Nov 22, 2008 03:42 pm I don't personally use it but some of us can probably answer any question's you might have about it.
Echo audiofire!
Posted on Nov 21, 2008 01:38 pm
Kain
Member Since: Sep 03, 2008
Anyone use an Echo audiofire 8?
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Nov 22, 2008 03:42 pm I don't personally use it but some of us can probably answer any question's you might have about it.
Nov 23, 2008 02:51 pm I don't have the 8, but I've got it's little brother the Audiofire 4 myself. And yeah, what Noize2u said.
Nov 24, 2008 12:00 pm Used to have the Echo Layla, loved that piece of gear. I may be able to answer some q's also.
Nov 24, 2008 12:04 pm I had an Echo Audio Gina back in the day, great card, just very finicky with what it would play with and what it wouldn't...just simply didn't like some other hardware...
Nov 24, 2008 08:16 pm Thanks,
Just the basics really, how stable the drivers are and the quality of the pre's. Im having a lot of problems with my m-audio interface and was looking for alternatives and i came across this one on a few websites,it came recomended by EQ magazine i think. Does it also come with a hi-z input? Thanks again.
Nov 24, 2008 08:40 pm Yes, the front 2 channels are. Just a snippet from there page on it. And the link below that with all the info.
Hardware Features
* FireWire (IEEE 1394a) interface with 15' cable
* 2 auto-sensing universal inputs (mic/guitar/line):
o Meters, trim knobs, phantom power, & channel inserts
www.echoaudio.com/product...Fire8/index.php
Nov 25, 2008 11:55 am SoundOnSound also has reviews for the audiofire 4 and 12. Too bad they don't have one for the 8.
Going to extrapolate here;
Assuming the audiofire 8 has better pre's, they're probably still not as good as the higher end standalone preamps. But they probably hold their own, and according to SOS, with the audiofire 4 pre's, acoustics and vocals turned out "very good"
here's the quote for the audiofire4:
" While the mic preamps are probably not going to challenge those in a high-end interface in terms of quality, recording both acoustic guitar and vocals produced very good results. Providing the usual care and attention is paid to the rest of the signal chain, I'd have no qualms about using these preamps for everyday recording projects. The lack of a front-panel master volume control aside, the only other criticism I'd make is that I wouldn't have minded just a touch more gain on the headphone output; otherwise the sonic performance of the Audiofire 4 is very good indeed. "
I can, however, vouch for the drivers and software, and they're pretty much rock solid. Echo's had a pretty good reputation for their drivers/firmware, particularly the ASIO drivers. I've had this little guy for the better part of a year, and haven't had so much as a hiccup, even after moving to a new apartment. And I run the comp pretty much 24/7.
All in all, the audiofire series are a pretty solid line of interfaces IMO.
Nov 25, 2008 01:26 pm Thanks a lot,it seems like a pretty good investment right now,i just want something solid and reliable.Thanks for the help guys, & thanks J-bot for the SOS quote,much appreciated.
Nov 25, 2008 05:39 pm If you're looking for a decent audio interface, I just picked up the Edirol 25UAex, it's pretty nice. It's my first external one, so I can't totally compare it to others. I was looking at the UX-2 box.. but it does not say Vista compatible, and the guy at the store said he's had a few returns because of that. I was really interested in the Mackie unit.. apparently the Onyx pres are very clean... but it seems most places are no longer carrying the unit.. and it is kinda big. Onyx Satellite I think it is.
Anyway, this unit, whch I just bought yesterday for $229, and the B-1 mic I bought as well for $99 sound really clear. To give you a rough idea.. I am recording in my garage, and my daughters voice came over very clear and clean. I've recorded into SoundForge 9, Ableton Live, and melodyne, and it sounds good in all of them.
It's a nice tiny thing too.. stays out of the way. I like that I can record any audio coming out of the computer with it as well.. and it has spdif, midi and all the usual stuff most of these seem to have. Works just fine with Vista. Can only use it with one program at a time tho.. if I use it with Live, SoundForge wont even find it.
Nov 25, 2008 05:40 pm Incidentally I had the Gina card before it had the midi option.. I don't know for the life of me what I did with it.. it was a great card.. but like someone else said.. it was finicky. I like the multi-driver thing it had.. where you could have up to 8 inputs from just the two.. and outputs, so more than one app could use it at the same time and the driver did the mixing I guess. Hope I still find it.. great little card.
Nov 25, 2008 10:34 pm All the Line 6 gear is completely Vista compatible. So that choice is not a problem at all.
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