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Hatsubai « Good firewire interface »
Published on 06/19/11 at 20:12M-Audio has usually pushed their USB stuff, but it's nice to see them start getting into Firewire mic pres as well. This device is an 18 x 14 Firewire interface that has 8 24 bit/96 KHz analog inputs, 4 24 bit/96 KHz outputs, 2 x 4 24 bit/192 KHz analog I/IO, 8 x * ADAT Lightpipe, S/PDIF, supports AC-3/DTS, contains great Neutrik jacks with a 20 dB pad, phantom power, two different headphone jacks with independent volume control and MIDI and a ton more features.
UTILIZATION
M-Audio did a great job setting this whole thing up. The interface itself is nicely laid out, and everything is easy to use. There are no annoying breakout cables that cause a tangled mess. I'm especially happy that they used Firewire for this. While they make comparisons on the USB page stating how USB is theoretically faster than Fiewire, that's not the case in real life. There are some major flaws with USB 2.0 when compared to Firewire, and I always found it a bit dishonest when they tried to claim USB 2.0 was faster.
GETTING STARTED
Setting up is very easy, just like any other M-Audio device out there. Simply plug in the devices to their corresponding ports, and you're good to go. I didn't experience any compatibility issues, and that's a great thing. This works with both PC and Mac, so nearly anybody can use it without a problem. I never read the manual, but I can't imagine a real need to unless you're trying to figure out how certain connections work. Anybody who has used an interface before should know exactly how everything works.
OVERALL OPINION
If you're in the market for a good, solid Firewire mic pre, this is definitely one to look at. It's packed with features, contains audio software so you can get to recording as quick as possible, and it doesn't cost a ton of money like certain other interfaces out there. On top of that, there's built-in MIDI which is a huge plus.
UTILIZATION
M-Audio did a great job setting this whole thing up. The interface itself is nicely laid out, and everything is easy to use. There are no annoying breakout cables that cause a tangled mess. I'm especially happy that they used Firewire for this. While they make comparisons on the USB page stating how USB is theoretically faster than Fiewire, that's not the case in real life. There are some major flaws with USB 2.0 when compared to Firewire, and I always found it a bit dishonest when they tried to claim USB 2.0 was faster.
GETTING STARTED
Setting up is very easy, just like any other M-Audio device out there. Simply plug in the devices to their corresponding ports, and you're good to go. I didn't experience any compatibility issues, and that's a great thing. This works with both PC and Mac, so nearly anybody can use it without a problem. I never read the manual, but I can't imagine a real need to unless you're trying to figure out how certain connections work. Anybody who has used an interface before should know exactly how everything works.
OVERALL OPINION
If you're in the market for a good, solid Firewire mic pre, this is definitely one to look at. It's packed with features, contains audio software so you can get to recording as quick as possible, and it doesn't cost a ton of money like certain other interfaces out there. On top of that, there's built-in MIDI which is a huge plus.