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James... « Ultimate portability »
Published on 08/21/11 at 19:28M-audio is one of my favorite companies and they really pack a lot of stuff into this box. 2 Mic inputs. Pro tools compatible. Monitoring support. Tons of TRS outputs and digital outs. It's even got midi if you want. I had one of the regular fast tracks before I got this one and it's amazing how much more they have packed into virtually the same sized box.
I don't use pro tools very often, although it's nice that this is PT compatible. I basically use this as a mobile interface with my laptop. It fits very easily into a laptop bag or backpack or whatever I'm hauling.
UTILIZATION
Drivers are stable like almost all the m-audio stuff. Latency is good. But the fact is you will only get as much performance as your cpu hardware will allow. Don't blame the device for your bad latency. Cubase generally has good support for maudio products and this one is no exception. I have used a few of their interfaces and all of them have more or less worked great. This interface has two inputs and I haven't had any trouble with mixing them properly. Drivers are especially smooth with the pro for some reason. That's a welcome feature I suppose.
GETTING STARTED
I don't even know if there is a manual because I never read it. Everything is laid out for you and even a beginner can probably figure it out on his own. Sometimes when a unit has this many features packed in, things can get confusing but the pro is laid out pretty clearly. Functions are all easy to access and the best part is there are a lot of functions. To be honest I don't use the midi and I rarely use all the outputs so I can't attest to how it handles a high traffic audio situation.
OVERALL OPINION
I like the fact that it packs everything I need into a tiny box I can carry on the go. I do a weekly podcast at a friend's house, and the best thing about this is I can stick it in a laptop bag and take two mics with me for the whole show. Easy and done. I looked at the other models and this was the smallest interface that had all these features. The only competition is some of the Motu stuff but I believe they are slightly larger? Sound quality is great. I have said for years that digital preamps are every bit as good as the tube gear. I would know because I've used it all. The Pro is in line with my thinking there. I really recommend it.
I don't use pro tools very often, although it's nice that this is PT compatible. I basically use this as a mobile interface with my laptop. It fits very easily into a laptop bag or backpack or whatever I'm hauling.
UTILIZATION
Drivers are stable like almost all the m-audio stuff. Latency is good. But the fact is you will only get as much performance as your cpu hardware will allow. Don't blame the device for your bad latency. Cubase generally has good support for maudio products and this one is no exception. I have used a few of their interfaces and all of them have more or less worked great. This interface has two inputs and I haven't had any trouble with mixing them properly. Drivers are especially smooth with the pro for some reason. That's a welcome feature I suppose.
GETTING STARTED
I don't even know if there is a manual because I never read it. Everything is laid out for you and even a beginner can probably figure it out on his own. Sometimes when a unit has this many features packed in, things can get confusing but the pro is laid out pretty clearly. Functions are all easy to access and the best part is there are a lot of functions. To be honest I don't use the midi and I rarely use all the outputs so I can't attest to how it handles a high traffic audio situation.
OVERALL OPINION
I like the fact that it packs everything I need into a tiny box I can carry on the go. I do a weekly podcast at a friend's house, and the best thing about this is I can stick it in a laptop bag and take two mics with me for the whole show. Easy and done. I looked at the other models and this was the smallest interface that had all these features. The only competition is some of the Motu stuff but I believe they are slightly larger? Sound quality is great. I have said for years that digital preamps are every bit as good as the tube gear. I would know because I've used it all. The Pro is in line with my thinking there. I really recommend it.