All user reviews for the PreSonus FP10

Characteristics: 8 inputs with preamps and 8 outputs.
I use it mostly live with a laptop PC core2duo, 2GB ram, and external disk.
I am a keyboard in a group of varieties, so I use a keyboard-connected master Roland A90 midi on the presonus, itself connected to the laptop in firewire. I drive it with the soft Brainspawn: Forte (host for plug-ins).
I have a 2nd keyboard and sound modules that are connected to each of the two preamp card and an electric guitar on a 5th. I use strong expander, premix keyboard and guitar effects. I pull on the keyboard 2 outputs (stereo) and guitar on a 3rd (in mono). While the jack. Entries are preamp jack / XLR.
I also use the card for a few photos in his home studio with Cubase.

UTILIZATION

The drivers are very stable. I have a latency of 3 ms on stage, so any gene.
The buffer size is set by the choice of latency.
Software most used: With Brainspawn with a bunch of plugs, virtual effects and beats. and Cubase.
I have not loaded the updated driver which includes Windows7 because it works just fine.

GETTING STARTED

Installation is very simple and quick
No problem, no configuration to do, that the latency to choose from.

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for 3 years.
I started with a Terratec EWS88MT, PCI card + box with 8 inputs and 8 outputs on RCA preamp only and without, who still works fine.

I wanted to 8 inputs / outputs, with 8 preamps. So I got what I wanted for a very good Q / P
I would do the same choice without any problems.

The notes are linked to the use that I do.

8 preamps / line in / converters in a single unit.

The heart of a home studio 1U.

Firewire allows portability to move from one computer to another easily (unlike PCI interfaces that require little manipulation and a computer desktop type).

We appreciate being able to connect better preamps by invoice or multiple line in the S / PDIF (if you have a preamp with digital output, you can enjoy a track record of more, and possibly a better inverter than the Firepod on this input, sound card becoming passive conduit for audio digital S / PDIF).

A centerpiece of home studio evolving:

Because you can always upgrade our system by adding the best preamps, compressors, eqs, and other signal processing, until the day we want better converters (Firepod because although it meets industry standards, the famous 24/96, still a mid-range device).

The Firepod has the Midi i / o.
8 line outs that can be assigned to your will by your software (if you're not connected to your computer, because the Firepod works as a small standalone console! The line out to become live out each entry).

By assigning the outputs as needed, you can you use the line out to connect as many speaker and surround sound! plus two other stereo outputs.

UTILIZATION

I use the original drivers!

Ordi stable, no update.

8 tracks.

2.0 ms.

Windows XP Pro SP3.
CPU intel dual core 2GHz.
2GB RAM.

GETTING STARTED

After the promise of a glorious future, the Firewire connection has been snubbed by the industry which preferred the USB 2 it seems. So that most new laptops, portable ordis are not equipped with Firewire causing other compatibility issues because even with a PCMCIA adapter card art we do not fix everything because speed limits of transfer default this port (I have damaged my card before she managed to unlock this stupid quotas) that makes the card unusable (abnormal behavior, noises, glitches, etc..). That's progress my friends!

OVERALL OPINION

3 years.

I had previously used the Delta 1010 and the MBox 1.

I had to be repaired: broken contact potentiometers. This last is the eighth since I soundcard. Presonus design is certainly not what is more chic.

Given my budget at the time, I certainly referrer choice. My Firepod has rendered me great service and I intend to use it again as long as I can. Unless winning Loto-Quebec. Honest

I bought a Presonus Firebox before I bought the Firepod.  I love my Firebox but I needed more XLR Inputs.  It was a logical choice when someone offered to sell there's to me for a good price. 
I use a Macbook with 2.2ghz, 4GB of ram, and a 320GB HDD.  I also run Logic 9 for my main DAW and occasionally Ableton. 
I use this as my main firewire device in my studio.  I also use it outside of the studio to do onsite band recordings (a little business I am working on).  It takes all of my drum mics (4), as well as one bass and one guitar mic and a two vocal mics.  I run the Vocal mics through a ART MPA gold preamp first.  I also run directs out of the instruments via DI Boxes into the back for even more options. 
Besides the XLR and 1/4" jacks you also have Digital ins and outs and 2 Firewire ports (Computer Connection and Daisy chain), oh yeah, and Midi in/out.

UTILIZATION

Yes the Drivers are stable.  I have no issues running the Firepod on a Mac.  As for updates, I am not aware of any.  As far as I know it hasn't needed them.  There is a very small amount of latency that I notice most when I am doing vocals myself.  Its not very much at all really, sounds like a very slight chorus effect. 
I most often use the Firepod with Logic 9.  It works correctly with Logic and is very well integrated into the system.  It is very easy to select input sources via individual track parameters and audio output routing is easy too.
So far I have only done Six at a time.  I guess I haven't thought about finding out the max until this review.  I will be checking that out soon. 


GETTING STARTED

There was no compatibility issues whatsoever.  Plug n play on my mac.  The manual is clear enough.  There is a lot less stuff for mac users to read than there is for PC.  It has to do with installation mostly. 
For the most part, yes, the general setup is simple enough.  If you are comfortable selecting inputs on your DAW, then doing everything you need to do to get strong, clean signal recorded should be a breeze.


OVERALL OPINION

Two things seem a little strange to me.  First of, the Input/Playback knob, which balances the mix between the actual inputs and the playback, seems weird to me.  I guess its a neat tool, but I can't quite get comfortable with it.  I usually feel when I get the correct volume for my input, the playback sounds too quiet and vice versa. 
Two, it would have been nice if they had a seperate effects loop in/out instead of having to use the first two inputs with a stereo pair of outputs.
Besides that, what I like about this unit is a lot of things.  Good clean, crisp sound.  Very quiet preamps and great compatibility with my gear.   Can't really ask for more. 
I got this used for around $300.  I am very happy with paying that. 
There is very little latency and the sound is very clear and present.
I own presonus firebox and an Alesis Firewire Mixer.  All serve there purpose well, but the Firepod is my "go to" unit in the studio.
Yes, I would definitely make the same choice again.

I got this a while ago before switching to a MOTU interface. It served me well while I had it though the MOTU I have now has more features. I used it basically for the preamps and for AD conversion. I used it with a PC running Nuendo. The PC has a dual core processor and 4GB of RAM so it's a higher end box. This has got 8 XLR inputs, all with gain controls and phantom power for your condenser mics. It connects with firewire. It also has MIDI in and out, which is a nice little bonus if you need it. It has a 1/4" jack on the front for headphone monitoring, and also SPDIF connections on the back if you need them.

UTILIZATION

This was very easy to install like most firewire interfaces. You just install the drivers, plug in the power and firewire, and turn it on, and your computer and host do the rest. You will of course want to make sure that your host is using the inputs from your FP10 and not from an internal sound card if you have one. Other than that there isn't much configuration to worry about. There aren't compatibility issues with my computer. The manual is sufficient, but this thing has limited functionality so there isn't much to explain.

GETTING STARTED

The drivers were fine on my computer. I never encountered any bugs, so I'm sure they're stable enough now that they don't need to be updated often. This again was using the FP10 with Nuendo on a PC, with Windows XP. The latency is marginal since firewire has good bandwidth. You can get 8 audio inputs simultaneously with this. There are also 8 independent outputs on the rear panel, all of them 1/4" outputs which can be useful if you have a slightly more complex setup.

OVERALL OPINION

I used this for about a year before upgrading. The sound of this box is okay - definitely good for the price but not breathtaking or anything. The affordability and convenience are its best assets. However, you have basically no metering, so you'll have to rely on your host to tell you what's going on with your levels and clipping, which is really a pain for someone like me. You don't get XLR outputs, so you might have to go with some non-traditional cabling for connecting other devices. At $400, this is one of the best entry level converters for more than 1 or 2 channels. You'll definitely want to upgrade to something else with more features eventually though. Overall, not a bad piece of gear, and a good value. I wouldn't get it again now, but I'd recommend it for a beginner.