Product: Echo Audio Layla 3G
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted
05/06/2009
at
08:38pm
by
Jason
General
:
9
The Layla 3G is a PCI audio interface with a break-out box made by Echo Audio. It is a high quality audio interface with 8 analog and 8 digital inputs and outputs with two pre-amps and 1 headphone jack. It comes with a software mixer.
Connectivity
:
10
PCI + breakout box.
Has MIDI, mulitple digital inputs and outputs and you can chain multiple Layla's.
I/O
:
10
Very low noise and great audio quality from the 6 audio interfaces on the back. The two pre-amps on the front are very good and come with phantom power (I use and perfer my PreSonus TubePre and ART Tube PAC as well but it's nice to be able to do four mics for drums etc.).
Power
:
9
Powered by the PCI card - no walwart!!!! The only disadvantage is the PC must be on of course.
Has phantom power for mix.
Technical specs
:
10
96kHx 24bit
Support steareo, 5.1 and 6.1 surround sound.
Other
:
8
Bundled with Traction that I don't use but works great with Sonar and as general sound card on my PC (actually I don't set it as my default but route the PC sound card through it so I can play along with iTunes due to ASIO driver restrictions).
There are also drivers for Linux (I'm using Ubuntu Hardy Heron) and they work great even has the console (console is less good in Linux). Drivers also rock solid on Vista SP1 (unlike my previous Firebox device - go PCI - buck the trend!).
Overall
:
10
What I love about this box is it sounds great and is easy to use. It has only the knobs you need (with the exception of a physical master volumne knob on the breakout box - which I've requested from Echo) and gets out of the ways and let's you get on to recording and listening to music. The signal to noise ratio is great (e.g. no hiss) and I prefer it to firewire as it's just part of the PC - no fuss.
