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PreSonus Firebox
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Sunrunner
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
17
Posts :
47
Posted : Jun 28, 2006 07:07
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can't find much in the search for this, just one person's comments on it.
just wondering if anyone here has had any experience with the PreSonus Firebox? it looks like a great piece of equipment and all the reviews i can find of it in the net are very positive - sounds like it has great D/A converters and preamps.
not sure if i wanna spend this much on one at the moment ($580 new on ebay) or if i want to go with something easier, but in the long run having headphone monitoring (of any output - including a different channel to the main output, so i can have a cue channel), a mic preamp / input or two and some additional ins / outs.
so, any recommendations on this? if not, something that does similar that is also good?
also, am i better off with just a basic sound card and then a mixer to do preamps / outs / etc?
thanks!
dwight. |
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ess765
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
25
Posts :
169
Posted : Jun 28, 2006 09:08
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Hi Sunrunner,
hear are my tips:
1)Presonus firebox sells around U$300. maybe you have confused it with the presonus firepod that sells around U$599
2) those external soundcards selling between 300 and 500 dollars are basicly the same quality with some small advantages when compared. Usually one has more imputs than others and the pre amps are a little better than others.
3) If you won t record a whole band together or a rock drums session you won t need nothing more than 2 input channels. So you can try m-audio firewire 410( I own one and love it), digidesign s mbox2 or presonus firebox. I ve tried most of them and believe me; their pre amps quality is very similar although people use to say it s not. Pre amps that really make a difference are analog valve(tubes) ones and requires lots of money.
4) What matters here are the soundcards drivers capability of low latency operation and the a/d conversion. It ll make your system trustable and will translate vocals or guitars or pianos nicely t your sequencer.
I d definitly use a soundcard like m-audio 410 (you can use vsts and also can use the protools m-powered) and save money, cause as I said real good pre amps costs a fortune...a simple detail I enjoy on my firewire 410 is that it has 2 independent headphones outputs...
The first thing you ll need to have in mind is: what exactly I ll record? So you ll will suit your needs to your budget.. |
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dtd
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
17
Posts :
490
Posted : Jun 28, 2006 09:22
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Sunrunner
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
17
Posts :
47
Posted : Jun 28, 2006 09:36
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thanks for the responses 
Quote:
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On 2006-06-28 09:08, ess765 wrote:
Hi Sunrunner,
hear are my tips:
1)Presonus firebox sells around U$300. maybe you have confused it with the presonus firepod that sells around U$599 |
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thats $580 australian, which is approximately $415 or so US. might be cheaper for me to import it but i doubt it.
i would like a mic input for recording / live playing of an instrument (oboe probably, or a drum in addition).
i've heard lots of bad things about m-audio 410, and lots of good things too. it seems to be a bit shaky even though some people are finding it great.
already read a lot of the musicians friend reviews, thanks dtd |
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Get-a-fix
Getafix
Started Topics :
147
Posts :
1441
Posted : Jun 29, 2006 23:55
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I used to own a M-audio Firewire audiophile which gave me a lot of headaches..I sold it & got the presonus firebox & have been happy ever since..
Its never given me ANY problems..On top of that the headphone amp is insanely loud..I never realised how good my headphones really were until i plugged them into the firebox!!
I would highly recommend it! The mic preamps are also very good..
 http://www.soundcloud.com/getafixmusic |
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ess765
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
25
Posts :
169
Posted : Jun 30, 2006 04:14
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Sunrunner,
I have a m-audio for 1 year and a half. It s just amazing..never had a problem and it does everything you neeed vey easily. Lot s of people use it and have no complaints. It s a world top seller. The asio driver is very good too, and I ve never had any latency problems. Presonus is very good too, any one of them will do the job. I would only avoid buying a pci soundcard like the one S-cube said...people who complain about the 410 can only be joking..there s nothins similar around U$300. I ve read about some people complaining about so silly stuff..believe me it s a fgreat gear. |
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Sunrunner
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
17
Posts :
47
Posted : Jun 30, 2006 04:56
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Thanks for the comments. This is for a laptop so I can't buy a PCI solution anyway 
I've also been recommended the Motu Ultralite which looks pretty good. |
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ess765
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
25
Posts :
169
Posted : Jul 1, 2006 05:40
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Motu works better for mac... |
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koalakube
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
48
Posts :
437
Posted : Jul 2, 2006 06:58
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Quote:
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On 2006-07-01 05:40, ess765 wrote:
Motu works better for mac...
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Why is that? |
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ess765
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
25
Posts :
169
Posted : Jul 2, 2006 09:04
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when I was looking for my audiocard lots of people from forum and stores told me that the motu drivers were more stable under mac enviroment.... |
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koalakube
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
48
Posts :
437
Posted : Jul 2, 2006 11:53
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It would be more usefull if people would post their own direct experiences instead of what they heard from others.That would make the infos much more valuable.
I owned 3 MOTU cards and never had any problems in both mac/Win enviroments.
At the contrary I had many many problems with the 1st release of drivers for the M-aduio 410.
I heared they sorted the problems now tho,which is good coz the price/features were/are very competitive. |
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