Like many of you, I love to record music. Yet in the last few months I haven’t been able to do so because I’ve run into all sorts of hardware and software issues with my setup (some of you, which have been of much assistance, will know what I’m talking about). It has been agonizing. I tried various different set-ups with the following interfaces/mixers/soundcards:
My laptop’s AMC soundcard + Analog Mixer
Soundblaster Live + Analog Mixer
Two types of Soundblaster Audigys + Analog mixer
Alesis Multimix 12 firewire
Alesis Multimix 8 USB
Tascam US-122
Phonic Helix Board 12 mixer
Nothing worked. I will refrain from going into excruciating detail. Suffice it to say that I experienced various problems such as lag, noise (some because of grounding issues, some for unrelated reasons), lack of functionality, audio cut-outs, non-compatibility with AA1.5, bleed (from one channel to another), etc. Again, pure agony to someone like me.
Today I purchased the Presonus Firebox.
http://www.presonus.com/firebox.html
As you can imagine, months of troubleshooting the above-mentioned products has made me quite good at setting up various tests to figure out whether I am going to have a problem with a particular interface or not. I’ve been at it all day and I can happily announced that the firebox hasn’t posed any problems for me and is unlikely to do so in the future, barring unforeseen circumstances. No lag. No noise. It eliminated my grounding problem (somehow). It has incredible functionality (one of the reasons for this is the fantastic software mixer that allows for very versatile monitoring, which was a big problem with the Alesis mixers). And, it is perfectly compatible with AA1.5 on my system.
Sure, it was a bit more expansive that the other products that I mentioned, but not much more, yet it offers a lot more (for example 6 in 10 out, though it’s more accurate to say 4 in 6 out, but either way it beats having only stereo out).
It may seem like the obvious choice now, but everything is when perceived retrospectively.
I am still in a strange state of shock; afraid to be happy. The only real test will be to record and mix a complex song from start to finish. I will let you know how that goes.
I am not suggesting that you go out and purchase the Firebox without questioning your needs and doing your research, no. I am also not saying that the above products are inherently flawed. They may work for YOU. The reason for this is that each person’s set-up and needs may be different, this is obvious. I am just sharing my experience.
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