? Sound quality is great. I have said for years that digital preamps are every bit as good as the tube gear. I would know because I've used it all. The Pro is in line with my thinking there. I really recommend it.

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06/28/11

Hatsubai's review "Similar to the Fast Track"

Characteristics

The M-Audio Fast Track Pro is the next step up in the Fast Track world. You have a few more features that make it a bit more desirable. This pre features an insert cable for outboard processors, 2 balanced outputs, 4 unbalanced outputs, S/PDIF with 2 channel PCM, MIDI I/O, headphone output with level control, headphone A/B with source switch, input/playback mix control for monitoring, mono switch for playback monitoring, master output level, USB 2.0 and bundled software.

Utilization

The device is setup pretty nicely. I'm a big fan that it has MIDI. For some reason, people don't like to include MIDI in all of these devices. I'm not sure why because MIDI is such an important part of the recording process in today's world. Heck, it was important even back in the 80s. There are no annoying breakout cables to have to utilize with this, so that's great. I'm a huge fan of self contained pres like this. Everything is laid out in an easy to use manner, and the quality is pretty good. The pres themselves don't sound the best, but they definitely get the job done. I've heard much worse converters out there.

Getting Started

Getting this set up is super simple. You just plug in the devices to their corresponding ports, open up your DAW, set up your preferences (making sure this device is selected) and you're ready to make music. This comes with Pro Tools LE, and it's a great DAW to start using. Once you master this, you can really use any other DAW out there, and I'm glad they include that. That said, don't be afraid to try out other DAWs such as Reaper. There are some really great ones out there that have a bit more versatility when it comes to using VSTs and other plugins.

Overall Opinion

This is probably my favorite M-Audio device for the price. It's packed full of features, super simple to use and sounds pretty good. The converters aren't the best in the world, but they're certainly not the worst. I wish it was firewire, but that's a personal gripe I have with most of these devices today.

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03/21/11

BadApple's review "Great but Fiddly"

Characteristics

I am a producer and I wanted an external soundcard so that I could hook up my monitors, Sub woofer and Synthesiser all together.

I am also a DJ with a live show so an external soundcard is needed when recording/broadcasting over the internet.

I heard that this soundcard was very good for the price that it was from a few friends so I decided to get this model.

The way in which my set up is hooked up is as follows...

Balanced 1/4 inch jacks out to my monitors, RCA out to my sub and midi in for my synthesiser.

Everything works fine.

Utilization

Latency with this product is not big of a deal whilst producing.

I do get occasional cracks from latency but nothing that puts me off the product.

Whilst recording a DJ set there is no latency at all, it all works perfectly fine and I am very impressed with it.

I run windows 7 so the drivers are updated automatically whenever there is a new update.

Getting Started

Ah, the manual... this was probably the worst part about the fast track pro.

There was no manual at all, I had to try and work everything out by myself. This was ok because I know my way around these things but for someone that does not, they would be lost definitely.

With the actual running of the fast track pro I have to swap from line 1 and 2 to S/PDIF for different uses.

For example if I want to listen to itunes I would have to set it to line 1 and 2.

If I want to use my DAW then I will have to set it to S/PDIF. This can be annoying some times if I forget and no sound comes out.

No compatibility issues at all with this, that is probably because I am running windows 7 though and everything updates automatically.

Overall Opinion

The thing I like most about this product is how everything can be input into it, I would buy the fast track ultra if I had the money as I think this lacks inputs if you were wanting to record more into your DAW.

Least favourite thing would be the lack of manual to actually set the thing up in the first place, this really aggravated me and I feel as though M-Audio should really sort this out.

This is definitely worth the money and now you can pick it up for even cheaper.

Quality is great, can not say anything bad about that.

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01/28/09

OtterXZY's review

Characteristics

This is the M-Audio Fast Track Pro with 4x4 input lines with Midi In and Out, Phantom Power and a stereo out. I bought this as a foray into the world of digital recording and I haven't had to buy anything else.

The box is incredibly light-weight and durable (not scratch resistant, but durable). One of the features that really enticed me about the box was the unique front two ports on the box which allo you to either go 1/4 in or XLR in; they are dual purpose. I also took a hands on look of one of these at a store and was happy with the general lay out and ease of operation. Nothing complicated, you have knobs for input volume, panning, toggling PAD etc.

I use this box in conjunction with my Intel Dual Core Macbook, which I run Digital Performer on. It took a little work to sync it up correctly with DP but in the end it worked incredibly well. If you are also a Mac User and want to use Garage Band, its as simple as plug and play.

I have taken full use of ever port on this box. I've ran guitars, bass, vocals and microphones through the inputs; ran a MIDI controller into the back and Stereo-ed outed to a sound system. I'm impressed by the extreme capability and ease of use with this tool.

Utilization

The package comes with Abelton software and drivers. The drivers installed with ease and allowed for plug and play connection with most simple software (like I said with DP, it was a bit harder). The Abelton softare never really grew on me, it was more geared towards guitarists who were just entering the world of digital recording/manipulation.

Fortunately enough the programs, drivers and box itself is highly compatible and will work on both PC and Mac (brownie points).

The one thing that irked me was the manual was a little soft on a few areas. As obvious and easy as the box is, there were a few things I had a hard time finding out (for example trying to utilize the stereo inputs).

It seems as if M-Audio wanted to make a great beginners box with a simplistic layout and good beginning software but didn't follow up with any reading material to come full circle.

Getting Started

M-Audio has always been good about releasing updated drivers so as to keep all their products working throughout. Any and all drivers I have to update for this product have been done so with ease, though they are not released very often.

With this box, like I stated above I use Garage Band and Digital Performer with. I lent this box to a friend of mine who used it to record his band via his PC and Sony Acid. He too was very pleased with the plug and play ease and found the learning curve for general line in recording easy. Like me though, he said that using the handful of advanced features is slightly difficult and there is not much material on that.

The box is incredibly responsive as it is bus powered. The box can run off of pure USB power, but I prefer to also have an adapter so as to not put too much strain on the USB connection/computer.

The one thing that is very sketchy about the description of this box is that it says 4x4, which leads you to believe you can do 4 simultaneous recording inputs. Upon further review, the box itself can handle 2 mono/single line ins, or it can record a stereo track for two instruments (two mics/ins each hence the 4x4).

I was a bit disappointed by this and I begrudged the fact that M-Audio didn't make this very clear but in retrospect I still enjoy this product for what it can do.

Overall Opinion

I've been using this box for about 3 years. I've used it to record 4 piece bands or even just myself alone.

What I like most about it is that once you really fully understand how to use the box, there is a lot you can use it for. However, like I've stated before the learning curve is very fast in the beginning but then you hit a bit of a wall once you try to move beyond the simple line in features. If M-Audio had better support on these features, I believe this box would be widely accepted by many in all areas of recording.

I paid roughly 250 dollars American for this piece of equipment. I looked extensively at other models. Tascam recorders, other M-Audios, Line 6 and many more. What really turned me on to this box was the dual purpose inputs on the front and phantom power. I know that sounds pretty standard on some recorders but with my small budget this seemed to be the most bang for my buck.

For the price, which I think has dropped down to about 200 dollars due to the release of it's big brother, I think it's not a bad box. Definitely a great tool to use if you are starting out in the world of recording.

Knowing what I know now, I wish I saved a bit more to get something that has more line-ins or simultaneous recording. Those aspects seem to be absolutely golden when it comes to purchasing these, the more the better. But in reality, if you don't know how to utilize them you are better of with starting with something like this.

Ultimately, I have no regrets in buying this product. It has served me incredibly well and I have gotten my money's worth out of it. I wouldn't be so hasty to recommend it right of the bat to somebody but I believe that within the 300 dollar price range this tool is hard to beat.

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10/30/08

Marshall92's review

Characteristics

M-audio’s fast track pro is a 4x4 Mobile Audio/Midi interface with preamps. It ships with Abelton live 4, which is a great software for someone just beginning in the world of recording music. I use Windows XP with a fairley new, cheap Dell computer and it runs flawlesly.What’s great about this particular interface is the extremely low latency; I have been using for over one year and have barely noticed any. The fast track pro has two front Mic/line inputs, which is something I love about it, there is no need to have to lurk behind the interface, the inputs are right there. Eight beside them is the level knob and two very handy buttons, the Mic/line button and the pad button, for when the signal you are trying to record is a little bit too much on the loud side. Beside that are the Mic volume knob and the Output volume knob, which I always found very convienient, because it sucks to have to get up and adjust the volume on your monitors, with the fast track pro you can do it without any effort. The last things on the front panel are the headphone volume knob and input. It really sucks that there is only one headphone input, but it’s something you can live with. On the back panel there s the midi inputs and outputs, 2 TRS inputs for outboard gear and 2 TRS outputs for your monitors. There are also the S/PIDF ins and outs, and the phantom power switch, which I really wish they put on the front panel because it gets annoying having to go behind the interface and switch it on and off. Last but not least is the power button and the AC input.

Utilization

The Fast Track Pro is a bit difficlut to install, it took me a good 2 hours to do. Not because of compatibility issues though, the instructions in my personal opinion were just very hard to follow. Once you do get it up and going though, it works perfectly. I love the fast track pro and will not want a new interface for a long time.

Getting Started

The M-Audio drivers are super stable, i have not had a problem with them once since buying the fast Track Pro. They are never updated really, which i like, less work for me. I use the Fast Track Pro with Abelton Live 7 and it works great.You can record two tracks at the same time, and get almost no latency.

Overall Opinion

I have used the Fast Track Pro for about 2 years. My favorite part about it is the super low latency, the only downside to the Fast Track Pro for me is there are only 2 TRS outputs on the back so i can't have surround sound monitoring. I did not try other models before the Fast Track pro, however i am totaly convinced it is the best for the money and i would make the same choiuce to buy it over and over again.

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M-Audio Fast Track Pro

M-Audio Fast Track Pro user reviews ( 5/10) - 56 user reviews

yoTrakkz's review "ok for a beginner "

James...'s review "Ultimate portability"

Hatsubai's review "Similar to the Fast Track"

BadApple's review "Great but Fiddly"

OtterXZY's review

Marshall92's review

cocacula's review ( translated ) Improve this translation " A good deal"

Raymond BARRE's review ( translated ) Improve this translation " return to sender!"

smelk's review ( translated ) Improve this translation " Good quality / price ratio"

iksbe's review ( translated ) Improve this translation " what I needed"