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Audiofanzine FR
Published on 12/30/10 at 06:53
Originally written by Stoparach on Audiofanzine FR.
Reason I chose it:
Self-powered FireWire, compact size, number of inputs, integrated preamps, TRS connectors, direct monitoring with adjustable balance on the front panel.
Used for home-studio applications and mobile recording.
It is connected to a black MacBook Core2 Duo 2.2 GHz with 4 GB RAM and a 500 GB hard drive.
Connected with a Soundcraft Compact4, DBX compressor (inserted) and a TLA 5050. Sometimes, I also connect keyboards and other sound generators. All connections are balanced.
UTILIZATION
With OSX, just connect it and it works. Sometimes, the sound card is not recognized the first time, in which case you have to power off and restart to solve the problem. Set the sample rate on the front panel. Even if you select a different value in the software, the sample rate selected on the front panel apply.
Comprehensive manual.
GETTING STARTED
Stable with Logic. With my system and a 512-sample buffer, I get a latency time under 10 ms. I can have eight audio tracks and two virtual instruments with compressor + EQ on each channel, one aux reverb and a multiband compressor on the master. I already recorded six tracks simultaneously without a sweat. The balance control on the monitoring bus is very convenient.
Main drawback: the integrated preamps sound very cold so I don't use them. Don't expect a good sound when you connect a bass guitar directly to it, even with an amp simulation... The preamps of my Soundcraft sound much better.
OVERALL OPINION
I've been using it for one year.
Pros: balance for monitoring, powered via FireWire bus, size, number of ins/outs
Cons: preamps
Good value for money. At present, I would rather buy a Motu or the Apogee Duet, which has only two inputs but high-quality preamps (I tried it out with a guitar and it's simply not comparable). Summary: if you need a lot of connections in a compact housing, this sound card is for you. If you want to connect an instrument directly, choose another product...
Reason I chose it:
Self-powered FireWire, compact size, number of inputs, integrated preamps, TRS connectors, direct monitoring with adjustable balance on the front panel.
Used for home-studio applications and mobile recording.
It is connected to a black MacBook Core2 Duo 2.2 GHz with 4 GB RAM and a 500 GB hard drive.
Connected with a Soundcraft Compact4, DBX compressor (inserted) and a TLA 5050. Sometimes, I also connect keyboards and other sound generators. All connections are balanced.
UTILIZATION
With OSX, just connect it and it works. Sometimes, the sound card is not recognized the first time, in which case you have to power off and restart to solve the problem. Set the sample rate on the front panel. Even if you select a different value in the software, the sample rate selected on the front panel apply.
Comprehensive manual.
GETTING STARTED
Stable with Logic. With my system and a 512-sample buffer, I get a latency time under 10 ms. I can have eight audio tracks and two virtual instruments with compressor + EQ on each channel, one aux reverb and a multiband compressor on the master. I already recorded six tracks simultaneously without a sweat. The balance control on the monitoring bus is very convenient.
Main drawback: the integrated preamps sound very cold so I don't use them. Don't expect a good sound when you connect a bass guitar directly to it, even with an amp simulation... The preamps of my Soundcraft sound much better.
OVERALL OPINION
I've been using it for one year.
Pros: balance for monitoring, powered via FireWire bus, size, number of ins/outs
Cons: preamps
Good value for money. At present, I would rather buy a Motu or the Apogee Duet, which has only two inputs but high-quality preamps (I tried it out with a guitar and it's simply not comparable). Summary: if you need a lot of connections in a compact housing, this sound card is for you. If you want to connect an instrument directly, choose another product...