Avid Recording Studio

Customer Ratings:
List Price: Price Unavailable
Sale Price: Price Unavailable
Today's Bonus:

• 2-input, 2-output audio interface
• 24-bit/48 kHz(better-than-CD) sound quality
• XLR microphone input with gain control and 48V phantom power for condenser microphones
• 1/4" instrutment input with gain control
• 1/4" stereo headphone output

Click Here to Read More Reviews >>

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program My first thought was, "I wonder if Avid makes an upgrade to this set that includes Pro Tools M-Powered bundled with M-Audio Fast Track Pro"? This is indeed the basic version. But how basic is it? I would say this is almost perfect for anyone wanting to start mixing their own tracks with their own instruments and prerecorded loops. Basic for a purpose.

The M-audio Fast Track functions as an external soundcard and 'router' for all of your music gear. When you plug in the M-Audio, all the audio from your computer immediately goes through the Fast Track--it processes the sound from then on out, which is a good thing (I would wager that the M-Audio soundboard is better than your laptop's). The Fast Track is the entry level audio interface that M-Audio offers which is bundled with Avid Pro Tools SE (second only to Pro Tools M-Powered) that allows the price to be very attractive for first time music editors (for your own music, or someone else's). This is why the M-Audio is limited with only 1x XLR (Audio--e.g. a MIC input), 1x 1/4" input (Electric Guitar for example), 1x Headphone output, and 1x USB slot. The latter limits you to no MIDI input, and limited 'multi' performance sessions (multiple 'live' instruments at a time). With the Pro Tools SE software, you are only able to record 2 simultaneous live tracks--1 from the Amp in and 1 from the XLR input (any acoustic instrument with the help of a mic).

My setup was an Electric Guitar plugged into the 1/4" input on the M-Audio with a 3.5mm headphone to A/V male cable hooked up to my stereo system. The latter actually took the place of an external Amp, and with the Pro Tools SE software, became a lot more versatile with over 30 sound effects and tweaking capability. It was very easy to record, and picked up very well. You will have to adjust some things to get the right volume, however the learning curve is very straightforward. If you are using an electric guitar, you can adjust the sound to make it sound however you want. From maximum drive for heavy metal to a clean, wang for classic rock. Anything.

**Know that in order to use a MIDI controller (a Keyboard with a USB output), you will have to hook it up to your computer, not the audio interface. The only way to get most of the instrument sounds on Avid Pro Tools is with a MIDI controller**

What does it mean if you just have an instrument like me (Electric Guitar) and that's it? You will have to rely on Avid's prerecorded instrument loops for drums, piano, bass guitar etc or import them from another source. If, however, you do use a MIDI controller then you will be able to create tracks from over 100 different virtual instruments exactly how you want. So if you are wanting these tracks to be solely created by you, then it will be necessary for you to have a MIDI controller. The only way to play those virtual instruments is to have a MIDI controller.

I could not find this anywhere on the box, but the required space for this program is around 7.5gb. Installation took about 5 minutes.

*Few Problems (Nothing major, trust me):

I have a Windows 7 64-bit laptop that ran the program flawlessly with no CPU lag even when using max effects on multiple tracks.

1. When I first ran the program it hung 25% of the way through its 'loading'. After the first time, I never encountered this problem again, and it starts up within 10 seconds.

2. When I unplugged the M-Audio Fast Track from the USB port while Pro Tools was running, it froze my computer completely so that I had to do a hard reset.

3. When using the Fuzz-Wah effect for guitar without the 'Guitar Amp' effect selected, it would intermittently pick up so that sometimes the effect worked, sometimes not. It worked when enabling the Guitar Amp again however.

4. When the Guitar Gain switch is turned up on the M-Audio, as well as the Input switch, so that the right volume is on Avid Pro Tools for recording my guitar, there is audible crackling, hiss noise through the sound output, though it did not appear to come through on the recording.

What impresses me most about the Avid Recording Studio is its simple, easy-to-use interface that allows great recording and a very professional way to begin making your own music. If you are familiar with any editing software for video (Avid, Final Cut, iMovie etc.) then you will already know how to do most of the editing on the sound clips. There are limitations to this kit so that the price can be where it is, however for someone needing just the basics; this will be a largely trouble-free way to start the path to your own music production.

Buy Avid Recording Studio Now

I've been composing for a while and I just got really tired of recording my music using my computer's sound card. Quality just ruins it. So I got this product expecting it to solve all my problems. It did, and I find myself working on my songs every day.

The included software is really the whole deal, it has a lot of effects and loops. Just as described above. Some cons: takes about 30 min to install. There should be a more detailed chapter on the user guide to help you configure the M-Audio interface properly. It's all about latency; if you don't configure this right you'll find noise in every recording and it just becomes tedious. took me about 15 min reading online to get this thing right. Once you're all set, you'll feel like a pro.

Read Best Reviews of Avid Recording Studio Here

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program The installation is quick and simple. For me it was easy, having used several other audio editing systems including some basic training on an advanced Pro-Tools system. Avid and Pro-Tools are the industries go to production choices, using the Avid Recording Studio is a great way for a newbie to learn the basic audio skills of recording. The equipment is pretty much plastic, light weight and feels sort of sturdy. I would recommend it for someone eager to learn the basics of audio recording and editing. The interface is a simpler version of a full professional studio, and has the capacity for adding advanced software. Anyone looking for a future in the recording industry or just wanting to record their own music or sounds for fun should check this out. One recommendation: follow the instructions exactly, do not mix it with other systems and have a great time.

Want Avid Recording Studio Discount?

This quick review is for the interface hardware only, I haven't used the Pro Tools software that comes bundled with it.

I run Fl Studio 10 and Reason 4 on my PCs (Vista 32bit Home) and was having trouble with latency issues (pops, clicks, crackles) with the stock issue audio interfaces. On investigating the issue, I learned that these applications work best with fast running PCs (at least 1.9Ghz)and sound cards that can handle ASIO sound drivers. The best ones cost well over $100 bucks and require you to pull your PC apart to install the card, which I didn't want to mess with...

This little USB powered box comes with a proprietary ASIO driver, but it will also work with ASIO4ALL, a popular ASIO driver available free on the web. Installation & setup was fairly easy.

I had to set the latency control way up there, but this unit took care of most of the annoying sound glitches (I still need faster CPUs). Probably can get better performance with some additional tweaks.

This interface also works nicely with my new Blue ENCORE 100 microphone didn't get any noticeable hiss until I turned the the Mic Gain all the way up.

I haven't tried the guitar input.

*****UPDATE 9/21/12****** After upgrading to Reason 6.5, I finally dug my electric guitar out of the mothballs, and the guitar input on this interface works perfectly...

The top mounted controls on this unit are handy, but note that the headphone output is a 1/4" jack(as it should be) if you use headphones with a mini plug, you'll need an adapter.

As of this time, Amazon's price for this device is by far the best (goes for about $120 at local music stores), so if you are experiencing a similar issue with DAW latency OR need a simple way to hook a traditional microphone up to your computer, this could be an easy and inexpensive fix.

******UPDATE 10/24/12*****

I bought a new computer, and this device works fine under Windows 7 (64 bit, but some of the software I use is still 32 bit) Instead of messing with the Avid studio CD that came with it, I downloaded the driver directly from the M-Audio website. No problems...

This looked like an ideal product I own several M-Audio products already and they are all amazing! The interface itself works tolerably with other applications, but I bought the package because it came with a version of Pro Tools. A limited version, but it's still Pro Tools. However, it simply doesn't work. I installed it on my MacBook running Lion and it never runs. It doesn't ever get past the quick start screen. I tried installing it on my old G5 iMac running Snow Leopard, but it says it's incompatible with that product. There is no product support, and I've written to Avid, Pro Tools and Amazon, and so far (60 days) no one has returned an email message with any help. I wouldn't recommend that anyone buy it.

Read More >>

FiiO D3 Digital to Analog Audio Converter - 192kHz/24bit Optical and Coaxial DAC

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $49.95
Sale Price: $24.78
Today's Bonus: 50% Off

• Converts coaxial or optical digital audio input to analog stereo RCA output
• Supports all popular sample rates including 32kHz, 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 96kHz and 192kHz, at up to 24-bit resolution
• Ultra low jitter design with WM8805 digital receiver chip
• Switch selectable coaxial or optical input.

Click Here to Read More Reviews >>

If you need a solid DAC for converting an optical digital audio signal to RCA or RCA to optical, this is a nice unit at a good price.

I did some research into DAC chips. This unit contains a very good DAC chip. Having said that, I ran the audio signal from different devices through my Sony HDTV (2010 basic model) via an HDMI cable. The Sony HDTV has a DAC in it too and RCA outs (analog out is increasingly rare on HDTVs). I was able to compare audio quality running the audio through the HDMI via the HDTV DAC to RCA and then to an amp AND from different devices directly with optical (Toslink) to this DAC, and then RCA to the amp. The speakers were Magnepan MMGs. All digital audio signals that had Dolby Digital were reduced to two channel stereo in various device settings or were that way to begin with. (If your device cannot change to two channel, all you hear is noise. Some HDTVs with only optical out might not be able to turn Dolby Digital off.

For Blueray/DVD, Pandora (via Roku XR optical out), iTunes music I bought directly from Amazon as MPEGS, and Netflix, I could not discern any difference from the FiiO D3 DAC compared to audio processed through my Sony HDTV (DAC in it unknown). I think this is in part less to do with the DAC but simply that these devices and recordings are not technically complex enough to push even a basic DAC like this. What you put in is what will come out, in this case. BTW: the Roku DAC is quite good too IMHO. Better than the Sony built in DAC. On the XR, it has RCA out on the back. I use that direct to the amp for all Roku audio.

However, when I played audio CDs (Jane Monheit, Never Never Land) I converted to Apple Lossless in iTunes sent over WiFi to an Apple TV 2 to this DAC to my amp, the audio was better. I could also hear the tape hiss on older digital conversions of classic jazz albums I own on CD (Oscar Peterson, Night Train). I would assume, in this case, hearing hiss is a good thing as it shows you that the DAC is capturing the full recording.

I also owned an MCM 24Bit/96K D/A converter which uses the Burr-Brown DAC. The MCM is supposed to be the best low cost DACs out there. But, frankly, unless you are an audiophile, save your money. This FiiO DAC is fine especially for the PRICE.

All testing was done with direct amplification. No equalization or base/treble modification.

Clarification: It was not ACC it was Apple Lossless I used! My mistake... Hopefully the audiophiles who freaked out will now calm down (except for the CD fanatics).

Buy FiiO D3 Digital to Analog Audio Converter - 192kHz/24bit Optical and Coaxial DAC Now

Hi. Just received this converter. Glad I found it before buying any other one. It has a superior look and finish compared to other similar products. On paper, 24bit/192KHz operation, snr >90dB at only $30, this is unbeatable specs/price ratio. I don't think there is any better product for that price over there.

I have just checked all my sound sources with it (Media Center PC audio sources, Blu-Ray movies, etc, Cable Box) from a LG LED TV optical out to stereo wireless headphones, and everything runs ok. I know it does not decode Dolby so I had previously configured my digital sources to PCM, stereo or whatever option was available.

LG, as well as other TV manufacturers, for any obscure reason, they seem to have decided not to provide RCA stereo outputs anymore. Furthermore my TV has a minijack for headphones on rear panel that mutes the TV speakers as soon as you plug or leave something plugged into it. They must think they are so 'intelligent' those TV chip designers that they decide for me what do I have to hear and how. So now, many people including myself, is forced to search for a solution if their stupid decisions do not suit our needs, and I ended up looking for audio converters.

The device looks pretty well finished, exactly as you expect from the pictures or even better, very nice. I have not noticed any kind of background noise as other reviewers post for similar products, neither with nor whitout TV sound.

The only thing where you notice the typical 'Made in China' quality perception is by reading its poorly written tiny User Manual, but on the positive side, you can get some laughs with it as well.

It is too early to tell about reliability. Other similar devices seems to die after certain periods of use, as reviewers say. We'll see. I will update this review if I encounter any problem.

Read Best Reviews of FiiO D3 Digital to Analog Audio Converter - 192kHz/24bit Optical and Coaxial DAC Here

This is an amazing DAC for the price. And for sure will suit 99.9% of the people out there.

However, the 192/24 mode seems broken. Whenever I switch to 192/24 the output becomes static and/or some ticking noise that just makes it hard to listen to.

All other formats play perfectly!

As I read around there are similar cases so be warned that this unit may not work with 192/24 even though they advertised it.

Want FiiO D3 Digital to Analog Audio Converter - 192kHz/24bit Optical and Coaxial DAC Discount?

Like many, i use an airport express to feed my 2 channel system, which uses the same cirrus 4344 chip as the d3. I doubted seriously the possibilty of audible differences between the two, so I took to the web searching for any direct comparison of sound quality between the two, and finding none. Curiosity, however, finally got the better of me and I purchased the D3, its incredibly low price helping to rationalize my actions. After inserting it into my setup, i could tell first track that the AE had met its match, and havent looked back since. To quote my wife "it just sounds better" and I agree, it does.

The product is a bit better quality than I expected. The case and connections seem well made. It is not a flaw of the product that it doesn't work to connect my 50" LG plasma to my vintage 2-channel analog stereo. This product will convert a 2-channel stereo digital signal to a 2-channel stereo analog signal. My TV has no option to send a 2-channel signal out through the optical. It only sends a multi-channel (left,right,center,surround) signal. This product can't convert that to stereo (left,right only), so it only produces static. If your audio source has the option to send stereo to the optical out, this is the product for you. If your TV/bluray player/etc. can't do that, I recommend the GefenTV Digital Audio Decoder as the most reasonable alternative. It's more expensive, but that is largely because it has the more expensive converter from Dolby.

Read More >>

JBL MSC1 Monitor System Controller with RMC(TM) Room Mode Correction

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $375.00
Sale Price: $299.00
Today's Bonus: 20% Off

• Master Volume Control A/B Speaker Select A/B/C input Source Select Subwoofer Output with Level Control and
• High Frequency Speaker EQ Headphone Output with Volume Control Mute Control RMC On/Bypass
• Control RMC Calibration MicrophoneMSC1 Control Center Software
• Selectable Cross Over Frequencies Adjustable Low Frequency

Click Here to Read More Reviews >>

I've been eyeing on JBL monitors for a quite some time and when I finally bought them, I was a little disappointed. Compare to KRK, Mackie, and ADAM monitors I have, they were a little too boomy, and shallow. So I bought MSC1 and went through the correction, they suddenly came to life and I am really enjoying the JBL monitors. If you have JBL monitors, MSC1 is a must.

Buy JBL MSC1 Monitor System Controller with RMC(TM) Room Mode Correction Now

This JBL MSC-1 is perhaps the worst product that I have ever purchased. Strong words, I know.

JBL obviously had a good idea but their engineering fell way short on executing this design. Despite lousy documentation on this product (this is not uncommon with a lot of electronics) I tried to set it up with my new studio monitors and new JBL studio subwoofer. After literally around 50 attempts to work through the calibration process, I received an error message each time.

Against my male pride, I broke down and called JBL's technical support department. My first call was sent to the voicemail of someone named Sam who never returned my call. A few days later, I called back and spoke to Everett, who attempted to help me but he admitted that he bought one of these units personally and he had a tough time getting his to work. Everett had an interesting comment that really concerned me when he said, "these things are definitely not plug and play".

After several calls back to Everett and many attempts to get this unit working, I finally gave up and returned the unit to Amazon who handled the return very professionally. This is why I do business with Amazon but I'm very sceptical about JBL's products now. What a shame! Why would they release a product like this to the public? Amazon should really re-evaluate even offering this product to their customers.

Read Best Reviews of JBL MSC1 Monitor System Controller with RMC(TM) Room Mode Correction Here

Forget about JBL's rmc for a moment...This is the ONLY monitor control system under $400 that allows you to hook up 2 sets of studio monitors & have a subwoofer cut. That is worth the price of admission alone...Now you add in the rmc & you have a great product that does what it is supposed to do! They give you step by step video instructions on how to set up as if they don't even believe you have ever hooked up a mic & speakers before. While it is a long & extensive process, as you do it more it becomes more easy.

Want JBL MSC1 Monitor System Controller with RMC(TM) Room Mode Correction Discount?

This unit is mediocre at best. I am on my third one and when this one bites the dust (which I am certain it will), I will move to a different setup. My MSCs have not been under heavy load, if they had been then there may have been a definitive correlation between the load and the unit failure. I have electrical and mechanical engineering background, and have looked at these with several professionals in my field. The unit is very cheap and maybe worth 79 dollars. I intend to put this unit under rigorous scrutiny to determine the culprit of these misappropriations.

DO NOT BUY this cheap piece of junk. I've ended up with an expensive low quality paper weight. Went thru the entire tech support and replacement process (which they just shipped my unit back to me unopened!.) The build quality is poor, the cheap Radioshack cables sent with the device had defects. This entire proces waisted no less than 40 hour of my precious time! Sad to say, this product is a joke and I will never buy a JBL product again.

Read More >>

Onkyo IE-FC300(V) In-Ear Headphones, Violet

Customer Ratings:
List Price: Price Unavailable
Sale Price: $99.00
Today's Bonus:

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program Nice crisp sound and very comfortable to wear. Ear buds come with a tangle free cord a carrying case and three different sizes of earplugs, so if one size won't fit one of the others surely will. Compared to other in ear headphones they are a little bulky but after wearing for a while you won't even notice.

Click Here to Read More Reviews >>

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program These Onkyo in ear headphones provide great sound and help to cancel out exterior noise. Excellent quality. I really appreciated the fact that the headphones came with three different sized earplugs, so that I could "custom fit" the plugs to fit my ears. I love the color too. Recommended!

Buy Onkyo IE-FC300(V) In-Ear Headphones, Violet Now

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program This is a very upscale seat of earbuds. The construction makes them the most comfortable I've ever worn (I tend to get ear infections easily, and find most earbuds irritating). Listened to an audio drama and got very nice sound on the background effects as well as the spoken lines.

Only thing I would add: read the instructions and don't go with an earbud size that's too small, or it WILL affect sound. I tried to go with small ones, and the sound was awfully tinny. When I switched to larger buds (which were still very comfortable), the sound was fine.

Comes with three sizes of earbuds and a very nice, compact case.

Are they worth the price? It's probably up to sound experts to really make that decision, but if you're looking for a more upscale earbud, check these out.

Read Best Reviews of Onkyo IE-FC300(V) In-Ear Headphones, Violet Here

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program Onkyo, a trusted name in the world of HiFi audio has released a unique pair of earphones. What stands out immediately is the tangle-free flat cable. To be honest at first I thought the cable was rather flimsy and had a cheap feeling to it, but I now recognize this material is becoming more common, and is actually quite durable, and cutting edge. The three things that matter most for me with earphones is sound quality, comfort, and durability.

Sound quality These earphones pack a good punch. If you normally don't go above $40 for a pair of earphones then you will be pleasantly blown away. If you normally spend around the $200 range or more then you'll find these earphones to be just ok. If your priority is bass, you will not be disappointed. I actually love crisp highs, as much as low end is important and the I E-FC300s don't seem to really shine in the high end. The mid is fine, and the bass is great, but finding that perfect mix for headphones in this price range is not an easy feat. Just as a reference, my favorite earphones around this price range are JVC Victor In-ear Stereo Headphones | HP-FX500 (Japan import).

Comfort In the discussion of earphones comfort must be factored in, especially for prolonged use. For inner-ear phones these are a bit on the heavy side, though the clever design manages to spread the weight a bit. These don't feel like invisible featherweight ear buds that many people are accustomed to, so realize you'll feel a presence in each ear when wearing these. However, if you're going to go jogging or any significant movement, one plus for these headphones is the super-light cable, as with many other inner earphones I've dealt with, the phones start to come out of the ears slowly with every slight bounce / tug of the cable as you run or even walk. If your primary use for headphones is during exercise, you still may prefer a lighter set.

UPDATE: Now that I've had some more time with these headphones I have to confess that I don't find them very comfortable over time. Although I didn't try the smallest size rubber cups, I use medium size on every other pair I've had, and don't see how that would make a difference, but basically there seems to be more pressure in my ears when I put them in with a tight seal, than with other headphones, which leads to a general, light soreness over prolonged use, and I'm not even talking about over an hour. This brings my review to a 3.5 stars, but since that can't be done manually I'll just leave it at 4.

Durability This is always a difficult category to review shortly after purchase, but these seem to be well built, and the innovative cable looks like it may very well mark the end of the infamous crackle/signal loss you get from so many headphones at the neck of the connector where the cable bends. Only time will tell though.

Overall, these are decent headphones, but if you want a wider soundscape and crisper highs, or the kind of canal phones where you don't even feel them at all or want to lay your ear against a pillow while still listening, you may need to look elsewhere.

By the way, I don't know if it is just my computer screen, but the photo on Amazon makes the "violet" pair look more blue than purple.

Want Onkyo IE-FC300(V) In-Ear Headphones, Violet Discount?

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program Onkyo I E-FC300(V) In-Ear Headphones is a really nice in-ear headphones. It generates very clear sound and very powerful bass especially compared with many in-ear headphones out there. I've been using many wireless stereo headphones lately and now realize why company still makes wired headphones especially at these price range (i.e. they have way better bass than their wireless counterpart. I'm not sure if it is bluetooth technology limitation, battery limitation, or other reasons). This Onkyo headphone is a bit bulky for an in-ear headphone and I am not 100% sure why they made the cable detachable (and not using twist method connect/tighten) as it got accidentally disconnected one time after about 15 minutes of use and the speaker part fell to the ground (thankfully it didn't break), though it is also possible that it is my fault for not attaching it correctly at the first place (it also warn not to disconnect too often). Anyway, make sure you connect them tightly before using this headphones and enjoy the deep bass and crispness of the music.

Sidarta Tanu

Read More >>

Casio WK7500 PPA Premium Keyboard Package with Audio Technica Headphones, World Tour Keyboard Stand

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $838.99
Sale Price: $449.99
Today's Bonus: 46% Off

• Premium bundle includes: Audio Technica ATH-M20 closed-cup headphones, World Tour SXKS keyboard stand, and power supply.
• 800 world class tones including stereo pianos, vintage electric pianos, strings, drums, synths and many more
• 9 sliders extend your versatility and provide an impressive 50 drawbar organ tones
• 17-track sequencer for editing and tweaking your performances so you can get professional sounding tracks
• MIC and Instrument inputs, stereo audio in, and a USB MIDI port

Click Here to Read More Reviews >>

I bought this keyboard because I want to begin taking my music more seriously. I definitely find myself practicing more as this keyboard can do much more than my old keyboard so it really holds my interest and pushes me to try to master all of the capabilities that this keyboard offers. Very happy with the cost for a keyboard with such capabilities. Cons: The keys are a bit shaky, not as sturdy as my old keyboard. Also, the audio of the speakers and the headphones are nothing to write home about. I hooked it up to a subwoofer, and that made the world of difference. Beautiful powerful sound.

Buy Casio WK7500 PPA Premium Keyboard Package with Audio Technica Headphones, World Tour Keyboard Stand Now

Casio WK7500 PPA Premium Keyboard Package with Audio Technica Headphones,and World Tour Keyboard Stand, and Power Supply. You "MUST READ OPERATING MANUAL" > "tO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND how to operate this keyboard, this unit is exclusive and works well if you under stand how to use and program what you want. Good start is to go to YOU TUBE AND CHECK IT OUT THERE !!!!!

Read More >>

Audio-Technica ATH-D40fs Professional Studio Monitor Precision Enhanced Bass Headphones

Customer Ratings:
List Price: Price Unavailable
Sale Price: $79.00
Today's Bonus:

• Operation: Closed-back^Element: Dynamic ^Driver Diameter: 40 mm^Frequency Response: 20 - 28,000 Hz ^Sensitivity (1 mW): 102 dB

Click Here to Read More Reviews >>

I have a of hobby collecting headphones, and I've recently began reviewing the ones in my collection. I constructed a simple six-song test and rating system, where a score of 0 2 is abysmal, 2.1 4 is poor, 4.1 6 is mediocre, 6.1 8 is above average, and 8.1 10 is excellent.

I selected songs from a variety of genres. The songs were "The Chain" by Fleetwood Mac, "Every Planet We Reach is Dead" by Gorillaz, "Concerto Grosso no. 26 in D Major" by Handel, "I Know You Are, But What Am I?" by Mogwai, "Afro Blue" by Triplexity, and "The Patient" by Tool. All songs were encoded in Ogg Vorbis at 192 kbps or higher, and I listened to them on an iAudio 7 with all sound effects turned off and the equalizer set to flat.

Sound Quality(9.2/10)

The Chain(9/10) bass, mid tones, and treble are all flat and evenly reproduced. The bass is crisp and punchy, but not exaggerated. The sound stage is good, although not incredible. Instrument separation is clear and vivid.

Every Planet(10/10) lows in this song are deep and responsive, but smooth and even at the same time. Mids and highs are also impressively vivid. The sound stage is moderately large, and instrument separation is fantastic.

Concerto(10/10) the sound in this song is very flat and smooth over all frequencies(which I like, especially for classical). Instrument separation is crisp and clear. The sound stage is not huge, but pleasantly broad.

I Know You Are(9/10) lows are nice and deep. Mids are rich and vivid. Highs are crisp and clear. The instrument separation is also very clear. Sound stage is definitely good, but not as amazing as other headphones in this price range.

Afro Blue(9/10) the bass in this song is impressively low and punchy, but again, not exaggerated. Mids and highs are clean and even. Instrument separation is fantastic. The sound stage on this song wasn't as broad as I would like, but not bad.

The Patient(8/10) music was evenly reproduced over all frequencies. Bass and mid tones were vivid, and highs were clean and clear. Instrument separation is also good. The sound stage, as before, is decent but not overly great. While this song sounded very good over the Audio Technicas, it was somewhat lacking in aggressiveness and intensity.

Overall Sound(9.2/10) the Audio Technica ATH-D40fs sounded very smooth and balanced overall with clean, deep bass, vivid mid tones, and clear highs. Instrument separation was fantastic. The only complaint I have regarding sound quality was the sound stage, which was somewhat lackluster at times.

Design(3/10) these headphones were comfortable to wear, if a bit heavy. I could listen to them for hours on end with little fatigue. While not particularly stylish, they exuded a sense a professionalism that is missing in most headphones. I give them such a low rating in design because they broke shortly after I bought them. I take good care of my headphones, but not long after I began listening to them, the left speaker would stop playing music intermittently, which leads me to believe there was a short somewhere in the internal assembly(I never actually found one in the headphone cable).

Noise Isolation(7/10) while not the best noise isolation I've ever experienced from a pair of headphone(that award would go to one of the various IEMs I've listened to), these were quite good. I estimate they blocked around 10 12 DB of ambient noise along the entire range of audible frequencies.

Bottom Line(6/10) I would like to give these headphones an 8 or 9. The sound quality was fantastic for sealed headphones at this price range, and almost everything else about them was good. Sadly, as I previously mentioned, the left speaker began behaving erratically shorty after I purchased them, and they had to be returned.

Buy Audio-Technica ATH-D40fs Professional Studio Monitor Precision Enhanced Bass Headphones Now

I've listened on $600 studio reference headphones (in an actual studio) and have a keen appreciation for great quality.

These headphones have been a great joy to use. Their sonic quality is excellent, mid-tones are clear and the high's are articulate. The cups are comfortable and by themselves do a wonderful job of blocking exterior noise. The only thing I can't figure out is their claim that the cord is "field-replacable", but there is no documentation or any indication that this is the case.

Other than that, it's an outstanding pair of comfortable full-cup headphones. Has a really long cord as well, which is much appreciated.

-David & Rachel

Read Best Reviews of Audio-Technica ATH-D40fs Professional Studio Monitor Precision Enhanced Bass Headphones Here

I've been extremely satisfied w/ these headphones comfortable, & sound great. I use them mostly to record w/ GargaeBand & to learn songs on bass, w/ my bass signal & a cd going thru' a mixing board. I've had them for several months now, & they've been durable. A good product; I'd rate them "Semi-Professional Quality".

Want Audio-Technica ATH-D40fs Professional Studio Monitor Precision Enhanced Bass Headphones Discount?

These are great. I use them everyday at a top recording facility in Bogota, Colombia, where headphones gets lots of abuse, they are good and loud enough for the deafest drummers. Replacemente drivers and earcushions are cheap, and you can get these directly from audio-technica. As long as you dont break the rotating joints, these will last you a very long time.

Looking for something to replace my ipod headphones. I almost got the ath-m40fs, due to the great reviews until someone mentioned that d40fs has enhanced bass so I cancelled my order and got this instead. I was hesitant, because very few reviews were done on this model, but went ahead anyways. If you intend to use this with your portable player, like an ipod, you will need to purchase an adapter to go over the 1/4 plug. What I did was replace the whole cable with an old headset and re-wire. Pretty easy, just remove padding and 4 screws. I got mine for $57 from samedaymusic with free shipping. Don't forget they will price match on their website.

You won't be un-happy when you hear clean/clear not so boomy sound you never heard before.

Ben

Read More >>

Roland OctaCapture USB 2.0 Audio Interface

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $819.00
Sale Price: Price Unavailable
Today's Bonus:

• Two combo XLR/TRS inputs with premium mic preamps (VS Preamps), two TRS outputs, coaxial I/O, headphone out, and MIDI I/O.Graphical Control Panel software provides fast, intuitive control of the VS Preamps
• Phantom power, ground lift, and Hi-Z switches. One-click AUTO-SENS function intelligently sets optimal input levels for the preamps.
• Extreme low-latency VS Streaming driver. Low-noise, wide-range power supply. Compact with durable aluminum body and Direct Box functionality. Bundled with Cakewalk SONAR X1 LE
• Eight Premium Mic Preamps premium-grade digitally controlled mic preamps with independent phantom power, low-cut filter, phase invert, and digital compression for each channel.
• Extreme Low-Latency Driver OCTA-CAPTURE offers incredible stability and industry-leading low-latency USB performance via Roland's proprietary VS STREAMING technology. You can use multiple deviceson the same USB bus without compromising.

Click Here to Read More Reviews >>

I have two of these units strapped together to provide for a total of 16 ports. I am absolutely thrilled with the performance. I had a single MOTU 828 MKII which was working fine but I really wanted more ports and you cannot use ASIO drivers for multiple devices. I was particularly impressed with the documentation of this product which is significantly better than what you get used to for music products that you end up buying. Someone actually tried to write a manual which made the product useable quickly. Greatly appreciated! I will alert you to a few things NOT in the manual or not obvious that will help a lot and avoid problems:

Do NOT use the Octa-Capture on a USB 3.0 port. Despite the spec saying they are backward compatible you will get nothing but horrid garbage if you try to record. The interface can be seen and configured without a problem from the Octa-Capture control program but that is deceptive. Put it on a USB 2.0 port or be sorry. I spent a LOT of time wondering what was wrong before I figured this simple thing out.

If you put two Octa-Captures together you set the clock master to have VS100 Expansion mode OFF and the slave to have it on. Then you connect the S/PDIF out of the master to the S/PDIF in of the slave unit. You HAVE to leave the master S/PDIF in and the slave S/PDIF out ports unused. Don't try to be clever and find a new IO path because that will make the system NOT work. Again, not documented but something to think about. Take your main outs from the slave not the master. Make sure the digital audio port is set to auto on both units.

Be aware that you can only use 4 ports if you are running 192Khz sampling rates and that you cannot strap two Octa-Captures together if you do that also. Serves you right since why would you run that high a rate anyway? Just not necessary. This unit performs like a charm in 24 bit/96 Khz sampling mode. Very very fast drivers also.

By default, the first analog input has high Z input enabled and the eighth one has compression enabled. You may wish to change this immediately. They assume a guitar is going direct into 1 and a bass drum mic is going into 8. They make it obvious when you look on the front panel. Another thing I like about the interface.

I absolutely LOVE that I can put a noise gate on per channel with these units. Wonderful for hooking up noisy old analog drum machines, bass line synths, and keyboards that I have. Also having the pre-amp per interface is great for things like my Waldorf Blofeld that has notoriously low output levels and needs a bit of juicing up before getting into the D/A converters.

The per channel compression is wonderful because I set it up to act as a limiter so I don't blow my speakers or brain up when dealing with very hot inputs.

Buy Roland OctaCapture USB 2.0 Audio Interface Now

This unit works great with an HP Pavilion Dv7 laptop Win7 64. My DAW is Reaper. I am using separate HD 7200 for audio recording and have 8 gigs of ram. This replaced my defective MBOX3 which I returned to Avid after hours of trying to get it to work.

For the same price, I was able to get the Octa-Capture which does much more than the MBOX ever did. You can record up to 10 tracks at a time. WOW! Also, there are 10 outputs, and each pair of outs has it's own mixer. The practical application is different monitor mixes for each band member. (time to upgrade to in-ear monitors) There is a screen on the unit which doubles the information provided via the Win7 driver control panel. So that means you can use the unit as a mixer without the computer.

Also included is MIDI in/out. This was a must for our Roland V-drum kit which triggers our Superior Drummer software. A word about latency: This goes down to 48spls. This is the fastest turn around I have ever used, and it is certainly the fastest I have seen for a USB 2.0. It works if your just triggering a software synth very nicely. However, when my band tried triggering the synth and recording 8 tracks of 24bit audio, we experienced occasional dropouts in playback and recording (once ever 10-20min) This is more the fault of the computer than the OCTA-CAPTURE, as I'm sure on a more powerful system you could probably avoid dropouts. For example, I bet an i7 MacBook Pro would probably be perfect for this unit. Or, probably a powerful desktop. The most stable compromise we found for out computer was setting the buffer to 128, which allowed for flawless recording and decent low latency midi triggering and monitoring. (My drummer suggest we get a second computer for recording so we could just use one computer for triggering via the Octa-Capture)

Final word: This thing is built sturdy, worked out of the box, and does everything it's supposed to do, just like ever Roland product I have ever owned. Emphasis on "it works." You will not regret this purchase.

Read Best Reviews of Roland OctaCapture USB 2.0 Audio Interface Here

I need to record classical chamber groups and piano, and wanted something portable with a good clean sound. One thing I needed was at least 4 phantom powered mic inputs. I didn't want outdated firewire (and don't have a port on my machine anyway), and I didn't want to spend more than 500.

SO

I bought a zoom R24 a few weeks ago, spent the first week being excited about all the goodies (its a sampler! Its a drum machine! It's a piece of crap!!), then let down as more and more...noisy inputs, squealing when phantom power was engaged, timing drift, driver problems and audio cutting out...it was basically unusable for my purposes.

Today I got the octa-capture in the mail, set it up. First impression was how sturdy and solid it felt, the knobs all rubberized (unlike the cheap plastic ones on the R24). Drivers were immediately installed and recognized accurately, all inputs were detected. First thing when I played music from my computer through this device, I was shocked at how clear and crisp every sound was. The R24 seemed to actually degrade the quality of sound! This was like night and day, I couln't believe how drastic the comparison was. The sound on the preamps for the mics are great as well, recorded singing and solo mbira playing this afternoon and was stunned at the quality. And the auto sense button really works, great for a quick setup.

So glad I got this device, glad I shelled out the extra bucks for the quality. The integration of software and hardware is where this thing shines, and that is where music recording has been moving in the last 20 years. Buy it, you won't regret it.

Want Roland OctaCapture USB 2.0 Audio Interface Discount?

+1 on the Roland Octa-Capture, despite the price I started out in the $400 budget range and was beaten into reasonableness by purchasing and returning other products.

I'm a windows 7 x64 user, a happy owner of a fastrack pro but wanted more tracks. I just went through an extensive search, and one thing I kept seeing come up was the relatively new Roland Quad-Capture and Octa-Capture. However because of budget constraints and the fact that I use Studio One V2, I decided to to the FW route and try the FireStudio Project big mistake I wrote a separate review for that product, which is ultimately a one-star as would be any review I'd give to a FireWire product at this point.

In the end after a lot of painful purchase/return trial-and-error, I paid up considerably from my original ~$400 budget for an Octa-Capture and boy was I amazed it turned out to be totally worth it. This thing worked perfectly out of the box, the driver / mixer software is awesome, it has a lot of nice features which I thought I didn't need such as a good interface on the front panel, quick and handy load/save of mixer pre-sets, and even some decent preamps and compressors. Also great software metering which is something I didn't realize I was missing on my old FastTrack. I bought this thing very reluctantly because it was "the only game in town" that had more or less universally good reviews. Now I am totally glad I did, and I do not hesitate to recommend that you do the same.

Similarly to another reviewer, I was trying to stay in the $400-500 range for a USB audio interface. After a disastrous experience with the 1818vsl, I gave the Roland a shot. I was very impressed with how well this thing works.

The unit took me less than 2 minutes to get up and running. And what can I say? It just plain works! This unit records 8 simultaneous channels at low-latencies with no trouble. I am convinced that the drivers are the key to achieving this. I have yet to hear a pop or click; the audio is pristine.

Physically, the unit is solid and quite small actually; it is a nice travel size. The software mixing interface is very simply designed and is clearly intended to be mastered in no time. The auto-sense level feature is amazing!

In terms of functionality and portability, the Octa-capture works perfectly for the musician who is attempting to be a sound engineer at the same time he/she is playing with the band. I love this thing!

Bottom line: if you want 8 XLR inputs on USB (PC users take note), this is the way to go.

Read More >>