Echo Layla 24

The Echo Layla is a 24 Bit 8 channel PCI Audio Interface that can not be bought anymore (new) because the manufactures pulled it from the shelves and has put out other products to replace it. That does not mean you should not try to find one if you are in the search for a similar interface, I am pretty sure you can get one online somewhere , maybe even eBay! I have used this Interface with Sonar on many occasions and never had any issues with it. The Layla echo does have a horrible issue with over heating. This could be the reason they have pulled the interface from the market. Alot of people where having issues especially when using it in a small space that gets warm.. The Layla Echo needs to be kept a cooler temp than you would keep most your gear at. So keeping a fan on it is almost a must (any time it is on). There are enough ins and outs on the Layla to run your whole studio and record all you need simultaneously.


UTILIZATION

The latency is very low and not really noticeable at all. I haven’t recorded more than 3 tracks at a time but I know you can record more with it. Being in engineer school, I get the chance to work with a lot of interfaces and the Layla by Echo is one of the ones that I wont forget because it worked well and it lasted a long time. I actually spent most of my freshman year using it. If I remember correctly, there was an update for it but I didn’t have to update it I just read the memo.


GETTING STARTED

No compatibility issues and the manual was easy to use and read. It is probably a longer manual than what it really needed to be and I do wish the manual said something about not letting the unit get over heated or it will fry!


OVERALL OPINION

Best part of the Layla is that there were never any problems when using it, it was just sad to see so many of these fry. I am thankful for the experience that I had with the Layla and I am sure all of those around me were too. It is a great piece of gear.

The Echo Layla 24 is a great rack able audio interface that I was so thankful to have a few years ago. Keep in mind that if you are looking for this device that it is no longer being created, they have upgraded it a little while go. But you can still find these online and people are getting rid of them to upgrade. I have seen some go online for really cheap recently. If you can get your hands on this interface for cheap it’s a steal. This is a very great interface with enough ins and outs to run your whole studio. If you have a lot of gear, you can have it all hooked up at the same time and never had to unplug anything in order to get new gear hooked up. I love having the ability to not have to unplug a mic, just to plug in a different mic. That was the sole reason why I purchased this interface, I was at first worried because I had not heard of Echo before nor its interfaces. But after the guy at the store told me it was a good unit and I had a money back grantee I didn’t have anything to lose so I got it.


UTILIZATION

It is a pretty simple unit, there isn’t anything on the front of the unit at all, it looks very stylish. The back of it is where everything is at, you wont need to even look at a manual because there is nothing to understand, everything on the back of the unit is labeled and ready to have your stuff plugged in.


GETTING STARTED

No lag, and it provides a great sound. You cant beat that.


OVERALL OPINION

I think this unit is a steal now. When it first came out it was affordable but probably still a little too expensive for the average person to invest into a piece of gear from a company they have never heard of. If you want the newer version look into the Layla 3g. It is great as well, just newer and more expensive.

The number of jack I/Os and the fact that the card is pci

USE

The latency with live 7 is 12ms. I sometimes use up to 20+ tracks with 1 pan, eq, compressor per channel, and the card doesn't even flinch.
It works with assio4all v2.

OPERATION

I installed it on my PC running Seven 64bits and, to be honest, I have never had an issue so far.

OVERALL OPINION

I've been using it intensively since May and it's the core of my home studio.
I would've love to have two XLR outputs more for monitoring and one more midi i/o.
Other than that, it's a good product!

(Originally written by tweak/translated from Audiofanzine FR)
Very good sound card with comprehensive and professional connections.

In the beginning I used it to record single tracks and now I use it for multitrack recording.

My computer is a bit old: I bought it in 2004. It's a P4 2.8 GHz with 1 GB Ram.

The sound card is connected to a mixer via a patchbay. It gives me a great routing flexibility. I use it to record synths, samplers and drum machines.

UTILIZATION

I needed some time to find out which of my 3 PCI ports worked good with it. The computer crashed while booting with two of the PCI ports. So it was not easy to find the right port. The installation is easy and fast. Install the driver, reboot, connect the card, reboot again, turn on.

The first time I used it the sound blew me away.

I have almost forgotten that the card is in my rack and that's perfect! It does the job very good and doesn't cause any problems.

I almost didn't need the user's manual so I can't remember if it's good or not... That means it was well conceived.

GETTING STARTED

The card never crashes. I use it with Samplitude Pro 8 and Soundforge 6. It's perfect for audio playback and recording.

I don't know how many tracks I can record simultaneously because I don't record many tracks at the same time. I had project with about 20 tracks for playback and my obsolete computer couldn't handle it.

I don't use the internal mixer a lot because I have an external one.

OVERALL OPINION

I've owned it for one or two years. I previously had an Edirol FA101. And I immediately heard the difference!!!

This card is more stable and it doesn't crash. The sound is more dynamic and clearer with brilliant highs and round lows. The connections are comprehensive. The internal mixer is convenient.

It does its job and can be mounted in a rack.

Compared to the FA101 I can hear the improvement even with Ghost PA speakers! It's so obvious!

I get a very good sound with a JBL LSR 4326 monitoring system. The playback is faithful to the recording. I get a huge output level and a punchy sound.

I'm very satisfied with this product. I paid less for it than what I got for the FA101. So in the I earned some money and got a better sound. If it ever breaks it will be difficult to find a good replacement.

One thing is for sure: I don't want a Firewire solution anymore... The next card I buy will be a Lucid Audio + PCI Adat card, for example.