Apogee Duet - Audio input adapter - IEEE 1394 (FireWire) Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought the Duet to use with my Aluminum iMac and Logic Studio 8 and have had zero problems with the unit. The interface is very streamlined so you have to get used to using a single, multi-function knob for everything. The quality of conversion between analog and digital is head and shoulders above anything else near this price level. It sounds as good as units costing 3 times as much due to the designers' emphasis on quality sound. To get the high quality conversion at this price you are limited to the line outputs and headphone output levels being permanently linked. Some people find this a drawback, so be aware before you buy if this feature is something that is a deal breaker for you.
The small form factor is nice because as anyone with a home studio can attest to, space is not a luxury we have. I didn't pick this for its portability but as it is the size of a paperback book I can imagine it being very easy to tote around with a macbook/pro.
The included Maestro management software is straightforward and lets you set the unit up in seconds with a very easy to understand user interface. Configuring my iMac to use this as the audio input and output took less than a minute from reading the instructions. Making Logic label its mixer to match is equally simple. One thing I found convenient is how OSX lets you still use the iMac's built in speakers for the system alerts so that an error message gong sound isn't sent out through your 100watt studio monitors. You can set the output level of the system alerts separate from the duet's outputs.
The breakout cable is securely attached and the plugs are labeled with big, clear markings so changing hook-ups is easy. It has phantom power if your mics require it, which is set using Maestro.
Most audio interfaces in this price range try to win you over with more I/O channels or other add-ons instead of making the best sound conversion. They trade quality for quantity with predictable results. Apogee decided on doing a simple 2 channel interface, a single physical control and top shelf A/D/A converters so the result is the best 2 channels you can get. When you want more channels without sacrificing quality then you can step up to their Ensemble line.

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Mackie Onyx 820i FireWire Recording Mixer Review

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(More customer reviews)After an existing audio interface went bad, I ordered the Mackie Onyx 820i as a replacement (not from Amazon), setting out to love the thing. I did at first, but after noticing some limitations, I am exchanging it for a different setup. My biggest gripe is the low output to the DAW. At detent, the highest level captured in a waveform was -22dB. At full gain (firewire send is pre-fader, so gain is only option for adjusting level unless you route everything - and I do mean everything - through a preamp) I was capturing -16dB, regardless of instrument (this introduced a lot of noise when recording guitar). A follow up call to the vendor from which I purchased it revealed that other customers had noted the same characteristic. Some would argue that this is just fine when recording in 24-bit, but I'd prefer to make that adjustment on my own rather than having hardware make the decision for me. Gripe #2 - no control panel. The only setting you can adjust outside of the DAW software is buffer size.
Maybe this thing needs someone smarter than me at the wheel, but all the same, I'm going with a different interface.

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PreSonus FireStudio Mobile Review

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(More customer reviews)I have had this one for 3 weeks now, and have been using it for recording since. I'm using it to replace the Mackie Onyx Satellite I have (which doesn't work with Win Vista) in my home studio.
The first thing I "must" notice was the 4 rubber feet at the bottom of the unit keep coming loose. Presonus didn't do a very good job gluing these to the unit. I got tired of sticking them back on and just leave them off, but that's harmless. Maybe my unit is a pre-release unit or something, cuz I got it 1 week before the supposedly release date of 10/22.
The second issue is the noise I got when plugging my condenser directly into the Mic/Inst 1 (and use the 48V provided by the unit). Quite a bit of noise at 1/2 of the knob. I ended up turning the gain on Mic/Inst1 down to minimum, and have my condenser go to a Studio Projects VTB1 pre-amp instead. WIth this setting, I could crank up the VTB1's Input Gain to 40/60, and Output Level to max (12), while leaving the Mobile's Input Gain at just 1 click above the minimum. I now have no noise on the line. So the preamp on the Mobile is very noisy. I'm using an AKG C414B condenser as my primary mic.
There is no issue with the software driver. Presonus is always good at staying on top with their drivers. Installation is easy. The Firewire connection is very reliable.
The bundled StudioOne software seems very easy to use. But I'm not using it as I already have Cubase 4.5. It's probably just a good starting out software, just like Cubase LE.
I would recommend upgrading your PC should you have anything slower than 2.4GHz. When the CPU is too slow, you're gonna get pops and clicks in your recording, and that usually is not the Audio Interface box's fault. In my case, I have an over-clock i7 Quad Core CPU.
Based on my past experience with Presonus interface (I had a Firepod in the past), Presonus stuff are reliable, their preamp is probably a little noisy, though.

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