M-Audio ProFire 2626

This is an addendum to my earlier review today concerning use of the Profire 2626 for serious recording applications on the Mac.
Part of it was my error in getting mic signal as I did not push in the 'phantom power' button. But this only solved part of my problem.
My original frustrations with the unit came down to driver issues locking the unit up in OS 10.5.8. I uninstalled the driver, then reinstalled the driver and voila, I attained signal from my microphone input on the Profire channel 1 input and then on into an audio track for a vocal take in Protools M-Powered 8. Great. But this still does not preclude my previous complaint about using the input/ output configurations of the Profire 2626 as a send/return scenario for external effects. I still could not get the unit to route audio properly out to an external effects unit then back into the Profire inputs without lockup and feedback or stereo signal being lost.
The only thing I can imagine is that Perhaps the Profire wasn't designed to do so, although I imagine with a LOT of patience, it could be done. Once there though, it is a slippery slope as there is a lot of plugging and unplugging to do if you aren't running a patch bay.....still nothing in the user manual indicates that it is capable of doing so-there is no reference scenario showing the routing, but even the cheapest Behringer mixer has an effects Send that can in turn route the effected audio back into the mixer. The Profire, at its price point and with as many ins and outs as it has, should be able to do so easily and without frustration. Not so as its virtual mixer/router is cryptic at best and even when I tried using the S/Pdif digital send return through my Eventide, I finally did indeed get it to pass audio in and out of the profire then through the headphone monitoring jacks, but it would not pass the 'treated' audio into Protools. I finally gave up, went down to Guitar Center and purchased a cheapo Behringer Xenyx 1202 sub mixer to run my mic into, then took the main outs of the Xenyx into the effects unit then out of the effects unit into the Profire. This scenario worked and I finally got 'treated' audio into Protools M-Powered.
All I can say, is WHAT A PAIN. I wasted 5 precious hours on this situation when I could have been making music.
If you are trying run audio effects in real time while tracking, I'd stay away from this and spend a little more cash and get a proper mixer/interface/control surface that has aux sends and returns. As far as the sound of the Profire, I'd give it decent marks. It is by no means going to give you boutique sound, but it is passable and once 'in the box' you can use the plethora of audio processing plug ins at our current disposal to 'fine tune' your tone.

I am going to make this simple and sweet.
I am running a MacPro quadcore with OS 10.5.8 and the latest driver downloaded from M-Audios site 'claiming' use for the same OS.
This thing gives me problems.
I come from the age when you plugged your mic pre into a line console or the console already had line pres built in. This unit has the XLR connectors and line inputs but where it and probably most other 'portable' firewire, USB interfaces fail (I have no others to compare it to save for my old Seasound PCI which actually worked! and an SSL MADi Xtreme which ALWAYS works-you get what you pay for, I guess)
is in driver issues and software.
The software interface on this unit just plain sucks.
I have been doing audio for 25 years and when I have to reference the user manual often, to figure out routing, well, we have a problem where the software designer was NOT an audio guy because he does not think like an audio guy. An audio guy would have send/returns setup like a regular mixer but instead, the Profire software designers chose
a conflagorated drop down menu type of operation. OK. I can figure that out, no problem. I'll do it THEIR WAY
But what I can't handle is when the unit fails to pass audio. I have to shut it down, restart, sometimes it will show level meters, sometimes, not. I am told by a 'nag' screen that I have to power down the mac, restart the profire, then restart the Mac. I do this often and still, get no audio from the XLR mic input. Should it have to be this difficult to simply get some vocals into my 'puter? As I sit here and write this, I am taking a hiatus from trying to figure out why the unit will not pass vocals into Bias Peak 6. Meanwhile I am on a schedule to get a record released and am not happy being I have a day job too and little time to record. When I do record, I want my stuff to simply work and I paid good snappys for this unit, so it should just plain simply work. But it doesn't. Shame.
Another annoying M-Audio/Digidesign thing is that when I change sample rates, the unit will sometimes go silent or create audible clicks. Which it will or will not do, is a gamble. You might have to power down your computer, you might not.
I have to use this damn blasted thing because I am tracking in Protools M-powered.
Another bad for Digidesign because they lock you into both their or M-Audios convertors and software simply to use their DAW.
Right now, unless I get this thing figured out, I give this unit a big DO NOT SPEND YOUR CASH' if you are running OS 10.5.8. But that is the gamble, correct? It might just work fine on PC, where Digidesign started out designing their gear around.
Such is such in the world of 'computer audio' in this day and age.
If I do get it working, I'll write and addendum to this as I am all for user headspace and timing being incorrect and I could be the idiot here but by the way this thing is acting, I venture to say we have a software driver issue and of course, M-Audio and Digi would NEVER admit to that, now, would they, in this day and age of plausible deniability.

Rackmount unit. Haing issues with Profire, and - lo and behold - RME, and MOTU I just had to buy something simpler. Clip indactors, no soft limiter, no onboard dsp albeit working in standalone mode. Sturdy sleek looking black and silver knobs built. All trims are not handled in software since this is a standalone version too.

Has a unwieldy and clumsy breakout cable, which IMHO is a drawback. And of course, a wall wart which aren't the most professional thing, but anyway, you can use - basically - anyone that has the requirements.

FW 400 interface, SPDIF coax , ADAT optical and MIDI in the breakout cable. Works also standalone. I do miss XLR outputs, and balanced but this was more of the computer connectivity. FireWire only.

Preamp quality of all analog inputs MIC OCTANE are actually above average and a pleasant surprise. It has character, and not that neutral and clean, but to my liking. 2 dedicated instrument inputs on the front panel which works like a dream. One can do surround quite easily on this one, since all outputs are used and you have to dedicate two of them if you should just use stereo out. Same with send/return. You work with all individual outputs and inputs to do this. 2 headphone outs which are swell. IF and only if you have a separate external master volume control, such as SM Pro Audio, one can dedicate the Profires Master Volume to another headphone out at the back, giving 3 different mixes on headphones. With plenty of volume. Lots of output to produce strong signals to headphones.

4 channels of mic preamps can take 48v at a time. This is similar to others. No one I know of in this price range and above can put 48v to one or two channels. It accepts current from the dreaded wall wart adapter, albeit you can lay this far away from the unit, eliminating risks for hum and current leakage into the unit. Not the best solution, but one just have to live with this. It's not the only unit having this. If you should have a built in ac output, price rises as you have to make them different for different countries, and build them more solid with shielding against hum and currency.

True +48v it is.

Tech specs can be downloaded on their site, as well as their manual, in advance to buying the unit for comparison. AS OPPOSED TO MOST MOTUs GEAR. Don't know exactly but it can - as usual - do 172 KHZ and lower, but with limited functions. 24 bit 96 Khz it can do. Standalone has limited sampling freq.

ASIO drivers, are the most I am using, works with MAC too. And of course ASIO Direct Monitoring can be turned on and off within the Mixer Applet. You don't have to go through the host program like Cubase or something else. For this price all 8 mic preamps has plenty of db to boost, 53db, and exceptional N/R specs for this kind of unit and price.

Bundled software, was Ableton Live. Some kind of version. Also this works more solid with Pro-Tools M-powered from 7.4 and on. I do not think that tech specs and such things are better if you use it with Pro Tools, but some things are easier to hook up, and some things are easier to go around mixin and cue wise.

Mixer applet is as easy and intuitive as ever. It may annoy some pros, but for us consumers of hobbies, and project studios, it's a breeze. We don't want finnicky and cluttered interfaces. No turntable input. No ground lift.

STANDALONE it works like a very good 8 channel line mixer, or a tremendous 8 mic pre amp. Works like a breeze.

How this product has performed for me in the real world?

Well, it solved all my problems that I initially had with MOTU 828mk3.
No signal bleed or leak from SPMTE code, and Guitar Rig kontroller signals. Couldn't get rid of that on the MOTU 828mk3.

That unit may be able to do more (DSP, SMPTE code etc) but this units driver even brought back the very simple Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth to be working. It is supposed to be a part of XP and DirectX, and certain programs still want this software synth to be installed as a default MIDI player.

MOTU f*cked that one up for me (see my 828mk3 review) but when M-AUDIO drivers was installed, it came back and it worked. Although the files that this synth uses were intact even before. A slight slight bonus, and of no importance for most people, but anyway. For me it was.

I wish it had: NO BREAKOUT CABLE. NO WALL WART POWER. Well maybe, 2 XLR balanced outputs. Perhaps. Maybe full LED on each channel, now there's just the one dot clip indicator. FRONT MUTE BUTTONS for EACH channels. Today you can use the first two channels as mute, if you ush the mic/inst switch on, then they get the signal from the back - provided of course course that not any other signal is on the channels at the back!

While MOTU attempts to work as a Swiss Army Knife for everything you can think of, it does not do that very well. Improvement could be done here.

Latency measure when loading and recording lots of channels where not that swell on MOTU. this one performed better, although - granted - this ProFire has less of the features and functions of the MOTU.

However, MOTU sounds great, but so does this too. It was a long time ago there was any difference just playing two channel wav files from soundcard interfaces like this. The support of M-AUDIO is way superior to MOTUS... at the moment! I think MOTU still is a MAC company mostly, but M-AUDIO is greatly improving on their former bad rap they had, regarding drivers and support. Since they've been bought up by Avid they have some different resources to dig out some serious support from. In all fairness, MOTU may be great TOO in spite of it having just two mic preamps (which wasn't THAT swell!) , but M-AUDIO ProFire suited me much much better, and I was up and running and "got the grip of it" in less than 30 minutes. With all connections to my outboard gear included.

Highly recommended for its price.

Having owned and had issues with Focusrite Saffire, MOTU 828 and PreSonus FirePod I had become to give up entirely on FireWire audio interfaces until my local DV recommended this model to me and I have never been happier. It's built like a rock and I am more than happy taking it out on the road with me. Can be used stand-alone. Front panel is an excellent break from the cluttered 828 with very large gain and master volume section. Simple and effective.

Two TOS-Link in's and two out's!
Breakout cable for BNC, MIDI, etc.etc.etc.

Two separate headphone outs. Awesome. MIDI in and out. Great. Eight amazing pre-amps, the best I've heard in this price range.

ADAT, Word clock, daisy chaining the list goes on.

Line lump.... Damn....

Aside from that, phantom power can be switched on all the mic in's in groups of 4.

First time no problems with OSX Leopard (10.5.2) on my MBP! Take that MOTU!

Great support.

I'm a touring front of house engineer. I use Logic Pro for some live reverbs and delays or sometimes to live record.

This unit is so unbelievably stable. Great sounding and perfect all around. Would buy again if destroyed or stolen ;)

Recommend to anyone who needs 8 mic-pre's or just wants a great audio interface.