Emagic AMT-8 MIDI interface

It's now 2008, and I still wouldn't swap my AMT8 for anything else. If you're on Windows then it's probably best avoided as the drivers are a bit old as discussed below but on Logic 8 on an Intel Mac it works flawlessly. Just select the Unitor8/AMT8 driver when you install Logic. In fact, considering the price these seem to be going for on ebay these days it's hard to beat even 8 years after the initial launch.

I plugged in the power, plugged in my MIDI cables from my synths, loaded the drivers, and bam.

Seeing as how it's just a MIDI interface, there isn't a lot to elaborate on here. LED's for each channel are nice but pretty standard. The presence of a panic button on the front panel is certainly a nice touch.
If anyone wants more, like video sync capabilities.. well, that's what the Unitor8 is for.

Build solid, nice weight to it. I'd take it to a gig without hesitation. I purchased mine used and it still looks almost brand new, despite being racked for years by the previous owner. Power plug is a little bit looser than i'd like but not enough to cause any worry.

Sadly, Apple now owns Emagic, but they are to be commended for at least keeping driver downloads available. Most companies would do far less for what is now an "obsolete" product. My rating isn't perfect, however, largely because I feel that Apple should have gone the extra mile and updated the drivers rather than just hosting the last ones that Emagic worked on. YMMV, of course.

All in all, absolutely no complaints. It's 2005 and Emagic is long gone but it's a real testament to their products that i'm sitting here with a well-built, reliable product that still operates as it should. Even better than that, it's hooked up via USB to a PC running Windows XP SP2 and Cubase SX3. Couldn't ask for anything more.

Couldn't be easier, plug it in and go.

Here's where this thing earns its money. I've had several midi interfaces from different manufacturers and all had problems working with logic on my mac G3. The AMT8, on the other hand, is totally flawless, not a single problem since it's been out of the box.

Emagic has notoriously bad customer support. However, I haven't needed it with this unit.

Definitely would buy another one. If you're having trouble using OMS on a mac with your current midi interface and you use logic you should invest in on of these.

I'm using this baby with Logic Audio 4 and let me tell you, It's nice!
EASY! Since I already had Logic, I didnt need to get to know the Unitor
software that comes with it too much which is not so user friendly, by
the way, but it only took me a few minutes to get it down once I decided
to give it a try, but it works really well. Manual was your basic "written
by an engineer in notepad the day the first one shipped" kinda deal. It's
actually the Unitor 8 manual with "UNITOR 8 ONLY" written along side
of the parts that talk about the added features of the Unitor 8. LAME!

Expansion is really cool, blah blah blah.. read above for that.
It's just your basic 8x8, but I really like this one as much as I
resent emagic for their lack of customer support in the U.S.

N/A

Hasn't crashed once since i plugged it in. I don't even care about
the lack of USB support for PC. Serial ports are fine with me, after
all it's only MIDI anyway. I would absolutely use it at a gig, even
without a software sequencer.

Emagic support is fine as long as you don't need to ever actually
talk to a human being or get a customized response about a particular
problem. If the web site can answer your questions, you've lucked out.
Upgrades are always promptly posted on their web site and are never
"buggy" but good luck getting a response from a warm german body.
Maybe I'm just an asshole.

If it was stolen i would have to buy another one. As much as I
may badmouth emagic about the absenteeism of their support department,
especially in the U.S., I must say that they really do make some great
products. In my opinion, you can't buy a better sequencing/recording
software package than Logic, and if you're going to use Logic (on a PC),
you will want an AMT or Unitor 8. End of story.

Very easy to use in my opinion, but then I have Emagic's SoundDiver for editing the unit. Easy to set up patch setups for use with the computer off. In Windows, each of the 8 ports comes up as a separate MIDI interface would - no hassles.

8 MIDI inputs, 8 MIDI outputs
USB, RS-232 (PC serial), RS-422 (Mac serial)
LED indicators for each port + communication with computer

You can connect up to 8 AMT-8s together to get a 64+64 MIDI Interface...

Can be used as a stand-alone MIDI patchbay if no computer is connected.

No problems at all, it worked perfectly right out of the box.

Emagic has a very helpful support staff. I bought this unit essentially because I use Emagic's SoundDiver synth editor software, and the support from Emagic for this software has been tremendous.

Regarding the USB issue mentioned by the other reviewer, Emagic has been quite open with this on their support site. USB works on Macs, only the Windows driver is missing, and this is in the pipeline.

This unit was sorely needed for my home studio, as I have 6++ pieces of MIDI-equipped synths and FX boxes, and previously I only had a 1-port MIDI interface. Since I use SoundDiver, buying from Emagic was a natural choice.

Well, it's an 8 in 8 out midi interface that works when your computer is switched off. The software integrates with your sequencer of course so it's easy to set up.......however the extra software to control its deeper functions is a bit less user friendly.

8 ins 8 outs (MIDI)
USB compatible (see below)
LED's etc

BLUE !!!!

Well I got it home only to find that the USB connector doesn't work with a PC (no drivers yet), despite the thing's advertising blurb. No mention of this fact in 2 (TWO !) reviews in Sound on Sound.
Then it started to lock up. Only works for 20 mins at a time. I took it back to the shop and got another (had to shout at the salesman.....). Hope this one works.

Pathetic. What is it with German sofware houses? AFAIK this was released unfinished. I got a sort of apology for the lack of USB on this "USB-capable" unit, but when it started to freeze, all my mails went unanswered. Quite simply, don't buy their stuff.

I'll give it 2 because I have to believe that this new one will work. Otherwise back to my trusty Opcode 2x2.