Fast Track Ultra "Octane"
Does anyone haveexperience using M Audio's "Octane technology" on the Fast Track Ultra pre-amp? On Windows 7 and/or XP? For dynamic and/or condenser microphones? How does it compare to other pre-amps in a similar grade and price-range ($250 - $450) of pre-amps?
Thanks!
Phyllis K. Day
Last edited by Phyllis K. Day; 07-10-2011 at 07:29 PM. Reason: odd paragraph breaks
Personally, and I'm speaking from music recording experience, there are much better preamps out there. Again, this is my opinion, but I'm not a huge fan of any M-Audio stuff unless you need it for DAW reasons.
Do you need 8x8? If you are just doing VO I'd spend the money on a higher quality interface with better preamps and better AD/DA conversion. You don't need more than one preamp if you are only recording one voice. Depends a lot on what your needs are.
Fast Track Ultra becomes High Quality One Voice Pre-Amps
Hi InThis;
Would you mind mentioning a few of those higher quality interfaces, please? Sounds like what I am looking for, thanks.
Phyllis
Originally Posted by InThisHope
I'm sure everyone has a take in this one. I've heard mention of the Echo Audiofire 2 (however you still need a preamp with that interface I think, I haven't used it). I really like the clarity and transparency of Apogee gear. The new Duet 2 has the same pres and converters that you find on the Ensemble. It's a bit more than $450 but not much. I personally just picked up an Apogee One. It does not have the same components but they are still stellar. The One is much cheaper but only does 44.1 and 48k. But you probably don't need more than that.
They are USB 2.0 (which is plenty fast to handle one or two inputs) and both supply phantom power for a condensor.
The other route is to get a good preamp (not an interface) and get the Audiofire interface. This would give you the ability to customize the preamp to match your mic and your voice, and the ability to upgrade in the future without having to get a whole new interface.
I don't have a recommendation for a mic pre that will keep you in your budget. Jacoby seems to be pretty knowledgeable about the gear side, maybe he will chime in with another opinion.
Also, take my words with a grain of salt, as I am a VO newbie (even though I have been recording music for years). My recommendation may be different than others in the pro VO spectrum.
Hey Phyllis!!
The Fast Track Ultra is a preamp/interface combo, that contains a preamp and a digital interface all in one unit.
There are better units out there, but the M Audio stuff has been improving. Fast Track Ultra's preamp has an output gain of 60dB's, this would be fine for most condenser mics, but it my not be enough juice for a dynamic. Most dynamic mics need a bout 65 dB's of clean "hiss free" gain to to dive them.
Then we also need to look at the fact that most of these prosumer units do not always meet the their Spec performance levels, at least not in the real world. And because of that, by the time the audio come from Digital Audio Converter, the signal can be lower as much as 2-bits, or -12dB's of volume lose (In simple terms).
So what I'm trying to say is that these cheaper units, aren't always what they make themselves out to be, which is why we are often cranking up the volume on these prosumer units.
What might be a better preamp/interface combo are the Focusrite Scarlett 18i6 ($300) or the Scarlett 8i6 ($250). Both of the units have a high level of performance, and most everyone seems to like them.
Now the only thing I can't say about them is how well the preamp sections will work with a dynamic mic. But then again I can't think of any such combo interface units that deliverer 65 dB's of clean hiss free gain. That would be reserved for an out board preamp like the Golden Age Pre 73 ($350) or the Grace 101 ($565) - both have gain outputs of 75 dB's.
If you have FireWire on your computer I can recommend the Echo Audiofire 2 interface ($200) which has no preamps, and is a very fine interface. Then just add one of the two preamps above, and you're golden-- IF you need to power a Dynamic mic. Otherwise, if you just need to power a condenser mic, the Scarlett 8i6 is more than enough, at a darn good price.
Last edited by Mike Sommer; 07-11-2011 at 09:06 PM.
Phillis, I missed an important piece of your equation. The windows part. The apogee interfaces (one and duet) and made exclusively for Mac. You would be very well served to go with a focusrite interface. Their pres are probably just as good as the Apogee pres and you get more connectivity than the apogee units.
You will get great sound for an all in one unit with either of the Scarlet units. Just depends on how much connectivity you need.
Hi Mike;
Indeed, I am using a dynamic mic, an RE-20. A lot of people will wince at that but for the kind of recording I do, and the sound of my voice, it produces the best result. My other mic is an SM 7A, which from what I've been told, would be "worse."
Almost all of my work ends up on an LMS - which takes anything too crisp and makes it sound thin and artifact-y. So the warmth and fuzziness of the RE-20 works in those situations. Have had no complaints, ever.
For the past 5 or so years I've been using firewire with no hiss and a very clean sound on XP. But that is my old laptop - which still works but is starting to show its age (slow, error messages, freezing, etc.). If it went down in the middle of a large project, it wouldn't be good (and I have two large ones coming up). I now also have a new laptop that I'd like to use for recording when the old system dies. This new computer does not have firewire but does have USB 2. However, with a few of the smaller pre-amps I have tried, there is hiss (and they went back to the store).
I'm just looking for a pre-amp that won't have the hiss and I appreciate your mention of the need to drive a dynamic. It sounds like the Golden Age Pre 73 might be one to consider. A quick Google search turned up a place in SC that carries it.
But I have a question - pardon my ignorance - what is the difference between what I am using now (MBox2 Pro firewire pre-amp) and an "outboard pre-amp" like the Golden Age Pre 73? I do not use a mixer; just from the mic, to the pre-amp to the computer for dry voice only using Audacity and yes, I have to boost the original recording volume with my dynamic mic. (Have Pro-Tools but yikes it's a drama queen so I don't even have it on the computer anymore.)
Phyllis K. Day
Really what it comes down to is the quality of the gear. The Mbox is an all-inclusive unit (and therefore not the best at anything, though it's still good). The outboard pre is JUST a preamp (plus the aforementioned preamps will give you the necessary signal strength to push the dynamic mic). It is only made for one thing and it will do that well. Not that size is everything, but think about the size of the outboard preamp vs. the size of the Mbox, most often the outboard units will be larger than the Mbox (which contains a preamp plus all of the interface electronics). When you separate gear, you will often get better sound (as long as they are connected with quality cables) than an all-inclusive unit. It also gives you the ability to upgrade a portion of the signal chain if you decide to get something better down the road. With the Mbox (or any interface/pre) you have to upgrade everything when you feel you are ready to do so.
A unit like the MBox 2 is an all in one unit - it is preamp and digital audio interface that coverts your analog signal to digital bits. The MBox also only has 52 dB's of output gain.what is the difference between what I am using now (MBox2 Pro firewire pre-amp) and an "outboard pre-amp" like the Golden Age Pre 73?
The problem with most all in one units, is that the preamps do not have the guts to drive a dynamic mic. The MBox has only 52 dB's of output gain.
If you use Firewire I would suggest using an Echo AudioFire2 interface- This is a stand alone interface and has no preamps, and it sound great.
Then it would be a toss up between the GAP or the Grace 101. Since you use mostly dynamic mics, I would get the Grace 101. You Might have a hard time dining in the GAP with the dynamic, without hiss.
Yeah, you will be spending more than your budget, but if you buy right you won't need to buy again for a long time.
I understand what you're saying. For now, I've come upon a cost-effective solution. I have been recently using that new laptop docked with my desktop's keyboard and monitor (and rarely using the desktop). So I decided to use that old desktop, which has firewire, with my MBox Pro 2 for recording in a permanent set-up (instead of trying to use the new laptop). It's working GREAT. In fact, even my Shure mini-pre-amp sounds good, no hiss, no hums. (The MBox Pro 2 is warmer of course.)
So then, my old laptop with firewire (which I had been using as a working backup since my voice computer died) is my backup again and the keyboard and monitor I was using remotely for it (to keep the computer noise away) is now being used remotely with the desktop.
If I need to step out again and look at pre-amps, I'll keep your info in mind. For now, I'm good to go. Thanks for the information and your time.
Thank you everyone for your time.
Phyllis K. Day
Reply With Quote
