All user reviews for the Lexicon Lambda

I've had the interface for almost 10 years now and it has been my primary interface for recording in my home studio corner. It's a budget interface that supports MIDI as well as mics and guitars which makes it ideal to get a whole track down. Really easy to setup and still find it useful to this day.

Here's one video of several that I recorded on the Lambda interface
https://youtu.be/S3YqyuWRm38?t=22

The Lambda is a USB audio interface built by LEXICON.
It is technically comparable to the equivalent range of products offered by all major brands, but with sizeable opportunities for its price range.

It provides a midi interface and a 48v power supply (phantom).
2 inputs: either XLR / Jack is 6.35
An instrument input for guitar or bass
2 outputs (L + R) Jack 6.35
1 headphone jack 3.5 (unfortunately, given the fragility of these jacks)
Effect can be wired (stereo Jack 6.35) as an insert

Potentiometer adjusts the balance between the received digital through USB and the volume of input analog interface.
The case is powered by the USB

From a brand like "Lexicon" could be expected to look more Pro ... The plastic case is a little "toy"

UTILIZATION

Like all USB interfaces, the big problem is the quality of drivers and the risk of bug in the computer environment.

ASIO drivers for the Lambda work well, however, I had to give the latest driver for XP that did not work with my setup, I went back to the old version.

Once we have a stable configuration, the Lambda runs smoothly, we end up forgetting.

SOUND:

When I started using the Lambda, I immediately found the sound better, clearer, and more air, I always felt that we had removed my speakers (which are very close) .

The converters are very good, much better to my taste than those interfaces Edirol / Roland, Echo, and without comparison with computer sound cards, even overpriced.

For cons, I have less gain on the microphone input (with 48v) on my Spirit Console portfolio 12-2 ... Not much gain as the input instrument (guitar).

GETTING STARTED

no problem if the environment does not create.

OVERALL OPINION

Strengths
1 - The
2 - Opportunities (Midi + 48Volts + Enter "instrument" powered usb +)
3 - Value prices (in 2006)

Less Fort
1 - Headphone mini (not PRO)
2 - plastic look
3 - Volume control that sputters after a few years

Purchased urgency to finish a project.

2 inputs, either XLR or jack 6.35. Possibility of an instrument that takes the input circuit 1. Insert jack on each entry into 6.35
2 outputs: L and R 6.35 ... and that's it. oh so sorry, the headphone output jack 3.5
+48 V common to both inputs
MIDI In / Out
USB port

The pre-amps are honest enough for this price range, and even the instrument input sounds good. Not to worry about this point of view
Common knob for headphone output and line out, and that's not practical unless there's a speaker on hand to adjust the

UTILIZATION

Operation is simple and effective. I used it on a Cubase SX, I've had some problems with it to ASIO (ASIO Driver Lambda), quick set when using the Asio4All. At its best, a simple configuration I got a 4ms latency correct

GETTING STARTED

Nothing to say, a sound card is all that is most simple. Works without question, and with good efficiency.

OVERALL OPINION

That's where I was getting: This sound card I smoked in the legs after a year and a half ... grrr! That I will not tolerate. And no warning. I do not know of anything that has been let go, but one thing is certain is that she does not want to turn it on. food being made by the USB port, I have tried to make it work on another PC, change the USB cable, but nothing ... not even an LED that lights up quickly when the power is on.
So for my part, I would say that this sound card for its price is honest and even if you look at the quality / price. But after this misadventure I am outraged by the life of this box. I hope to Lexicon this is not a recurring problem on this model, if there is to worry.

Tha lambda at a glance:

USB powered
High-end D/A converters
2 quality mic preamps
Phantom power
Independent mic and line controls with LEDs
Monitor mix and output level controls
2 balanced TRS line inputs and outputs
2 XLR mic ins
1/4" high-impedance instrument in
1/8" headphone jack
Cubase LE recording software for 48-track audio and 64 MIDI tracks
Pantheon VST reverb software
Works with Macs and PCs

I use this unit with my desktop computer for dedicated recording purposes. Mostly vocals and guitar. The features are roundabout, sporting two xlr inputs and two line inputs.

UTILIZATION

I'm a home recording hobbyist. But sometimes I take this unit on the go with my laptop. I use Cubase 5 to record with, and have been using Cubase in some form for years. The Lambda is a pretty simple install, however I find that every so often the driver will crash and I have to restart my computer. This only happens once every couple of weeks and is a minor issue. I don't ask a lot from the interface. I don't use the midi and I rarely have to use both inputs at once. Everything works as it should. The playback/direct blending knob is great and a wonderful feature. I also like the stereo functionality, although it can be a little confusing at first. There aren't a lot of controls and the ones there are self explanatory.

GETTING STARTED

There isn't a big need for a manual unless you have never used an interface before. the input and controls are simple and laid out for you. I like the no nonsense approach with this unit. Some interfaces assume you are a 5 star producer and the reality is that most users looking at this interface are hobbyists like me. Lexicon has been nice enough to design the lambda so that even someone with minimal experience with interfaces can figure it out quickly. I have had few issues with this unit other than the driver failing every once in a while. It's probably an issue with my main audio driver. I have abused this interface physically and it hasn't broken. So it's reliable too.

OVERALL OPINION

I like the simplicity and functionality of this unit. Sometimes it can be a little finicky with Cubase but 90% of the time it plays nicely. The value is great considering what you get. If you don't need more than 2 inputs, this is the interface to buy. I've used this one for a couple of years with no complaints. It's mobile too which is nice. I may switch to a rack unit in the future since I need more inputs to record drums. I have recorded vocals and guitar on the lambda with great results. It sounds a works great.

Updated December 2009 ///////////////////////////
My lambda never really worked well on PC (XP or Vista), but instead, it works on Mac nickel!

One of you, the owner of the lambda, advised me (on XP at least) completely uninstall Windows Media Player to the hand, it would seem that this would solve the problems I mentioned sizzling down the PC. Will need to try this, I will update this post.

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A nice connection, ideal for use homestudiste amateur, perfect for recording my guitar and my bass live and my condenser mic with phantom power supply. A knob can hear more of his live in the box (guitar, bass, mic ...) as his back, very convenient.
Install simple power via USB (cable in less than one, yay).

UTILIZATION

Simple installation, no pb on XP or Vista

GETTING STARTED

December 2009 ON MAC
Marche nickel.

ON PC IN 2007 In use, one a little disillusioned. On paper, everything looked good but did not count with a latency that I can not remove (about 50ms to the best of my settings), and especially a crackling / distortion very, very strange on XP like Vista. I think it comes from management or the CPU cache. Example: Guitar Rig standalone, with a few presets loaded, blam, it starts to crackle / distort (I'm not talking about Guitar rig, of course "/> <img class="smiley" src="/images/audiofanzine/interface/smileys/icon_wink.gif" alt="" /> . I lower cpu usage in the driver asio lambda, it gets better ... until for some reason, it starts to crap. Same in Ableton Live: too many tracks, and I fall on the points. Besides, Vista is pretty amazing if I do Ctrl-Alt-Delete, I get Vista on the screen that gives me a number of choices, and Live continues to play behind me refers more his sizzling / distorted. I tried to change the buffer of live, in desperation, but it does not change much.
FYI, I'm on Core 2 Duo 1.6, 2GB Ram.
Not knowing if my particular card is defective, or is a more general problem with the lambda, I do not notice that.

OVERALL OPINION

MAJ 2009 ///////////////////////////
My lambda never really worked well on PC (XP or Vista), but instead, it works on Mac nickel!
So, I began my notes.

I would do this choice, no doubt, for the first card and mac. Later, with a little more budget, I will be aiming qqchose with better preamps and more entries. Pbs my PC prompted me to purchase a 1616 EMU has better preamps, it's pretty obvious listening. Obviously, it is on PCMCIA port, a port that no longer exists on any machine today <img class="smiley" src="/images/audiofanzine/interface/smileys/icon_cry.gif" alt="" />
In short, the lambda, yes, a very good choice for amateur homestudiste seeking to early models of quality, but without pretension either.
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I use it for 3 weeks. I love his connections, I love everything about this card is perfect for my home studio use. Pb remains of this bug, on XP and Vista. My defective card, new drivers perhaps? I probably would lean to the former, did not find many people complaining on the web of the lambda.
Far, so good for recording simple things, but when the mix is ​​in charge or the plug in the cpu puff, something is wrong. I wish I, too, another review on this product ...