8+ Channel Interface on the cheap? And blabbing about my recent additions
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Posted on Sep 28, 2010 10:46 am
Fragile
Member Since: Sep 30, 2009
Hey :) I've been thinking about upgrading to at least an 8 channel interface. I wish i had just gotten a UX8 last year instead of my UX2. I've been thinking about just getting a UX8 off of ebay, then selling my UX2 to recoup the cost. Had i acted sooner, i could have gotten one for 200 bucks like a week or two ago! ah well.
But anyway, does anyone else know of some good 8 or more channel interfaces out now (or on their way to being released). I'm thinking, 500 bucks new. I'll probably go used. PCI or USB.
Also, i ordered one of those JTV Variax guitars! I'm pretty excited for it to come. But, its on major backorder from every site. At least another month, maybe not even until december. :( ah well.
I also got Komplete 6 on ebay for $250! Seems like NI releases a new one every year, so i may upgrade to 8 next year. Almost bought the Komplete 7 upgrade right away. Patience is a virtue :P
Speaking of K6, Guitar Rig 4 was included in there. I'm very impressed! I haven't gotten the chance to play the guitar models. But the bass one is very nice. Definately seems a little more...streamlined than Pod Farms stuff. Only 18 amp models, including the bass one. But from demo's i've heard, and the bass one, I really like it. The mid-gain stuff in particular seems to sound a lot better than anything i could ever get from pod farm. Eh, we'll see ;)
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olddogMember
Since: Jul 02, 2003
Sep 29, 2010 01:53 am Roland/Edirol is coming out with a new one that sounds/looks pretty good that that I think is in that price range. Musician's Friend has the UX for $299 if they aren't sold out yet and I'd imagine Line6 has a replacement for the UX8 coming out soon since they are blowing out the UX8.
The M-Audio Fastrac Pro/Ultra is within your budget that ones pretty nice.
As far as GR4, I think right now it's about the best sounding of the bunch. I have PF 1.0/2.0, GR4, and Amplitube 3 and the one I'm using the most is definitley GR4.
Dan
Dematrixhttp://www.reverbnation.com/2ndgMember
Since: Nov 27, 2007
Sep 29, 2010 02:55 am i still use my Tascam US1641.
Not to highjack the thread but do all interfaces sound the same pretty much?
Sep 29, 2010 04:06 pm I wasn't impressed with the drivers on my fasttrack pro i had for about a month. idk, the drivers just seemed slower than the UX2's. I think line 6 may have something planned for a new UX series as well, probably with new amps bundled in or something and maybe a slight change to the hardware units. Who am i to speculate however.
GR4 sounds pretty great so far! i'm not gonna say its quite yet perfect, but as the years go by, these modeling programs are only getting better sounding and more intuitive to use. Interesting to think about where this technology may be in 20, 30 years from now ;]
@Dematrix, i'm of course not one to answer this thoroughly, but IMO, preamps aside, if their specs are the same resolution wise, i don't see how they really could SOUND any different. But as i said a minute ago, the drivers on my old fasttrack pro certainly did make a difference. Issues like latency still play a part, and if the company really isnt reliable, i'd imagine some people may have technical problems with their DAW or OS occassionally. I'm just guessing though, and blowing smoke :P thanks for the recomendations guys!
Sep 29, 2010 04:08 pm Hey Deon, one more thing. just googled the tascam unit. How does it work for you? Its really freaking cheap! exactly what i wanted. Any issues thus far?
Quincysanhttp://www.unitedmusicians.infoContributor
Since: Nov 11, 2007
Sep 29, 2010 06:16 pm I REALLY like the sounds of GR4, I wish I had that instead of Amplitube :-( It is interesting to think about where this technology will be in 20 or 30 years. To think that DAW's are only about 20 years old is crazy too. How long have guitar amp simulation softwares been out? It's pretty baffling to me when some people claim that there will NEVER be a software plugin that perfectly emulates a real amp. I'm not saying there will be because I don't understand the current technologies and I don't predict the future...but to say there NEVER will be is presumptuous at best.
olddogMember
Since: Jul 02, 2003
Sep 29, 2010 09:12 pm I think Amp sim's have already matched real amps and surpass them in many ways. As far as do they sound exactly like an AC30 or Marshall , Fender Twin Deluxe, etc., maybe, maybe not that will always be up for debate, but can they sound like a kick a** amp in their own right, IMO absolutely and with more variations and tones than any single amp can muster and for a fraction of the cost.
I've had several nice amps along the way, and played thru quite a few others and just like I'd never go back to the limitations of recording to tape, I'd never go back to an amp. I'd about guarantee that if the right person is setting up both a real amp and one of the amp sims, in a blind test no one is going to know whether it's "live or memorex" ;)
**The above is just my opinion and probably isn't worth the pixels used to display it. :D
Dan
Dan
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Sep 29, 2010 09:45 pm Having been a Line 6 user from their first POD I have to admit they as well as others have come a huge distance in modeling since day one. Old Dog has it spot on with the fact sims are no longer hit or miss. Many are getting better day by day.
There is a unit out there called Axe FX by Fractal Audio.
www.fractalaudio.com/
This thing is amazing. I've helped a buddy with h is in the early days and now he is using their top of the line unit. When this is pushed through the FOG you would never ever know it wasn't a real amp. He keeps a cabinet onstage running just a small power amp to do the little bit of feedback he needs. I love my Line 6 gear but Fractal; has taken the ball and scored huge with it. But yes, modeling is h ere to stay and then some.
Sep 30, 2010 08:46 pm Same here, i don't understand the mechanics of whats going on "under the hood" at all. I've googled it, seen short clips of line 6 working with it. But i don't understand it. That said, I completely agree with Quincy.
Axe FX sounds incredible! and they've got testimony from most of the "legends" of our generation. Impressive, surprises me i haven't even heard the name before.
I think today Line 6 "Officially" released the HD pod series. It hits stores in about a week. I'd like to A/B these with the other pods :) they sound nice in sound demo's! and it seems that they're taking a more simple approach this time. 18 amps to choose from. That did start really annoying me about podfarm. There were too many amps to choose from, and with the right amount of tweaking, you can get a real nice sound (especially for modern/clean tones). But, i like this approach. They don't have any announcements of a new Plug In with these models, but i'd imagine they will in time.
But all this aside, I may be selling my line 6 gear soon. I jumped the gun on an ebay auction, got that Tascam unit Deon mentioned. I actually wasn't planning on buying it even! There was about 5 minutes left on the auction when i stumbled across it, read it over real quick. Raised my bet only $1.50 over what the other guys was and... drained $200 from my account. :P ah well. It seems like a pretty reliable looking unit. Plenty of inputs, which was my main reason for upgrading. We'll see how i like it ;)
Dematrixhttp://www.reverbnation.com/2ndgMember
Since: Nov 27, 2007
Sep 30, 2010 09:07 pm Hi all,
Hi Noize! Hope all is good with you mate.
Fragile,
They've been out for a while, im not sure if they are cheap **** or not though, but mine has never failed me, i do have problems with my DAW kinda hiccuping once, then coming back online with a 2 second delay on everything i do from then on.
but im not sure thats the TAscam. In fact i havent got a fr-ucking clue what's doing it. seriously i dont.
i run a pre straight thru the Tascam using the digital in bypaasing the tassies pre's
so you think its the drivers that would make an Interface sound betterer/different?
Sep 30, 2010 09:44 pm I don't think anything would really make the digital conversion sound better, besides a higher bit resolution and such. But then again, i know very very little about this stuff. It just seems to me that the analog to digital conversion is meant to be transparent and not have a "sound." All i meant by the drivers making a difference was performance wise. How "stable" it is and how often you think about taking a hammer to the stupid thing >:)
But again, i could be totally wrong.
Hows that mic pre workin for ya? Huge difference over the tascams pres?
Dematrixhttp://www.reverbnation.com/2ndgMember
Since: Nov 27, 2007
Sep 30, 2010 11:18 pm oh haha man, hell yeah. big difference. Im pretty happy with that little sucker.
Quincysanhttp://www.unitedmusicians.infoContributor
Since: Nov 11, 2007
Oct 01, 2010 04:38 pm Looks like the new user "cool guy, kinda" might be parting with his 003 rack...just FYI. That unit is great because you can get it modded at black lion audio to make it sound super fine.
Oct 01, 2010 10:43 pm I second the AXE-FX the thing is freaking endless and the band Periphery recorded their album with all direct AXE-FX tones and i personally think it sounds amazing.
www.myspace.com/periphery
