Echo Mia

Bought at www.midigear.com for 169.00 total(shipping paid!). Non-factory sealed special (still under warantee)

The Mia really is worth every penny you pay for it. The entry level price of only $200 dollars is what first got me interested in the mia. When I started doing research, I was pleased to find that every site that I came across offered a positive review.
Simple, intuitive interface and mixer that unlike a pricey sound blaster feature-fest, it is well designed to be used with professional recording software. I have only used the digital in/outs and the analog out. I haven't fully tested the d/a converters as I've only had it a week. Like what I hear so far.


The sorted windows sound drivers are a puzzle to get right at first, no fault to the mia or Cubase. Windows has several types of drivers to sort out.
The unit has no preamp, which although keeps the price respectable, cuts back on the versitility. I can't just plug in one of my mics as I have no separate preamp. Once again, no fault to mia, since the card is only 200 dollars instead of way more. Besides, cheap preamps are worthless. For now I use my Sony SBM-1 from my DAT which has nice preamps. Makes all the difference.

Well designed for an internal sound card. No basis for comparision since it never leaves the computer case.

Great sound. Priced right. Designed for use with real production software.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Has your basic features a sound card can have. Can switch between asio, direct X, and WDM drivers using the MIA interface they provide in software form. Includes 2 Standard midi jacks( IN and OUT), and a pair of BALANCE 1/4 inch analog IN's and OUT's. Also includes S/PDIF digital in and out if that's your perrogative. Anyone with good monitors should keep this in mind, because you can hook them up directly to ur sound card without any external receivers! Includes a 4+ DB setting as well, which is very cool (this will keep you from overamping ur tracks, automatically amping your settings 4+ decibles!). Include 8 virtual tracks, which is cool when you get into multitrack recording. You can acually buy an external interface through ECHO to make use of these virtual tracks.

Price paid: $60 USD (used)

UTILIZATION

I would say the usability is above average. I use windows ME and the installation was seemless. Direct X and ASIO drivers work great, haven't seen any issues yet. DSP is great when it comes to recording vocals at high sample rates (24bit/96kHz). The MIA console in control panel works great, and lets you monitor output with the click of the mouse. Very acurate response. The only downfall is that it sucks for GAMES....of course, u shouldn't be using a DAW for playing games anyway.

GETTING STARTED

No issues in the 5 months I've owned the card. Usablity is great...no issues with incompatibility of outdated drivers. Sound is top notch....big change in how my mixes turn out. None of the inputs or outputs have come loose yet. Still cannot give it a 10, haven't pushed it to it's limits yet. Performs all same task effectively $200+ cards do and then some.

OVERALL OPINION

The sound quality is top notch! Went from using a soundblaster (audigy) to this, and the difference is incredible. This card reproduces the sound better at a higher sample rate do you can here inaccuracies in your production....which is what you need in order to mix effectively. This card does the job in that area. Also, the latency is very, very low using the asio drivers they provide you.

Don't know how I made music without it. Might purchase interface to take full advantage of the cards potential. If you're a professional with a budget, this is the sound card for you.

Originally posted on FutureProducers.com
Posted by: kingartha ( 6-, 2005)

I bought this card for its ability to record 24bit/96kHz, its low noise level trs, its sound quality (which I had heard the seller), and latency. Ha, I forgot too, for his input / output Jack 6.35mm is when even more productive.
I have a abit motherboard with a 533 PIV 1.8Ghz and 128MB of RAM, SCSI hard drive, I mainly use cubase and sound forge.
I work with a Roland synth and two expanders, a mixing desk Soundcraft, AKG studio microphone. So I record everything track by track and map the bed together without problem.

UTILIZATION

Installation is simple, that it is advisable to first install the drivers before the hardware. (The first time I did the opposite and I have not seen any diffrence, it must dpendre of the OS used.
The PB, because it there is one, is that under win98 the latency is 86ms (with PII 350) win2000 unlike o is 4ms (also PI 350), and under win2000 with cubase, if you of direct monitoring, output of the card is closed! (So ​​no direct monitoring, I personally am not)

GETTING STARTED

The drivers are stable, that I used with a PII 350: cubase no problem, but forge is trs sound greedy (loss of sync), I had to go to the PIV.
Currently with the PIV I do not regard the latency but I have no doubt about it since with a PII 350 and win2000 I 4ms, so for fans of any virtual synth washes.

OVERALL OPINION

was 5 months I have, I like his ability and sound quality, shame concerns for small drivers, but according to the OS used APRS several tests can not touch anything and roll! and then I look echoaudio to make us good little drivers.
I trusted the seller, I have not tried other card before, and I'm happy with my purchase trs of plusle qualitprix report is good.

I chose this card for its 24bit/96kHz, and low latency (~ 5ms) because I use it mainly for its decision (vocals, samples, guitars) and I board not currently need many inputs / outputs.
I'm on a Dell with CM Intel840i/Celeron 566MHz/256Mo of IBM SDRAM/80Go 7200T / m IDE all under Win2000. Otherwise just a g Eurorack MX1604A branch and I pass by the tt table because it has the advantage of having sories Alt 3-4 (it's ultra pratik).

UTILIZATION

So I put 7 for very personal reasons:
- The Insala is of rare simplicity and once installed it works and it's over
- The drivers of this card are not in a multimedia architecture and g problem with winamp Notte. I recommend not to give support multimedia tasks but for example to keep his good old Sound Blaster for these spots, or the chipset CM voting. Echoaudio you are the first to report it anyway: it's not a multimedia card and they designed this card for it coxiste with its multimedia system.
- The manual is a tone plainsantin is rather unusual and funny to the extent that the card is simple and does not require a novel.

GETTING STARTED

SERIES drivers supplied on the CD are in the limit avoid. Lor the first installation I had a latency in seconds! but hey I did the update and I am a ~ 5ms and I'm happy
I use SoundForge, Acid, Cubase SX (recently) and the only problems I encounter are due to the performance of my PC.
Otherwise no problem (thankfully) to read the two mono tracks and record 2 other mono simultanment.
I board not tried the SPDIF.

OVERALL OPINION

I've had six months and I am glad trs. J'apprcis normment its quality of sound for its price (350 merchants for not much more expensive than the SB on top table in another CATEGORY. However the spcificit my PC does not allow me to use a sound card for multimedia and winamp really puts me in the area. Another advantage is the virtual table: I recommend even affect your softs sound, for example, has four main tracks diffrent (eg [Cubase-> 1-2 virtual out] [Soundforge-> virt 3-4 out] etc ...) is more than is practical Carment RECOMMEND AC problems quickly.
Recess so I have not tried the other card from my SB Platinum which does not really play in the same CATEGORY for a price not so much in dea. So for the price I highly recommend it: it is a sound recording card and it does very well for its price.
So with hindsight I think I would do the same choice