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KaeRZed « For audio only! »
Published on 01/21/12 at 02:57What motivated my purchase (or rather my purchase request from my manager) was the number of analog inputs (with preamps if needed) and ProTools compatibility so you can at work hand in hand studio with the 'home' of the box.
I was on a PC with Windows XP and, depending on project needs, I use it with Cubase 5, Reason 4.0, Soundforge 10 and ProTools LE8.
The analog inputs allow me to plug in a microphone (AT2020) and hardware synths (Kurzweil PC361, Korg R3 and Roland V-Synth XT) being able to do without mixer.
The outputs 1 / 2 were connected to monitoring on a pair of Mackie HR824Mk2. The two headphone outputs were also used for a comparative listening Sennheiser HD-25 and a Beyerdynamic DT-770 Pro.
The entry 'to' line out of the received audio chip integrated on the motherboard so you can quickly switch between the 'computer music' and the 'Windows'.
UTILIZATION
Drivers are more stable. From memory, I do not remember being faced with untimely crashes, no glitches or clicks. What is rather clear for FireWire PC Device ...
Question software, these were mainly Sound Design (Soundforge), musical composition (ProTools, Cubase, Reason) and post-production of video trailers (Cubase). Finally, the absence of latency compensation on the LE version of ProTools me very quickly using Cubase DAW principal. Especially since, for the use, collaborations with internal studio were anecdotal, see accidental ...
I had no worries on the side audio. on the other hand, for MIDI is something else ... I regularly Notes blocked. It was enough time to replay the note and blocked, most of the time, it will unlock all alone ... It was as if the message 'Note Off' were sometimes difficult to be sent.
Fortunately, the synths had used a MIDI interface / USB integrated in order to circumvent the problem. I saw myself badly to see my head for him to order a MIDI / USB to 40 euros to overcome the shortcomings of the sound card that he had paid € 1500!
This 'small' problem is drop my rating of 'very good' to 'correct'.
GETTING STARTED
I had a trouble with my ProTools CD that did not work. And without it, no installation possible. Luckily I had colleagues who have generously lent cool their installation CD. Otherwise, I was good to wait several days before receiving a new disk.
It is not death, but given the price of the machine, it's not very serious ...
Once installed, no worries.
The problem is my CD go the note of 'very good' to 'correct'.
OVERALL OPINION
I do not use more (completed).
Since little work done on ProTools, so do it again, I would take another model as good and less expensive (since not DigiDesign), gender RME.
However, I really liked the ergonomics of the front of the rack: very intuitive and well thought out. Activate the high pass on the R3 or the microphone phantom power takes 2 clicks ... Really well.
The Aux input is also handy. The connector is serious. Frankly, hardware point of view, no complaints.
In fact, my disappointment comes more from the side too 'Light' of ProTools LE and problems with MIDI.
Like any Digidesign hardware, I find that the price / quality ratio is not at the top: you pay the brand.
But if we bump on ProTools and only in audio, it really does the job well.
I was on a PC with Windows XP and, depending on project needs, I use it with Cubase 5, Reason 4.0, Soundforge 10 and ProTools LE8.
The analog inputs allow me to plug in a microphone (AT2020) and hardware synths (Kurzweil PC361, Korg R3 and Roland V-Synth XT) being able to do without mixer.
The outputs 1 / 2 were connected to monitoring on a pair of Mackie HR824Mk2. The two headphone outputs were also used for a comparative listening Sennheiser HD-25 and a Beyerdynamic DT-770 Pro.
The entry 'to' line out of the received audio chip integrated on the motherboard so you can quickly switch between the 'computer music' and the 'Windows'.
UTILIZATION
Drivers are more stable. From memory, I do not remember being faced with untimely crashes, no glitches or clicks. What is rather clear for FireWire PC Device ...
Question software, these were mainly Sound Design (Soundforge), musical composition (ProTools, Cubase, Reason) and post-production of video trailers (Cubase). Finally, the absence of latency compensation on the LE version of ProTools me very quickly using Cubase DAW principal. Especially since, for the use, collaborations with internal studio were anecdotal, see accidental ...
I had no worries on the side audio. on the other hand, for MIDI is something else ... I regularly Notes blocked. It was enough time to replay the note and blocked, most of the time, it will unlock all alone ... It was as if the message 'Note Off' were sometimes difficult to be sent.
Fortunately, the synths had used a MIDI interface / USB integrated in order to circumvent the problem. I saw myself badly to see my head for him to order a MIDI / USB to 40 euros to overcome the shortcomings of the sound card that he had paid € 1500!
This 'small' problem is drop my rating of 'very good' to 'correct'.
GETTING STARTED
I had a trouble with my ProTools CD that did not work. And without it, no installation possible. Luckily I had colleagues who have generously lent cool their installation CD. Otherwise, I was good to wait several days before receiving a new disk.
It is not death, but given the price of the machine, it's not very serious ...
Once installed, no worries.
The problem is my CD go the note of 'very good' to 'correct'.
OVERALL OPINION
I do not use more (completed).
Since little work done on ProTools, so do it again, I would take another model as good and less expensive (since not DigiDesign), gender RME.
However, I really liked the ergonomics of the front of the rack: very intuitive and well thought out. Activate the high pass on the R3 or the microphone phantom power takes 2 clicks ... Really well.
The Aux input is also handy. The connector is serious. Frankly, hardware point of view, no complaints.
In fact, my disappointment comes more from the side too 'Light' of ProTools LE and problems with MIDI.
Like any Digidesign hardware, I find that the price / quality ratio is not at the top: you pay the brand.
But if we bump on ProTools and only in audio, it really does the job well.