Comments on: MOTU Shipping FireWire UltraLite: Tons of Audio I/O, Tiny Package

By: Create Digital Music » Akai MPC5000: Beyond Reviews, Dave Dri Reflects on MPCs Past and Present

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:03:46 +0000

[...] one is able to purchase a rig such as an Asus laptop, Motu Ultralite audio interface (site | on CDM), Ableton 7 and an MPD drum pad MIDI controller interface. Then again, you couldn’t simply turn [...]

By: Miah8000

Miah8000 — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 02:03:06 +0000

I just got one of these a couple of weeks ago and it is great. I had a m-audio 24/96 audiophile card in my dual G4 and had constant problems with it (permissions problems, un-installing/re-installing drivers etc…). This installed fine and the sound quality and midi are great. I am using it to tie in my hardware, eliminate the hardware sequencer problems, and hopefully, when I get a few extra bucks, I will be able to get a MacBook Pro so I can really start using DP 5.1, which I bought with it. The g4 doesn’t like a lot of soft synths :-(

By: ColdPack

ColdPack — Wed, 24 May 2006 14:40:40 +0000

I’d just record with the previously recorded drum track, then nudge the whole take to line up with the drum track.

That’s what I’d do.

By: jujubee

jujubee — Fri, 12 May 2006 15:33:22 +0000

….also looking into the motu ultralite for firewire recording to Sonar. You mentioned the need to monitor the signal “directly” when recording to avoid latency issues. If I’m overdubbing to drum tracks I’ve already recorded to Sonar on the PC, how do I monitor those tracks directly to avoid latency??

Many Thanks

By: jonyo

jonyo — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 06:19:22 +0000

I haven’t used any of the more recent stuff from PResonus on my Mac, but I did buy one of their first forays into the audio interface world, the firestation I think it was called. I suspect it had a lot to do with their relience at that time on mLAN rather than normal firewire chipsets, but this was a total nightmare to try to get working reliably on my OSX Mac. Even when it did work, the cPU overhead was TERRIBLE. I eventually gave up and got a MOTU 828mkII, which has been abdolute perfection ever since. This may have no bearing on Presonus’ newer products, assuming they’ve abandoned the whole mLAN thing, but I thought I throw my experience out there as a warning to any would-be Presonus buyers to TRY that sucker out thoroughly before dropping the cash…

- JonYo

By: admin

admin — Wed, 15 Mar 2006 15:25:49 +0000

PCs are able to bus power the UltraLite, and any other FireWire interface, provided they have the right interface. But for some reason, a lot of PC laptops have 4-pin instead of the 6-pin FireWire connections standard on Mac. They require a different cable (or an adapter), and they don’t carry power.

PC desktops I’ve seen by and large do have the 6-pin jack.

It’s not a deal killer — the UltraLite has DC in — but I vastly prefer running off a FireWire cable to having to carry another dongle. (And unlike USB, bus power on FireWire is pretty reliable.)

Peter

By: virgil990

virgil990 — Wed, 15 Mar 2006 09:59:48 +0000

“Now, if only my PC could hack bus power over FireWire like my Macs.”

From this final little statement am I to understand it that PC’s are not able to bus power the Ultralite?

By: tremolux

tremolux — Tue, 14 Mar 2006 04:52:36 +0000

The MOTU seems like a good deal given their typical price range.

I have an Echo AudioFire8 which roughly similar but larger and AC-powered (also rack-mountable). It goes for about $500 street but as an early adopter I paid $600 (and got a $100 pair of Sennheiser headphones thrown in).

The 2 preamps on the AudioFire were an issue once I realized that my 4 sources were not line-level (stereo synth, guitar and bass amp direct-outs).

I solved my immediate problem with an SMPro Audio PR-8 Mk II 8-channel preamp ($200 @ MF). It’s a 2U unit but the inputs and controls are well-designed and placed. The pre-amps are subjectively better than on the AudioFire, and at the price it was a bargain. (I have not run into quality issues with the PR-8 that others have mentioned so have not had to fix it myself or mail it to Australia.)

I, too, had considered the Presonus Firebox but saw user reviews complaining about noise, cheesy knobs, and the density of the front panel controls, so I gave it a pass.

By: admin

admin — Tue, 14 Mar 2006 03:01:41 +0000

The units you mentioned are USB, but the ones I listed are FireWire. You’ll find that bandwidth is more of an issue than latency; that’s why the interfaces with more audio inputs and outputs are FireWire instead of USB. Latency at this point is more a function of drivers and the operating system. Latency is generally good enough, but be forewarned that for recording you’ll want to monitor direct signal, not through the computer — otherwise you’ll have latency issues on FireWire and USB alike.

That said, personal experience with these would be most helpful. Anyone want to chime in? I’ve had pretty good luck with the Edirol stuff.

By: tristan

tristan — Tue, 14 Mar 2006 02:12:47 +0000

I don’t plan on spending any more than 300.00. Preferably less though, because then I can get a better mic than what I have.

What I’m planning on doing with it is sort of a tough question because that sort of thing can change. However, currently I’m using my Zoom PS-04 mainly as a preamp (and also occasionally for quick effects) to go to the Line In. I’m mainly recording electric and acoustic guitar to be mixed with electronic elements in Live.

At this point all I really need is probably 2 in with decent mic pre’s, but I might like to get an interface with more ins/outs incase I want to bring in more people or add some sort of outboard effect. MIDI would be nice for the future, but not necessary since something like the m-audio Uno can be bought.

The interfaces you suggested, Peter, look good, but the thing I’m weary about is that they’re USB. Latency?

Also, does anyone know how good the mic pre’s are on the Edirol UA-25, M-Audio Fast Track Pro, Mackie Spike, or Line 6 TonePort?

Thanks for the help guys!
-Tristan