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Audiofanzine FR
Published on 11/07/08 at 06:26
(Originally written by Dunce/translated from Audiofanzine FR)
Which technical specifications motivated your choice?
The price, the ergonomics, the low latency, the two headphone outputs and the transport controls.
What do you use it for?
Mainly to mix in my home studio, read mp3 files and edit concert footage.
What's your setup (motherboard, CPU, RAM, hard drive,...)?
Motherboard: Asus M2N-SLI Deluxe
Processor: Athlon 64 X 6400(3.2ghz)
4 gb ddr2 dual-channel corsair RAM
4 sata 2 HDD (80 Gb: os , 80 Gb: audio log, 250 and 320 Gb: backup / 2x250 Gb Rai0 for recorded audio data)
700-watt fsp PSU and Antec P180 tower
Do you use it with other instruments or systems (mixing console, preamp, DtD, ...) and what's your setup?
I use it mainly for guitars, R300 InterM and Monitor One mkII for monitoring, 8-input SM Pro Audio and Art Tube MP preamps, Sonar 6 PE sequencer.
UTILIZATION
Did you have any problems during the installation?
No, not really. I installed the latest driver and playback was very unstable. After checking all my applications, I installed the driver provided with the interface (downgrade from v1.1 to v1.0) and everything went smoothly.
Did you encounter any incompatibility problems?
Yes I did, with the latest driver, which I guess is conceived for Vista!
How complicated is the overall configuration?
It couldn't be easier, a real surprise!
Is the user's manual clear and comprehensive?
The printed manual is very clear and there is also a printed addendum.
I'm giving it a 7 because the installation made me sweat a bit (I used driver 1.00)
GETTING STARTED
Is the driver stable?
Yes, no complaints: no dropouts, no noise, no unexpected stops, no Windows blue screen.
Are they up-to-date?
Update policy seems to be ok.
What's the latency of your system?
This really amazed me: 2 ms using 35 audio tracks and 25 plug-ins. I can click anywhere on the playback area without having dropouts.
The best and ultimate test, at least for me, was when I started playing with the position markers in my songs (assigned to F6 and F7 keys): I would let the track play 2 or 3 quarter notes and then get back to the previous marker during playback, I also did some scratching and didn't experience a single crash.
How many tracks can you record/playback simultaneously ?
I haven't tested it yet, but probably not more than two due to the interface's setup.
It's worthy of a 10.
OVERALL OPINION
How long have you been using it?
Since twelve o'clock and it worked 6 straight hours with Sonar 6 without interruption.
Which feature do you like the most / the least?
Pros: the transport controls and the programmable F1-F8 keys in Sonar (that's pure joy).
Cons: I want the same interface with 8 XLR inputs, the second headphone output freely assignable to any sequencer output, and at least 4 additional outputs for Aux sends or monitor mixes.
How would you rate its value for money?
Unbeatable, given its reliability and the transport controls!
Based on your experience, would you buy this product again?
Yes, although it's a matter of luck. I just sold my Alesis i/o 26 which wouldn't work reliably on my system with less than 6 ms latency.
I was looking for an interface on Audiofanzine and I saw this gear.
I wrote this review because a playback latency of 2 ms is the best thing I could ever wish for my new demo tapes.
Which technical specifications motivated your choice?
The price, the ergonomics, the low latency, the two headphone outputs and the transport controls.
What do you use it for?
Mainly to mix in my home studio, read mp3 files and edit concert footage.
What's your setup (motherboard, CPU, RAM, hard drive,...)?
Motherboard: Asus M2N-SLI Deluxe
Processor: Athlon 64 X 6400(3.2ghz)
4 gb ddr2 dual-channel corsair RAM
4 sata 2 HDD (80 Gb: os , 80 Gb: audio log, 250 and 320 Gb: backup / 2x250 Gb Rai0 for recorded audio data)
700-watt fsp PSU and Antec P180 tower
Do you use it with other instruments or systems (mixing console, preamp, DtD, ...) and what's your setup?
I use it mainly for guitars, R300 InterM and Monitor One mkII for monitoring, 8-input SM Pro Audio and Art Tube MP preamps, Sonar 6 PE sequencer.
UTILIZATION
Did you have any problems during the installation?
No, not really. I installed the latest driver and playback was very unstable. After checking all my applications, I installed the driver provided with the interface (downgrade from v1.1 to v1.0) and everything went smoothly.
Did you encounter any incompatibility problems?
Yes I did, with the latest driver, which I guess is conceived for Vista!
How complicated is the overall configuration?
It couldn't be easier, a real surprise!
Is the user's manual clear and comprehensive?
The printed manual is very clear and there is also a printed addendum.
I'm giving it a 7 because the installation made me sweat a bit (I used driver 1.00)
GETTING STARTED
Is the driver stable?
Yes, no complaints: no dropouts, no noise, no unexpected stops, no Windows blue screen.
Are they up-to-date?
Update policy seems to be ok.
What's the latency of your system?
This really amazed me: 2 ms using 35 audio tracks and 25 plug-ins. I can click anywhere on the playback area without having dropouts.
The best and ultimate test, at least for me, was when I started playing with the position markers in my songs (assigned to F6 and F7 keys): I would let the track play 2 or 3 quarter notes and then get back to the previous marker during playback, I also did some scratching and didn't experience a single crash.
How many tracks can you record/playback simultaneously ?
I haven't tested it yet, but probably not more than two due to the interface's setup.
It's worthy of a 10.
OVERALL OPINION
How long have you been using it?
Since twelve o'clock and it worked 6 straight hours with Sonar 6 without interruption.
Which feature do you like the most / the least?
Pros: the transport controls and the programmable F1-F8 keys in Sonar (that's pure joy).
Cons: I want the same interface with 8 XLR inputs, the second headphone output freely assignable to any sequencer output, and at least 4 additional outputs for Aux sends or monitor mixes.
How would you rate its value for money?
Unbeatable, given its reliability and the transport controls!
Based on your experience, would you buy this product again?
Yes, although it's a matter of luck. I just sold my Alesis i/o 26 which wouldn't work reliably on my system with less than 6 ms latency.
I was looking for an interface on Audiofanzine and I saw this gear.
I wrote this review because a playback latency of 2 ms is the best thing I could ever wish for my new demo tapes.