Lexicon Alpha

Nice Interface - 2 Ins n' 2 Outs (Jacks n' RCAs); Pretty easy to operate

I think it's USB 1.1 ... Windows XP ... fine; Windows Vista x86 - a little problem with driver ... replaced the Vista's with XP one ... for better options to set the latency ... Be careful with x64 systems ... it does not support them!!!

The sound is pretty good for the money ... paid cca. 110 USD; 2 Ins n' 2 Outs; Headphone out;

Great ... USB port is the only thing you need! But NO USB hubs!! Straight!

In my opinion the thing which is the most important - is the latency! Which is pretty bad! Tried different OSes (Vista, XP), different drivers but it couldn't reach a REAL latency less than 10ms - and thats not what we need. My built-in Realtek chip beat it using ASIO4All - it can operate on 6.5ms REAL latency without clicks, posps, hiss ... so I'll try to use the ASIO4All drivers even for the Alpha but I think I'm gonna put it back to the store (Thanks god it's possible!)

Not bad for the money ... I'll see what can I figure out with the drivers ... If someone did already ... please share your experience with me ...

I am guitarist with about 10 yrs gigging experience. I gig on average once or twice a week in cover band and teach guitar on the days im not gigging. I also play a bit of bass and keyboards. I am currently writing my first instrumental rock album, and wanted easy to use gear that can still produce good results without breaking the bank. The Lexicon alpha seemed to fit this criteria.

I use a dual core packard bell Pc with 1gb Ram running windows XP.

The soundcard does not take up very much room on my desk and there is easy access to the input controls, XLR and input jacks.

The Alpha connects to the computer via USB port so no need for additional power sockets. It Does Not have more advanced features such as midi connections, but the strengh of this unit i feel is its portability. It is marketed as entry level portable device for recording demos from laptop, but i have been using this for a year and a half on my desktop with good results.

Dedicated input jack for bass/guitar D.I inputs, handy if you use amp simulation software after your takes. I prefer to use standard input with a Boss GT6 or Line 6 POD as this uses up less CPU.

No midi inputs on this device, I think the omega has midi features though. As a guitarist the only midi i tend to use is the VST drum plug ins (such as Drums from hell or ez drummer) or occasionally draw in midi tracks as guide tracks to overdub with real instruments later.

Usb powered.

Unfortunatly this soundcard is not phantom powered. If you want to used a condenser mic with this then you can buy a phantom power device such as Behringer PS400 power supply for about ??20.

I have used condenser & dynamic mics with this and got Ok results, but I used this mostly for recording guitar and bass DI'ed from a pod or gt6.

There are probably better soundcards on the market now for the price I paid for this (it has almost halved in value in last year), but this one is good for oldder computers running XP as it does't use as much RAM/cpu.Havn't used this on mac so cant comment how well it works with Apple computers.

If you use a newer PC/ laptop running windows Vista, you will probably find that this soundcard doesnot work with it or has driver problems. In that case your best perchasing newer soundcard designed to work with Vista.

I have found this soundcard to be reliable, and easy to use

Comes bundled with Cubase LE and Lexicon Pantheon Reverb.

I have been using cubase ever since I learned to use it in university music studio. Even as an entry level sequencer, Cubase LE has some powerful features such as 24 audio tracks. I am planning to upgrade to cubase 4 eventually but have gotten a lot of milage from the LE version. I write instrumental progressive rock music (think vangellis meets Joe Satriani)with a sci fi theme. There are a lot of changes in time signature which cubase has a feature to map called tempo track.

The plug ins that are included with cubase are nothing special, but with a bit of tweaking you can get good results. The delay and eq are adaquate for most home demos. The chorus lacks warmth but with a bit of tweaking you can get some good results.

The lexicon Patheon reverb is far superior to the cubase defalt reverbs, there are a good choice of rooms, halls and plates to cover just about every musical situation. Ok...maby some gated reverbs would be nice, but considering this is an entry level lexicon plug in your getting your moneys worth. I especiallly like the hall reverb presents which succeed in giving you the sense of depth and space.

I am personally very happy with my lexicon alpha. For someone on a tight budget who was looking for low latency system to get as profesional result as possible for home studio demos, this piece of kit has done the job for me very nicely.

As a guitarist one of my pet hates is spending hours playing with technical specs and fixing drivers when i want to get ideas to tape (or hard disk in this case) as quickly as possible.

Threre are probably more advanced or better soundcards on the market for what i paid for this. Computing moves very fast, todays technology is almost obsolete in a year.

The strengh of this soundcard for me its simplicity. Its desighned as entry level but has profesional features which suit what im using it for. I am planning to eventually get more professional soundcard with MIDI features and more inputs torecord whole band live etc. If It got stolen i probably would get anouther one as I have gotten so used to using it, I can almost work it in my sleep.

This is a USB bus powered (only) audio interface with two input channels and two output channels. The inputs can either be in the form of an instrument input and a microphone input, or two line level inputs. The outputs are two line level 1/4 in. outs or two RCA outs. Controls include the gain on the two inputs, a mix fader (fades between direct monitoring and monitoring from the computer) and an output level knob. Also has a toggle for stereo vs. mono monitoring.

Comes with Cubase 4 (a lite edition), Pantheon reverb, and necessary drivers, and a usb cable and manuals. Pantheon reverb only works with the supplied Cubase unfortunately.

USB 2.0 connectivity. Entirely bus powered (no option for plugging in to external power, not that you'd need it). 7ms of latency in my environment.

I can't speak to the quality of the preamp, as my ears are not as discerning as, I'm sure, some other reviewer's will be. However, I've recorded guitar and vocals and both sound great to me.

I am able to get 7 ms of latency (which I consider pretty good). My machine is a 2ghz core 2 duo Dell laptop, and I experienced no issues connecting and installing the drivers. Just follow the directions (ie install the drivers BEFORE connecting the unit).

Bus powered. No phantom power, thus the 7 rating.

44 or 48khz, 16 or 24 bit. I've only tried it with ASIO. It has direct monitoring, with the added benefit of being able to pan between direct and output monitoring, so you can find a good medium (for what that's worth).

Cubase 4 lite. Also comes with pantheon reverb vst, however unfortunately it will only allow you to use it in the supplied Cubase (not in other hosts).

The interface has supplied ASIO driver, which I've tried with (and they work well with) Ableton, FL Studio and Reaper. The ASIO control panel doesn't have a direct correlation with samples or latency (just a slider called CPU and a selector for bit and sample rate). So you have to play around with it and see what latency is reported by your host. The ASIO panel crashes Reaper (v. 2.5) but the settings are preserved, so simply restarting it gets you your new settings. It works fine with the other apps I tried. Not sure if this is a reaper issue or a driver issue, but since the other apps work fine I assume its reaper.

I bought this used for $30 (retailing now for 80). I'm very satisfied with it. It's handy to have something that doesn't need to be plugged in. If it had Phantom, I'd be happier, but then it would probably need to be plugged in. The direct/mix monitor is a handy feature if you are getting more latency than you'd like. Other than that, it's basic and serves it's purpose.
I'd probably get another one if something happened to it, and if I could find it used. It's not my primary interface (I use a delta 44 on my pc, and a firewire mixer when recording my band). But it's good for doing solo stuff when disconnected.

Small 2+2 USB interface with a single mic pre, and no phantom. Line level inputs available in back. No fancy features. I wasn't looking for fancy.

USB connectivity. At least there's a USB cable in the box. I wouldn't call what it does "connectivity."

The single preamp is pretty obviously low-end junk. I bought it because I have outboard pres, and could use the line inputs.

Bus powered. No AC adapter shipped. No phantom available.

Right. Technical specs. Technical specs are as follows: The unit comes with a drivers CD. Following the instructions exactly, the drivers would not install because the interface could not be detected. I tried every combination of tactics to no avail. I called tech support. They acted like this was the first time they'd ever gotten a call about driver/device issues. They admitted that they didn't know what was going on and they couldn't help me.

I got the interface to work using Windows (XP) direct sound. Huge latency, even for USB. The sound quality is so-so, but I didn't expect Apogee level converters. I am blown away that this product was released when it was obviously not ready for the market. Last I checked, Lexicon had not updated drivers, and I had the same issue installing the device on a second computer. Guitar Center will not take back open boxes when there is software inside - even if the software is only drivers for use with the hardware.

I've been making my living in professional live sound for a number of years now. I own a modest collection of mics and outboard gear, and some high-quality instruments. I was looking to set up a demo-quality recording system for creative purposes. What I got was a headache. I've used Lexicon processors live without a hitch for as long as I've been in the field, but now I feel duped. Luckily, there are other brands that can provide me with anything Lexicon has to offer - which is good, as I have no further use for them.

Lexicon Alpha USB audio interface. Please see the following links for a spec check:
http://www.zzounds.com/item--LEXALPHA
http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/reviews?base_pid=245507&page=1&rpp=10&sc=OVERALL&so=desc

I have a 2 ghz dual core Dell laptop running a XP Pro with 2 GB RAM and Cubase 3.

I am aware that this is the first such review posted here, so I ought to say that if I change my opinion, I will re-post.


My review is simple: it doesn't work for me.

I am so hoping this is a software problem, and in all fairness, it may well be, as I dumped Vista and installed XP Pro, mainly because of the nightmare I was having with the Lexicon. I know this has caused some driver issues. If so, and if I resolve them before I die, I will gladly admit it.

I look forward to the taste of humble pie.

It doesn't connect, because it doesn't work.

No in/out because because it doesn't work.

No power because it doesn't work.

Very basic, like paleolithic, because, hey - it doesn't work.

Good for a sixty-quid door-stop, otherwise fairly pointless, because it doesn't work.

Overall, you know what? IT. DOESN'T. WORK.