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goodbyebluesky
Published on 03/28/08 at 07:08
In this price range, there were only a couple interfaces to choose from and presonus has a good reputation and from reviews I read the Firebox produced less latency due to the high speed firewire connection as opposed to USB.
I used this interface with a homebuilt 1.3ghz PC with a gig of ram, and Cubase LE which was free with the Firebox, and my wharfedale 8.1 monitors. I was mostly using it (and its phantom power) to record acoustic and electric guitar with a large diaphram condensor mic, I rarely went direct through it except for bass which it handled nicely. Having 2 quality XLR inputs right on the front is nice so I'm not groping around back. It would have been nice to have all the inputs on the front, but.... I only use 1 or 2 anyway.
I have to say, this thing is pretty beefy with its metal case and metal knobs. As small and portable as it is (a huge plus for those of us on the go with our gear) it would have been nice to get a dedicated carrying case instead of a foam lined package it comes in.
UTILIZATION
The software installed no problem, compatible from the get go which is great because I am NOT a techhead. Cubease LE was a bit of a challenge getting the settings on the Firebox ready to record, but the manual helped.
GETTING STARTED
Once I got it rolling, I never had a problem with the software. I only got noticeable latency when I was using my Drumkit From Hell which hogs up the ram on my computer, and it was bad. I only recorded one track at a time so I guess I've never really put it through its paces, it can record 4 simultaneously.
OVERALL OPINION
What I like most about it is its simplicity, I would think its ideal for an informed beginner like myself. I dig the way its small and sits right up on top of my wharfedale monitors easily within reach.
It was pretty comparable to a few other manufacturer's interfaces, so I feel like I got a good deal. I wish we had affordable technology like this and the FirePod back in my band recording days, decent quality preamps and 24 bit digital converters all in one package.
Knowing what I know now, I might fork out a little extra money for a more dedicated field type recording unit and do without computer software for an even more portable setup, but for PC/Mac I would still use Presonus, either Firebox or Firepod. Most definitely.
I used this interface with a homebuilt 1.3ghz PC with a gig of ram, and Cubase LE which was free with the Firebox, and my wharfedale 8.1 monitors. I was mostly using it (and its phantom power) to record acoustic and electric guitar with a large diaphram condensor mic, I rarely went direct through it except for bass which it handled nicely. Having 2 quality XLR inputs right on the front is nice so I'm not groping around back. It would have been nice to have all the inputs on the front, but.... I only use 1 or 2 anyway.
I have to say, this thing is pretty beefy with its metal case and metal knobs. As small and portable as it is (a huge plus for those of us on the go with our gear) it would have been nice to get a dedicated carrying case instead of a foam lined package it comes in.
UTILIZATION
The software installed no problem, compatible from the get go which is great because I am NOT a techhead. Cubease LE was a bit of a challenge getting the settings on the Firebox ready to record, but the manual helped.
GETTING STARTED
Once I got it rolling, I never had a problem with the software. I only got noticeable latency when I was using my Drumkit From Hell which hogs up the ram on my computer, and it was bad. I only recorded one track at a time so I guess I've never really put it through its paces, it can record 4 simultaneously.
OVERALL OPINION
What I like most about it is its simplicity, I would think its ideal for an informed beginner like myself. I dig the way its small and sits right up on top of my wharfedale monitors easily within reach.
It was pretty comparable to a few other manufacturer's interfaces, so I feel like I got a good deal. I wish we had affordable technology like this and the FirePod back in my band recording days, decent quality preamps and 24 bit digital converters all in one package.
Knowing what I know now, I might fork out a little extra money for a more dedicated field type recording unit and do without computer software for an even more portable setup, but for PC/Mac I would still use Presonus, either Firebox or Firepod. Most definitely.