M-Audio FireWire 1814

Not as simple to set up as I had hoped I was using it with pro-tools m-powered. And I didn't find out I needed different drivers until I read it on a board. Directions consisted of what to plug where, that's all. Knobs on front are pretty easy to understand, levels, gain, out, phones, all clearly labeled.

The 2 preamps sounded good, most times though I was running everything from my mackie board direct out. But there wasn't any clicks or random noises. Very clear.

NO NO NO NO. In the three months I owned this unit. not once was I able to record more than 2 minutes of music. Every time I would record no matter what program it was in the mixer panel would freeze and cause the recording program to freeze as well. It was the most frustrating thing I've ever had to deal with. the most reliable part of it was knowing it was going to crash.

First I contacted M-audio with the problem through e-mail. 2 Days later they e-mailed me back asking for computer and latency settings and such, I sent them the info. They gave me no solution just some links to pages with quick fix things and ways to optimize your computer for recording. But they did respond after I did everything telling me to contact Protools. So I e-mailed protools my problem with my system configurations and processor. The e-mail they replied with said this verbatim "protools does not run with this processor please try another pc"

This thing is a POS it wouldn't even work on my friends 2 gig macbook. I spent $800 dollars on it for pro tools, the interface, akg perception 100, and seinheiser headphones, i've still got the headphones and mic. but 2 pieces of shit have been returned for a presonus firepod. which i've had not a single issue with easy to use, easy to set-up, pre-amps are a little hokey but sounds clear. Which comes with cubase Le and sounds just as good as the 2 minutes of pro-tools i was able to get. it's just a name. don't make the mistake I did and buy something based on brand, do some research, you may even save money and find something better.

Very easy to set up. Routing is very sensible in my opinion and I've never had that "how the hell does this thing work?!" feeling. I guess it could be better but I don't see any particular reason to complain about it.

Perfect. No kind of hiss or hum.

Actually I've used this on (metal) gigs without a backup. Driver has failed once - that's far less than my E-MU 1212m did on my Windows machine. Never had any connection issues or anything else. There is a little cheap plastic touch, though, especially with the knobs. Anyway, this is not meant to be beaten up so I forgive that.

Never had to deal with them.

I use the 1814 daily in my home studio and occasionally on gigs with my metal band. We run a 4-track playback from my MacBook and Pro Tools M-Powered and the whole thing runs really smooth. I've had this thing for over a year now and during that period of time it has failed once. Actually it was the driver, not the device itself. I don't really understand why that would be a very, very bad thing since I've seen many pro equipment (in pro studios) failing much more often, some even several times a day.

Overall the 1814 could be better, especially for the knobs and connectors but I've found it very reliable and easy to use. I see a lot of negative about this device here but I guess M-Audio has fixed their drivers and Firewire ports by now. Or maybe I'm just lucky.

This is a B-stock version. My gain your loss! compared to a roland vs-1880 this thing is a breeze to use. The manual is pretty good. I have the latest drivers and have never had a problem with my Dell dimension 2400 P4 1 gig ram. I use it with pro tools M-powered 7. These were made for eachother literally!

I think the sound quality is Great, Much better than my ART DPS which is quirky to use and sound flat. This has a great preamp I think its the same as the Octane which has won many rewards. I love M-audio stuff, cheap and great quality.

I havent had any problems with it. Although the knobs and jacks seem a little cheap. There are some know issues and fixes with this unit. Just do some research before on computer issues and fixes before you bash it, duc.digidesign.com has some great info on this unit.

Never had to deal with them personally but their website is very freindly and easy to download updates.

This is the absolutely cheapest and most flexible way to get into computer recording. With 18 inputs (2xlr/8ts 8 adat and lr spdif) and 14 outputs (8 adat 4 trs lr spdif) its incredible for the money. if you have the money for all means go for a motu. But if your like me I want the best quality for the most of my money. This thing is a great deal! Combine this with a m-audio octane and you cant go wrong.

I have been using recording and midi gear for 20 years. Seen a ton of gear come and go..I have never had to give feedback such as this one.
Fairly easy to use if you understand basic midi..mix boards...aux's etc. Manual is ok...
Ease of use when it crashes so often is NOT easy.

It sounds awsome when it isn't crashing...as in frozen computer..Athelon 64 bit processor...computer 6 months old. I use it at home only.."elevator music for people who would rather take the stairs"..been around recording and midi 20 years.

Very quiet and when it is ON it's great. I am very happy with the sound when it is in the mood to actually function.

It is with Abelton LIVE that crashes the most often. But even with Reason and Sonar I have reinstalled the drivers countless times..It won't recognize Korg and other soft synths some of the time without a lot of hassle.

I have never had a more dissappointing purchase especially at this price point. I actually believed it was worth it based on other M audio gear I have. It is built like a concrete bunker..but REAL hassle issues. I only wish I had my $ back...You think they would have the integrity to do that?...NO?

Well I don't usually fool with support with a product that looses interface(IT's sole function) on all my software. I was concerned that would only make things worse as the reviewer above attested to.

Think about it..all we ask as musicians is to be treated fairly with honesty and integrity.. the same way the people who make the gear want to be treated themselves when they buy something..you know...do unto others etc..Not the case most of the time. In M-Audio's case they obviously don't care or they would fix or replace these boat anchors. So there it is IMU Opinion..After a year of very frustrating counteless crashes and data loss I'm probably going to buy whatever gets great reviews on H Central and others...My plans for the M-Audio 1814 is to introduce it to my sidewalk with a hammer and then it will look more like what it actually is...scrap metal.

I would not get another if they paid me to take it. I pity the poor soul who steals it. Have someone you have a beef with???..send them this thing for total revenge. Yes I wish it could be fixed or my hard earned $ back.

Please help spread the word to other musicians... help prevent so many domestic disturbances,instant baldness, and nervous breakdowns...{{{Dave going to get hammer}}}

easy to use
help system is very average
Dicky interface , not logically thought out

It s Good sounding unit , for the money,
Now there are better units out there for the money!

Very poor,
NEVER!!

I update the drivers to the latest and the reilabilty seems to be worse. Im taking it back to the shops and leaving a message with M-audio

I Recently upgraded from a DSP24 PCI in a desktop, which has never let me down, to a Fast toshiba Laptop 1.6 M, 512mb ram, 1394 firewire port,etc, with the M-audio 1814.
I bought it to be able to run 18ins , though this unit can barely remain stable long enough to do anything!

I have had this card for 3 months and it has been completely unreilable. I went to support and tweak my computer to suit the card and stil have issues.
I use it with alberton and it cant handle that either. That program was made for it!!! This unit gets in the way.
It Goes like this : listening to music, movies , 2 secs later suddenly resets itself, and you have to quit the program and restart.
This unit is easy to install, has a good pre-amps , dicky interface.
I wish they will make better drivers for this unit

well.... really easy.... just install drivers and get going!

I'm not too picky about this.... for me, the sound quality is very good, as I mostly use it for live gigs. I know there are studio professionals out there that may complain about the preamps and everything... but for me it's enough quality. It is not noisy at all.

BAD BAD BAD. This weekend in a live rave the card was constantly losing connection. It has the same problems the FW410 has (just upgraded from FW410). I have to say you really CAN NOT rely on this card for a live act, unless you have a backup DJ working hard to act in the -probable- case of an emergency.

Well... I didn't contact M-Audio tech support... I am very used to my old FW410, had some issues with it and I remember tech support wasn't very helpful, but I havent contacted them eversince.

Overall..... I have to say.... when it works it's really cool. Analog sound quality is OK, I haven't tested ADAT because I have no ADAT equipment. Latency is very low. The two independent phone outputs is a neat feature... but hey! stability is the main issue for me and I have to say it's quite dangerous to rely on this card. I'm definitely bringing it back to the shop.

More things....In my opinion, the FW1814 overall quality is worse than m-audio FW410... I mean, for example, the rear TRS connectors seem really fragile, as well as the knobs.

Semi Easy to Use

Sound quality is on par with other consumer stuff.

This is why I'm here...

The drivers for this thing blow big time. It's totally unreliable for anything other than, uh ... well it's unreliable for anything. I've used it live twice and both times it failed (lost connection). I use it in my home studio along with a DPS24 and here is where it really blows. It constantly loses connection with the host causing a reboot to get it back. I'm fortunate that I only use this POS occasionally becasue I do all my recording on the DPS24. I mainly wanted this for live use and to be able to record the few VSTs that I use in my home studio.

Watch out for this piece of equipment!

I'll have to give M-Audio an A+ for support. They repaired a used 1010 I purchased for nothing even after I told them I purchased it used.

Ill give it a 6 because WHEN it works it works OK.

Installing the Firewire 1814 was easy.
There is a quick start guide to help you get going, but there is no hard copy of the manual included.

I'm using this on an Asus M6-based laptop. It's the same sound quality I'm used to from the M-Audio Delta 44 on my desktop, which is basically my only reference and I think it sounds "good."

While the drivers for the Delta 44 seem to be solid and I've never had a problem with it, this Firewire 1814 has some serious issues that make it absolutely NOT a viable option for anything live. In my 2 days of using it, I've seen individual pairs of inputs or outputs -- or the whole card altogether -- disappear from my audio apps. I've also had it [apparently] crash while in the middle of a DJ set at a wedding, leaving the audio in a permanent short, clipped loop that could only be stopped by powering down my machine. I would not use this without a backup. (As a matter of fact, I won't be using it at all after I take it back to the store.)

I would have been using this interface for electronic music production and DJing. If everything worked, it would be perfect, and it is a gorgeous piece of design work. However, besides the driver problems, there is the rear panel -- you know, the one with the audio connections -- it does not feel solid. It actually feels like you're plugging into something that's just soldered onto a circuit board, which doesn't bode well for the device's longevity, especially not for mobile use with regular plugging and unplugging.

I pretty much chose this interface site unseen because of my experience with the Delta 44. I thought M-Audio was a great company -- and they do have a lot of great products, but the Firewire 1814, and so I've read, their other Firewire products, have serious driver issues that make it unacceptable for professional live use. This one is going back.