M-Audio Mixing Consoles

This control surface and audio interface is a fireware based piece of hardware. It's compatible with ProTools M-Powered, Logic, Cubase, Ableton, Digital Performer, and other programs. It has eight XLR inputs and four 1/4" inputs, and a front-panel instrument input. It has phantom power, nine touch-sensitive faders, eight rotary encoders, and a jog wheel. It has four analog outputs and two headphone outputs. There isn't much in the way of EQ's but it's more of a control for my pro tools setup anyway, so it doesn't really matter. It is also able to do almost every protools function, including automation, directly from the interface, which makes it much more convenient to use than a mouse! UTILIZATION The setup isn't too difficult with the manual. Getting it connected is easy. It takes a little bit of time to get everything up and running, but that is too be expected. Besides, it probably took me longer because I never had an interface quite like this before. Pretty much everything you'd need it to do in Pro Tools is pretty easy to figure out. It certainly made automation a lot easier. The manual explains pretty clearly how to use it in every capacity, so even if you aren't sure how to do something that well you can read the manual and probably be able to figure it out (assuming you know how to run whichever program you are using.) SOUNDS The console doesn't have a particularly great, or even a very palpable sound to it. It is arguably pretty transparent. Once when I booted it up, it gave out a really loud shrieking signal, which was pretty painful and could have damaged my monitors. However, it was the only instance I've had of it for some reason. I don't particularly like the preamps or the EQs but I feel like I didn't really buy it for those things. I just needed an interface and I liked that it was also a control surface with faders. The preamps I use tend to be outboard and the EQs are usually plug-in. I've just had better luck with those. OVERALL OPINION I've had this console for over a year. I like that it's basically everything I would need for a home setup. I don't do any crazy tracking at home, I prefer to use a studio or larger consoles to record more instruments. I think that this was probably the best interface I looked at when making my decision. A friend of mine who engineers used it and recommended it to me. I trust his opinion and he didn't steer me wrong. The price is pretty fair. While by no means cheap, it's not a fortune, either. For the price, you get a lot of features and great performance out of it. I would certainly make the same choice if I had to do it again. For someone who really wants to get into engineering, this board will help you out tremendously, making you able to work with ProTools at home with much greater ease.